Click Here to download the July 26th Agenda for the County Commissioners Meeting

The regular monthly board meeting of the Vanderburgh County Convention and Visitors Commission will convene on Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 8:30 A.M.

The meeting will be held at Wesselman Park Nature Center at 551 N. Boeke Rd. Please note that this meeting is a regular board meeting and is scheduled for 8:30 A.M.

Time 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Subject COMMERCIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs every Monday effective 7/4/2011 until 7/25/2011 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 7/4/2011 until 7/25/2011 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
LYNN BUHR @ 4993
Categories ROOM 301

IS IT TRUE? Part 2 July 25, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the scourge of meth has once again claimed the house of an innocent neighbor?…that it has been reported that 16 times so far this year that meth related fires have burned down a house?…that there have been 7 civilian injuries, one firefighter injury and one death this year from meth related issues?…that this count is the official count and does not include injuries to people from meth related violence that is seldom reported to the police?…that Evansville and other medium sized Midwestern cities have the perfect conditions for meth-makers?…that we just may be a meth-makers heaven?…that with our humidity, our critical mass of drug stores, and our close proximity to farms and agricultural chemicals that Evansville and cities like Evansville are to meth-makers as the Napa Valley is to wine makers?…that this is a problem in search of a solution and that the CCO encourages candidates for office and current public officials to come forward with any ideas that they may have to counter this culture killing scourge?

IS IT TRUE that the name of Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel is reported to have been thrown into the ring of consideration for the recently filled position of Superintendent of the EVSC?…that it is also reported that this suggestion was not given serious consideration?…that we are investigating this further and will report any new findings on this unexpected career opportunity?…that in a quick Google search that we could find no cases in major American cities where a mayor has ever become a superintendent of schools?

IS IT TRUE that during the last ten years that Clarksville, TN just 100 or so miles south on highway 41 has passed the City of Evansville in population?…that the population of Clarksville rose from 103,455 in 2000 to 132,929 in 2010 and is now the 9th fasted growing city in America?…that in 1960 when the City of Evansville peaked at 141,543 that Clarksville was home to a mere 22,021 people?…that Evansville was 543% larger than Clarksville in 1960 but Clarksville is now 13% larger than Evansville?…that it is hard to explain the reasons behind such a stark difference in growth?…that both cities are on navigable rivers?…that neither city has consolidated government?…that both cities have a state university with about 10,000 students?…that both cities have a private university of religious affiliation?…that both cities are in counties with a population in the 175,000 range?…that both cities have MSA’s that include parts of Kentucky?…that both cities have suffered through a killer tornado in very recent history?…that the average incomes of the cities are similar?

IS IT TRUE that as much as Clarksville and Evansville look alike on paper that finding real differences are somewhat difficult?…that Clarksville’s big brother to the south Nashville was at one time smaller than Evansville?…that Jimi Hendrix called Clarksville home for a short time?…that Jimi Hendrix Experience was the opening act for the Monkees in the Summer of 1969?…that the Monkees put Clarksville on the map with their song “Last Train to Clarksville”?…that train must have been leaving Evansville and that from a population perspective it must have been a one way trip?…that the State of Tennessee is a right to work state and that the State of Indiana is not?…that we welcome our readers input on other differences that may have contributed to the divergence of the growth and prosperity of Clarksville and Evansville?…that until convinced different that we will blame the economic effects on the Monkees and Jimi Hendrix conspiracy to promote Clarksville?

IS IT TRUE that the fortunes may have been reversed if the Monkees had recorded “Last Train to Evansville” and Hendrix had made his home on Riverside Drive.

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has always encouraged and printed position papers from candidates for public office on any topic that they choose at any time that they choose to submit them to us?…that there has never been any candidate position paper of substance that we have not published?…that a statement from “the Party” or from some other 3rd Party organization that is purely negative in its tone is does not constitute a candidate’s position?

IS IT TRUE that the 2011 race for Mayor of Evansville has produced three candidate position papers thus far?…that Republican candidate Lloyd Winnecke has submitted position papers on “jobs” and “transportation”?…that Democratic candidate Rick Davis submitted a position paper last week on the “parks”?…that all three of these papers were represented as the original work of the candidates and that we published all three without edit, opinion, or bias?…that we will continue with this policy with all candidates for all offices right up through election day?

IS IT TRUE that we will also publish rebuttal papers that are represented to us as the original work of the candidates?…that blanket critiques offered by “the Party” or by a “3rd Party” will not be published?…that informed letters to the editor by citizens of Evansville on any topic will nearly always be published?

IS IT TRUE that next week our daily IS IT TRUE columns and weekly guest appearance on the Les Shively radio show on WGBF 1280 am will be coming to you from Silicon Valley, California?…that some of the differentials of lifestyle like litter per mile, internet speed, number of venture dollars available, etc. may just find their way into the column each day?…that we may just be checking out what it takes to expand and syndicate the City County Observer to other cities across America?…that we are certain that Civic Centers, Redevelopment Commissions, elected bodies, appointed boards, and dilapidated infrastructure across the nation could make CCO clones with focus on good local governance something that concerned citizens will embrace?

