STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR MONEY, AND YOUR PARK
As you may well know, the Evansville Community Tennis Association (ECTA) has received approval from the Evansville Parks Board to build a 43,000 sq ft (one acre) building containing 6 tennis courts and amenities on the large open green space adjacent to the existing tennis courts in Wesselman Park. In addition, they also plan to build 6 more concrete courts plus a paved parking lot.
Many people, including a BIPARTISAN group of elected city and county office holders and candidates in the upcoming election, people in ward 3, and others in the community, find this proposal TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. We do not object to the sport of tennis. We do find the location for this large construction project and business venture very inappropriate and find that ECTA would receive considerable advantage over the city and its people. Please consider the following:
1. The land proposed for the ECTA courts is the LAST REMAINING LARGE OPEN GREEN SPACE in the park which can be used for unstructured activities (creative play and personal pursuits vs organized sports). These inventive activities play an important role in child development and adult health. The ECTA efforts will turn multiuse public land into single use for a VERY SMALL NUMBER of Evansville’s citizens. The current courts sit UNUSED most of the time.
2. A BUSINESS WILL USE THESE FACILITIES to teach tennis lessons. A business on public land produces many inequalities and advantages when compared to other businesses. Such a mix of public and private rights and obligations can be CONFUSING AT BEST AND UNLAWFUL AT WORST.
3. The ECTA will build and maintain these structures and rent the land from the city for $1.00 per year. Meanwhile the ECTA will teach classes, hold tournaments, operate concession stands, and derive money in other ways while GIVING NO MONEY BACK to the people of Evansville. The CITY WILL PAY the electric, water, and sewer bills for this facility. The ECTA will have their facility and a private business will continue to make money ALL AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE while the public will have lost a valuable piece of park land that can NEVER be recovered and will CONTINUE TO LOSE MONEY as utility rates climb.
4. The natural field in Wesselman Park on which the ECTA project is to be located is an excellent STORM WATER containment system. Should this proposed building occur, this natural system of water absorption will be negated and more load will be put on our ALREADY STRESSED SEWERS. It goes without saying that this would DISRUPT THE SURROUNDING NATURAL ENVIRONMENT of both plants and animals. The ECTA shows us NO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES to support their position.
5. Although the ECTA states it will bring tourism to our city, the CVB did not see the possibility as significant enough to invest in the project. The EFFECTS ON TOURISM WOULD BE MINIMAL.
6. The AESTHETICS involved in placing a building which covers an acre of land, and concrete paving that would cover an additional acre plus is not acceptable. This would not fit with the natural beauty of the park that the citizens of Evansville now enjoy. In fact it would look UGLY AND OUT OF PLACE.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS
CONCERNING THE ECTA TENNIS PROPOSAL
AND ZONING VARIANCE:
THURSDAY OCT. 20, 2011 at 4:00 PM
ROOM 301 CITY-COUNTY BLDG
THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING