
Just when you think the city of Evansville has made their final error with Roberts Stadium, they turn around and prove to us all once again that they have many more errors still in them. While the amount of errors has piled up taller than a chunk of Executive Inn rubble, the city still remains committed to taking care of those who have taken care of them.
It’s been almost a month and a half since the city held an auction for some of the arena’s interior parts. But if you take a stroll past these magnificent grounds on the Lloyd Expressway, you will think the auction is still yet to come. Although the signs for Gate 1 have long been auctioned off, the banner for Wilson Auctions advertising the August 4th auction still sits atop the structure showing no sign of leaving anytime soon.
Not only is Gate 1 still covered in free advertising for Wilson Auctions, the marquee facing the Lloyd Expressway has two banners, one for each direction, advertising the auction that has come and gone months ago.
For those who don’t remember, Keep Evansville Beautiful has launched an aggressive campaign against signs and banners early this year. Currently, the laws governing advertisements such as political signs can be found at the link below…
http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/2012_Disclaimer_Brochure.pdf
You may also find out more information about local sign laws from the Evansville Area Plan Commission by clicking on the link below and then click on the link titled “Political Sign Placement Guideâ€â€¦
http://www.evansvilleapc.com/
Thanks to the City-County Observer, local residents already know that Wilson Auctions and the Winnecke administration were good buddies long before this auction…
https://city-countyobserver.com/2012/07/06/is-it-true-july-6-2012/
In fact, Andrew Wilson can be found in the following Winnecke Campaign Report on Adobe Pages 97 and 107…
https://city-countyobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Winnecke-Campaign-Pre-Election-Report-Oct-14-2011.pdf
This begs the question- What is the real reason these signs are still up for? It is absolutely pointless for 3 banners advertising an auction company hosting an auction back on August 4th to still be displayed. If the city handled these banners the way they have handled Roberts Stadium itself, they would have been gone a.s.a.p.
It’s bad enough that our community had to sit through a task force whose report isn’t consistent with what actually happened at the meetings and draws a conclusion that was never discussed to begin with. But now, we are seeing the city attempt to give free bricks to the University of Evansville while banners for an auction company, whose owner donated to the mayor’s campaign, are allowed to hang for months after the auction.
If our city, with the help of KEB, is truly going to take sign clean-up seriously, we cannot allow 3 banners to lay standing for months after an event they are marketing is over. We also cannot allow this auction company to receive free advertising on public land.
Make no mistake, if Wilson Auctions truly believes there is value in hanging banners up around Gate 1, then they surely would have no problem placing a bid on naming rights to this gate outside a renovated Roberts Stadium. I have long supported this concept and even brought it to the mayor’s attention last November. At that time, he said he would look into it, yet to my knowledge there have been no reports of any kind discussing the value of naming rights to the same exact gate the city is letting Wilson Auctions hang their banner.
In the meantime, the city needs to know, it’s time for these signs to go!