IS IT TRUE that this morning just across the Warrick Co. line that the download speed achieved from a highest cost WOW connection was 8.52 Mbps and the upload speed was 1.11 Mbps?…that this test location is a new group of houses with underground utilities and optical fiber connections?…that these speeds grade out at a C- with 59% of the services in the USA being better?…that the upload speed in particular is only about 33% of what the global average is?

IS IT TRUE that July 30th is the day that we should be granted access to the information on communications between VenuWorks and the powers that be regarding things like preferred seating in the Arena, upcoming shows, contracts with UE sports, and even the not yet signed contract for VenuWorks to manage the Arena?…that we are quite curious to learn these answers?

IS IT TRUE that the 4th day of reckoning for the McCurdy Hotel project will be on July 31st that for all practical purposes means Monday August 1, 2011?…that it has now been more than 4 years since that whole ordeal was proudly announced?…that if we were placing a wager that we would bet on another extension of at least 6 months so that the election is over and the reign on Mayor Weinzapfel is too?…that lots of cans are being kicked down the road lately?…that with proper (or for that matter any) planning would have been put into place that the people of Evansville would not be enduring these embarrassing fiascos?…that if the developer is not standing in the next ERC meeting with a solid financing plan and a construction schedule that commences before September 1, 2011 that it is time to rescind this deal just like the Woodruff deal was and see who else may be interested in this project?…that as some pieces of stone are hanging on by a thread and some caulk that there is some urgency in taking some immediate action?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission is meeting tomorrow and that we are sure that some vetting of the downtown Convention Hotel proposals will be on the agenda?…that as we stated over the weekend that project manager Mr. John Kish has already polluted the vetting process with prejudicial statements and should not be consulted on who to hire to do the vetting?

IS IT TRUE? Part 2 July 24, 2011 Mayor’s Letter to IEDC Supports EB-5 Requirements

IS IT TRUE that the EB-5 program is a program instituted by the United States government in November of 1990 for the purpose of attracting foreign capital and expertise to the good old USA?…that all locations within the United States are eligible to utilize this program?…that Evansville, Indiana is a part of the United States of America?…that therefore Evansville is eligible to EB-5 investment?

IS IT TRUE that the minimum investment per qualified immigrant under the EB-5 program was established at the beginning of the program to be $1,000,000?…that the minimum amount is reduced to $500,000 in cases of investment in “targeted employment areas,” which are either rural areas or areas which experience unemployment of at least 150 percent of the national average rate?

IS IT TRUE that on April 4, 2011 that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel of the City of Evansville sent a letter to representatives of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation?…that the purpose of this letter was to support the designation of Census Tract 17 in the City of Evansville as a Targeted Employment Area?…that this letter was clear that the reason for this support was to aid Woodruff Hospitality LLC in developing a Hyatt Place Hotel next to the new Arena?…that the letter also contained speculation with regard to employment levels that are also requirements for approval of EB-5 investments?

Evansville Hyatt Mayors ltr of support 4-4-2011

IS IT TRUE that Woodruff Hospitality proposed EB-5 financing and that John Kish and Mayor Weinzapfel were not only aware of this but were actively doing things to achieve the Targeted Employment Area status that would reduce the investment level requirements for the foreign investors?…that prior to entering the underwriting phase for EB-5 projects that the land must be secured?…that the deal for Woodruff Hospitality to “close” with the City of Evansville for the land was predicated upon Woodruff Hospitality LLC successfully raising approximately $3 Million of up front equity?…that the reason that the Woodruff Hospitality deal went south had nothing to do with the EB-5 program?…that the real problem was that the $3 Million was never successfully raised?

IS IT TRUE that if Woodruff Hospitality would have been successful in raising $3 Million that the deal with the city would have closed and the hotel project would now be awaiting the completion of the underwriting process and the funding process to consummate?…that if on July 3, 2011 that Woodruff Hospitality would have “closed the deal” with the City of Evansville, that in about 4 or 5 months the EB-5 loan (if approved) would fund and the hotel would break ground?…that under that scenario the grand opening would have been SUMMER of 2013?

IS IT TRUE we really wonder why a funding program that was perfectly acceptable to Mayor Weinzapfel and John Kish until July 5th is now the subject of negative speculation about “them foreign investors”?…that we wonder why EB-5 was just fine before so why is it such a tempest in the teapot now?…that it all once again comes down to Woodruff Hospitality LLC not finding success in raising the local money needed to close the deal?…that Prime Lodging LLC has submitted in their financial package letters stating that they have $3.5 Million in equity that is ready to go?…that the Kunkel Group has submitted a statement from Mr. Ben Kunkel regarding his intention to invest $2 Million in the project if his business is chosen?

IS IT TRUE that the “key money” program with Hyatt is what it is and will be equally available without regard to which developer “wins” the bid?…that the “key money” is paid upon opening the hotel and not as up-front equity?

IS IT TRUE that if the Evansville Redevelopment Commission wants to do something that should be quite simple to establish the viability of these developers that they need to ask these prospective developers to “SHOW ME THE MONEY”?…that this would be the up-front equity money and not a fully funded loan?…that no financial institution whether EB-5, a hard money lender from California, or a local bank is going to fully commit or close a loan without both a contract with the City of Evansville AND the transfer of property on which the hotel will sit?

