Roberts Stadium is too valuable for new use in regional exposition draws to tear down or not use. Also the Very nice new Ford arena is not set up or designed for exposition use. For instance it will have the same crappy problems for car shows that Roberts now has with the small hole space, and it has no outside demonstration spill over area.

Roberts should have its hole filled to the surface level creating a “large” multiuse facility surface for promotions, expositions and events that are limited only by imagination. Probably a lot of the existing seats could be traded for fill work. Probably some 10 or 20 rows of seats would remain back above the ground surface level. Expenses are greatly reduced by no need to pump the flood with the hole filled, and overall it would have a different barnlike expense character rather than that of a fancy show character.

It is critical that for that new use that it be put in the hands of a good solid promoter /manager (company or individual) — under lease or maybe by the city, but the skill sets to develop it and manage it manage it right and reach out to the region comes more from private enterprise. I can think of some of my former regional promotional radio managers who would be ideal types for this kind of project.

It should have an objective of being an attraction center for a hundred mile radius. Local restaurants and hotels would benefit as well as the shopping centers. The traffic load would be not a problem because the flow would be more continual that in big events like games where it has a 7PM arrival and a 9PM departure of thousands of cars.

There are not great alternative uses for that location by which the city could get rich by selling it. The city cannot get rich selling it for all the money it could get for a commercial development site. . It is not really an attractive potential residential development side. It’s only real use is ‘as is, modified’ or maybe a tear down and some kind of adjacent extension of Welshman park. For economic development it is outside the path of the Green River road market area

What Roberts is, is an ideal regional exposition center attraction with facility already in place and ample parking and access; and the parking already offers attractive and needed outside spill over areas for demonstrations, shows and trials that supplement the more stationary activities that would be contained inside.

If Roberts were torn down and then later the city decided it wanted an exposition center, it would cost the city then probably more than $80 Million to develop a new simple center. Now, with some relatively simple modification we already have it.

As an example the auto shows in Roberts have been cramped, with cars jammed on too small a floor or jammed on the walk around aisle, but at least there was adjacent outside spillover space. The new arena is going to offer no more floor space, still jammed and the upper corridors will be more difficult to access and place cars and would be jammed there too, and there is no adjacent outdoor space. Think in terms of auto shows, outdoor sport shows, Regional Agricultural Equipment shows, Big multiple flea markets, Equestrian or live stock events, G0-cart racing, indoor winter practice fields for preseason high school and college sports, industrial equipment shows, RV and trailer shows, gun and hunting shows, boat show s, etc, etc, [some of multiple kinds at the same time, given the above], as far as one’s imagination can reach.

$10 a head, by the visitors or by the sponsors , and if only 1,000 visitors a day and if in use only half the days of the year, that is gross revenues of $1,800,000 per year before concession stands and other specialized revenue; and probably a lot higher utilization than only 1,000 persons per event, per day. — for a facility that would be much less costly to operate than the present one.

Keep Roberts, Change it. Use it.

It would not compete with the Ford Arena.

Alan Brill

Features Artist of the Month, Les Miley

EVANSVILLE, IN – The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana is now featuring world renowned local ceramicist, Les Miley, as November’s Artist of the Month and his work can be publicly viewed in “The Window” on the walkway between 3rd and 4th Streets on south Main. The public will be able to meet the artist and Miley will be talking about his historical work in clay at The Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery on Tuesday, November 8 at 11:00 AM.

With over 45 years of work in clay, Miley focuses on the plastic elements of shape, color and texture. His concern with shape is expressed in the wheel-thrown vessels. The shape remains the stable element in his work, while the color and texture expresses his reactions to landscape and atmospheric conditions.

Miley, who began his career with the University of Evansville as an art Instructor in 1961, has been published in nine books, has received numerous honors including Who’s Who in American Art, 12th through 25th editions, and has had his works in over 300 competitive, solo and group exhibitions including “Salzbrand 86: International Salt Glaze Exhibition” in Koblenz, West Germany. His specialty is the salt-glazing technique, a method by which clay pieces are glazed with rock salt in a high-temperature kiln.

The exhibition is available for public viewing on the walkway until the week of Thanksgiving.

“With Main Street’s work almost complete and the new Ford Center on the brink of upcoming events, the Arts Council is excited to feature “The Window” in a fresh and unique perspective. We are excited to have people view art by local artists that will be displayed in “The Window” each month. Some of Miley’s pieces exhibited in “The Window” are for sale,” said Libby Goedde, the new Communications and Gallery Events Manager at the Arts Council.

Founded in 1970, The Arts Council is to be the best source of information and advocacy by increasing awareness and accessibility of the arts and for the arts, arts education and arts organizations in southwestern Indiana.

Time 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Subject COMMERCIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs every Monday effective 10/3/2011 until 10/31/2011 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Reminder 15 minutes
KATHIE HOLLEY @ 5228
Categories ROOM 318

Time 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Subject CITY COUNCIL
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs every Monday effective 10/3/2011 until 10/31/2011 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
LYNN BUHR @ 4993
Categories ROOM 301

AGENDA

2. Opening Items
2.01 Roll Call
2.02 Pledge of Allegiance
2.03 Good News (Vice President Duckworth)
2.04 Public Comment Cards

3. Consent Items (Dr. David Smith)
3.01 Consideration of Minutes of the October 10, 2011 Board meeting
3.02 Consideration of Allowance of Payments
3.03 Consideration to purchase items from Extracurricular Accounts
3.04 Consideration to submit one grant proposal
3.05 Consideration to approve the school calendars for years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15
3.06 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc. and New Hope Development Corporation
3.07 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
3.08 Consideration to approve the change orders for the New North Campus

4. Consideration of Personnel Recommendations (Pat Tuley)
4.01 Personnel Recommendations

5. Action Items
5.01 Amendment to Lease agreement between Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and Evansville-Building Corporation (Tuley)
5.02 Public Hearing on Additional Appropriation for 2012 General Obligation Bonds (Tuley)
5.03 Adopt Bond Resolution for the 2012 General Obligation Bonds (Tuley)
5.04 Disclosure Undertaking for the 2012 General Obligation Bonds (Tuley)

6. Information
6.01 Temporary Highway Easement for Vogel Elementary School (Cameron)
6.02 Easement Acquisition for Vogel Elementary School (Cameron)
6.03 General Fund Monthly Review (Tuley)
6.04 Monthly 5% over expended report (Tuley)
6.05 Summary of Cash Balances by Fund (Tuley)
6.06 Expenditure Ledger Summary by Function and Object (Tuley)
6.07 2 Year Revenue Comparison (Tuley)
6.08 2 Year General Fund Expenditure Analysis through September 30, 2011 (Tuley)

7. Public Comment
7.01 Public Comment

8. Continued Business (Dr. Smith)
8.01 Continued Business

9. Adjournment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party has begun airing a new television commercial highlighting Evansville Republican mayoral candidate Lloyd Winnecke’s involvement in a secret property tax deal that raised taxes on 46,000 Evansville homeowners by $5.1 million.

Winnecke called for and chaired the secret meeting in April 2008 where the decision was made not to renew the county’s local homestead credit. Homeowners didn’t find out until a year later when increased tax bills hit their mailboxes – without the credit.

“Lloyd Winnecke’s record is shameful,” said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker. “He led the effort to sneak behind taxpayers’ backs and raise taxes, and now he wants to be Mayor?”

Parker said voters have a right to know how deeply Winnecke was involved in the secret meeting and its consequences.

“Not only did this guy not think twice about raising taxes on property owners as a source of ‘new’ revenue, but he did it behind closed doors and didn’t tell anyone about the deal until a year later,” Parker said.

Parker said voters have a choice between Winnecke and Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis, who will bring an eye for fiscal responsibility and a commitment to government transparency to the job.

The Indiana Democratic Party is in-kinding the commercial to the Committee to Elect Rick Davis Mayor, which will air on local Evansville television stations. A copy of the commercial and script are available upon request.

###

The endorsement season from every self important group in town that wants to portray the opinion of a person or two as worth following is starting. The CCO as always will not make any endorsements because we want people to think for themselves and vote according to who will propose and push for good public policy. We therefore encourage each and everyone of our readers to IGNORE POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS.

Voting is a privilege that we have long taken for granted. It has become subject to the indifference of our entitlement rather than being subject to the scrutiny of our responsibility. The significant work for this next election will not be accomplished by the candidates, or at least it’s not supposed to be. The most important and essential work for the next election will be accomplished by the electorate, the voter…you and me.

We tend to believe that we will go into the voter’s booth, push a button or two, and magically, our candidate, whoever they may be, will be elected to office. When, in fact, the real work should be taking place right now, in the privacy of our homes, as we do the research necessary to make the best possible decision. The alternative is that we continue to spend months on end being dirtied by political mudslinging while we sit on the sidelines and let the candidates “fight it out”. Political campaigns have become sport and we have become avid spectators. And, this is what we call democracy?

Political campaigning has become a sideshow, of sorts, designed to distract us from the work we need to do to put forth an honest vote. Candidates for public office, Presidential or otherwise, should not be sold to us like exercise equipment on a midnight infomercial. We have to choose who our personal candidate will be, not told who they will be. Voting is as much an exercise of freewill as anything. Rights come with responsibilities. We, then, need to be responsible in how we make the decision. In order to exercise our right to vote, it is incumbent upon us to turn away from the glitz and glamour of the political “red carpet” back to the organic nature of true democratic process. We are too far afield of the essence of the democracy, and have become far too enamored with the fame and celebrity overshadowing the candidates.

Exercising your right to vote consists of 4 essential steps:

1. Knowledge of the candidates. Who they are. Why they’re running. What they stand for.

2. Understanding of your personal values. What you believe and why.

3. Diligence: Which candidate has most closely demonstrated that he or she values what you value. (Tip: This decision should not be party-based, it should be value-based.)

4. Vote using the information you acquired in completing steps 1-3 above.

What we know today as democratic process is long overdue for an overhaul. Voting is a private decision albeit one that has public rewards or consequences, or both. Our individual votes determine who will decide how we will live as a nation and what our position in the world will be. It is not a decision that should be taken lightly or left up to someone else to make on our behalf because ultimately, the choice is ours and we will be held accountable for it.

We have minds of our own we need to use them to make the right decisions. We must stop the cycle of being influenced by another person’s world view. Each of us has or at least should have a view of the state of Evansville, and therefore, each of us also has the responsibility of doing some heavy lifting, pitting value to value, between now and the next election. We have the inherent capacity of being able to make informed decisions and we need to use it. We don’t need endorsements, expensive campaign “war chests”, special interests, or any such thing.

When you step into the voting booth, it should be simply you and your candidate. The only voice in your head needs to be one telling you that you can confidently vote for the candidate that you believe will, based on your own due diligence, best fulfill the spiritual, intellectual, ethical, and physical demands that will be required to execute the duties of holding office. It’s your voice and it’s your choice. Choose wisely.