IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer had enough ABSOLUTE UNIQUE VISITORS last week to win any seat on the Evansville City Council?…that at our present growth rate we will have enough ABSOLUTE UNIQUE VISITORS in any given week to put a candidate in the Office of the Mayor of Evansville by mid-summer?…that for the Ward based City Council seats that the CCO has enough ABSOLUTE UNIQUE VISITORS in a single day to win the election?

IS IT TRUE that tonight’s meeting of the Evansville City Council is shaping up to be one tent revival type “Coming to Jesus” event for Mr. John Kish?…that two single BIG TICKET discrepancies are coming before the FRIEND-QUISITION of at least two astutely aware members of the Evansville City Council?…that these two BIG TICKET discrepancies are with respect to the previously published deals with the Hunt Construction Group and Populous?…that the total of just these two discrepancies are at $3.68 Million and counting?…that we wonder just how many other discrepancies that are lurking in the trivial contracts of lesser amounts?…that every discrepancy should be accounted for and reconciled and that those that are not formally approved by either the Evansville Redevelopment Commission or the Evansville City Council should not be paid?

IS IT TRUE that this meeting of the Evansville City Council will forever be known as the beginning of the “FRIEND-QUISITION” in the evolving tale of the Evansville Arena and its associated costly activities?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has gotten our hands on a letter that was sent by City Councilman John Friend to Mr. Kish that was dated May 5th, 2011 that asks questions about 8 specific topics that are worthy of scrutiny?…that the topics of Councilman Friend’s letter are Parking, Executive Inn Costs, Professional Fees (legal), Professional Fees (other), Insurance, Populous, Hunt Construction, and the Hotel Incentive package?…that this letter is available online at the following link:

Councilman Friend’s Letter to John Kish

IS IT TRUE that it has been 96 hours this morning since the City County Observer offered a $500 bounty on anyone that Jonathan Weaver would come forward to back up his on camera assertions of being ELECTION SIGN THIEVES?…that Mr. Weaver has not yet accepted our challenge nor has he come forward to claim the bounty?…that he has exactly 72 hours to accept our challenge or it will no longer be available?…that we do not understand why Mr. Weaver has not come forward?…that a candidate for office is expected to be both honest and charitable?…that IF Mr. Weaver was honest in his allegations of theft that the City County Observer has given him the perfect opportunity to be charitable as a result of his honesty?…that we are STILL waiting?

FRIEND-QUISITION Starts at tonight’s City Council Meeting

In response to recent questions raised by aware citizens City Councilman John Friend has sent a letter to Evansville Arena project manager John Kish asking for clarification with respect to millions of dollars of discrepancies that exist between Mr. Kish’s most recent Evansville Arena Summary and previously published line item totals. Councilman Friend is also inquiring about the exclusion of certain costs from the Evansville Arena budget that seem to be attributable to the Arena.

Councilman Friend’s Letter to John Kish

*How Wasteful the Older Generation Was … *
Author: Unknown

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.” The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment.” He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer’s day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she was right.

They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a hankerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn’t have the green thing back then?

found on FaceBook….circulating the web, but we couldn’t locate who wrote it! If you know, please let me know so we can properly attribute it!

Tired of driving around trying to find a place to park? Well, there’s an app for that. Parking in Motion is a free iPhone app that takes the stress out of parking by enabling users to find, reserve and pay for parking all through a few clicks on their phone.

The PIM app has a directory of 16,000 (and counting) garages and lots in over 300 cities and major airports in the US, plus top cities in Canada and Europe. In addition to loading the parking facility locations, which can be searched and mapped out instantly on your iphone through GPS to find the nearest one to you, the PIM database pulls up other useful information to help you on the spot.

Also available are rates, for price comparisons, hours of operation and driving directions, including arrows on the map indicating the parking facility’s exact entrance, which is extremely helpful since they can be difficult to find. If the parking garage shows up in green on the map you can also pull up a form to reserve and pay for a spot before you arrive.

A feature being developed is real time information t on which lots and garages are full, using data collected from garage operators directly. Also in the works is street parking intelligence. Meter locations, parking rules and restrictions are some of the features that will be gathered from meters and municipalities and augmented by users to uncover streets most likely to have open spots. These features are in beta now in some cities including Santa Monica, CA.

