IS IT TRUE April 14, 2014

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Mole #??

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke fought like the dickens to get the IU medical school to choose a downtown Evansville location and should be commended and congratulated for his well organized campaign that got him the result he sought?…it was a combination of fighting like the dickens and putting a very impressive incentive package together so IU will not feel the pinch of infrastructure improvements and the high priced acquisition of existing properties to put this project in place?…that Mayor Winnecke and his team successfully leveled the playing field between downtown Evansville and the suburban locations with a $35 Millon TIF commitment and what sounds like an additional $15 Million in spending to ready the site for construction?…at the end of the day, Mayor Winnecke got what he wanted but ended up agreeing to incentives and improvements that will cost more than the entire project was projected to cost at the Promenade?…they had better hope this works and is truly transforms the downtown because the City of Evansville is apparently maxing the last credit card to provide $50 Million for the IU Medical School and $20 Million for the hotel?…unless the revenue stream increases sources tell the CCO that this is the last major project that the City of Evansville will be able to pursue for a very long time until the tax base supports additional spending?

IS IT TRUE it may a bit euphoric to think about 2,000 students converging on downtown Evansville to pursue a medical education?…these students, faculty, and staff will indeed spend some of their money on food, drinks, and entertainment?…that euphoria that leads to very high expectations with respect to economic impact needs to be tempered a bit with the realization that about 90% of these students are already among us?…the only new people coming to Evansville are the additional medical students and faculty who choose to come here?…all of the nursing students, faculty, and staff are already living and shopping in greater Evansville and reporting for work or school at either USI, UE, or IVY Tech?…the economic impact reality is that all but 10% of the economic impact has already been absorbed into greater Evansville? …that the projected number is far short of what the impact of a brand new college with 2,000 students would be?…just as moving 200 jobs from Roberts Stadium to Ford Center does not create a single job, it must be realized that moving 1,800 nursing students from UE, USI, and IVY Tech do not create any additional ongoing economic impact on the community as a whole? …this is classic redistribution that favors and improves downtown Evansville and much of it will come at the expense of the other parts of greater Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that caution being said, the IU Medical School is a big win for the downtown and may very well spark some new investment in the form of restaurants, bars, apartments, etc?…it may even make the financing of the new hotel easier?…as for some other projects that have been floundering like the McCurdy and the Riverhouse the stimulative effects will be much less?…there is little reason to expect that a 2-Star hotel will be able to charge more or that an old folks home’s bottom line will be expanded because of a medical school up the street?…the same limiting factors of RENOVATIONS COST MORE THAN THEY ARE WORTH AS COLLATERAL will continue to blunt the efforts at the McCurdy and the Riverhouse?…these old buildings are problematic with code violations, inefficiency, neglect, and a sketchy financial history and this will not change?

IS IT TRUE the construction induced euphoria will someday come to grips with the reality that the expectations of the political mathematics will not be met and the reality that over a Billion Dollars of water and sewer infrastructure improvements mandated by the EPA are still what Evansville needs to have a real job attraction base to build on?…the IU Medical School will be big win for the downtown?…in the big picture it may not do as much as the euphoria projections suggests?…the list of  expensive future capital investments to bring Evansville into the modern world may not have changed a bit once the credit card has been maxed out to build the med school and the hotel downtown?

IS IT TRUE a positive step to restore the credibility of the Evansville City Council can happen tonight if they will do the sensible thing and scuttle the loan they approved under duress for Earthcare Energy LLC over two years ago?…they may just need that $4.8 Million to cover any unforeseen problems like pilings or earthquakes in Haiti that may add some cost to the IU Medical School project?

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86 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t know how you can give credit to someone who basically had everything at their disposal and still didn’t come up with a cost efficient plan. Let’s be honest here, he could have offered a gazillion to iu and there would be nothing stopping him as no government beaucrat would even dare be the one fighting the great med school plan. Iu took the plan that offered the most money and that was the city’s bid. Every other reason is just lip service.

    And that’s why I’m at a complete loss of words as to why the cco is still going with the woe is the rest of the city argument and not genuinely asking the question of why are we having to pay out the rear for dpats lots instead of a county and YMCA lot surrounded by a bunch of basic affordable lots. Has the cco genuinely thought about how wasteful this is to our downtown tif or does it not matter once the east side is out of the running?

