IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 17, 2016

1. IS IT TRUE we are puzzled at the decision to spend so much money on those with interests in the area who are best off financially, the business owners? …there is so much that is needed to make the neighborhood safer and more family friendly rather than doing for those who need it less.?

   Editor:
   County Commissioner Joe Kiefer made it perfectly clear at the County Commissioners meeting yesterday afternoon when the commissioners refused to consider selling a vacant lot located in Jacobsville to the adjacent property owner. Kiefer (real-estate developer) said that the lot should be transferred to the “city land bank” for a large future development. N. Main is just the first step in driving out the poor and reclaiming the land for “large developments”. The city and apparently Kiefer support letting the neighborhood property value deteriorate to nothing so developers can come in and then someone can make some real money. The current property owners are just restricted from making any of that real money. Private group gets the property, taxpayer maintains it and then the real-estate people (kiefer) make the money.

   • How many more “large future developments” can local taxpayers afford? Why don’t they sell the lot to Joe and let him do his own “land banking” until he is ready to do a project on it, instead of taking it off the tax rolls and charging the taxpayers to mow it until Joe, or one of his buddies, get ready to do a project on it, at which time they will purchase it for less than the taxpayers paid for it, and they will get the obligatory tax phase-in also. That is what all of this “land banking” is about, right?

   • Could it be that the gentrificationeers have multiplied like feral rabbits and the Haynies area, fancy streetlights and all, can’t hold them all? We must dump millions into another area adjacent to downtown so they can feel comfortable? We’ll root those recalcitrant JacobSettlers out, with TARP funds or a shiny new Schwinn if necessary, just like we did the D-Pat ExPats.

     • If you take a drive around the area east of SE 2nd St, south of Washington, and west of Weinbach you’ll see there is plenty of room for more gentry. I recommend you do it during the day, though.

       • Another thought, Comrade Elkaybee: gentry quite often have jobs. It is a bad idea to bring our progressive constituents into contact with people who work. They might be infected by them.

         J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
         Maximum co-coordinator
         Organizing for Idiocy
         Evansville Cell

     • It is important to preserve the squalor of this area. It allows us to visualize and be inspired by what all of America will look like after Comrade Hillary or Comrade Bernie becomes president and builds on the decay so promisingly advanced by President Obama. I understand that President Obama will be bringing back first-hand accounts of socialist decrepitude that we can copy (after he bows to the revolutionary hero Castro brothers, of course).

       J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
       Maximum co-coordinator
       Organizing for Idiocy
       Evansville Cell

   • Maybe Kiefer decided not to run again so he can get some bucks to do a project there.

2. What are the people down town thinking! Or do they think at all? Just saying!

   • We elected a bunch of politicians who didn’t come equipped to think.

     • We have weathermen and realtors running things. Generally half-witted front people. They have shown without a doubt what they think of the citizens. It didn’t get this way overnight and will likely take outside intervention to roll it back.

3. Many communities are adding protected bike lanes like this and seeing a good return on investment. Whether those communities are paying a million dollars per block or are putting them in high crime areas, I do not know. I doubt it. The biggest plus that this has going for it is that it will connect to Garvin Park which connects to the Greenway. You will not need to haul your bike to North Main to ride this lane, you can ride to the Greenway or haul your bike to some place along the Greenway. I ride a lot, but I ride it for health and fitness. I have never set out on a ride with plans to stop at some place like Turoni’s to chow on pizza. Maybe stop at a convenience store for a drink or a snack, that’s about it.

4. “IS IT TRUE that the transfer of the Hotel Parking Garage to the Evansville Brownfields Corporation now will allow this public project to proceed without the competitive bidding process?” DING DING DING! We have an answer. You can be sure that the contractor who gets this project will be providing the Mayor and his cronies with kickbacks to their political funds.

5. “IS IT TRUE It appears that Evansville has been dealt yet another post-election surprise from the Mayor’s Office? …the controversial North Main bike paths are going to cost more than originally planned for? …because of underground streetcar tracks, we are going to spend $16 million plus, instead of the $13 million that was originally planned for the project?” (CCO)

   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

   Where are the drawings, descriptions, and estimates for this project?

