The City County Observer has just learned that the City of Evansville has finalized its negotiations with the Kunkel Group to build and operate a downtown Convention Hotel on the site of the former Executive Inn parking lot.

Mayor Weinzapfel announced the meeting of the minds that has resulting in a memorandum of understanding.

Further details have not been released.

This is a developing story.

The University of Evansville has earned top honors for water conservation in the inaugural year of the City of Evansville’s Sustainable Evansville Awards.

Along with Hafer Associates and Mackey Mitchell Architects, UE won the “Water” category for the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building, the first LEED-certified building on campus and in the City of Evansville.

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and Dona Bergman, director of the City of Evansville’s Department of Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental Quality, presented the award during the Rotary Club of Evansville’s lunch meeting Tuesday, December 6 at the Coliseum.

The 35,000-square-foot Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building opened in August 2007 and received LEED certification in February 2009. The building, an addition to the existing McCurdy Alumni Memorial Union building, set a new standard for energy-efficient design at the University of Evansville.

One area of emphasis in the project was water management and conservation. Water-efficient plumbing fixtures, such as low-flush toilets, were utilized. Landscaping around the building was designed to eliminate the need for irrigation so a sprinkling system was unnecessary. Drought-resistant plants shade the building to reduce solar heat gain.

One remarkable feature is the stormwater infiltration/detention system, which includes reinforced corrugated plastic arches installed underneath the parking lot. During heavy rains, instead of rainwater flowing into and overloading the combination sewer system, discharging untreated sewage into the Ohio River, the rainwater is captured and slowly percolates into the soil. This stormwater management system also improves water quality because bacteria consume contaminants before the water enters the soil, preventing pollution of the water table.

As a result of the implementation of these and other green design features, the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building achieved energy savings of 24 percent and water savings of 33 percent, compared to conventional construction.

The Sustainable Evansville Awards were created to recognize those who have made important contributions to sustainability during the last five years. The program was open to entities in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, and Gibson counties. From a pool of nominees, winners were chosen by a panel of five experts, each with profound knowledge of Evansville and/or sustainability issues. For more on the Sustainable Evansville Awards, visit the City of Evansville’s website here.

In 1995, Evansville resident Terry Priest enrolled in his first course at the University of Southern Indiana. In December, he participated in the University’s fall 2011 Commencement ceremony where he earned his Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree. With more than 550 students eligible to participate in the ceremony, Priest was one of three to graduate summa cum laude (a perfect 4.0 grade point average).

“I tried college when I was younger, but dropped out because I wasn’t mature enough to select a single course of study and stick with it,” said Priest, who is now a senior designer at George Koch Sons, Inc. in Evansville. “That decision really upset my father.”

Twenty-two years later, Priest began chiseling away at a USI bachelor’s degree one course at a time. He completed courses in calculus and computer programming with an initial plan to earn an engineering degree. However, after discussing his options with William Henderson, assistant professor emeritus of computer information systems, he opted for the BGS program.

“Since I hadn’t selected a degree path, I spoke with Mr. Henderson to find out what it would take to complete a degree,” said Priest. “Up to that point, I had only been taking courses that suited my interests. Mr. Henderson indicated that the BGS degree would be a good fit for me and that most of the courses I had already completed satisfied some of the programs requirements.”

A full-time employee and father to four sons, Priest had to make some sacrifices during his journey to degree completion.

“My oldest son played junior varsity football for North Posey High School. Missing most of the games due to my class schedule, I remember him telling me about an important game against their main rival, Heritage Hills High School. After the game, he excitedly told me that he intercepted a pass, scored a touchdown, and their team won the game 21-14. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that the quarterback for Heritage Hills that year was Jay Cutler, who is now the quarterback for the Chicago Bears!”

Priest would advise anyone considering a return to college to do it sooner than later.

“Start out by taking courses you want to take, not ones you have to take,” said Priest. “Go to the campus bookstore and skim through the books for a particular course. Are they something you want to spend a lot of time with?”

