By: Martha Crosley

My thanks to city council members Dan McGinn and Dan Adams for co-sponsoring a resolution which essentially states that everyone needs to put on the brakes regarding Roberts stadium and the CVB baseball fields.

This stand by some members of the city council opens up the possibility of a win-win for the CVB and the citizens of Evansville.

Those who want to have the new ball fields that the CVB is proposing are welcome to have them using land that is adjacent to Goebal Soccer Fields. It is still available for sale and the last figure I heard for the property was $1.2 million, a lesser figure than the one for razing of Roberts stadium.

Those who want Wesselman Park to remain the peaceful family park it now is and those neighbors who value a quiet home life may have that also.

This concept leaves the Roberts issue open for lots of possibilities. For example, Dr. Dan Adams of the City Council stated that Roberts could be used for a natatorium for swim meets for all the schools since high schools in the area need such a facility. This would be something that Mr. Bertram could back for his whole school system and not just one school, eg. a ball field for Bosse.

This and many other ideas are possibilities if Roberts remains standing and if a new engineering study is done, not to find out if high rigging concerts can be performed there as was done before, but to judge the building on structural soundness for other uses. For any future use a large portion of the back parking lot should be removed and planted with native trees to buffer the preserve. The floor should also be filled in to the level that would negate the constant pumping of water.

If Roberts is judged not sound and needs to be razed, then planting native plants to mesh with the park and preserve extending the park for everyone, not a special group, is the logical answer.

Mayor Weinzapfel has stated that he does not want a strip mall or the like there and it is safe to say that no one else does either. He also stated that the city has the money to raze the stadium, which will be a minimum of $1.5 million and probably more, especially with parking lot removal.

If we have this money available, then we have many options that can be placed on the table and not just to support the ball complex. Where was the information on this money before? Why was it held back only to be revealed when the mayor’s game plan was faltering? There is plenty of documentation available to show that the Mayor was engineering this ball complex from the start.

Also where was the city council on this? I have spoken with several members who were not wild about the ball fields being placed in Wesselman Park, although they could see them elsewhere for less money.

Please remember that Wesselman and Roberts are owned by the city and as such belong to you and me. I am not opposed to the ball fields. Just don’t put them in Wesselman. Let’s mate them with Goebel and develop a large, well managed sports area with room to grow and add to. What a wonderful opportunity to bring visitors to our city and to keep one of the most valuable assets of our city, Wesselman Park and Preserve, from being crowded in with more development.

We can all win with good planning and honest, open dialogue.

LaPorte-based Walsh Construction Co. will oversee the $103 million project, which is scheduled for completion in September 2012.

The new bridge is being partially funded with a $20 million federal grant, with Indiana and Kentucky paying the remainder.

Source: miltonmadisonbridge.com

News Release

Louisville, Ky. (November 12, 2010) – Preliminary activity is currently underway in staging areas near the site of the new U.S. 421 Milton-Madison Bridge, including archaeological activity and soil sampling. This initial work must be completed before construction can begin.

Project contractor, Walsh Construction Company, has begun setting up portable offices in a staging area along Jaycee Park in Madison, which will be used for the next two years during construction. The staging area will be used to house office space, construction equipment and materials.

Following construction, Walsh will restore the park to its existing condition or better, including, restored volleyball courts, a new picnic shelter, playground equipment, basketball goals and a new riverfront sidewalk on the north side of Vaughn Drive.

Workers began core drilling this week along the Milton riverfront to gather soil samples where temporary bridge ramps and piers will be constructed. That work will continue into next week.

Archeological surveying is expected to begin next week in Milton. Workers will use backhoes to excavate areas along the riverfront to determine the presence of possible artifacts and potential impact by the project.

The official project groundbreaking is scheduled for November 30.

The Milton-Madison (U.S. 421) Bridge Project is bi-state effort between The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). The new bridge, which is expected to be open to traffic by September 15, 2012, will be constructed using two innovative methods: “superstructure replacement” and “truss sliding.” A new steel truss superstructure will be constructed on the existing bridge piers, which will be widened and rehabilitated. Once constructed atop temporary piers immediately downstream of the existing bridge, the new 3,181-foot truss will “slide” along steel rails, moving to its permanent location on the renovated existing piers. This innovative method reduces the originally anticipated 365-day construction-related bridge closure to just 10 days. For more information, visit www.MiltonMadisonBridge.com

