IS IT TRUE August 28, 2012

8

The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE August 28, 2012

IS IT TRUE that some of us who filled the tank up during the last couple of days are looking smart right now as gasoline increased by 5% overnight in Evansville and most of the Eastern United States in response to speculation that Hurricane Issac will disrupt production in the Gulf of Mexico, temporarily freeze distribution, and cause safety related shutdowns at some refineries?…that this time we may be in for a triple whammy on gas prices as there is a refinery in jeopardy of being shut down in Philadelphia and it is of course coming up on Labor Day weekend when somehow gas prices always seem to rise some?…if this triple whammy does the kind of damage that it can Evansville could easily be looking at regular unleaded gas in the $4.25 range by mid-September?…that should add a little spice to the presidential campaigns?

IS IT TRUE that as powerful as the office of the president is, these guys can’t control the weather, have never had any success from pleading with oil companies for relief, but can pass exploration friendly legislation and issue distribution enhancing permits?…that the USA does not has about as much of an energy policy as the City of Evansville has a master plan of relevance?…just as Evansville has had a long term problem with planning the United States has stubbornly resisted establishing a long term energy policy?…what we have now is a mishmash of crony deals some of which are favorable and some of which are oppressive to good energy decisions?…it has been 40 years since the first Arab oil embargo that caused gas to jump from 25 cents to 40 cents 3 months after this writer got a drivers license?…that of all the things that the candidates for president need to release some specific policies on energy is perhaps the most important one to the economy?…many balls have been dropped with respect to energy policy during the last 40 years but the last four under President Obama have seen the American public’s retail spending on gasoline more than double?…that tank of gas that was $35 in 2008 is now over $70 and that for a household with two average use vehicles is spending nearly $300 per month more on gas than they were 4 years ago?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer encourages all of our readers to think good thoughts for the people of the Gulf Coast and especially the City of New Orleans as Hurricane Issac approaches?…those of our readers who pray are encouraged to do so for the safely of the people of the Gulf and the infrastructure that they can come home to?…the last thing that is needed at this time is for another Katrina style disaster like what started 7 years ago yesterday?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville is holding a meeting at Bosse High School tonight at 5 o’clock to discuss the plan to eliminate combined sewer overflows in the City of Evansville?…this is a welcome step as this has plagued the south and southeast sides for half a century?…it took a gun to the head of the City by the EPA to get local leaders off their backsides to get this much needed repair in the queue?…one can pontificate until they are blue in the face about how arenas and unification will help economic development but any good that may happen is nullified when a site selector takes a deep breath of Bee Slough air?…this should have been done 30 years ago, it will be expensive, but eliminating the combined sewer overflows will go further to making Evansville a desirable place to live and work than everything else combined?…the water and sewer bills will be among the highest in the nation to go along with the electricity when this is done BUT Evansville will finally be a place that is free of the smell of derrière’?

8 COMMENTS

  1. ” … some of us who filled the tank up during the last couple of days are looking smart right now as gasoline increased by 5% overnight in Evansville …”

    In an earlier comment, I said wholesale gasoline price dropped 7c overnight. Now it’s shown at $3.11 (wholesale), reported at a 4c drop.

    Yes, I filled up yesterday at Marina Pointe because history tells us the price gougers will use any excuse to jump retail gasoline prices.

    ($3.11 + 62c = 3.73, above which price retail gasoline is selling at a profit in Indiana today. Yes, I believe in making a profit in business … a fair profit.)

  2. How far would $126. million go towards fixing the combined sewers problem? Would the $2. million loan to Kunkel for the McCurdy (private luxury apartments) project have been better spent on combined sewers?

    Could the money wasted by paying premium prices for downtown real estate, in a depressed market, have been better spent on combined sewers?

    Why is it that when local government is faced with the situation of buying that new big screen television or making the mortgage payment, they always go for the big screen television?

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    • I’m not sure the $2 million loan came from the same funding sources as the sewer improvements will come from. Aren’t the sewers funded by user fees? But maybe your asking if future downtown TIF funds can be used for sewer infractructure in the downtown TIF zone instead of for sidewalks, The Ford, etc.?

      • It came from 5/3 Bank where Lloyd Winnecke was employed at the time, but I was under the impression that the city was backing it.

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        • I believe that Ted Ubelhor, who heads the City of Evansville Redevelopment Authority, which owns the Ford Center, is also employed at 5/3 Bank. Ted had a seat on the Redevelopment Commission prior to moving to head the Authority.

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        • from:

          http://www.evansvilleliving.com/taxonomy/term/386/all?page=1

          Return to Splendor

          After years of false starts from City Centre, finally it looks as if the dream of rehabilitating the McCurdy will become a reality. Early this year, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission (ERC) was unable to obtain a majority vote to approve the plan tabled by local real estate development and construction firm Kunkel Group in partnership with Bloomington, Ind., real estate developer Randy Lloyd, but that hasn’t stopped the project from moving forward.

          [With a $2 million loan from Fifth Third Bank in their arsenal, Kunkel and Lloyd plan to purchase the mortgage from City Centre and begin converting the McCurdy into 96 market-rate apartments as soon as possible.]

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    • I believe the $2 Million loan was made to City Centre Properties LLC and not to Kunkel. Kunkel may have assumed that loan to transfer title but they were not the original borrowers.

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