IS IT TRUE September 20, 2013

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE September 20, 2013

IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County Commissioner Marsha Abell really took many people by surprise yesterday with her “in your face” reality slap regarding the financial woes of the Centre, the Old Courthouse, and the Coliseum?…most people were aware that these three facilities were all losers when it comes to the bottom line but it was the first many seem to have heard about a serious discussion to mothball them?…whether one likes Marsha’s message or not it does have merit?…Marsha even expressed her opinion about the state of things in downtown Evansville that piggybacked on Chamber President Christy Gillenwater’s “ghost town” sentiments when she proclaimed that downtown Evansville is “tired and worn out looking”?…it seems as though when the façade of political correctness is replaced for a moment with a bit of emotion the shoddy look and feel of a deserted downtown is something that everyone seems to agree about?…this is the case despite spending $30 Million on the Victory Theatre, $40 Million on the Centre, $30 Million on the Library, $127 Million on the Ford Center, $4 Million on reversing Main Street, $5 Million on Innovation Pointe, and several more million on the downtown loft programs?…if these $250 Million in public projects did not change things a $40 Million convention hotel with bells and whistles will not either?…where Marsha’s irrational exuberance crossed over into the Mayoral land of lollypops, unicorns, and delusions is in her unfounded logic that a hotel will lead the Centre to the promised land?…as Marsha should know a 600 room hotel did not keep the Centre from losing money and neither will a 253, or 225, or whatever the number is today room hotel?

IS IT TRUE it is puzzling to many people how a storage place for travelling band equipment and tiger beds for the Ford Center ended up getting bundled into what was a perfectly simple hotel wish?…this is a glaring oversight in the design of the Ford Center and there was no need to bundle it into another project?…it may well be needed but it should be paid for from other sources?…the sources to pay for the storage building should be a) any and all recaptured funds from overbilling and accounting mistakes during the Ford Center Construction, b) any “under budget” money left over as we have all heard about in the crowing of construction management success, and most importantly c) the repatriation of every dollar of political contributions made by any construction company, professional services provider, or union that was made during a period of time from a year before the Ford Center construction began until a year after it was completed?…we are quite sure that if those three sources are tapped there will be more than enough cash on hand to build a storage center for Ford?

IS IT TRUE since HCW is in the mood to reduce the scope of the project to cut the value of the bonding required we should all take this opportunity to do exactly that?…HCW quickly yesterday without being asked offered to downsize the project by $7.5 Million which reduced the bonds needed to $30 Million?…the overall project thus went from $75 Million to $67.5 Million?…the thing that most people will miss is that the elimination of items that were not being incentivized only reduces the public portion of the spending and does not reduce the incentive to HCW a bit?…Mr. Hunden is a very clever fellow when it comes to changing a deal to make it look better without putting so much as a fingernail of his own companies interest on the table?…we were quite surprised that HCW came back so fast with a recommendation to change the deal before the vote is even taken?

IS IT TRUE just to change the subject we must question once again the cost per baseball field in Evansville, IN?…the new proposal by the CVB works out to $1.75 Million per little league field and is better than the over $2 Million per field that was proposed with a straight face in 2010?…we still find it disturbing that in a world where top shelf baseball fields are built everywhere for $600,000 that Evansville is all giddy about dropping $1.75 Million for the same thing?…this seems like a teenager going to a car lot and coming home all happy for making the deal of the century for a $50,000 car that has a $20,000 manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP)?…goofiness still prevails in River City?

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32 COMMENTS

  1. Right on Mr. Wallace. Great IIT in todays CCO. Hope the Mayor and his brainless puppets read it.

  2. Great IIT, as usual.

    It’s somewhat refreshing to hear Marsha Abell make so much sense, yet it’s a huge let down when you realize she was doing it for all the wrong reasons.

    It’s a good point to make that while we were all distracted by the hotel fight, they’ve managed to ram through some $1.75 million ballfields.

    It’s never-ending. Are common people outside of politics really expected to have this much vigilance to watch over their elected officials?

    • Brad: what do you mean by “…she was doing it for all the wrong reasons.” It simple cold facts. Actions or lack of actions–sometimes have huge consequences. That is the case here.

      Do not blames others because you have not keeping up with the $12-14 million ball fields. By the way, guess what business benefits big time from public money being spent on ball fields? You got it, John Dunn and the other hotel owners love big nice ball fields. Are they/hoteliers using public money to 100% finance these ball projects??? The ball fields could be in doubt as well.

