The University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team ranked 15th in the nation amongst NCAA Division II institutions in team grade point average according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
USI, which amassed a 3.511 team GPA in 2010-11, missed the top 10 by .023 points. The Screaming Eagles, who ranked fourth amongst Great Lakes Valley Conference teams, finished 2010-11 with a 16-11 overall record and a 12-6 mark in conference play.
The Eagles, who captured the GLVC East Division crown, placed seven players on the GLVC All-Academic team this past season and had four players earn the GLVC Council of Presidents’ Academic Excellence Award.
“I am extremely proud of our players and our team for this accomplishment,” Head Coach Rick Stein said. “Our team works extremely hard to excel both on and off the court. To be recognized as one of the top 15 academic programs in the country is outstanding.”
The Eagles also earned the USI Student Athlete Advisory Committee Team GPA Award earlier this spring.
Time 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Subject BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS Location 301 Recurrence Occurs every Thursday effective 7/7/2011 until 7/28/2011 from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM Reminder 15 minutes
Sharon Evans @ 4982 Categories ROOM 301
Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Subject BOARD OF ZONING Location 301 Recurrence Occurs the third Thursday of every 1 month effective 7/21/2011 until 7/21/2011 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Reminder 15 minutes
KATHIE @ 5228 Categories ROOM 301
IS IT TRUE that yesterday July 20, 2011 set a new record for online visits to the City County Observer?…that the online numbers for the website trafficestimator.com were updated yesterday and that the City County Observer has experienced an 11.1% growth in visits over the last measurement period?…that the Courier & Press experienced a decline of roughly 2% over the same period?…that the CCO’s lead on the CP in the metric of minutes online has now expanded to 30%?…that we pay Google to do exact counts and that trafficestimate.com is within 1% of the actual counts so we believe the algorithm that they use is accurate?…that we can accurately project growth and that we are pretty certain that our visit number will be increasing by another 5% – 6% when the next update happens in August?
IS IT TRUE that the latest Freedom of Information Act request that we filed on behalf of City Councilman John Friend inspired the City of Evansville DMD to just post the information online?…that the information that we requested was concerning the insurance recommendation study that ONB was paid $100,000 to perform for the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that we were surprised that there were only three pages of spreadsheets posted that made a specific recommendation that a Contractors Pollution Liability Policy with a premium of $94,116 be purchased along with a Builder’s Risk Policy in the amount of $226,934?…that the CCO is having an insurance expert look over the contents for us to see if the recommendations were really worth $100,000?…that we are very interested to learn if it is worth $100k to be told how to spend $321k?…that you may view the spreadsheets yourself under the heading Arena at the following link?
IS IT TRUE that Evansville 5th Ward City Councilman and Budget Chairmen, John Friend, CPA has the means and the power to hold onto a downtown hotel resolution from going to full council for a vote? …as Budget Committee Chairmen he has the authority to stop the vote that would commit millions of our tax dollars to fund the downtown hotel until he is convinced that proper financial vetting was done on this project?
IS IT TRUE that one of our regular bloggers doesn’t realize that he personally talks with CCO Mole #3 at least once a week? …that CCO Mole # 3 is a member of the church the Joe Biden attends?
IS IT TRUE that CCO Mole #3 is telling us that the Mayor of Evansville is telling his close friends that he can’t figure out 5th Ward and Budget Chairmen, John Friend, CPA political actions anymore?…that the answer is simple, Councilman Friend’s political decisions are finally being based on “GOOD Public Policy” and cognitive thought?
IS IT TRUE that CCO Mole #3 is telling us if the election for Mayor of Evansville was held today that Lloyd Winnecke would likely win?
IS IT TRUE that CCO Mole #3 tells us that 2nd Ward City Council member, Missy Mosby’s re-election campaign is becoming something to behold?
IS IT TRUE that CCO Mole #3 has just informed us that 1st Ward City Councilman, Dan McGinn is becoming extremely interested in finding out how much the Mayors Legal Counsel has been paid for legal services from all revenue sources this year?…one should get ready to watch Councilman McGinn’s actions pertaining to this subject during the upcoming budget hearings?
IS IT TRUE that the Democratic party 6th Ward candidate Al Lindsey feels he is a shoe-in to be elected to the Evansville City Council seat in November ?…that CCO MOLE #3 feels Mr. Lindsey shall better get ready for a real political dog fight in the 6th Ward City Council race?
“As soon as this issue was brought to my attention by several calls from concerned citizens, I sent an email to Mr. Matt Arvay, the City/County CIO officer requesting that this situation be correct immediately. My email was sent to Mr. Arvay at 8:55 P.M. last evening. Denying the people access to their government is contrary to everything that our forefathers fought and died to guarantee that their government is held accountable and the access to information regarding actions by their elected officials and those who are appointed by those officials in positions of policy is not hindered. As an elected official, I take freedom of information very serious and do not condone any actions that violate this sacred right.”John Friend, 5th Ward Councilman
Dan McGinn“I find any attempt to deprive the public of information to which it is entitled appalling. Secrecy by government officials is a direct attack upon the very foundations upon which our great Country is built. If this restriction on the access to the minutes of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission was an accident, action must be taken to ensure that it never happens again. If it was an intentional action then those responsible should be ashamed to call themselves Americans.”Dan McGinn, Evansville City Councilman from the First Ward
Dr. H. Dan Adams“At a time in nation’s history when we are finally getting long overdue, deep insights into the process of governmental revenue and spending details on all levels (Google the Association of Governmental Accountability (AGA) of which I am a member), we need and should demand more clarity in reporting and less, not more, hoops to go through to get it. It just does not make common sense nor lend credence to the ERC’s continued existence as a commission that spends millions of tax dollars w/o close oversight by an elected group of officials. The minutes are surely spun for consumption so what is there to hide? It is just not good public policy. See my website, hdanadams.com for a classic example of a city transparency report. The ERC should follow it.” H. Dan Adams, MD MBA, Evansville City Councilman At-Large
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.
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.