6. Here’s the truth about the Icemen:

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqCuJysGpBI&sns=em

   • Super! One of the best I have ever viewed.

     • Very clever and biting satire. The bar has been raised considerably by your contribution Bandit.

   • LOL! Good one.

   • Excellent.

     • Hilarious!

   • That’s about the size of it

7. It seems like the only businesses on North Main that bring in business from outside the area are DiLegges, Turoni’s, the Lucky Lady and the adult book store next door. There was a murder last weekend at the strip bar.

8. Here’s more on the IceMen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuIx2oWUhiU&feature=youtu.be

9. DMD will receive bids for repair of the former CVS building on Feb. 25. The somewhat vague stated plans for this building include yoga classes and other uses by community groups. We have to wonder if these repair costs are over and above the $16 million for bike paths, curbs, specialty street lights and other amenities. The residents in the neighborhoods in this general area have many needs, some are very basic and can be detected by simply driving through the area. Recall that the police sub-station in the area was closed, as was the one on Taylor Ave., in the Southeast side of town with problematic shootings. The Taylor Ave. building is owned by the city and has been turned into a storage facility. Police no longer have a presence at either location. It’s all a matter of priorities.

   • The city is not spending 16 million. They are “investing” 16 million that will leverage other investment. Investors (developers) need your tax dollars (investment) and cheap property close to the downtown. Real-estate people, like Joe Kiefer, know the best way to get property cheap is to make it undesirable first, and then laundry it through a government agency. This is for the “greater good”, I was told. Maybe Joe is right. Does anyone know a better way of getting those people out of their homes and gifting the property to a big developer?

10. Last July, the Metropolitan Planning Organization held a public meeting on a very expensive months long study of METS. Evansville residents who have the misfortune of depending on METS aired a litany of complaints. The consultants said “far and away the most important need is Sunday bus service.” The mayor and his minions shifted in their chairs at the front of the room as the attendees one by one told of their experiences with the bus system. The mayor said a plan to address the METS issues would be put together. He later committed to adding Sunday service. Seven months later, nothing has been forthcoming, yet there are well founded reports that METS service up US 41 is about to be cut back. And there is nobody in the METS director position. It’s all a matter of priorities.

    • Like code enforcement and getting the garbage hauled off, Evansville simply cannot afford basic services. Our leaders are failing us and refusing to talk about it. Or they are talking to a small circle of people who like what is going on. My circle does not seem to connect to theirs.

11. Improved public transportation is something that would benefit the people of Jacobsville . a lot more than bike lanes.

12. The cost of living – and dying – in this city continues to go up. Today, an increase in parking garage fees was approved. Yesterday, it was announced that a water rate hike will be coming. Recently, burial fees at the city cemeteries were hiked. To name just a few fiscal jabs at the public and residents. But we can take comfort in the fact that the administration will make another run at creating a massive new East Side dog park. And a “visioning-dreaming-listening” session recently resulted in a new set of precious projects for the area around the former Walkway, dressing up the area where the homeless congregate when forced to vacate the shelters in the morning. It’s all a matter of priorities.

13. Evansville is so lucky to receive good clean country air from Posey County, it’s especially exciting when storms with low lying clouds roll in from Illinois pushing the phenol fumes, etc down our throats, cough, cough. The EPA says in today CP that Posey County is not in compliance with air quality standards, really that’s news. So, in response our friendly neighbors decide it’s best to pile on by bringing in a massive fertilizer plant. To the citizen’s of Mt. Vernon I say to hell with “Remember the Alamo” they best be saying Remember Waco” where the fertilizer plant explosion frickin flatten the living shit out of much of Waco. Sleep tight.
    Ya’ll will soon have one right in your back yard the size of the Pentagon!!
    Oh well oh well, what the hell ya gonna do but grin and bear it.

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