      The hotel as proposed by the mayor: 75% of the public support the convention hotel project, the labor unions support the convention hotel, almost all business support the convention hotel but 6 Democrat City Council members do not. What are the odds of them getting re-elected in 2015? If they vote no on this project, they will like have primary opponents–if they decide to run. I smell opportunity.

      • Marsha’s media party was an obvious attempt at a threat. I have a three year old who puts on a better act than that. Granted, she is an aspiring actress, but I digress… I still think she had a point, but I had this vision that after the camera was off, he burst into a guffaw. Lets call it what it was…a political play on par with the example you’ve set within our Party, Wayne. I say all of this, of course, with the deepest respect.

        I’ve been keeping the ballfields in my periphery. Jordan won’t let me forget them, believe me. 🙂 being his Facebook friend means being abreast of every change in sporting facility within a 1000-mile radius. The kid is passionate.

        • “The kid is passionate”

          Brad you are the hardest working, most dedicated person I have ever known (outside of Joe & Ron). The proof is in the pudding, and you’ve gotten much much MUCH farther along than I have. Those results are the byproduct of your effort. You were given nothing yet accomplished everything.

          Once more, my hat’s off to you for all that you’ve done for this city.

          • I knew it! I knew the Hotel Yes people were on to you.

            I didn’t get a check but it sure would be nice if I could be invited to the next ECVB christmas party at Biaggi’s. Better yet, since I don’t drink I’d be more than happy with the cash value instead.

          • Jordan, that party looks like a wake compared to the biannual ERBC Christmas party. Yes, they have two Christmases.

          • That’s unbelievable (not really but you get the idea). One would think that christmas parties alone from the beautiful people of Evansville would be enough to fill the Centre from east to west and keep it profitable for centuries.

          • Wayne:

            You are confusing support for the idea of a downtown hotel with support for this particular proposal, which has little or no support. We can do better.

            __

        • PS: it’s nice you smell opportunity, Wayne. I’m surprised you can smell anything besides the putrid stench of failure wherever you go these days… I say that with the utmost respect, once again in the hopes you’ll come around.

          As far as primaries go, I fully expect your support when I run against McGinn when he votes yes, or is the rumor true he’s retiring? I hear Florida is nice.

          Just pokin’ atcha, Wayne. 😉

          Your shot.

          • Brad: You could not beat Dan in Ward 1 with a stick. But it is a free Country. Also remember 75% of the public support the Mayor’s plan.

            I repeat, if they vote no, there will be new people on City Council. The public, the labor unions and business managers/owners will not forget. They fully support the hotel

            If the Council members want an IU Med Center downtown, vote yes on Monday.

      • Wayne,

        You’re speaking my language to a T. Why do we have to be on opposite sides here? Come to the site…

        http://cometokleymeyer.blogspot.com/

        And then take a stand on the ball fields. As a conservative and a supporter of the hotel don’t you agree that we should be sitting down with Don Mattingly in October to obtain AT LEAST partial funding from MLB for these fields and place them right down Main St. from your hotel.

        Oh and yea, Kleymeyer is closer to Dunn’s hotel on 41 than Goebel is to their east side hotels.

        Please take a stand Wayne!

      • I would say they have a great chance of being re-elected if they vote no. It is time to put this deal to bed Wayne you and the rest that want it need to put the money up if it is such a great deal. What do you think the chances are for Weaver, Mosbey, and Winnecke being re-elected? I say slim to none and slim left town.

    • Brains,

      And the group who sings this: Stealer’s Wheel

      Nice first name for this Project

  4. Marsha is the big bad wolf.
    Only instead of huffing and puffing and blowing the centre down.
    She’s huffing and bluffing and huffing and bluffing.
    LOTS OF HUFFING … EVEN MORE BLUFFING.

