IS IT TRUE? Part 2 June 28, 2011: Arena Skyboxes and Loge Seats

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I got a Skybox and You Can't Sit in it

IS IT TRUE? June 28, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the last page of the Contract for Pre-Opening Consulting Services between the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and VenuWorks is very specific about the hierarchy regarding who does what during the period that the temporary consulting contract is in effect?…that today it has been 126 days of operating under a temporary agreement that was supposed to have been superseded by a permanent contract within 30 days?…that the temporary contract is quite clear in Section B2 that all booking and rental rate policies shall be PROPOSED by VenuWorks and APPROVED by the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that in Section B3 it is made very clear that all tenant/user agreements that are for a term of over one year require JOINT APPROVAL by VenuWorks and the ERC?…that in Section B4 that it is clear that all vendor agreements also require JOINT APPROVAL by VenuWorks and the ERC?…that Section B4 goes a step further in subsection (iii) to designate that if such agreement involves a major revenue stream that can impact the profitability of the Arena, including ticketing and sponsorships, then VenuWorks and the ERC shall JOINTLY APPROVE such agreement?

IS IT TRUE that it has been widely reported that ALL of the Skyboxes in the new Arena have been leased?…that it has also been reported that those leases are for more than one year?…that there are 5 sets of minutes of meetings of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission that have convened since the February 24, 2011 signing of the temporary consulting agreement between VenuWorks and ERC?…that there are no references whatsoever to any presentation or approval of any of the pre-opening operational tasks that VenuWorks was assigned to work on in the contract?…that without ERC approval things like contracts with sports teams cannot be signed?…that SKYBOX pricing and LOGE SEAT pricing have no available public record of approval?…that without approval by the ERC that the widely reported sales of all of the SKYBOXES and substantially all of the LOGE SEATING cannot have been sold as per the Contract for Pre-Opening Consulting Services between VenuWorks and the ERC?…that IF these approvals have indeed been granted that it must have been done in yet another “SPECIAL MEETING” of which there is no readily available public record?…that if the total of all of the LUXURY SEATING is indeed sold out that the selection process for finding buyers was so exclusive that the citizens of Evansville and even the non-preferred businesses of Evansville DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE COURTESY OF SEEING A PRICE LIST AND AN AVAILABILITY SHEET?

IS IT TRUE that under the terms of the Contract for Pre-Opening Consulting Services between VenuWorks and the ERC that EITHER some snegal (sneaky but legal) backroom deals were made to sell the seating contracts OR that the sales have not happened as they have been reported?…that we are most curious to find out what the status of the LUXURY SEATING in the Arena is?…that we would like to see who bought what, how much was paid for it, and all of the other terms of any agreements made without exposing any purchase opportunities to unwashed masses?…that the people of Evansville are financing this Arena and that the people of Evansville deserve every opportunity to be exposed to any seating that is for sale in it?

IS IT TRUE that we are wondering where the two candidates for Mayor of Evansville stand on this sort of issue?…that in the shorter term we are particularly interested in hearing from Rick Davis and Lloyd Winnecke about their positions with respect to the looming decision to give away public land in Wesselman Park and to contemplate the use of public dollars from the CVB to fund part of the POLE BARN INDOOR TENNIS CENTER?…that the proponents of the POLE BARN INDOOR TENNIS CENTER are planning to pack the gallery again tomorrow and that this foregone conclusion has the potential to be another BALLFIELD EXPERIENCE?…that the two candidates need to put a position statement together today regarding their opinions of just what role that local government should play in funding or funding by proxy of a POLE BARN INDOOR TENNIS CENTER?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

9 COMMENTS

  1. Is there a parallel here to the Marilee Fowler v. Convention & Visitors Bureau lawsuit ? I believe Ms. Fowler’s lawyer provided case law stating that management decisions could not be made outside of the public forum (in her case, decision to renege on her severance package) ?
    I haven’t read the case law , but basically it sounds like these decisions could not have been made outside of the ERC meetings (public forum) ? I believe they would then be illegal vs. sneagal ? If I’m wrong, some lawyer could be kind enough to jump on here and straighten me out ?

  2. Hopefully the parties who leased boxes at the Stadium got first shot at Arena boxes, especially if they had time remaining on their Stadium box leases.

    That being said, it does not excuse the powers that be from making an end run around proper procedure on how it was done.

    • First right of refusal with a credit for any time remaining on Roberts boxes would certainly be appropriate. According to the terms of the temporary consulting agreement between VenuWorks and the ERC such contracts would require approval by the ERC. There are no public records of such approvals. We have asked nicely for copies of any contracts. Hopefully they will be provided. If not then we will just file another FOIA and get them the hard way. When citizens, media, and even elected officials have to resort to filing a FOIA request to get public documents there is something very wrong with local government.

      • You may want to get that FOIA rolling sooner than later. It sounds like this deal has some serious snegality, bordering on illegality. This is not the kind of information you get by asking nicely.

  3. Arrogance has taken many a political career to a well deserved bitter end.
    November is just 5 months away, time for Weinzapfel scallywags to go.

  4. Never in the history of Evansville has there been a project so conceived in secretcy and so poorly planned. Every hint of progress is met with frustrations of failure and expense. From the no planning of the arena to the no opinion 25 member board to the hotel, to the parking garage, to the size of the arena and to the untold secrets that we may soon learn! All of this with the squandering of our 127 million. As a taxpayer in this City, I think it is time to look at the books a do an audit! I beliee the City prosceutor needs to step up a do his job!

  5. Expect to find that Mr. Kish and/or VenueWorks are obtaining written arena skybox commitments from favored friends while acting as agents for the City. Expect to find this bundle of skybox agreements to be quicky approved by unanimous vote by the ERC after the ERC sneaks this in as a “new business” agenda item within the next month or so. Does any of this make you wonder what is going on with the arena naming rights?

    • Well, besides having your business name synonymous with “The John”, an association with a Sneagel tactic by the Weinzapfel pirates to obtain “Naming Rights” seems to be over the top, sort of like a Political Sewer overflow. (common to Evansville)

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