    As for the 2,000 students not being a big economic hit. Yea Ivy Tech is about that size isnt it? And they couldnt even get a fazolis to stay in business, much less a big student housing boom. Seems like this is being ovet rated in order to get the machine reelected across the board.

    • I think the CCO is just giving the Mayor the nod to say job well done at, um I’ll use the phrase “good job with erm cajoling all parties involved” for picking downtown. Personally I think downtown is the worse place for the school, it (downtown) sucked in the last century (1970s) and still does today. Putting the school there will only acerbate its suckyness.

      I do think the CCO makes a valid point about the 2000 students and faculty. Its nothing but shell game.

      I do agree with some of your points should have been given more emphasis and it is being overrated. But that is par for the course with Evansville Mayors and their administrations preferred whoredom with tax payers monies and big projects.

      • Whoredom was a big part of the history of a thriving downtown. It was openly a part of the town until the fifties, when it was driven underground.

        • It is still a part of the town and not at all underground but in plain sight. The “lady” has morphed from human to projects and the promise the government can make all things better with the benefit of whatever current administration is in charge of having their name attached for posterity.

        • …..

          LKB…is this a serious comment or sarcasm? It sounds like the kind of bomb-throwing-morality thing the christian right says about the gay community…like the reader is getting ready for the next line to be about the end of times or something. This kind of writing does NOT seem to be your normal MO.

          • You’re “reading in” things that were not written nor meant. It is a historical fact that prostitution was a part of the “thriving” Evansville of old. I am not making any sort of judgement, I’m just stating a fact.
            If that reality triggers some sort of moral outrage on your part, you need to deal with it.

          • LKB….The movie, “In the Heat of the Night”….there is a scene between the black detective and the local Sheriff when the detective suddenly spouts an uncivil out-of-character comment….and after a big pause…the local bigoted, but nonetheless conscientious Sheriff calls him out on it and says “Well Virgil. You’re just like the rest of us, ain’t you?”

            Your whore comment immediately made me think of that scene.

          • Holy cow Weinz, you even managed to work your OCD bipolar obsessive hate of the “Christian Right” into a discussion about the IU medical school. Your an artist and a true conservative. AKA, a neo-con-artist.

          • I-E…There is no discussion of the Christian right here. There is no discussion about fake or authentic “conservative’dness.” There is no discussion about hate.

            Yet you suggest I am up to three? Out of left field no-less.

            Indiana-Enoch, do you need any other evidence that you are inverting these very things about yourself?

          • Weinz “It sounds like the kind of bomb-throwing-morality thing the christian right says about the gay community” You have issues Weinz. It appears as if your whole word view orbits around how you view the Christian right and the Tea Party.

          • I-E. Wait. You’re right. I did say that in this section and forgot.

            That being said, I stand 100% by the statement. It is accurate. (And it is why the christian right is losing the respect of, and the attention of, the rest of the country.)

            Another thing. You’re right about my disgust with the christian right and the Tea Party Fools. They are shallow and ignorant. And it is NOT JUST ME. Both of these groups are losing a place on the national radar – and thankfully w/in the Republican Party too – wholly by their own self-inflicted doing.

            It is delightful to watch – knowing that America is a free country that respects the rights of the individual to pursue his own personal happiness, and these two cretin organizations are losing the influence game. If you empathize with both Indiana-Enoch, yes, that means you’re losing the future of the country. Wonderful.

            Bias and bigotry are not going away…as the christian right and the Tea Party ignorants have a right to free speech. But isn’t it wonderful that the majority of America…especially the younger kids and families coming up…have dismissed both?

        • I remember High street well. Most people do not know that history of Eville. I suppose it was a good thing to clean out, but the rest of downtown seemed to follow. The town lost its spice.

          • My Aunt was the Med Tech who did the testing on the ladies. She spent part of the week in the lab and part of it tracking the girls who hadn’t shown up. She worked for Dr. Radcliffe, whose office and lab was in his home on SE First St..
            His wife, Rebecca, was on City Council for years. When he retired, they moved out next to Harrison HS.