  5. Editor: Looking from afar,its seems the first strike in the batters box was the smallish arena was landlocked in location, size and the aged infrastructure surrounding the location.
    Customer based throughput design would help that recover as an mid level venue with the cities present convention center where it is located now. I see an area within reach that seems to be an storage facility for school buses,an rather large land foot print. Hotel,maybe.
    That location being mostly an mobile asset might seem an candidate for an open plan relocation.
    Expanding the arena support/technical space to the empty lot of the former hotel would be prudent I would surmise.
    Having an parking garage location where the last one was could easily be connected to both of the above listed locations.
    Planning events in series timing at the other attractions along the commerce corridor can offer some throughput for the business applications heading for the river, this sustains customer engagement periods
    Store front awnings are an retro presentation that is becoming a point connection for throughput design again.
    Those are an venue applied attraction that can be applied or removed as needed. Not much invested,however adds customer focus points nicely.

    Free up the parking timing situation and leave the access points to your downtown with true throughput access.
    You have some streets leading in from the north that are one way in and one way out to separated east west throughput. Looks like poor infrastructure application by allowing street parking on those.
    Some towns are using the less valued properties along similar routes as cleared and applied block parking for the residents still living on each said block.
    These are areas that are set up with card accesed car port type assigned parking for the residents and their guests. The lots have lighting and security from video I.T. to central dispatch. This provides an safe and accessible parking and servicing points for residents while improving throughput and crime incidents.
    Urban renewal with safety and throughput. This also provides safe emergency transportation through the effective openness of the street throughput. Improvement of true infrastructure to provide venue access,for everyday customers,visitors and residents.

  6. Just convert the money losing Centre into a hotel for the Ford Center and 2 problems solved!

  8. Try the metro throughput thought press:. Think of student housing centered downtown with refined infrastructure support. Use the incremental blending of the Humanities studies for the arts district,and the Medical school students in addition as an centered flow point into the metro/city east,west,north and south commerce touch points. The infrastructure should be incrementally applied to increase access to all points coming and going.
    Clean up downtown access north and south,apply throughput pathways east and west. Weinbach is to narrow at UE to The Lyoyd, Morgan begins to fail throughput around Boeke, The one ways from Stringtown to Walnut should not have parking Stringtown and Heidlebach should be less impeded at Diamond and Diamond needs to be connected to Lynch to access throughput to USI to Epworth in Warrick.
    North main should loose an stop sign heading north to Garvin park,Heidlebach should loose the same stop point. Kentucky at Walnut is an restriction.
    This plan would use the Diamond and University parkway corridor effectively.
    While freeing up traffic to effectively move from city center to Clinical at any local hospital or USI/UE and Ivy Tech.
    The housing and infrastructure downtown will drive vibrancy to all commerce points center out and out to center.
    The venues downtown would have to adapt to some basic needs everyday contact points and progress forward with the arts and entertainment establishments. Throughput commerce infrastructure based incrementally.
    Sewer/water roadway infrastructure improvements an block at an time pre-occupation of housing demands.

    Ps.
    If the hotel was separated from the arena by the Centre,the Centre would be just that with the throughput and thus the convention point it was intended to become.
    The hotel should have been located on the other side of the center and sky bridged from there clean through to the arena.
    Wrong lay out in place now for throughput effectiveness.

  9. Wayne, Marsha may not bluff but you do.

    Waiting for your response about the $10,000 political donation.

  10. Joe,

    THANK YOU and I mean THANK YOU for getting the ball fields mess on here. If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you a few questions since you are a businessman who appears to be undefeated with your companies.

    Let’s say you were put in charge of building these ball fields and come hell or high water you just had to get them built even though you didn’t like it. Therefore, your goal would be to find the best location with the minimalist cost.

    I come to you and I tell you I have found a location right across Pigeon Creek from Bosse Field. I tell you I have gone and talked with neighbors and neighborhood associations and all thought it would be a positive thing for the area. I tell you I have talked with a non-profit group who was instrumental in getting Don Mattingly Way done. I tell you that they tell me that when Mr. Mattingly comes back to EVV in the offseason they wouldn’t have a problem sitting down with him and having him go to MLB for funding just like he did with the boys and girls club field.

    I also tell you I talked with one of the directors of the youth league who would love to have the additional fields and the pedestrian bridge connecting the two. He wouldn’t mind the additional fields being next to the ones he already takes care of.

    I also tell you that I have met several times with an architect from a prominent firm here who believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that ball fields can be built over a land fill lot. He describes in great detail how the lot can be reinforced and how the methane gas can be converted into electricity. Lastly, I also tell you that I asked Mr. Bill Busing from the Otters if he’d support the idea and he said he would and there were several open dates at Bosse for championship games.

