Parks Board Drops Plans for $10 Million Giraffe Barn But Parks Board Still Approve $24 Million Bond
Parks Board Drops Plans for Giraffe Barn But Parks Board Still Approve $24 Million Bond
by Johnny Kincaid
OCTOBER 3, 2024
Some members of the Board of Park Commissioners felt pressured to make a quick decision to support a bond that would borrow $24 million for park projects. The list of projects to be funded by the bond was a giraffe barn for Mesker Park Zoo with a price tag of $10 million.
When the bond measure was presented two weeks ago, board President Michelle Peterlin expressed concerns, saying, “We’re in a recession; now is not the time to build a $10 million giraffe barn.” When the board took no action on the resolution, Peterlin and Mayor Stephanie Terry met to work out a resolution.
Moments into yesterday’s board meeting, it was announced that the giraffe barn would be removed from the list of projects to be funded. However, removing the $10 million project will not reduce the bond amount; the total debt will remain at $24 million. Additional projects will not be added to the list, so the $10 million will be divided among the projects on the list. (A full list of projects is at the end of this article.)
In discussing the giraffe barn, Peterlin asked Mesker Park Zoo Director Eric Beck about the zoo’s net revenue. “That would be a negative number,” Beck replied. After pressing for more details, Beck estimated that the zoo loses about three million dollars annually.
Peterlin responded by saying, “You want us to take something that loses three million dollars a year and add another ten million to that. I just can’t do that.”
Sara Dauer, Corporate Counsel for the City of Evansville, told the board that the city has been discussing the need for the giraffe barn and was planning to write it into the 2026 budget, and the project would cost much more than the $10 million in the bond.
Administration officials made it clear that removing the giraffe project from the bond does not remove the need and that it could come up again in future bonding as soon as next year.
Ultimately, the board voted 4-1 to remove the giraffe barn and move forward with the bond process. This does not mean that they approved borrowing $24 million, it means that they are allowing the process to move forward.
The next steps include further discussion at the October 16 Board of Park Commissioners meeting, with time allocated to public comment and on October 30 with further comment with a vote to approve the bond at the board meeting. The sessions are held at noon in the Civic Center, room 305.
Here is the list of projects to be funded from the bond. Note that the allocated dollars have not been adjusted after the $10 million giraffe barn was removed.
Garvin Park – New playground equipment, and safety surfacing. This Project will replace the dated and unsafe equipment that needs replacement. $1,500,000.
Aquatics Facility Improvements – Improvements to city pools. $1,000,000.
Centerpoint Square –Completion of the 4th and Main site urban park. $2,000,000.
Golf Course Irrigation/Improvements – Replacement of the obsolete irrigation systems at Fendrich and Helfrich golf courses, as well as additional needed course improvements. $4,000,000.
CK Newsome Center Renovations – Renovation of the Community Center. $1,000,000.
Swonder HVAC Systems –Replacement of the rooftop units. $1,500,000.
Wessleman Playground Restrooms – Replace the existing restrooms near the former par 3 property with restrooms at the new accessible playground site. $850,000.
Mesker Park Veterinary Hospital – Renovation at Mesker Park Veterinary Hospital. $500,000.
City of Evansville Announces 2024 Fall Festival Lunch Shuttle
The City of Evansville will offer lunchtime shuttle service to the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival for the public 11:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. Monday, through Friday, October 7, 2024 through October 11, 2024. The standard bus fare applies to all passengers.
11:00 a.m. thru 2:00 p.m. each day every half hour, the shuttle will pick up/drop off from the Westside C.K. Newsome Community Center on the “back 40” parking lot, then at the Civic Center, at the exit of the parking lot at Ninth St., and near the flagpoles on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The shuttle will pick up/ drop off at the Temporary Bus Stop corner of W. Franklin St. and Wabash Ave. on the quarter hour, with the first drop off at 11:15 a.m. the last departure is at 1:45 p.m.
The route for the Fall Festival Lunch Shuttle will be as follows:
Pick up/drop off on the West side of the C.K. Newsome Community Center, through the “back 40” parking lot on and along Locust St., turn right into the parking area in front of the Civic Center, proceed to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., pick up/drop off near the flagpoles on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., turn left on Vine St., turn right on Second St., turn right on Fulton Ave., turn left on Lloyd Expressway, turn right on Wabash Ave., turn right on W. Franklin St. pick up/drop off at the temporary bus stop on the corner of W. Franklin St. and Wabash Ave., take W. Franklin St. to Fulton Ave., turn right on Fulton Ave., turn left on Second St., turn left on Sycamore St., and turn right on Elsas St. to arrive back at the C.K. Newsome Community Center and the “back 40” parking lot and front of Civic Center on Martin Luther King Blvd.
