IS IT TRUE? September 12, 2011 Special Evening Edition

IS IT TRUE that the new and beautiful entrance to the Evansville Zoo has a made by the government albatross hanging around its neck in the beauty department?…that Republican candidate for Mayor of Evansville recently cited the Evansville Zoo as his preferred attraction to bring tourists to Evansville?…that just around the corner from the Zoo that the first thing you see is grass that is 5 feet tall, a highway size barricade, and rusty heavy equipment?…that with all of the improvements that have been made at the Zoo recently that one would think that the next step would be taken to get rid of ugliness and eyesores that give a bad impression of the entrance?…that given the state of our parks under this administration that we are not the least bit surprised?

IS IT TRUE that we are hearing that VenuWorks says that the online resellers do not have the tickets that they are openly offering to sell online?…that we suspect that VenuWorks is technically truthful and that the paper tickets will be distributed after the general sales begin?…that people who have commitments to get tickets have most likely listed these tickets and will sell them at a profit?…that it has been said that “artists use lies to tell the truth, but politicians use the truth to tell lies”?

IS IT TRUE that Google has just completed a $273 Million data center that could have been just about anywhere in the world in a remote village in Finland?…that the two driving forces in the decision to choose Finland were the cold climate and the low cost of electricity?…that the only reason that the cold climate is viewed favorably is because the coldness minimizes the need to run the air conditioning to cool down the servers that are big consumers of electricity?…that the cost for electricity in Finland is 6.95 cents per kWh or roughly half of what it is right here in Evansville, IN?…that Henderson is still cheaper than Finland but as we have all been told when they implement EPA regulations their price could increase dramatically?…that it is widely rumored that Facebook is planning to install a similar facility in Finland to the tune of over $500 Million?

IS IT TRUE that data centers like these are the basic units required to compete in the growing field of Cloud Computing?…that for Evansville and the United States of America to be on a collision course with being uncompetitive in this new and leading edge technology is a very poor situation?…that to the extent that the drivers of being uncompetitive in a growing vital technology is sourced within government that this is poor public policy?…that as much as the ability to make weapons, vital products, and food is in our national interests, it is also in our national interest to be able to store and process our own data and the programs that process it?…that we wonder what good the internet is if we cannot afford to access it because of government policies?…that this whole mess reminds us of the Dr. Suess poem about the Hotch Hotchers and the Bee?…that in the entire community the only work was done by the Bee and that many layers of bureaucracy were employed to watch the Bee work?…that the house of cards fell and real life examples of such lunacy seem to be falling apart too?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville has been treated to another meth related fire followed by multiple arrests yesterday?…that 1672 South Kerth Avenue went boom last night due to a reaction gone bad?…that we are certain that the pseudoephedrine that was used in the reaction was acquired legally at some local drug store with over the counter availability?…that we wonder if the gun that was found at the scene was also gotten by legal means?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer’s call for attention to be paid to the rubble pile in the 600 block of East Franklin Street has borne some fruit?…that we have learned that 2nd Ward City Councilwoman Missy Mosby has taken the initiative to report this dangerous mess to the proper authorities?…that for Councilwoman Mosby to go outside of her ward to report a problem indicates clearly the goodwill that she feels for the entire City of Evansville?…that we encourage 3rd Ward City Council candidates Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley and Alan Leibundguth to get on the bandwagon to force the City of Evansville to get this mess cleaned up?…that we expect that outgoing City Councilwoman Wendy Bredhold should take an interest in forcing this issue?…that the current at-large members of the Evansville City Council Curt John, Don Walker, and Dr. H. Dan Adams have an obligation to carry this torch and that the six people seeking this at-large seats are not worthy of consideration if they do not show some interest in cleaning this unfenced and dangerous corner that is frequented by children?

