IS IT TRUE about 130 workers were let go at the GE Appliances plant in Bloomington where side by side refrigerators are produced?…the same plant experienced a reduction in force of 160 positions in early September 2012?…GE officials blamed the job eliminations on reduced demand for the side-by-side refrigerators made at the factory?…GE announced plans in 2010 for a $161 million investment and 200 more jobs?…while we feel no joy in this situation it should have been obvious for some time that this was coming with the housing market experiencing contractions and the new “French Door†style refrigerators gaining market share rapidly?…the lesson to be learned here and at many other American manufacturing facilities is either innovate or die?…we are not surprised that the cast of do-nothings who were mugging for the camera at the 2010 announcement of an expansion are nowhere to be found with no method of accountability now that plans for job creation have changed for the negative from +200 to -290?
IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has learned that nothing will be done about the complaint filed by Evansville City Councilman Jonathan Weaver against Jordan Baer for grave desecration?…we think that makes all of the practical sense in the world since Baer was simply using an already broken stone to illustrate a need for the City of Evansville to do a better job of keeping the cemeteries in order?…the real question that may come into play is whether or not Mr. Baer will launch a defamation of character lawsuit against Councilman Weaver for his on camera accusations?…if it were not for the fact that Mr. Weaver is an elected official that camera would not have been there for him to rant into thus it is his elected status that created a platform from which to make such false statements about Baer?…we hope that the City of Evansville carries a good insurance policy for the actions of  City Councilman Weaver when or if  Mr. Baer decides to drag the city into  future legal actions against Weaver’s for his on camera tantrum?
IS IT TRUE that Steve Martin, developer of The Promenade announced his intention to respond to a forthcoming request for proposal expected from Indiana University for their newest medical campus?…Martin explained that his site of 225 acres would setting aside 69 acres for the IU Medical School in his proposal?…The Promenade is also planning to develop 224 residential apartments, new retail space, professional space, and will be within walking distance of over 1,000 apartments, a grocery store, numerous restaurants, the VA clinic, a large number of hotels, and possibly a convention center appropriately designed for professional symposia?…The Promenade is already in a TIF district and is in the City of Evansville?…this raises the announced respondents to 3 including Warrick County and a yet to be determined proposal from the Mayor’s office for downtown Evansville?…it should be expected by the people of Evansville that whatever financial incentive package that Mayor Winnecke authorizes for downtown Evansville should be attached as also applicable to any other site in the city limits of Evansville, Indiana?…Evansville is more than just the downtown (thank God) and the other 117,000 people from the census deserve equal representation and support from the government that should serve them too?
IS IT TRUE that once upon a time President George Herbert Walker Bush uttered the words “READ MY LIPS, NO NEW TAXESâ€?…President Bush went on to break that line in the sand promise and has never recovered?…more than anything else that simple broken promise not only cost President Bush a second term but has etched those words into history as what made him a lame duck president?…from his first campaign until last week which is more than 5 years President Barack Obama has uttered the words “IF YOU LIKE YOUR INSURANCE AND YOUR DOCTOR YOU CAN KEEP THEM UNDER OBAMACARE, PERIODâ€?…it is looking more and more like President Obama is coming face to face with his own “READ MY LIPS†moment from which he shall never recover?…it is painfully obvious that President Obama knowingly or not flat out lied to the American people?…thus far his response (or his handler’s response expressed by him) has been to incrementally try to rewrite those powerful yet simple words?…even some of the staunchest supporters of President Obama are now running for cover in the face of the 2014 election cycle?…it is very sad to see an elected President of the United States paint himself into a corner where he is either a deliberate liar or so removed from his signature piece of legislation that he just didn’t know?…it is more pitiful to see he and his handlers try to practice revisionist politics with a statement that was perfectly clear, concise, and easy to understand?…we have seen this before when President Richard Nixon went from an overwhelming re-election to a hunkering guy under attack muttering the phrase “I AM NOT A CROOK†when everyone with half a brain including his supporters had figured out he was indeed a crook?…it will be interesting to see how much this has to play out before everyone on both sides of the political aisle will finally admit this most unfortunate situation?
The Martin Group can say whatever they want about their trash covered fields on the Eastside. Those “Promenade” signs have been there for a decade and I don’t see anything being built.
Also, Martin Group, please pick up all that trash that has been covering the fields of your “development.” It looks terrible.
“Also, Martin Group, please pick up all that trash that has been covering the fields of your “development.†It looks terrible.”
Maybe they thought it would sell quicker if it looked more like the City’s Parks.
Where do you think all that trash originates? From the 225 acres owned and currently maintained as grain fields by the Martin-Hirsch group?
No, it blows in from nearby commercial developments who are not appropriately maintaining their parking lots and trash disposal areas, and from thoughtless dolts who shop there and cast trash onto the parking lots and streets.
Since the 225 acres is covered in growing crops from May to late September, most of that blown in trash is obscured from view under the row crops. It would be impossible for the Martin-Hirsch group to pick up trash from within the rows during growing season.