VU Golf gains useful experience at Swan Lake Preview
PLYMOUTH, Ind. – Many of the Vincennes University Golf team got their first look at the host of the 2025 NJCAA Division II National Championship tournament earlier this week as the Trailblazers made the trip to Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth for the 2024 Swan Lake Preview.
The Blazers faced a tough field of some of the best teams in the NJCAA and were able to overcome a slow start with a great bounce back second round to take eighth overall.
VU opened the two-day tournament with the first round being held Monday afternoon.
Vincennes was led out of the gates by a great one-over par round by freshman Brock Naile (Trico, Ill.), which left him in 15th place on the leaderboard after the first day.
Freshman Kadin Gibson (Franklin, Ind.) was close behind Naile on the leaderboard, posting an opening round 75 to hold 28th place.
Freshman Parker Steininger (Vincennes, Ind.) and sophomore Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) each posted a score of 81 in the first round and found themselves in 79th place overall.
Freshman Landon Gardner rounded out the VU scorers in the first round with an 86 on Monday, putting him in 91st place overall heading into the final round.
The Blazers returned to the course Tuesday for the final round of this 36-hole tournament and were able to put the first round struggles behind them, improving their team score by six shots to move up six spots in the standings to take eighth place overall.
Brock Naile again set the tone for the Trailblazers, shooting an even par 72 to close out his tournament, giving him a tournament score of 145 and a ninth place finish overall.
Kadin Gibson matched Naile’s second round score of an even par 72 to climb up the leaderboard to a 15th place finish overall.
Alex Nealis also improved on his opening round score with a 79 to take 70th place, while Parker Steininger posted another round of 81 to place 75th in the standings.
Landon Gardner closed out the day for the Trailblazers by shooting an 83 on Tuesday, giving him 89th place overall.
“We were really disappointed with our first round play in the tournament,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “It was literally the worst round in a tournament or even a practice round that we have had all season. The good news is we played well in the second round, in fact, there were only three teams that improved their scores in the second round.”
“The course was set up tougher in the second round and the winds really picked up about half way through the round, both of which accounted for higher scores,” Chattin added.
“Brock Naile had a really good tournament, shooting one over in the first round and even par in the second round, which gave him a ninth place finish in the tournament,” Chattin said. “This was a National Championship Preview tournament, so most of the top teams in the country were there to get a look at the course that will host the National Championships next spring and for Brock to finish ninth out of 96 top players was really good.
“Also Kadin had a really good tournament with his 75, 72 scores finishing tied for 15th,” Chattin added. “We just didn’t have the additional scores to improve our team position. It was a good learning experience for hopefully a trip to the National Championship in the Spring. Our Region is really loaded with good teams, including Parkland who shot four under par as a team in the first round and then won the tournament. We will face them again Monday at the University of Illinois’ golf course in our conference, so it doesn’t get much easier.”
Freshman Matthew Mills (Boonville, Ind.) also took part in the tournament, competing as an individual to post a first round 77 and an 81 on Tuesday to take 62nd overall.
The Trailblazers will look to add to this useful experience in their next tournament as they get their first look at the host of the 2024 MWAC Conference tournament at the MWAC Fall Preview Monday, Oct. 7.
This tournament will be held at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Ill.
Vincennes will then hit the road again to take part in the Mineral Area Invitational Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Crowne Point Golf Club in Farmington, Mo.
THUNDERBOLTS RE-SIGN FORWARD MYLES ABBATE
Madison Rollett named MVC Women’s Diver of the Week
Aces competed at Butler Double Dual
- LOUIS – University of Evansville diver Madison Rollett was named the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Diver of the Week on Tuesday.
Evansville’s appearance at the Butler Double Dual saw Rollett sweep both the 1 and 3-meter dives. In the 1-meter, she posted a score of 242.33. Her total was over 36 points better than her nearest competition.
She was equally impressive in the 3-meter, recording a 228.38 with the runner-up posting a 195.75.
On Friday, the Purple Aces will be in Danville, Ky. to face Centre College.
USI’s Brady earns second OVC weekly honor
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s Cross Country senior Brady Terry has been named Ohio Valley Conference Runner of the Week for the second time in the last three weeks in an announcement by the league office Wednesday morning.
Terry finished 58th out of 327 competitors to lead the Screaming Eagles at the University of Missouri’s Gans Creek Classic last Friday. He was the top OVC finisher in the field and his eight-kilometer time of 24 minutes, 13.6 seconds ranks first in the conference.
As a team, the Screaming Eagles were 21st of 36 teams and were the top OVC school in a field that included Southeast Missouri State, UT Martin and SIU Edwardsville.
