IS IT TRUE? July 20, 2011 Special Evening Edition

IS IT TRUE that today is the inevitable day that the remaining employees of SMG have been dreading?…that SMG was just given 60 days notice by the Evansville Parks Board to vacate Roberts Stadium?… that September 17, 2011 will be the last day that SMG will be maintaining offices in Roberts Stadium?…that the City County Observer wishes every one of the employees that are still working out of Roberts either a seamless transfer to another SMG facility within Evansville or a fast and lucrative search for a new job?…that just as creating jobs is one of the reasons always touted for building something, some jobs are destroyed too?…that we do not expect to see any headlines with smiles and handshakes announcing the jobs that are destroyed and the lives impacted by the collateral damages of the Arena?…that we do have faith in the human spirit and expect that all of the people affected now have an opportunity to better themselves with this unsought change?

IS IT TRUE that we do have some questions about just how today came to be the day that Roberts Stadium was given 60 days notice to vacate?…that we did examine the website of the Evansville Parks Board and were able to find the agenda for today’s meeting?…that there was no line item on today’s agenda regarding SMG or Roberts Stadium?…that the website for the Parks Board only has the agenda for the next meeting and the schedule of the dates of the meetings on it?…that there are absolutely no minutes or agendas of previous meetings posted for public examination?…that we therefore must ask the question “in what public meeting was the 60 day notice to vacate Roberts Stadium discussed and was it ever on a published agenda?…that given the hubbub of today regarding the password requirement being placed on the ERC website, we are curious as to why the Parks Board does not even keep up to date posting as the ERC and the Evansville City Council do?…that maybe we have discovered a public board that is less disciplined and less competent than the ERC?

IS IT TRUE that we are also still bothered about the entire password episode of yesterday involving the ERC website?…that there were many rumors in the Civic Center today that a statement was going to be made blaming a computer glitch for enabling the password restriction?…that this password restriction was enabled on a sub-domain of the main webpage of the City of Evansville?…that the minutes of the City Council were available with no password restriction the entire time?…that the password episode happened on the same day that the hotel proposals were being taken?…that this was done with a series of keystrokes and that somewhere in the backup of the Civic Center computer system there is an archive of the entries made complete with the IP addresses of the computer that the enabling was done from?

IS IT TRUE that for those who would like to blame the enablement of a password restriction on a random computer glitch, we say PROVE IT?…that the City of Evansville did the right thing this morning by eliminating the password restriction?…that the wrong thing happened yesterday that made doing the right thing today necessary?…that technical probability that the password restriction was caused by a random glitch is about as high as the probability that Mole #3 will be taking Peyton Manning’s job as the quarterback of the Colts?

No Line Item on Agenda Regarding Notification of SMG to Vacate Roberts

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS

REGULAR MEETING
KEVIN WINTERNHEIMER CHAMBERS
ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2011
12:00 NOON

AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. MINUTES July 6, 2011

3. CONSENT AGENDA
a. Request Re: Approve and Execute Sports Banner Advertising Agreement with Gattitown
for Goebel Soccer Complex. – Keck
b. Request Re: Approve and Execute Sports Banner Advertising Agreement with Pro Rehab
for Goebel Soccer Complex. – Keck

4. OLD BUSINESS
a. Request Re: Award Quote for Angel Mounds Boat Ramp Renovations. – Schall
b. Request Re: Review Quotes for Drainage Renovations at Helfrich Golf Course. – Boberg
c. Request Re: Award Quote for Tree Removal at Helfrich Golf Course. – Roby
d. Request Re: Roberts Stadium Management Contract. – Schall

5. NEW BUSINESS
a. Request Re: Approve Budget Transfers and CIP Reprioritizations. – Schall
b. Request Re: Any Other Business the Board Wishes to Consider and Public Comments.

6. REPORTS
a. Dan Schall, Executive Director

7. ACCEPTANCE OF PAYROLL AND VENDOR CLAIMS

8. ADJOURN

Both Proposals are Available Online to the Public

Link to proposals:

http://evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=277

The City of Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development today released the entire contents of the proposals submitted by both the Kunkel Group and Prime Lodging LLC. As the summer of 2011 is becoming the summer of vetting in Evansville we would like to enlist the assistance of our Moles and Friends to do some preliminary vetting of these proposals.

What we would like to accomplish is to end up with an accurate list of the differences between the two proposals. Stick to the facts that you dig out of the proposals. What we are looking for in particular are areas of difference on which one company may be deemed to have an advantage by a third party reviewer.

For example, the hotels both have proposed 220 rooms so that does not constitute a difference.

The parking solutions however are quite different. The Kunkel proposal includes a 500 space parking tower behind the hotel but also stipulates that a number of the spaces must be leased back from them by the City of Evansville. The Prime proposal addresses parking with an underground parking area with 330 spaces similar to the Central Library with surface parking at street level with no lease back requirement from the City.

These differences are ripe with arguments to be made either way and backed up with definitive numbers. At this point we have not done this analysis and are not ready to anoint either parking solution as best. We do want to hear from our readers with opinions but mostly with financial analysis.

Both documents contain pro-forma documents with occupancy assumptions, room rate assumptions, expense projections, etc., etc., etc. Dig in and identify the differences and make a case one way or the other. We also welcome objective input from the bidders but respectfully request that you identify yourselves.

Let the Vetting Begin. This will be an enjoyable exercise and we will all learn from it.

Ultimately the real vetting committee will have to do a stress test on the finances of these proposals and decide which one has the highest probability of success given the history, the partnerships, and the resources at hand. Then there is the question of the $22 Million or so that each developer will need to really make this happen.

Parks Board Gives SMG 60 days Notice to Vacate the Stadium

Sources within SMG have advised the City County Observer that they have been given notice to vacate the building by September 17, 2011. The 60 day notice was served upon SMG officials as is consistent with their operating agreement.

Earlier this week we also learned that key pieces of the infrastructure of Roberts Stadium were being removed just after the upcoming Kenney Chesney concert making Roberts incapable of hosting any events.

The September 17th date to vacate will leave the City of Evansville without a functional stadium for approximately 6 weeks while the new Arena is going through the final construction phases. No plans have been released by John Kish with regard to where events that are presumed to be in the new Arena will be in case of any construction delays that may push the new Arena’s opening date beyond the current schedule.

Meanwhile no contractual arrangement with VenuWorks has been announced and no opening act has been booked for the new Arena.

Republican Chairman Condemns the System that Allows for 10 Week Lags to post Public Information

The Evansville Redevelopment Commission failure to post up to date meeting notes and requiring a password to gain access to this public information is inexcusable. This situation warrants a full investigation by the Evansville City Council to determine who is responsible for this mess and take immediate appropriate action to prevent this type of situation from ever occurring again. This situation and the embarrassing and very costly failure to not have a Arena/Centre Hotel under construction is another indication the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has failed to do what is reasonably expected of them.

Along with the Mayor, I believe it is the Evansville City Council has the responsibility to to ensure the Evansville Redevelopment Commission does the job it was appointed to do in a responsible professional manner including being transparent with it actions. This situation is a clear sign the 35 years of a Democrat majority control of the Evansville City Council needs to change on election day, November 8, 2011.

Wayne Parke
Chairman Vanderburgh County Republican Party.

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For the 18th consecutive year, regional artists participated in a juried exhibition entitled WORKING TOGETHER. Presented in memory of VIRGINIA B. LOWENTHAL, the July 30 – September 18 exhibition in the Museum’s Old Gallery is presented in cooperation with the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science. Juror for this year’s competition was Becky Allen, the Exhibitions and Programs Director at the Lexington Art League in Lexington, Kentucky.

The opening reception will be Saturday, July 30 from 6-8p.m.(CST), with the 10 awards being presented at 7 p.m. at the Evansville Museum. For complimentary reservations, please telephone 812-425-2406 no later than July 27, 2011.

This exhibition showcases 68 pieces of original artwork from artists in the Tri-State area. Visitors can view the art during Museum hours – Tuesday through Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday noon – 5pm. The exhibition will be on display through September 18, 2011.

CCO Exposed Cloak of Secrecy: Corrections Made Wednesday Morning

The City of Evansville and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission have removed the password restrictions that were recently placed on the agendas and minutes of their meetings. The City County Observer had previously reported on the fact that access had been denied to the public, to elected officials, and the media.

We thank and applaud the Weinzapfel Administration for its rapid response to this situation. We however wonder just what thought process ever concluded that restricting the public’s access to information that is owned by the public was the right thing to do.

We trust that this will not become an issue again.

Air quality forecasts are provided as a public service. They are best estimates of predicted pollution levels that can be used as a guide so people can modify their activities and reduce their exposure to air quality conditions that may affect their health. The forecasts are routinely made available at least a day in advance, and are posted by 10:30 AM Evansville time on Monday (for Tuesday through Thursday) and Thursday (for Friday through Monday). When atmospheric conditions are uncertain or favor pollution levels above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, forecasts are made on a daily basis.

Ozone forecasts are available from mid-April through September 30th. Fine particulate (PM2.5) forecasts are available year round.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20TH
Fine Particulate: Moderate
Ozone: Moderate
Ozone (peak 8-hr avg): 66-75ppb