    Then, I tell you the current site the ECVB is heading for is in a flood plain (Kleymeyer is not), it is highly unpopular with the locals, it is far far away from the city’s already existing infrastructure, and ironically enough it is closer to Dunn’s 41 hotel than Goebel is to the east side hotels (not to mention the proposed downtown hotel and FC are just down Main St).

    Using your business expertise Joe, which plan do you think would be cheaper and which plan would be the most beneficial to the city of Evansville?

    • Rails & Roberts:
      That location could be an triple in storm water management vs the up stream location.
      You see the north side ESWD has an large area across the creek from that site. The site at the Diamond ave. The creek point next to Garvin can be blended with an storm surge management CSO flow concept to incrementally help with your local EPA mandate problems.
      I would contemplate that is likely in the planning to up grade the site there anyway to meet or exceed specifications for CSO requirement’s moving forward.
      Look into how the combination could be addressed at the same timing. Your suggestion with the capture of methane’s is spot on,its being done already in other locations,methane CH4 is becoming an real issue in the global climate change circles. Methane is more capable as an greenhouse gas depending on the pressure altitude density it can be up to 20-60 times more effective in transfer of thermal energy Vs carbon dioxides (Check out or Google “the Methane Bomb”.)
      At last findings CH4 was estimated around an 9.3% increasing incursion in troposphere incursion.
      Thus increasing the aspects of climate change.
      The warming oceans temperatures and melting polar ice caps are increasing the melting of the frozen Methane Hydrates at an alarming rate. Science supports, this is an root cause for rapid climate change,and rising sea levels…big human foot print issue/problem,huge impacts.
      The Presidents executive office June 2013 shows support for any science that can help with this planet wide issue. Carbons that induce can be reduced,however the methane melting IS the planets reaction to Warming temperatures globally.
      Run off of fresh water down the rivers into the Gulf basin is an large factor as well. Its mainly why the EPA wants control of CSO events,that multiplies the issues in global climate change.

      Read the plan,the White house put out,this isn’t going away,believe me whom ever can start planning to address these issues will see support from the federal government for viable concepts. That has already been shown by the out flow of grants to green companies.
      The times didn’t support them and billions went down the drain so to speak,however turning the methane release at Kleymeyer to low level carbon discharge,controlling CSO,and flood plain run off management are an scientific bulls eye,or “home run triple.”

    • Rails & Roberts:
      That location could be an triple in storm water management vs the up stream location.
      You see the north side ESWD has an large area across the creek from that site. The site at the Diamond ave. The creek point next to Garvin can be blended with an storm surge management CSO flow concept to incrementally help with your local EPA mandate problems.
      I would contemplate that is likely in the planning to up grade the site there anyway to meet or exceed specifications for CSO requirement’s moving forward.
      Look into how the combination could be addressed at the same timing. Your suggestion with the capture of methane’s is spot on,its being done already in other locations,methane CH4 is becoming an real issue in the global climate change circles. Methane is more capable as an greenhouse gas depending on the pressure altitude density it can be up to 20-60 times more effective in transfer of thermal energy Vs carbon dioxides (Check out or Google “the Methane Bomb”.)
      At last findings CH4 was estimated around an 9.3% increasing incursion in troposphere incursion.
      Thus increasing the aspects of climate change.
      The warming oceans temperatures and melting polar ice caps are increasing the melting of the frozen Methane Hydrates at an alarming rate. Science supports, this is an root cause for rapid climate change,and rising sea levels…big human foot print issue/problem,huge impacts.
      The Presidents executive office June 2013 shows support for any science that can help with this planet wide issue. Carbons that induce can be reduced,however the methane melting IS the planets reaction to Warming temperatures globally.
      Run off of fresh water down the rivers into the Gulf basin is an large factor as well. Its mainly why the EPA wants control of CSO events,that multiplies the issues in global climate change.

      Read the plan,the White house put out,this isn’t going away,believe me whom ever can start planning to address these issues will see support from the federal government for viable concepts. That has already been shown by the out flow of grants to green companies.
      The times didn’t support them and billions went down the drain so to speak,however turning the methane release at Kleymeyer to low level carbon discharge,controlling CSO,and flood plain run off management are an scientific bulls eye,or “home run triple.”

  11. Did Marsha hire her step son and Russ Lloyd. Jr. wife to run the Vanderburgh County Conservation office? If so, isn’t this a political patronage job?

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