IS IT TRUE? December 23, 2010

IS IT TRUE that Casino Aztar is building an elevated walk bridge across Riverside drive to make “The District” more safely accessible to patrons of the casino and its restaurants?….that this walk bridge will be 100 feet long?…that this walk bridge will be designed by Cripe Engineering who set up shop in Evansville for the purpose of providing services to the Arena project?….that the 100 foot walk bridge that Casino Aztar is building will cost approximately $3 Million?….that that comes out to about $30,000 per foot?

IS IT TRUE that the lease deal that gave the City of Evansville the $3.5 Million of Aztar’s money that is being spent on a convention hotel built is the very agreement that got Aztar to commit to building the walk bridge to “the District”?…that it just may not be a coincidence that the bridge was announced one day after the City’s intention to spend Aztar’s $3.5 Million on a hotel was announced?…that the new walk bridge will help Aztar to further isolate its compound from downtown Evansville?….that if downtown Evansville is to attract Aztar patrons for anything at all that an attractive well lighted path between the two with well advertised downtown venues will be needed to make that happen?

IS IT TRUE that the T-Span walk bridge that is shown on the layout that connects the Arena, the Centre, and the new Downtown Convention Hotel will constitute three building connections a suspended T-Section, and over 100 feet of walk bridge?….that if a simple straight walk bridge will cost Aztar $3M that an equivalent walk bridge to connect the three venues on MLK Blvd. will most likely cost more than that?….that we hope that the Arena budget has room for $3M – $5M for walk bridges?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,320 days since the announcement was made on May 14, 2007 that the McCurdy Hotel was to be refurbished into luxury apartments?…that it has now been 1,175 days since the Evansville Redevelopment Commission at the request of Mayor Weinzapfel approved the spending of $603,000 to purchase the parking lot.

IS IT TRUE that there are now 690 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?