Besides, the trash has to blow across private commercial parking lots and public right-of-way before ever arriving upon the Martin-Hirsch property. Why are you not castigating the owners of the adjacent private commercial property or the municipality responsible to remove trash from their streets, gutters, and grassed right-of-way?
Personally, I see this as a weak litter law enforcement issue, and not necessarily the responsibility of the Martin-Hirsch group.
What silly accusations will be thrown out next?
Exactly..actually I would say it goes back into the 90’s. They have been touting residential, apartments, an arena site, a convention center site..on and on in the hopes something would stick. What we don’t need is more generic urban sprawl, and that is exactly what the Martin Group will provide.
The biggest problem they have with that piece of land is that there has been absolutely no master plan at all, just build whatever we can get. Surrounding a property with big box stores and car dealerships doesn’t lend to an upscale mixed residential/retail area. I can hear realtors now trying to sell lovely condos overlooking Town and Country Ford or Lowes.
This will probably be the best opportunity to revitalize the Welborn property. Throw in the added benefit of actually infusing downtown, and I feel the city has every right to unite behind the downtown location.
First off, when Martin-Hirsch development group came in to APC for the rezoning, they showed an elaborate development plan for the Promenade. So, that’s out of the way as one of your vacuous arguments.
Secondly, at this point in the development of the Evansville to Newburgh corridor, developing the Promenade acreage would be infill development, utilizing and expanding upon existing infrastructure for traffic, utilities, and drainage. And since the extension of Vogel and Columbia have been part of the master plan for over a decade, you cannot pin “urban sprawl” on the development of the 225 acres designated by plan as the Promenade.
There went your second empty argument. Why don’t you spend more time down at APC or out at the Martin-Hirsch group looking at the plans on file. And in a couple weeks, MPO’s updated master plan will be published, and you will see what’s in store for the area under discussion.
I’ll believe they are actually developing it when I see it. It’s been sitting empty for over a decade. All those plans are just that, plans, until they are moving dirt out there.
The 225 acres comprising the Promenade was rezoned less than 10 years ago, so not “over a decade ago.”
And you still haven’t admonished the true generators of “all that trash” that’s blown onto the 225 acres of row crops from adjacent commercial enterprises.
What superior qualities does the land possess that you prefer to see developed into the medical center, while we’re comparing sites?
Seem awful defensive there what…
Anyhow, it has been sitting there vacant for well over a decade. In 1997, when I was relocating an office, I viewed plans for a Class A office tower, 6-8 stories, with a TGIFridays, to be built about where Cross Pointe and Virginia cross. Since that time, there have been elaborate plans for a mixed use development, shopping/recreation/residential, similar to Westpoint in St. Louis, and, there have been plans for an arena and later a convention center. Look, I don’t fault them for attempting to come up with a use for the property, but nothing to date indicates the ability to pull the entire project off, with or without IU Med.
We can split hairs about a true definition of urban sprawl, but there is no denying it would add traffic volumes to an already overburdened Lloyd/Burkhardt area. Is Hirsch-Martin willing to foot the bill for Lloyd overpasses at Burkhardt and Cross Pointe? Same for the Warrick site at Epworth. That intersection is getting dangerous, with a recent fatality. Lloyd improvements should be mandated before either of those sites can be considered.
Building in the corn fields, increasing traffic counts on the eastern sections of the Lloyd, while a sufficient medical campus continues to sit empty downtown are more than enough reasons to push the Welborn site.
What next: Rode with a local member of family out that way today for his ongoing post operative oncology treatments. The guys pretty informed as an retired Natural Resource Geologist.
So we both had eyes on your locations today during some really heavy downpours. He took the time to give me a informative historical on those sites. Interesting discussion there.
I think the comments posted by (“StormyWaters”) the other day reflected about the same conditional assessments as pertaining to drainage elevations.
My relation with me has some interesting localized historical on both the Warrick site and the Martin-Hirsch acreage.
Really wasn’t too aware of the litter problem as most of the sites mentioned were about the same condition, as is the whole of the east side agriculturally operated locations were,in fact. Not really the developers actions there, more a prevailing wind problem.
The litter is a problem the whole community needs to apply better methods too. Its flat out an environmental problem forward. To many nasty super store bags blowing around,plastic doesn’t leave or absorb into the environment quickly enough.
Your downtown isn’t stellar with that aspect either.,however the Clean Evansville program is proactively addressing those issues.
Needs more action down there. People need to take ownership of the local environment a bit everywhere.
I was attentive to the lay of the land on both sites, and the available drainage systems in place today. The land elevations do favor the Hirsch farm site to a degree. The Warrick, Epworth area looks fine as well,both do however have some restrictions at road culverts and some ditch erosion’s,bends as such. The flow points can be improved incrementally as any planned development requires.
One thing the ole cuz told me is the Hirsch guys and most of the farms along that drainage basin have long solved the field leveling and field tile drainage issues decades ago.