CNET spoke with Sam, Friedman, PIM co-founder, who describes an even further evolved future via PIM for street parking:

“Five years from now, you’ll be able to get in your car, find parking on the street, and pay for it from within your car. And then if you’re in a meeting and it’s running over, you’ll be able to re-up your meter from the conference table.”

The PIM iPhone app is available for free download from iTunes now. Give it a try to save on frustration and gas.

Source: CNET

Also See: New York Times article on San Francisco’s adoption of iPhone App for parking finder

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08parking.html?_r=1&hp

IS IT TRUE that a drive by of the corner of Walnut Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Downtown Evansville begs some questions with respect to the whole demolition procedure surrounding the old Executive Inn and parking garage?…that the parking garage is now a pile of rubble as it should be?…that the pigeon and mold filled remains of the south wing of the Executive Inn is still eerily standing with no demolition equipment in place?…that this may not be an accident?…that as long as the old Executive Inn is not demolished the possibility that our sparkling new 4-Star (as per Mayor Weinzapfel and Browning in 2007) Convention Hotel may just morph back into a freshly painted Pigeon House aka the refurbishment of the Executive South Tower?…that back when there were four companies bidding on the hotel proposal that one of the ideas floated by the Kunkel Group was to refurbish the old Executive Inn?

IS IT TRUE that getting a loan to move forward with a $32 Million construction project will not be any easier for the Kunkel Group that it was for Woodruff Hospitality?…that the same lending criteria and valuations will still guide banking decisions?…that lowering the price of the project to a number between $15 Million and $20 Million with an $8 Million City of Evansville incentive will make this scenario a 50% down loan package?…that a single change order approved by the Evansville Redevelopment Commission that makes the requirement a 2-Star non branded hotel could seal a deal like this?…that a refurbished Executive Inn and a surface parking lot where the old parking garage was may just be wedged between a $127.5 Million Evansville Arena and a somewhat opulent Centre?…that in most cities it is nearly impossible to place a trailer in between two mansions?…that the City County Observer supported the Hyatt Place proposal and truly hopes that it finds its way to fruition?…that we also expect that the delayed demolition, the fact that the Executive Inn still stands, and the deafening silence of the powers that be on this subject are no coincidence?

IS IT TRUE that we are hearing that Vanderburgh County Councilman Mike Goebel, 5th Ward City Councilman John Friend, 4th Ward City Councilwoman Connie Robinson, and Dr. Dan Adams at-large City Councilman are busy working their political magic on behalf of the standard bearer that they support to become the next Mayor of Evansville, Rick Davis?

IS IT TRUE that we are also hearing that recently defeated candidate for the 6th Ward City Council nomination and sitting President of the Evansville City Council, B. J. Watts and other prominent members of Westside Democratic Royalty, are turning bright Republican red in the shadows as they prepare to support the efforts to defeat Al Lindsey in the general election?…that common perceived enemies make for some strange and unprecedented friendships?…that we wonder if these newly converted Republican supporters will extend their Republican support east of Pigeon Creek to support Brent Grafton in the 5th Ward and E. Lon Walters in the 2nd Ward general election for Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that the decision makers in the Republican party have decided to pump a great deal of money into the 2nd Ward City Council race? …that they feel that Republican Lon Walters has a good chance of beating incumbent 2nd Ward City Councilwoman Missy Mosby because of her devoted service to now lame duck Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel? … that we are hearing that the figure they have committed to raise for Mr. Walters is somewhere around $50,000?…that conventional wisdom is if Mr. Walters win the 2nd ward City Council seat the Republicans will control the Evansville City Council by a 5 to 4 margin? …Mr. Walters will make the proposed closing of neighborhood fire stations located in 2nd Ward, flooding problems, the Downtown Hotel fiasco, and bad conditions of our city parks into campaign issues that Ms. Mosby will be forced to defend in the upcoming General elections?

Widely Reported Incentives of $8 Million could exceed $18 Million

It has been widely publicized that the incentive package offered by the City of Evansville is only $8 Million but a further examination of the best description of the plan yields a much higher conclusion when all things are considered.

Direct Up Front Assistance: We will confirm that the $8 Million as reported is exactly what is stated in the January 4th minutes of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission. There are however several other forms of direct assistance on a delayed basis along with strategic uncertainties that are left out of the tabulation of costs.