    • It wouldn’t be so bad that IU chose the costliest proposal, if it was also the best proposal for the taxpayers of the City and County. Of course, it isn’t the quality of education or the well-being of the local taxpayers that was the first consideration. It was cronyism and politics. Just take a look at who is related to whom and who is a top donor to whom, if you don’t think so. The Mayor has now offered us up to be political hostages to the whims of the State Legislature, as they can opt to pull funding for the project at the drop of a hat.
      I’m not certain I agree with your assessment of IU’s choice being made simply because it offered the most money. The problem with all that is, while it is the costliest project, it is the one with the least “bang for the buck.” The other sites were big enough to offer land to research facilities, etc. that may wish to locate nearby. That isn’t true of the chosen site. The great expense of locating another facility adjacent to this one will likely stop that from happening.
      You do make a point about the lack of prosperity in the North Park area, despite Ivy Tech’s presence, Jordan.

      • Ivy Tech is a commuter community college. No effort has been made to engage Ivy Tech with the neighborhood in the way the downtown school will be designed. Apples and oranges.

      • Ivy Tech is not a residence school. The constituency of Ivy Tech students vs IU Med is off the charts different. Yes…apples and oranges, and a shallow comparison argument.

        • It’s difficult to find a good analogy, but the fact remains that most of the students for the new facility are already here. A big chunk of the Ivy Tech student body is comprised of Nursing Students, who will comprise a good portion of the IUMS student body. USI, I am told, will retain many of their health-care related programs on their current campus, so those students will likely continue with current living arrangements. I’m not certain of the projected numbers for those serving professional residencies, but they will be spread around about a 70 mile radius, so that blunts the impact of their presence.
          Jordan’s analogy concerning numbers and the lack of impact of Ivy Tech on the North Park shopping area is probably as close as we can come. Being as generous as possible, the students, staff, and faculty increases will not amount to 1,000 people. If that number of people were forced to live downtown and conduct all of their retail spending there, it would not be enough to support a tiny, tacky “strip mall.”

          • I believe you have a good heart about things. But I do think you are on the wrong side of this decision. And, with respect, your stats leave the impression economic and real estate development are not your former day job.

          • @ Weinz: I didn’t think I offered any solid “stats”. In fact I don’t really know of any solid ones, only “projections.”
            If you have better-sourced stats or even better projections, please share them.
            It is with my mind, not my heart, that I arrive at the conclusion that while having IUMS locate in this county is a good thing, that may not be being capitalized on as it should be.
            It is also with intellect that I observe that the world has changed greatly with the advent of the Information Age. I have to question the wisdom of trying to force any part of town backward to the type of “prosperity” that the mid-twentieth century produced. Brick-and-mortar retail is on the decline. Conventions are becoming more rare by the year. Yet, we see our leaders trying to reproduce a business model that is dying. That is not, in my opinion, a formula for “success.”
            I would greatly appreciate it if you would share the facts that you believe you have such a firm grip on. I not appreciate being patronized and dismissed with what translates as “Your heart is in the right place, but you’re ignorant.” I would repect being shown the error of my ignorant ways, however.

          • ….

            You asked. And I was very clear, I respect you. But I guess the comparisons of this project to Ivy Tech combined with the not understanding the student/faculty/institutional constituency of IU Med and this project VS the day-class shorter-term/training constituency of Ivy Tech. And the 1000 people being “forced to live downtown” being insufficient to support a “tiny/tacky strip mall?” It’s more sophisticated than that…and interconnected w/ momentum for additional, future demand for downtown housing and other likely collateral, complementary development over the next 10-15 years (such as mixed-use/residential riverfront-view development). More than anything, it has been a no-brainer from day one this should be downtown…as I am sure IU said to all of the Evansville economic development constituency.

            And to be diametrically opposed to that vs a suburban site? If you look at San Francisco/New York/Portland…many urban environments… you will see a number of the institutional/creative/healthcare and high-tech Silicon Valley firms taking large chunks of space in downtown because their employees want to be downtown…and not in a commuter, suburban sprawl environment. IU certainly knows that. Things are changing, and this will bring help bring a lifestyle change to downtown Evansville…over time. To by cynical about the effort to bring that about…is WAY to easy.