IS IT TRUE? November 28, 2010

IS IT TRUE that there are now 714 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 the City County Observer is being bashed by certain Democratic officials for reporting the political short comings of elected City of Evansville office holders?….the City of Evansville has 11 elected officials? ….out of the 11 elected City of Evansville office holders only one (1) is a Republican? … that Democratic leadership must expect us to write about Republicans we are not presently city office holders?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the appointed 3rd Ward City Council person may not be running in the 2011 city council election. ….that the appointed “At Large” City Councilman, Don Walker may run for Evansville City Council in Ward 3 if the current holder of that office Wendy Bredhold decides not to run? ….that one of the leaders in the “STOP THE BALL FIELD” from being built on the Roberts Stadium property may be a 3rd Ward candidate for City Council? …..that we also hearing the the extremely popular Evansville City Clerk is being encouraged to run for this seat?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the financial audits for GAGE conducted by a local accounting firm are now completed? ….we bet that the leadership at GAGE shall refuse to make public the findings of the financial review of this organization? ….we aren’t worried about their decision not to release this information to the public because we know at least 5 elected officials who will provide us with copies of these reports so we can make them public? …..we shall finally find out if the 2009 Freedom Festival lost $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 or over $600,000 on that event?

IS IT TRUE that soon to be former Vanderburgh County Commission, Troy Tornatta is crunching the voting numbers he received in the November General election to see if he should run for Mayor of Evansville? ….he should bypass the vote count he received in the heavily Democratic precincts (3-9 and 3-11 located in Ward 3 (Roberts Stadium area) because it wasn’t a pretty site?

IS IT TRUE that we won’t be surprised to hear the name of City Councilman John Friend as being pushed to run for Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that MOLE #3 has confirmed that extremely popular 6th Ward citizen, Al Lindsey shall be announcing very soon that he is it a candidate for City Council? ….that we are not surprised to hear that present City Councilman, B J Watts will announce he shall not seek re-election? ….that if this happens don’t be surprised to see a connection of the” Mosby Family” also run for this city council seat?

By: Joe J. Wallace

Bundling is a commercial tactic that has been perfected by software companies such as Microsoft to sell products and features that are not necessarily things that people would actually choose on an individual basis. Bundling increases prices and provides marginal if any value to consumers but it does increase the profits of the companies that engage in the practice while enriching their shareholders.

It has often been asserted that effective government works in countercyclical ways to the commercial sector. In the case of bundling this seems to be true when it comes to government. Government at all levels has taken the seminar on bundling from the “Bill Gates Academy of Bundling” and has used this practice to daze and confuse the electorate in an expensive game that does not enrich the shareholders of government the way that the shareholders of Microsoft are enriched by bundling products. The recently maligned practice of earmarking and the long term practice of pork barreling are nothing but government bundling. In the case of government bundling, the citizens of this country are continually extorted into borrowing money to buy things they need that are not available unless they agree to buy a bunch of programs or projects that have minimal value or benefit a small select group of self serving elected officials.

Why is it that we are always presented with legislation that essentially says “you can have that highway that you need, but only if you buy a bridge to nowhere, a boatload of $100 hammers, and endow a museum dedicated to buggy whips in the small town where a Senator grew up”? Why do we as citizens tolerate this destructive form of bundling? Maybe it is because in exchange for buying all of the junk associated with a good project that we get to hire someone to watch the grass grow in our little hometown too. Maybe we like the pork from the public barrel or are confused by the complexity of the legislation that we just give up.

There have been two bundled projects floated in Evansville during 2010 that have essentially been ridiculed out of consideration for the cost and lack of practicality that were exposed by the City County Observer and most other local media outlets. Evansville’ bundling projects are of course the Roberts Stadium Ballfields and the recently proposed $2M bond issue.

The Roberts Stadium Ballfields proposal by the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau was essentially a project where the City of Evansville told the ECVB, “We will let you build 8 ball fields if you tear down Roberts Stadium, repair some things in Wesselman Park, and make some infrastructure improvements for the City”. That one for the price of three deal was called out by the media and rejected by the people that lived in the Roberts Stadium neighborhood. It is quite clear that bundling is what raised the price of a ball field to $2 Million in Evansville and it is also clear that this attempt at bundling is what ultimately led to the postponement or rejection of the entire project. This bundling was also a powerful issue in the 2010 elections.

Bundling was recently attempted in a proposed $2 Million bond issue. This time needed parking garage repairs were piled on with three Front Door Pride houses, and a refinancing of some existing debt. This attempt to bundle projects has already had the negative effect of deferring already deferred maintenance that really is needed to make the Downtown Evansville parking garages Arena worthy.

Why were the parking garages and Front Door Pride bundled together with a third refinancing deal? These are separate issues and should have separate financing. Bundling confuses the public and obscures the eventual accountability. Why were repairs to parking garages not included in the budget for the Evansville Arena? The parking garages stand to see a revenue increase when the Arena opens so let the Arena pay for their repairs. Do the garages really only need $500,000 to make them new again or is this another minimally thought through band aid approach to a much bigger need? One thing is for sure and that is that bundling confused the issue to the point that the City Council was not convinced that the proposed financing was the right thing to do. The City of Evansville is now “back to the drawing board” on how to finance the parking garage repairs.