That from my unbiased observations today is very true,those locations looked balanced well for drainage, recovery and release.
That can be easily done, some innovative water management engineering to move either site forward to accept pavement, or the required roof top runoff balances.
However,such management gets more involved where sewers are combined and aged as downtown Evansville’s, That also can be solved by simple engineering and hydrology structuring with applied blending of project infrastructure improvements.
Observed,or smelled any negative drainage problems at either east side metro site.
The question of accessibility by road with even throughput does favor the Warrick site forward,however that is like the drainage issue, no tough solution for the Martin-Hirsch site either, with access road planning forward.
The old Welborn location downtown as mentioned above is straight forward challenged with the CSO issues that can be noticed near the complexes eastern main entry point with the olfactory senses. (“anytime”)
There is some sewer access right there,I think. Structure looks relevant to that anyway. Traffic throughput is terrible around the old hospital,needs a working accessibility plan in place.
Of course no one has heard or seen your downtown’s proposal yet so keeping an open mind,that does have a validity pass at an Medical center if an viable plan is in place for needed infrastructure improvements.
The whole of your downtown commerce sector needs applications forward to improve that now anyway. By mandate. Huge job for the ESWD.
Costing for the sewer improvements is an mandate,application and development to suit both needs can be successful when applied as planned increments to combined solutions moved forward.
Personally using available science the site “pleading” for the Medical Center development for the community as an metro from my observations,hasn’t been mentioned to date. ?
I really don’t know if anyone else in your local area sees that,Sure is right there in plain sight. “outside looking in.”
I’d like to take the same ride with you sometime, and point out a few drainage and transportation details with which you and your relation may not have had the opportunity to be familiar. I’ve had the advantage of walking the drainage routes. However, it appears your relation also is familiar with the topography in more detail than most folks.
With regard to President Obama, I wonder if the Reverend Jeremiah Wright taught him any of the following scriptures?
Psalms 120:2
Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.
Proverbs 6:17
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 17:7
Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool– how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
I think the “Biggest Lie” was the lie the electorate told itself when it chose to install a man such as Obama in the most powerful political office on earth. One alibi the electorate could offer was being high on Hopium. However, there was absolutely no doubt this man would be a disaster for the nation in early 2008 – his books, his interviews, his associations, his still murky past. Anyone who failed to see that was either in thrall to the normalcy bias, willfully blind, or hoping to cash in on the future carnage.
Birther alert!
Not true you judgmental idiot. I accept that Obama is a native born American and was legitimately elected by the people. What I question is the ability of the people (like you) who voted for him to actually think. That said the alternatives of McCain or Romney were not so great either. After all it is those people who Obama thinks are too damn stupid to choose their own health plan. The irony is that Obama seems to know the American people are a bunch of self serving fools and plays them like a bass fiddle.
Why don’t you take that brainless hate back to the CP. You are no different than the toothless hillbillies who dislike Obama just because he is black.
Really? When BHO supporters have no true defense, they resort to name calling. Race has nothing to do with BHO’s out right lying to the American public. Another BHO supporter made the excuse that he “over simplified” the ACA by stating that people would be able to keep their existing coverage. Nice try; keep believing that BS. Oh, by the way, I have a bridge for sale………It is a fact that BHO/administration knew at the time of his “over simplification” statement that hundreds of thousands of citizens would in fact lose their coverage. The ACA was based in part on those people losing their coverage. This guy will say or do anything to further his agenda. How do you know if he is lying? His lips are moving. Not for sure if the BHO supporters are blind or ignorant. Maybe blind ignorance?
JD & Yoda, I hope obamacare has ample provisions in it for mental health care, (if I could get in I would know) cause y’all have a serious case of delusional going on. Just a friendly observation.
I hope Mr. Jordan Baer sues Councilman Weaver for his remarks made publicly slandering an outstanding citizen for his activism work! Shame on such a deplorable and toxic individual! Next, they should call for him to resign.
Mr. Baer is a bit more grown up than Mr. Weaver-he wears the REGULAR t-shirts.
How come there is a http://www.city-countyobserver.com stamp on the end of Jordan’s video? Anybody know?
Keep the main street media for using it.
Did you intend to say ‘to keep the main stream media from using it”? Was he acting as a member of the CCO staff when he made the video?
Do you realize that by airing the video at the Council meeting Jordan made the video public domain? It is a public meeting and all events that transpire at the meeting including presentations and video are public domain for anyone to use as they please. Unfortunately, our Council members did not realize it either and they “forgot” to keep the copy for public review.
I definitely think a lawsuit against Weaver is a matter of when not if. I wouldn’t blame him one bit. Weaver is completely out of line here. It appears the council job is over his head. He needs to step down or at least apologize.
I think he should resign also. A simple pole will more than likely show we are not alone.
Did anyone ever find out how he got that shiner?
He wore it so well.
Maybe he had a moment of self realization and punched himself in the face.
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