The Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau board announced this morning that it has reached an agreement to buy a 96 acre parcel of land at the southwest corner of the Goebel Soccer Complex to build a new baseball and softball complex.
This is the new beginning of a project that was originally slated for the Roberts Stadium site at a cost of over $2 Million per ball field. No plans for the new baseball complex were released but CVB Director Bob Warren has previously estimated that the cost wil be between $10 Million and $13 Million dollars.
The previous board of the CVB had estimated that 8 ball fields would bring 100,000 visitors per year to Evansville. Mr. Warren has not yet commented on what he believes the visitor count will be. Independent analysis indicated a number more like 40,000 per year would be in town for tournaments and that many of those would travel from their homes to the ball fields daily.
Newburgh already has traveling teams for tournaments throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. Most of the parents families stay in Evansville so if you pull the teams or tournament to the Goebel complex then there is no net gain.
We already have softball/basebll fields at North, Central, Reitz, Memorial, Harrison, UE, USI, St. Phillips, Plaza Park, Stringtown, McCuthanville, St. Wendel, Owensville, Scott/Radio Rd, Holy Redeemer. St. Joe and on and on.
Who sold the land to the Convention & Visitors Bureau and what was the price?
Price is $1.35 Million and the deal has not been recorded yet so we can’t find the seller.
Weinzapfel and Winnecke..co-own it…LOL
$14,000 per acre!!!
What a deal!
That is about double what farmland goes for so it is the seller that got the deal.
Please note the dripping sarcasm. This is sickening and these people have a one track mind. BTW Boonville’s spring softball tournamnet was cancelled due lack of interest.
No surprise. It’s amazing how predictable these people are. This just makes me sick. This is the wrong land, it will have the wrong design, and it will waste valuable Innkeepers Tax funds that need to be saved not spent like a drunken sailor.
My question now becomes this: Why should hotel taxpayers have to pay for something that is now just a vision of Warren and the ECVB with no public input whatsoever? Further proof this needs to be an elected position with no outsourcing to groups like the sports corp.
Yes, I remember there were people who said Victoria National would never work out and here today we are playing a little golf —-_____just say’en
What a waste!!
The overall projected cost of nearly $15 million, including land, is way too much. Check the cost of U of E’s baseball and softball stadiums. Check the cost of Memorial High’s Stone Field.
We are not planning a Taj Mahal, friends. We are talking of a recreational facility that will be used part time.
And make no mistake of it. The money for CVB comes from local citizens as well as visitors. Every reunion, wedding reception, etc. will have to contribute to the fund.
I spoke with Bob Warren when he first came to town. He truly believes these ball games really bring families together. It is almost a religion with him. And he sees them as great tourist builders as well. I am not convinced but I guess it might work for some areas. I agree with Pogo. I also think that Vanderburgh County should not have been allowed to charge the highest innskeeper’s tax in Indiana. Mayor JW helped engineer that through the state legislature. The CVB as a whole is a real racket.
Bob is old, out of touch, and easily controlled. He also came cheap. That is why he was chosen over some young whipper snapper with an understanding of today’s activities that want to make a competitive wage. This ball field fiasco is a throw back to the 70’s. Read the CP comments. There is a guy on there who organizes tournaments that stated that Evansville couldn’t even pay to get his tournaments to come here because no teams will sign up. This is a hail Mary at best.
Comments are closed.