Tax Abatement: A full 10 year tax abatement is approved for the project. The way that works the taxes for the property are phased in linearly over a ten year period where the first year you pay ZERO and the last year you pay the full amount. Assuming that the property will be assessed at the advertised construction price of $32 Million and using the 3% cap for commercial property the annual taxes on the building would be $960,000. Over 10 years the taxes would be $9.6 Million. With a 10 year phase in period the total taxes abated will amount to half of the total or $4.8 Million.

Direct Aid plus Tax Abatement = $12.8 Million

Here are the uncertainties that may raise the cost to the City of Evansville even more:

1. Demolition: Demolition was not included in the list of obligations of the developer. If the City of Evansville ultimately pays for the demolition of the parking garage and the hotel that will ad according to Mr. John Kish about $1.5 Million.

2. Bridge to the Centre: There is no requirement for the developer to install a bridge to the Centre and Arena as the layout on the Woodruff proposal showed. If the City of Evansville ultimately pays for the bridges the cost could be as high as $3 Million according to other estimates.

3. Executive Inn lot Improvements: The lot that will be beneath the footprint of the old Executive Inn will need some improving. Will it be a park or a loading area for the Arena or maybe handicapped parking? Whatever it is it is going to cost some money so lets conservatively estimate that $1 Million will need to be spent to make it whatever it is made into.

Grand total of Direct Incentives, Tax Abatements, and Uncertainties = $18.1 Million

Now which budget will that be applied to? The Arena? General Fund? We can’t wait to see which shell this pebble is under.

Demolition:

Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation has been the source of funding for Smokefree Communities of Vanderburgh County for nearly 10 years.

To summarize, the state budget for the new biennium starting July 1, 2011:

** abolishes ITPC and gives all of the agency’s assets to Indiana State Department of Health; and
** appropriates $8,057,031 per year for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, down from the $10.8 million per year that was appropriated in the last budget for the current biennium that ends June 30th.

Thanks again for everyone’s considerable efforts to SAVE ITPC (and the funding they provided to 64 local community partners and 28 jobs just in Southwestern Indiana) during the final 10 days of session since the proposal was added to the budget bill.

For coalition members, I’m sure many of you have questions about what happens now–I think we all are wondering about that. I would hope and would anticipate that the the opportunity will present itself sometime before too long to hear from ISDH how this transition will be implemented. I’m certain that the ITPC staff will keep us apprised of relevant details as they learn them also. Please be patient as I’m sure they are awaiting more clarity and illumination of the answers to many questions. Feel free to call me if you have questions. I hope to have more information to you by our next coalition meeting scheduled for May 19 at 3:30 p.m. in the Browning Room of Central Library.

Oh, and guess what– say “hi” to your newest partners in tobacco prevention here in Indiana– Indiana’s two horse-racing gambling venues — Hoosier Park Racing and Casino and Indiana Downs.

Not only does the new Indiana budget abolish ITPC and cut tobacco control funding from $10.8million/year to $8million/year, but also the new state budget approved by the Indiana legislature takes the first $3million/yr from the gross adjusted receipts from slot machine wagering at Indiana two horse-racing gambling facilities — Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs [$1.5 million/yr from each of them respectively] — and requires that turned over to the State Treasurer to be deposited into the MSA fund for the purposes of the state’s tobacco use prevention and cessation program.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids sent out the following email to the regional office after the announcement.

Friday evening, the legislature abolished the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation program and moved the agency’s responsibility and budget to the Indiana State Department of Health. The nationally respected program will close its doors in June of this year.

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has grown to a level that we actually planned to achieve in the first week of May last year in our 2011 planning exercise?…that among other things like timely daily posts, connecting local to national events, expanding our server capacity, and attracting guest writers, one of our traffic goals was to grow our pageview rates to an annualized rate of 1,000,000 (yep that’s a million) pageviews during the first week of May?…that we have achieved that this week with a day and a half to go?…that we wish to thank all of our readers for their continued interest in our quest to promote good public policy by exposing bad public policy?…that we would appreciate it if you would friend us on Facebook at your earliest convenience?