            I didn’t claim to have stats to support that. But you can bet IU has them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have pushed to be downtown. You can bet it was IU that said to the Mayor…”We want downtown. Make that happen.” (Not that the Mayor said “You’re going downtown.” Nope. It doesn’t work that way.) That being said…if you GOOGLE downtown development trends, or high-tech moving downtown….you will see all of this.

        • Ivy Tech, as well as USI & UE are literally going to be offering programs at the new faciity.

      • Ivy Tech enrolls over 8,000 students, not 2,000 as implied by Rails.

        Like other commuters, Ivy Tech students shop and eat wherever they choose along their various paths to and from the campus.

        As a former business owner in the North Park area, and a Northside resident for several decades, I can tell you that North Park suffers from business pressures related to its customer base’s fickleness, and backwards business practices endemic to local service industries that cannot be overcome solely by dumping another 10 or 20 thousand potential daily commuters into the shopping district.

        I pray that Downtown does not waste the huge opportunities that will become available when the med center and hotel are opened. It’s time that customers in Evansville are treated by vendors and servers in a manner same as one encounters in more guest-friendly locales

      • “The problem with all that is, while it is the costliest project, it is the one with the least “bang for the buck.””

        The fact that no one has been able to explain why we should be paying out the rear for this site confirms that. You can’t justify paying that kind of money when a partially owned county lot sits just up sixth.

        But oh don’t worry, these are the same people who are in charge of turning downtown around with this development.

        • Carol McClintock ,the mayors wife may just be the realtor ,I don’t know ,just guessing

          • I think Carol is in the residential department rather than the commercial real estate. Guess again.

  2. Is it true that downtown was awarded the med school because Winnecke offered IU a $50 million bribe? The city council was agreeable to this bribe.

    “A new broom sweeps clean.” (Anon)

    • TIF Districts and TIF bonding are economic development tools. Evansville competed with Warrick County, who also was using TIF bonding capacity to offer same and similar incentives. Do you propose trying to attract economic development without the use of incentives? If so, you are completely in a reality all your own.

      • If the city had not offered the incentives, IU would have chosen the east side or Warrick locations. Economic development would have happened anyway, just not downtown and not at a public cost of $50M.

    • Controlled Project Referendum

      http://www.in.gov/dlgf/8791.htm

      This deal is too expensive and WILL break the local government bank. There is no way they can do everything they are talking about for $50. million, a price that does not include the bond interest for 20 or 30 years.

      I would like to know how much just the property acquisition is going to cost taxpayers. As Pogo said, contrast the revenue you will be losing from the car dealership, to the revenue you will be receiving from the med school, which does not pay property taxes.

      • ….you know, there are two sides to a pancake.

        How long has the car dealership owned that property?

        A lot of Evansville business people, when THEY see the car dealership property owner…perhaps getting ready to see an excellent return on their investment, because of the IU project, selling their long-term held downtown property…

        ….a LOT of those Evansville business people say…..”You know, that guy could have pulled his business OUT of downtown Evansville abandoning his retail business YEARS AGO due to competition from East-side dealerships. But he didn’t. He stayed committed to his business downtown and his employees FAR longer than perhaps he should have. Good for him.”

        Just saying. He stayed in the game and kept going…and a lot of others cut and run when, now…they wish they would have stayed.

        Every landowner deserves the right to eventually sell his land if he wants to….you can’t deny the guy that right. We tend to admire those MORE that hold on to their property for the long-term…and usually….we look down on those who buy…and then FLIP IT…for a quick buck.

        • When Weinzapfel gave them the information that the arena was going downtown and next door to them, before it was common knowledge, they formed another LLC and started buying additional property around them. More of that in crowd stuff.

          __

        • The O’Daniel family is the Evansville auto mall and its N Green River appendage. They have subsidized this location for years.

  3. Downtown Evansville is like the guy who has to tie a pork chop around his neck so his dog will like him. Same deck, just a reshuffle. The Ford Center is a money loser for downtown as I suspect the Med Center will be.

