A link to John Friend’s original inquiry:
https://city-countyobserver.com/2011/07/15/councilman-friend-question-civic-center-information-technology-practices/

Click here to download the city response to our FOIA regarding the Downtown Arena Premium Seating

Despite our FOIA request, we were provided very little information regarding the price of the premium arena seating, or the parties who supposedly purchased them.

The best way to analyze this information would be chronologically.

Page 24 of the PDF file includes an email from Scott Schoenike to John Kish and Jonathan Weinzapfel. The email reads:
“Good news,
All suites are now sold out. All suites were sold at list price and all cash no trade.
Thanks for all your help in putting together last night
Scott Shoenike”
This email was sent on Wednesday, May 25th at 5:30.

Page 3 of the file includes the “Approving Multi-Year Contracts for Premium Seating for the Downtown Arena Project” which was adopted by the Evansville Redevelopment COmmission on the July 19th, 2011, by a vote of 4 Ayes and 0 Nays.
This is the resolution that gave VenuWorks the authority to execute seating contracts for a 5 year duration.
An interesting line that should be noted: “Whereas, premium seats are available to the public on the suite level and as loge seats on the main concourse level;”

Scott Schoenike of VenuWorks sent the email saying that the suites are all sold out on May 25th. The ERC granted VenuWorks the authority to sell premium seating on July 19th. Therefore, the suites were sold without the authority of the city. Any premium seating contract that was signed before July 19th would be void.

However, we still do not know any of the parties that were promised these seats. Nor do we know the “list price” that was mentioned in Scott Schoenike’s email. Pages 4-23 of the PDF file are blank VenuWorks contracts.

As Evansville’s taxpayers, we are all shareholders in this multi-million dollar Downtown Arena Project. As shareholders, we should all be given the option to purchase these premium seats. To withhold that option would definitely be SNEGAL at best.

The ERC will be meeting tomorrow, August 2nd, 2011 at 8:30am.
A line item on the agenda reads “11-ERC-55 – Approval of Summary Terms For Professional Management Services and Use of the New Arena by VenuWorks of Evansville, LLC.”
Also at this meeting, the ERC will be approving the minutes from their July 19th meeting, where authority was granted to VenuWorks to sell these premium seats.

Why are Evansville citizens, as effective shareholders of the Downtown Arena, not being given a fair chance at premium seating? Why were the seats not made “available to the public” as listed in the ERC resolution?
Why were we not provided with more than 2 blank venuworks contracts, an ERC resolution, and an email from Scott Schoenike?
Why did Scott Schoenike sell ALL of the premium seats nearly 2 months before he had the authority to do so?
Who bought the seats before we were given the option? and for what price?

Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Plays its Part Well

Apprehension of Violent Criminal Sex Offender

IS IT TRUE? PART 2 August 1, 2011 IT’S McCURDY DAY IN EVANSVILLE

IS IT TRUE that there is no longer any reason for the City of Evansville to rescind the deal down at the McCurdy like they had to do with Woodruff Hospitality over the new downtown Convention Hotel?…that the McCurdy Hotel deal is now in default and is as dead as the witch of the west when Dorothy threw water on her?…that the little four year non-performing perpetual extension machine is finally over?…that there are now three actions that the City of Evansville can take with respect to the McCurdy?

IS IT TRUE that the first thing that the City of Evansville can do is to extend the contract like they have done again and again?…that if this is the route taken that once again City Centre Properties will have this old treasure by the throat as the exclusive developer in search of funding?…that to extend the exclusive period would keep the City of Evansville from issuing a new RFP or talking to other potential developers?…that would be as brain dead this time as it was last time?…that this situation needs to hit the reset button just like the downtown Convention Hotel did?

IS IT TRUE that the City also has the option to put out a new RFP with a call for bids from developers that may wish to respond?…that such developers could suggest what incentives are going to need to be offered to get the financing needed to convert the McCurdy Hotel into something that is beautiful and useful as opposed to a convalescent home for pigeons and bats?…that serious consideration should be given to turning the McCurdy back into a vintage hotel?…that the cash flow from a hotel is more valuable from a space perspective than apartments are?…that if 90 apartments can be made from the space available that maybe a 150 or so room vintage hotel could emerge?…that with the cash projections from a hotel like this run like others at 60% occupancy and $100 per day that each room would generate about $1,800 per month or a grand total of $270,000 per month?…that 90 apartments at 85% occupancy and $900 per month only yields $68,850 per month?…that one of these things may actually attract enough cash interest to do this job ($15 M – $18 M) and that the other never will?

IS IT TRUE that the third option and often the chosen option by politically motivated types is the option to do nothing and hope no one notices?…that we bet that this will be what happens?…that if the ERC and the City of Evansville take this approach that they can cross their fingers that City Centre comes to the table someday with a financing package and still try to work quiet back door deals?…that this silence option has SNEGAL’s fingerprints all over it and keeps the Mayor and his minions off of the front page with yet another embarrassing project that fell apart for lack of oversight and failure to calculate realistic valuations?

IS IT TRUE that we hope that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission asks for a “2 for the price of 1” deal when it comes to vetting because someday the McCurdy will be in need of that same vetting service?…that we encourage option #2 that is issuing a new RFP for the McCurdy project as soon as possible so that he next administration is not stuck with another “pig in a poke”?…that doing nothing only works if the mainstream media of Evansville goes into hibernation for the remainder of the Weinzapfel Administration?

1)_draft_agenda_08-02-11_erc

For debt-ceiling deal to become law, what needs to happen by Tuesday
Selling the debt-ceiling deal to a critical mass of lawmakers is a formidable political reach. Many conservatives say the deal doesn’t go far enough, while some liberals say the richest Americans should have to pay more taxes…
Read the entire article at: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0801/For-debt-ceiling-deal-to-become-law-what-needs-to-happen-by-Tuesday

Stocks rally after debt agreement is reached
NEW YORK — Stocks are rallying after President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders announced that they had agreed on a deal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
Read the entire article at: http://www.ajc.com/business/stocks-rally-after-debt-1064435.html

Click Here to download the Water & Sewer Utility Agenda for August 2, 2011