The Philpot, Kentucky, native also earned OVC Runner of the Week accolades two weeks ago following his first-place finish at the UT Martin OVC Preview. He has been USI’s top finisher in two of the three meets the Eagles have competed in this season.
Terry, a finance major at USI, raced to second-team All-OVC honors when he finished 13th at the OVC Championships last season.
USI returns to action Saturday when it sends a small group of runners to the “Live in Lou” Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. The Eagles will compete in the Blue Race, which is scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. (CDT) for the men and 10:30 a.m. for the women.
The Eagles co-host the Angel Mounds Invitational October 18 before competing at the OVC Championships November 1 in Union City, Tennessee.
CenterPoint Energy encourages customers to participate in energy efficiency programs
CenterPoint recognizes 2024 Energy Efficiency Day
Evansville, Ind. – Oct. 2, 2024 – CenterPoint Energy is celebrating 2024 Energy Efficiency Day by reminding customers of ways to reduce their home energy use, save money and lower their carbon footprint.
Established in 2016, Energy Efficiency Day raises awareness for the benefits of energy efficiency efforts. Using energy more efficiently is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and meet the growing demand for energy.
Over the past 30 years, CenterPoint customers have saved billions of dollars and avoided millions of metric tons of emissions through energy efficiency programs, including weatherproofing such as air sealing and insulation, and installing more efficient appliances for heating, cooling and cooking.
“At CenterPoint, we have tips, tools and programs to help customers save energy and manage their bills. We encourage our customers to take steps to increase the energy efficiency of their home so that they can continue to stay comfortable inside year-round while reducing their energy use,” said Tony Gardner, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at CenterPoint. “By taking some small and easy actions, customers can make a big difference in reducing their monthly energy bills.”
CenterPoint wants to remind customers of some actions and tips they can take to reduce their energy use:
- Regularly perform furnace maintenance: Service your furnace annually and check the air filter monthly to increase the efficiency of your equipment.
- Adjust your temperature: Use a programmable or smart thermostat to automatically adjust your cooling or heating temperature when you’re asleep or away from home to maximize potential savings.
- Seal air leaks: Use caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors to seal air leaks to reduce drafts inside your home for more efficient heating and cooling.
- Use the sun: When it’s hot outside, keep window coverings closed to keep a cooler indoor temperature. When it’s cold outside, open your window coverings to capture warmth from the sun during the day, and close your coverings at night to keep warmth inside.
- Choose energy smart appliances: When upgrading appliances, look for ENERGY STAR®-certified products for optimal efficiency. Energy efficiency rebates may be available for qualifying appliances.
Customers can learn more about energy savings tips and tools in addition to ways to manage their monthly energy bills at CenterPointEnergy.com/SavingsTips.
Indiana Hospitals Pledge Support to ‘Health First Indiana’ Initiative
Indiana Hospitals Pledge Support to ‘Health First Indiana’ Initiative
Work underway with local health departments to improve health outcomes
Oct. 1, 2024 (INDIANAPOLIS) — All member hospitals of the Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) have signed the State’s Health First Indiana pledge to coordinate with local health departments on improving health outcomes for Hoosiers.
This milestone comes six months since IHA made its statewide pledge during Public Health Day at the Indiana Statehouse in February, alongside the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), local health departments, Hoosier business leaders, and community partners. Since then, all 92 counties have opted into receiving Health First Indiana funding.
“Having pledged to work closely with local health departments and community leaders throughout the state, Indiana’s hospitals are taking the next steps in creating a healthier tomorrow,” said Steve Holman, IHA Board Chair and president and CEO of Union Health. “Now begins the real work to ensure every Hoosier has access to the foundational public health services they need to achieve their optimal health, no matter where they live, thanks to the critical funding provided by the Indiana General Assembly.”
Created by Senate Enrolled Act 4 during the 2023 legislative session, Health First Indiana leverages $225 million in state funding for local communities to prioritize public health and safety. The initiative focuses on providing core public health services, including infant health, childhood lead screening, chronic disease prevention, trauma and injury prevention, and more.
Hospitals have pledged to act through collaboration and communication with local health departments to address key public health outcomes, focusing first on infant and maternal mortality, obesity, and smoking cessation.
“Health First Indiana is all about partnerships, and having the support of IHA and its members is essential to prioritizing health in Indiana,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP. “To fully realize our goal of improved health outcomes for Hoosiers, it will take the collaboration of multiple sectors including the hospitals. I am thrilled that 100% of our general hospitals have committed to this shared goal. We continue to call on others across the state — businesses, community organizations, and other leaders — to join us at the table and work together to make Indiana a healthier place for everyone.”