    • Operating government solely as a business venture was tried with significant success in mid-20th century Italy. I certainly hope I don’t live to see the experiment repeated.

      • Operating it as a plutocracy has not work out so well either. I would use the State of California as a prime example:

        __

        Calculating California’s Total State and Local Government Debt

        April 26, 2013

        SUMMARY:

        The total outstanding government debt confronting California’s taxpayers is bigger than is generally known. Earlier this year, when Governor Brown referred to the $27.8 billion in state budgetary borrowings as a “Wall of Debt,” his intention was probably to warn Californians that balancing the state budget was only a first step towards achieving financial sustainability.

        This study compiles information on California’s state and local government debt, relying primarily on official reports prepared by the State Controller and State Treasurer. When, along with the $27.8 billion “Wall of Debt,” long-term debt incurred by California’s state, county, and city governments, along with school districts, redevelopment agencies and special districts are totaled, the outstanding balance is $383.0 billion. The officially recognized unfunded liability for California’s public employee retirement benefits – pensions and retirement health care – adds another $265.1 billion. Applying a potentially more realistic 5.5% discount rate to calculate the unfunded pension liability adds an additional $200.3 billion. All of these outstanding debts combined total $848.4 billion. The study also shows that by extrapolating from available data that is either outdated or incomplete, and using a 4.5% discount rate to calculate the unfunded pension liability, the estimated total debt soars to over $1.1 trillion.

        The conclusion of this study is (1) the outstanding debt owed by California’s state and local governments, using responsible actuarial assumptions, is almost certainly in excess of $1.0 trillion, and (2) it is surprising that none of our government institutions in California can themselves provide an authoritative estimate of total state and local government debt, updated annually and available to the public.

      • Bill: In 2012 Gibson county redevelopment sold a small bond for another Toyota project. Who knows what the total number and amount of these Toyota bonds are? HL underwrote the A- bonds, $6.5 million for twenty years, total payoff is about $9.6 million.

        Extrapolate that out to a $50, $60, or $70 million dollar bond, what ever they settle on, as these figures never come out until AFTER the ink has dried on these agreements, and one can see that the taxpayer will never make anything back from this proposed project. Of course, the businesses who will be fortunate enough to get a part of this project will benefit, along with some well positioned land owners, but this is not the preferred, or even sustainable, way that true economic development takes place.

        Taxpayers do have an option this time. Whether any of them will choose to exercise that option remains to be seen. If nothing else, it would force the real $ numbers for the project to come out. That would be a good thing.

        __

        • …..

          You know, you’re right PRESSANYKEY. That total BS deal bond deal w/ the Toyota project up in Gibson County?

          That was a DISASTER for Gibson County and the residents/potential employees who were SUPPOSED to get jobs and crap!

  5. Here’s an off-topic side note to Joe Wallace: It appears Coachella was the place to be this weekend. I saw pics on Morning Joe this am, and it looked like quite a crowd!

  6. Well, all in all, considering the Politician’s decisions to increase the Community’s debt to the Max, coupled with the cost of the EPA Sewer Mandate bill, and by the Highest Utility rates along with the ongoing Red Ink from previous projects,–projects inspired by the “Vision” of the Elitists. Evansville’s Epitaph is thus written:
    “They Blew it all on Old Down”.

    My Best advice? —RUN!

    • “Run” does appear the best way of coping. I’m still deciding how far and how fast. If I stay in the country, it will likely be to the Southwest, (not Texas, even though Austin seems okay.
      I was leaning toward Panama, but Ecuador is still in the running.
      I do want to be around for the 2016 Presidential election, so it’s looking like the Southwest by Sept. of 2015. My older son is in Phoenix, and he’s adjusting to it. He says it looks like Joe Arpaio is finally losing his grip on things, and at least Jan Brewer saw fit to expand Medicaid.

      • LKB, I think I would characterize your future plans as Soaring,–not running. Enjoy! Sincerely, Crash

      • EKB: I’d give the Panama,and Ecuador,thingy a rest for a bit. “No kiddin”, a couple of years maybe,planet wise they’res a little too much “shaking going on” to suit me. For now,think like an “Appalachian” seems the ole planet and climate change just might be kind to that regions mid southern metros and villages regional’s.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Mountains

        • I have been giving that some consideration. It’s another thing that is making me lean SW.