IS IT TRUE that we are still somewhat dumbfounded by the fact that hundreds of tickets to the Bob Seger concert are available through online ticket outlets a full week before they have been offered to the public?…that the seats offered are good seats but are offered at high premiums to the $70 that the public’s seats are reported to be priced at?…that we would like to say that we are shocked and amazed that inside deals have happened for the first act in the Ford Center but we cannot tell a lie?…that inside deals and behind closed door arrangements have been a way of life in Evansville lately and that the premature allocation of some of the best seats in the Ford Center’s first event just serves as one of the final insults to the people of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that there has been much discussion about how signing Project Labor Agreements (PLA’s) help a large construction project?…that there are indeed some advantages that PLA’s offer such as no-strike clauses, access to adequate skilled labor, cost certainty, and protection against having illegal workers on the job?…that these advantages in large cities where published prevailing wages are really the going rates essentially come at no or little additional cost?…that Evansville is not New York City or San Francisco and that to get these advantages we do indeed pay a premium?…that if Evansville is more like Denver, New Orleans, or Orlando than it is like New York City then having a PLA in place for a major project can be expected to add about 7% to the cost of the project?…that being the case the new Ford Center most likely cost about $9 Million more than it would have without a PLA?…that the pending new downtown Convention Hotel which has a PLA condition in the RFP will cost about $2.5 Million due to that contractual requirement?…that the best way to manage any project on budget and on time is to quote it HIGH AND LONG?

IS IT TRUE that we are eagerly anticipating some word (any word) to be released to the public about the findings and leanings of the vetting of the proposals that were submitted to build and operate a new downtown Convention Hotel?

IS IT TRUE that a novel idea came to the CCO today?…that this novel idea is “IS IT TRUE – The Book”?…that we are all ears and if there is an indication of demand that we a pretty well positioned to have a late 2011 publication date?…that we would like to hear from you?…that the pricing that we have been advised to consider are $12.50 for a pdf style downloadable e-book or $25.00 for a hardback?…that if we can reach a critical mass of early commitments this will happen?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville real estate professionals have been quoted as making the claims that the real estate market here has really not been adversely effected the way that other places have been?…that they go a step further to in stating that Evansville has really not seen any significant impacts to prices due to the widely publicized “housing bust”?…that most economists and investors are now of the opinion that there will not be a jobs recovery until the real estate markets in the USA stabilize from a price perspective?…that everyone that has a brain and a calculator agrees that the interest rates right now are as low as everyone under 70 has ever seen and are likely at a historical low?…that if one can actually get a loan that the one thing that all can agree on is that money is cheap and that right now is a good time to borrow?

IS IT TRUE that there is never a good time to borrow money to buy an asset that is depreciating with no financial support mechanism to stop the depreciation?…that borrowing $300,000 to buy a home that was at $600,000 5 years ago but is at $400,000 today in a market that is expected to lose as much as 25% more is a pretty good way for you to lose your hard earned $100,000?…that statistics do support the assertion that Evansville housing has held up better than fast rising and fast falling places like Miami, Los Vegas, or San Bernardino where contractions of over 50% are not unusual?…that never the less Evansville has contracted and has contracted as dramatically as Miami and Vegas at the high end?…that local statistics do not look very bad when foreclosures, distressed situations, and auctions are excluded from the data?…that the following is from a market assessment of the Evansville real estate market done recently by Trulia.com where all recorded sales are included?

IS IT TRUE that the average price per square foot for Evansville IN was $30, a decrease of 46.4% compared to the same period last year?…that the median sales price for homes in Evansville IN for May 11 to Jul 11 was $65,870?…that compared to the same period one year ago, the median home sales price decreased 9.1%, or $6,565, and the number of home sales decreased 95.7%?…that there are currently 1,313 resale and new homes in Evansville on Trulia, including 62 open houses, as well as 207 homes in the pre-foreclosure, auction, or bank-owned stages of the foreclosure process?…that this 3rd party assessment does not paint a picture of confidence or vibrancy in the market?…that accurate and timely information about any market is valuable to investors or potential homeowners and marketing programs that are designed to send an inaccurate message confuse buyers even more and prolong any recovery that may be in the works?

IS IT TRUE that one of the things that brings real estate to its knees is when a potentially toxic pile of rubble is allowed to lay unabated for an extended period of time?…that about 3 weeks ago the City County Observer identified just such a pile of rubble in the 600 block of East Franklin Street?…that this potential for harm and liability on the part of the owner AND the City of Evansville is still there and now children have been spotted playing on it?…that it is time for the City Council member from the 3rd Ward, the two candidates for the 3rd Ward seat, all three at large members of the City Council, the candidates for at-large seats, the Mayor of Evansville and both candidates for Mayor to do something about this?…that you can like them or not like them but if this kind of a hazard were in the 2nd Ward or the 4th Ward that Councilwomen Missy Mosby and Connie Robinson would be grilling someone’s backside over this?