IS IT TRUE? July 24, 2011

IS IT TRUE that we are wondering why every time we open the paper or turn on local news that Arena project manager John Kish is standing in front of a camera expressing skepticism for the EB-5 financing that has been proposed by Prime Lodging LLC while singing the praises of the financing that the Kunkel Group is proposing to get from Acer, a private hard money lender from Irvine, California?…that we thought that the purpose of VETTING these proposals was to hire or assemble a competent team of professionals to determine which proposal is the best proposal for the people of Evansville to co-invest with?…that no committee or firm has been hired to do this VETTING yet?…that the City County Observer believes that it is premature and prejudicial for the project manager to be advocating for either proposal at this time?…that the best answer that could possibly come from the mouth of Mr. Kish, the Mayor of Evansville, the City Council, or the Evansville Redevelopment Commission is as follows?

“The responses are being taken under review and it is our intention to evaluate every aspect and option of each proposal in a formal VETTING PROCESS that will be carried out by an outside objective professional firm. No further questions please”

IS IT TRUE that that opinions expressed this week by Mr. Kish on camera and in print are not consistent with a project manager that has even a shred of objectivity?…that these statements and the demeanor with which they were made have already polluted the potential for a fair vetting process that includes Mr. Kish?…that it is time for Mr. Kish to recuse himself from this process and to leave the entire vetting process to a professional firm that he has no choice in making and the decision on which proposal to choose to others?…that Mr. Kish seems to have already made his recommendations with his words and actions of the last week?…that if there are only two things that the people of Evansville deserve from this process is that it is both fair and equitable?…that Mr. Kish’s rush to judgement and to the cameras was neither?

IS IT TRUE that there are plenty of things that can be easily verified up front to start shining a bit of light on each proposal?…that one of those things is the probability of success for the senior debt proposed?…that another is whether or not “key money” from the Hyatt Corporation can be used as up front equity and how much it really is?…that another would be to scale the drawings of the proposals and see if the sizes of the features are even feasible for the proposed uses?…that another most important consideration is just how solid the proposed equity money is and when it is available to be deployed for these purposes?…that another feature of interest is just how accurate the renderings are with respect to the $8 Million public investment that the RFP committed to invest?…that at least one member of the Evansville City Council is planning to propose that a performance bond of between 3% and 5% ($1Million – $1.6 Million) of the project cost be placed up front?…that this will separate the real from the imaginary when it comes to the financing of the downtown Convention Hotel?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville may be the only city in America with a population of over 100,000 people with absolutely no large arena style venue during the period of time after Roberts Stadium is mothballed (September 17th) and when the new Arena opens (November 1st)?…that we really wonder what the urgency was to do this so fast?…that this makes about as much sense as a small town with a single fire truck mothballing that fire truck 6 weeks before the scheduled delivery of a new fire truck?…that we wonder just where the fire is there powers that be?…that this is just one more example of READY, FIRE, AIM playing itself out for the entertainment of the people of Evansville?

Base Closure turned Business Park creates 15,000 Jobs from an $18 Million EB-5 Deal

Excerpts from the Sacramento Bee Article of March 2011:

“McClellan Air Force Base lost 12,000 jobs when it closed in 2001 along with 29 other California military bases. Today 15,000 people work at McClellan Business Park, a residential and industrial development, thanks partly to $18 million invested by 36 immigrants looking for a quick path to U.S. residency.”

“The U.S. government is high on EB5 as a way to jump-start depressed areas. In the last four years about 4,000 immigrants have invested $2 billion in the United States, resulting in about 40,000 jobs.”

“Any immigrant without a criminal record can apply, as long as they make a $1 million investment – or $500,000 in areas where unemployment is 150 percent of the national average.”

“California Military Bases, the regional center that recruited investors to McClellan Business Park, has signed up more than 400 foreigners who have invested more than $212 million and helped create more than 6,000 jobs, said founder Pat Hogan.”

“The Americans who have benefited from the program include Dennis Rodriguez. Rodriguez, 51, had been out of work 14 months before he found a job at McClellan Business Park. He now earns $19 an hour as a welder for Polar Service Centers, a tanker-truck company that ships chemicals, cement and other products. “We’re a Cinderella story,” Rodriguez said.”

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/03/20/3487280/millionaire-visas-seen-as-job.html#ixzz1SyDmTRgM

Citing Evansville’s proud history of an acclaimed park system and the recent designation of the Evansville Region as the nation’s most obese, Democratic candidate for Mayor of Evansville, Rick Davis is proposing to put the recreation back into the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department.

Davis referred to one of his own personal ways of maintaining a healthy weight by running as one of the ways to get Evansvillians off of the couch and outside engaging in physical activity. He went on to propose a program that would invest $150,000 per year to create 50 summer jobs for young people to instill pride of community.

Candidate Davis mentioned part of his inspiration as the recent publicity regarding drug addicts needles in our parks and the general failure to do routine maintenance. Davis’s entire press release is available on the following link.

Rick_Davis_Plan_for_ImprovedParksRecreation