Although he is now a college graduate, Priest doesn’t plan on ducking out of the college scene just yet. With an interest in photography, Priest intends on enrolling in photography and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) courses.

“I have discovered a photography technique that captures fireflies in flight,” said Priest. “One of my photos using this process was used by UHaul on nearly 2,000 of their trucks. I would like to learn more about photography and increase my skill level.”

Thirty-eight years have passed since Priest dropped out of college. Today, he thanks his parents for his success.

“My mother attended the Commencement ceremony and couldn’t be happier with my achievement. I thank both my parents for their constant support and dedicate this achievement to them.”

Source: USI.edu

Gerald Summers, director of safety and security for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, has been named a finalist for Campus Safety Magazine’s Campus Safety Director of the Year. Summers is one of about a dozen individuals from across the United States to be selected as a finalist. Summers will be featured in the January/February issue of Campus Safety Magazine along with the other finalists.
Summers, nominated for the award by EVSC Superintendent David Smith, has been with the EVSC for seven years and has worked to make EVSC schools and buildings safer places. “Gerald has been steadfast in his commitment to safety in the EVSC and has worked to acquire funding sources in lean times, so that the EVSC can continue to increase its focus on creating safe environments for students to succeed,” Smith said. During his time at the EVSC, Summers has acquired numerous grants in order to update emergency protocol, train staff, add safety enhancements to buildings and much more.
Summers enacted the school district’s anonymous alert system and received funds to conduct building assessments of all EVSC buildings. In 2009, he applied for and received a $249,000 Readiness Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant that allowed him to update emergency manuals, place to-go kits in every classroom and provide training to hundreds of individuals in the EVSC and the community. The EVSC also received $84,345 through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant because of Summers’ work. This grant allowed the EVSC to further its goal of having exterior doors locked once school begins. Summers also works closely with local emergency personal to ensure they know the layout of EVSC buildings and protocol for various types of emergencies.
Because of the contacts he has made and the training he has undergone, Summers was asked to serve as an evaluator for an Active School Shooting Drill for the Consolidated School Corporation in southern Hancock County. In addition, Summers was awarded the Partners in Preparedness Award by the Southwestern Indiana Disaster Resistant Community Corporation in 2009 in the area of School Prevention and Mitigation. Summers also is certified as an advanced school safety specialist by the State of Indiana.
Prior to joining the EVSC, Summers served as an Evansville City Police Officer, as a special agent for L&N Railroad, and safety director at Welborn Baptist Hospital. He also worked as a probation officer and community services officer for the Vanderburgh County Juvenile Court where he worked with troubled youth.
Summers graduated from Bosse High School before continuing his education at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and Kennedy Western College where he obtained a B.S. in safety engineering.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2011
MAYOR-ELECT WINNECKE NAMES FIRE CHIEF

EVANSVILLE, IN – Evansville Mayor-elect Lloyd Winnecke announced his selection of Captain Mike Connelly as Evansville’s next Fire Chief.

Captain Connelly has 17 years of experience with the Evansville Fire Department, and is currently assigned to fire suppression with Rescue Company #1. He also serves as a Team Leader on the Hazardous Materials Response Team.

“We interviewed several applicants, but Mike stood out as a leader with a vision and the ability to take the fire department to the next level,” said Mayor-elect Lloyd Winnecke. “I believe that Mike has all of the tools needed to make the department even more responsive to the citizens of Evansville and also build the morale of firefighters.

Captain Connelly is a highly decorated firefighter with numerous awards for merit, technical skill and leadership. He is a graduate of the United States Navy Nuclear Power School and attended the University of Southern Indiana for Mechanical Engineering Technology.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the people of Evansville,” said Mr. Connelly. “The Mayor-elect outlined a strong plan for improving public safety and we will work hard to carry it out and provide a safe community.”

Mayor-elect Winnecke will continue to assemble his new administrative team over the next few weeks. For additional information, visit www.TransitionEvansville.com.