As a customer of the downtown parking garages I can attest to the need for both maintenance and upgrades. My expectation is that to get the City of Evansville garages into Arena worthy condition will be more than a $500,000 proposition but for purposes of the following proposed financing solution I will assume that the powers that be have their planning in order and the list of repairs and upgrades are all that are really needed.

My proposed solution is to charge $5 to park in the City of Evansville garages for Arena Events. Then pledge the incremental revenue for the first 120,000 arena related parking fees to pay off these repairs as collateral for a loan to fix them up. Assuming the attendance numbers that have been predicted the payoff time will be less than 100 events or about 8 months.
This plan would get the garages fixed before the Arena opens, offer an investor 20% return on the $500,000 and avoid adding to the long term debt of the City of Evansville. It also stops the bundling trick before it expands.

Think about it, here is a solution that is cheap, easy, and meets the current needs. What is keeping the City of Evansville from going forward with a common sense solution that meets their stated needs for getting the parking garages into Arena worthy condition?

November 23, 2010

News Release

HOUSTON, Nov 23, 2010 — DXP Enterprises, Inc. announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of D&F Distributors, Inc. (“D&F”). The acquisition is expected to close effective November 30, 2010. The purchase price of $13.4 million is estimated to consist of approximately $7.5 million to be paid in cash, approximately $2.8 million in the form of promissory notes bearing interest at a rate of 5%, and approximately $3.1 million in the form of shares of DXP common stock. The allocation of the purchase price between cash, notes and common stock will be determined based upon the amount of D&F debt outstanding on the effective closing date. The cash portion of the purchase price will be funded by borrowings under DXP’s existing credit facility.

D&F is headquartered in Indiana and operates out of six locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. D&F distributes and services industrial, commercial and municipal pumps and fabricates pump packages.

The 2010 annualized sales and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the acquired business are approximately $22 million and $2.8 million, respectively.

David Little, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “D&F is a quality company with great people and excellent pump product expertise. We are excited with the geography and markets they cover and we look forward to our future success together.”

Mac McConnell, Chief Financial Officer, stated, “We anticipate this acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings.”

DXP Enterprises, Inc. is a leading products and service distributor focused on adding value and total cost savings solutions to MRO and OEM customers in virtually every industry since 1908. DXP provides innovative pumping solutions, integrated supply and MROP (maintenance, repair, operating and production) services that emphasize and utilize DXP’s vast product knowledge and technical expertise in pumps, bearings, power transmission, seals, hose, safety, fluid power, and electrical and industrial supplies. DXP’s breadth of MROP products and service solutions allows DXP to be flexible and customer driven, creating competitive advantages for its customers.

SOURCE: DXP Enterprises, Inc.

Thai Government Bans Elephants on the Street

The tourist want to see them, Thailand has made them their national symbol, but they don’t belong on the streets of the cities and resorts. Elephants are a important part of Thai history and culture, but their role in Thailand has changed. Once they were the work horses of Thailand, but time and modern engineering has replaced these gentle giants with diesel engines and modern hydraulics.

Thai Elephant on the Street in Bangkok

Elephants helped to build Thailand, but now their natural habitat, is being replaced with development and expanding cities. Work for elephants is very limited these days and these gentle giants still need to eat. An adult elephant can consume 140–270 kg (300–600 lb) of food a day. So the handlers, (mahouts) in many cases have taken their elephants to the streets, selling small bundles of overpriced food to the tourist who delight in the wonder of being close and feeding these wonderful animals. With the profits they purchase the real meals for their elephants.

But busy streets traffic, and elephants do not mixed, and several animals have been injured in the past. A survey found 74 elephants wandering the streets of Bangkok with their handlers. Bangkok and Pattaya have now banned elephants on the streets within the city limits. The New Elephant Act is being put in place in Bangkok, implanting the elephants with micro chips for tracking, and imposing, large finds if the elephants are on the city streets.

Deputy BMA governor Theerachon Manomaipibul said yesterday that repeat offenders would be warned three times after which they would be fined up to Bt50,000 and have their elephants sent home.

In a effort to find safe homes for these elephants and mahouts Ayutthaya’s Wang Chang Elephant Camp and Pattaya’s Suan Nong Nuch Park have offered to buy elephants and hire their mahouts. The Elephant Reintroduction Foundation has also said they will pay Bt500,000Bt to one million for any elephant whose mahout can not afford to keep it. With the ultimate goal of returning some of their elephants to the wild.

So if you want to see these wonderful animals, take a trip to one of the Elephant Parks or wildlife areas and enjoy them in a safe natural environment.