          • EKB, The southwest has a “affected” water infrastructure,bad! It isn’t going to get any better for them on the foreseeable immediate horizon either.

            That’s going to become a real issue for them this year,once summer sets in. especially during the worse of wildfire season.

            If it does drive Climate Change Actions for Clean Water management anywhere in the US, it’ll, happen there first.
            Wish they had our plan in place say,from about 2011,if so,no real unmanageable water problems out there that couldn’t be presently managed effectively,forward or social economically,as well.

            Places like Evansville think they are “phat” on water,well they’re in the “not so much” category as well,due Clean water Act Conditionals,with a touch of agricultural strain drought conditions sometimes,da’boot.

            Think back to the problems with a simple chemical spill up river,in Virginia’s chemistry valley up there,the coal wash issues,and all that.
            Right now the southwest does look more sustainable in its utilities balance,however that’s for power grid provisional’s,certainly not water supplies. I really wonder when the water issue with affect the Hydroelectric providers per the amount of time they are allowed to dump water downstream for power supplies,sure makes they’re solar industries look Smart Balance for Climate Actions, right now.
            One thing,our plan whips solar’s butts, as well as,helps them along developmentally, plus creates better water,and more job markets and careers moved forward.

            Got to get this thing rolled out….soon! 🙂

          • If you are cold natured LKB, go where howler is retiring to.

            It starts with a h………………

        • Been to Ecuador, very high violent crime rate, Stay in after dark and don’t leave your house unattended. I think it would be safer to walk down Riverside, Washington, Bellemeade, Lincoln, or Walnut, west of 41 around midnight than to live in Ecuador.

  7. Once it was decided to tear down the Executive all efforts should have been directed at replacing it. It took a foul shoehorn and a tank car full of Astroglide to get the arena to ‘fit’ where it’s at, by no means the first choice of the Weinzapfel administration for its siting. it should have at least come with a hotel to service it, the Old Gnat Centre and the upper tier of the city’s hooker corp. Instead the city administration and our esteemed city council put in with broke developers and unusual conmen. Are we really afraid of cutting into Tropicana’s hotel business, afraid they’ll weigh anchor and leave the city destitute? Or maybe worse, just give us a good old fashioned shake down for any piddling concessions a crippled burg can still offer.

    Who down there is afraid of the Haney Mob and what they might tell? Why does Evansville turn a blind eye to their thievery? Over a couple of administrations the city has managed to maneuver itself into, to borrow a mayoral buzzword that is strangely lacking buzz, a transformative state. Isn’t it wonderful? The stars are all lining up. Couldn’t be any better. We’ve landed a medical school, never mind offering to give away the store to get it.

    Maybe Siegels will sell more scrubs.

    • I really wish Warrick County would have won. Evansville would have been better off reaping some fringe benefits without spending a dime.

      • As happened with Toyota? How embarrassing was that? That Vanderburgh County couldn’t put together an incentive package better than Gibson County’s. Put on your memory cap, and think about it.

        • Why did anyone need an incentive package? Would they have not come to this area without an incentive package?

      • I thought that too but to write it even a week ago would’ve been heresy. This thing was sold as the 2nd Coming and the argument became where in Vanderburgh should it go. The Dickensers got in early and dug in deep. Defined the argument. Paper clipped enough ‘incentives’ to their proposal to get their way.

        Hard to find fault with siting it near that medical district that has sprung up, sort of organically, around Gateway. That would have seemed to be the natural site for it and as you mentioned Vanderburgh businesses would still reap whatever small benefits in sales that would come with it. But, that didn’t happen. Time to move on and make the best of it.

        No one, including the city administration, knows how it’s going to impact Evansville.

        • You’re right about nobody knowing what the impacts will be, but I was disappointed that we a jamming it into a site that will make any concomitant development more difficult and expensive. It just seemed pragmatic to have abutting property available for any R&D ventures or other related businesses.

          • It makes perfect sense if you own the abutting property or if you will reap gratuities from the Downtown location.
            After all, this is Southwest Indiana Politics we’re talking about.

    • We were promised a 4 star hotel if we built the jon , weinzapfel reneged on that and now the next cox bite is raping us again on another hotel and then giving iu 50 million to build in their precious downtown
      Maybe we can turn into a DTES like Vancouver B.C.

  8. ….

    Holy Cow! The posts here…so many seem to have lost ALL connection to sound, long-term business sense…and a total lack of understanding the importance of Downtown Development 101:

    1. Downtown is a prominent employment center. Downtown is often the largest employer in a community.
    2. Downtown is a major business center. It may even represent the largest concentration of businesses in your community.
    3. Independently owned businesses downtown support local families who support other local businesses, local schools and so on. Independent businesses keep profits in town.
    4. Downtown reflects how your community sees itself—a critical factor in business retention and recruitment efforts. Industry examines many elements when looking at your community as a possible location, including quality of life. Included in quality of life is interest in downtown — is it healthy and viable, or does it represent local disinterest and failure?
    5. Downtown is a significant portion of the community’s tax base. If downtown declines, property values will decrease, shifting the tax burden to other parts of your community.
    6. Downtown is an indispensable shopping and service center. Though it may no longer be your community’s most important shopping center, it still offers unique retail and service opportunities. Also, attorneys, physicians, accountants, insurance offices, and financial institutions are often located downtown.
    7. Downtown is the historic core of your community. Many of the buildings are historically significant and highlight your community’s heritage.
    8. Downtown represents a huge amount of public and private investment. Imagine the cost it would take to recreate all the public infrastructure and buildings already existing in your central business district. Think of the waste of past dollars spent if downtown is neglected.
    9. Downtown is often a major tourist draw. When people travel, they want to see unique places and local treasures.
    10. Downtown is a government center. City hall, county courthouse, and post office are located downtown. This “one stop” shopping for government services is a notable feature of downtowns across the country.
    11. And, perhaps most important, downtown provides a sense of community and place.

    (Not to mention…the PRICE of failing to invest in the long-term health of a City’s downtown…is extraordinarily HIGH. A failing downtown promotes death of…and the brand of a city. The smart invest for a long term return. The weak are always looking for a quick, fast buck. The IU Med center is a MAJOR win for Evansville’s future.)

    • Are you referring to the Downtown in Evansville, Indiana?

      The reason I ask is because I read your list of credits and I think that most may not apply to Downtown Evansville.

      I hope this project works for everyone and revitalizes the Downtown area.

      • …it’s a list of larger economic development and growth priorities for ANY city w/ a downtown.

        • Then Evansville doesn’t have a downtown, because it surely doesn’t apply here. I think that Downtown Development 101 course must be circa 1965.

        • ….Goodness. You guys. There are those who do. And there are those who watch. You’re like those two old men Muppet characters who lampoon whoever is on the stage. But they never get on the stage or in the Arena.

          Sorry. My opinion is that you have a lack of vision to see anything long-term through to a success. And as much as that, you seem to forget that winners are losers who got back up again.

          • What facts do you base your opion in? Notice, my concern is with facts, not personal attributes I ascribe to you!

          • Btw, I have “done” quite a lot, even for downtown revitalization. You probably ought to have some idea of what a person is like before you insult them.

  9. Now the question is whether or not those needing health care from these enthusiastic, energetic, future graduates with their new degrees and certifications, will be able to afford their services under the umbrella of the Unaffordable Care Act ?

    • Bad Luther!

      Luther the Fiend says:
      April 12, 2014 at 12:16 pm
      Well, if this doesn’t “revitalize” the downtown Evansville, Indiana area then my next suggestion is a low yield nuclear device.

      NSA,NSA,NSA, 😉

  10. REALITY CHECK:

    Project A: IU Med. School, $ 50 Million (before interest);
    2,000 students (with claims that only 10 % will be ‘new’ students), faculty & staff; plus any new businesses which are created to serve this influx of people.

    Project B: Johnson Controls Remote Water Meters, $ 46 Million (before interest); 46,000 new meters. None of these meters will attend classes, buy a house in Evansville or dine out. It is further believed that these meters do not pay a dime in taxes !

    The City Council already approved Project B. Which one is most likely going to provide a payback ???

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