IT IS TRUE that Evansville City Councilman John Friend who makes his living as a CPA recommended to the “powers that be” including Mayor Weinzapfel that the Woodruff Hospitality Group be required to post a performance bond and have financial statements scrutinized for both key personnel and the business?…that Councilman Friend also recommended that these documents be obtained for inspection and references gathered from the financial community?…that the Kunkel Group needs to be thoroughly and professionally “vetted” in the same manner that Browning and Woodruff SHOULD HAVE BEEN?…that the people of Vanderburgh County (Centre) and the City of Evansville (Arena) already have $200 Million invested in the MLK Entertainment complex?…that the public investments cannot and should not be expected to wait and see if the Kunkel Group can get financing and perform?…that the next company to take this project on whether Kunkel, White Hospitality, or another that emerges through a new bidding process needs to be financially secure enough to perform and post a bond to prove it?…that the tolerance for AMATEUR HOUR at the Civic Center is now over?…that it is time to hire FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS to vet this project and stop the good old boy shuck and jive routine that has surrounded this hotel project since 2007 when a smiling confident Mayor Weinzapfel announced that HE had found a developer to do this project with no public participation?

IS IT TRUE that Local #136 Plumbing and Steam Fitters Union leadership took Democratic Mayoral candidate, Rick Davis to lunch yesterday?….that we know this luncheon gathering must had been extremely interesting?

IS IT TRUE that it has been 48 hours this morning since the City County Observer offered a $500 bounty on anyone that Jonathan Weaver would come forward to back up his on camera assertions of being ELECTION SIGN THIEVES?…that Mr. Weaver has not yet accepted our challenge nor has he come forward to claim the bounty?…that he has exactly 120 hours to accept our challenge or it will no longer be available?…that we do not understand why Mr. Weaver has not come forward?…that a candidate for office is expected to be both honest and charitable?…that IF Mr. Weaver was honest in his allegations of theft that the City County Observer has given him the perfect opportunity to be charitable as a result of his honesty?…that we are waiting?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,465 days since the announcement was made on May 14, 2007 that the McCurdy Hotel was to be refurbished into luxury apartments?…that it has now been 1,319 days since the Evansville Redevelopment Commission at the request of Mayor Weinzapfel approved the spending of $603,000 to purchase the parking lot?…that City Centre Properties and Scott Kosene the developers of the McCurdy project are both listed as contributors to the Weinzapfel for Mayor committee for 2010?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 544 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO classic rock song of the week is DREAM WEAVER?

Construction Costs that Exceed Valuations forcing Cities into the Shadow Banking Business

Excerpts from the study on the recent phenomena of cities wanting hotels enough to sell bonds to finance them.

“As most communities desire the economic impact of group events and the spending of the visitors they attract, many are providing public subsidies to projects that are not feasible on a purely private basis.”

“The recently approved project in Huntsville, Alabama is an example of a tertiary market in which city leaders chose to engage a private developer to construct a $40-million, 300-suite Embassy Suites Hotel adjacent to the convention center. The city offered to provide attached parking for the hotel, related infrastructure development, a favorable land lease and access to meeting space in the convention center to attract a hotel developer.”

“Since 1994, the only hotel projects of 700 rooms or more outside of the gaming and resort industries that have been privately financed are in New York City, where high occupancy and room rates can support new development. All other developments have required some form of public support, either through public financing and ownership or a public/private partnership.”

The excerpt above is bold because it underscores that the assertion and expectation that a private developer like Browning would do a hotel in Evansville without incentives was an incredibly naive expectation.

“Given that many event planners operate on multiple-year planning horizons, the full effect of a headquarters hotel on convention center activity might not be realized until several years following the hotel’s opening.”

Public Involvement in Hotel Financing

Kunkel to take over project under same terms as approved for Woodruff

In a move that was first reported by the City County Observer yesterday, the City of Evansville has finally come clean with the announcement that The Kunkel Group will assume the contract that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has with Woodruff Hospitality. Under the original agreement the City of Evansville offered Woodruff Hospitality an incentive package worth at least $12.8 Million to construct a 220 room hotel on the site of the old Executive Inn parking garage.

The actual contract between Woodruff and the ERC has not been released to the public but the framework for an eventual agreement was approved in the January 4, 2011 meeting of the ERC. The following link is to the minutes of the ERC meeting in which the terms of the agreement were disclosed.

ERC 01-04-2011 Hotel Deal Approved