Mayor Gives DMD and ERC Â Approval to Spends $907,200.00 To Purchase Property On North Main
Yesterday we were sent an e-mail with a link by a loyal friend and supporter of the City County Observer. This e-mail was extremely damaging to Mayor Winnecke’s public relations campaign to our citizenry that his Administration is all about transparency and sound business practices.
At first glance one would say “oh well†,,,,, just another Evansville Redevelopment Commission and DMD land deal. After analyzing the data on the link, it is very apparent that the Mayor has over-stepped his authority and good judgment in giving his approval to DMD Director Kelly Courses to purchase about $907,200 worth of property in the name of his politically controlled Evansville Redevelopment Commission?
A close review shows that some of the property on this list has been purchased  over reasonable appraised and assess value.  We also hear that the DMD Director and the politically controlled ERC are presently looking to purchase additional property on North Main.  We shall keep you informed soon as something happens.
It’s extremely obvious when the Mayor, his DMD Director and ECHO Director Stephanie TenBarge met behind close doors to discuss the North Main Street project, the Mayor once again took the ready aim and fire approach and quickly approved the spending of $907,200 of our tax dollars on the questionable NORTH MAIN project.  We also wonder why the 3rd Ward City Council member wasn’t invited to attend  the meeting? For that matter, no member of the City Council was invited to that meeting or any subsequent meeting. It’s important to point out that City Council HAS NEVER approved the $12 million dollar loan to fund the entire North Main project.
What if City Council decides not to borrow $12 million dollars for the North Main project because it will totally delete the North Main TIF funds? Also City Council is looking at funding a $20 million dollar loan to build the Downtown Convention Hotel and another $55 million dollars loan to build the downtown IU Medical School campus. We ask how much more can the taxpayers afford to spend on every “Pie in the Sky” or Pork Barrel” project the Mayor and his political buddies at DMD and ERC dream up?
If Council rejects the funding for the North Main project, Mayor Winnecke will have spent $907,200 and possess surplus property located in the less desirable part of town they can’t sell, lease or give away? We feel that some of this property was purchased at well above the assessed value.  Look at the old CVS Building and the old Integra Bank Building. Both were purchased for exceedingly high prices. We now hear that both buildings will NOT be torn down for parking, as was the very reason they were purchased. Why were they purchased and now, put up for lease and offered to not-for-profit groups for no cost? This makes no business sense at all. The bottom line is that this transaction not only wasn’t transparent, approved or presented properly in public, but also was a bad business decision made with our hard earned tax money! Attached below is a chart of the entire North Main Street land purchases for your review and discussion!  What do you think? Please take a drive down North Main and see for yourself the property the Mayor, DMD and the ERC purchased in the taxpayers name. Could this project be a “Fleecing” of our hard earned tax dollars or a Washington, DC style “Pork Barrel” project?
We wonder what Mayoral candidate Gail Riecken thinks about this project?
BREAKDOWN OF PROPERTY LOCATED ON NORTH MAINâ€
North Main Streetscape Enhancement Project
110-118 New Parking Spaces Provided
Primary Goal: To provide readily-accessible, intimate parking lots, evenly disbursed along the North Main corridor, replacing the street parking which is being surrendered to the Streetscape Project.
Method:
– Identify properties in each block which may be available.
– Laying out safe, easily-accessible small parking lots which maximize available space while minimizing cost.
– Focus on connectivity to existing retail, restaurant and office uses, while seeking to support possible new property users along Main Street.
Block By Block “First Look†Properties:
I. Illinois to Franklin – well served by the grocery store lot.
II. Franklin to Michigan – Heavy retail use currently. Plan of action is to support this block from north and south with lots in adjoining blocks. Hutch & Sons has its own, adequate parking lot.
III. Michigan to Virginia – 401/415 N. Main offers 164’ x 142.25’. This is large enough to swap land with the owners of a proposed new SUBWAY (see below), leaving a 62’ x 142.25’ lot for parking. 26-28 Spaces Provided.
IV. Virginia to Iowa – 506 N. Main is the former Knotty Pine Restaurant. SUBWAY was planning to build there, but will swap for 401 N. Main, leaving the City a 95’ x 126.5’ lot at 506 N. Main, and a 50’ x 127.5’ lot on Virginia to the west of 506 N. Main. 40-42 Spaces Provided.
V. Iowa to Delaware – 600/602/604 N. Main is owned by Apostolic World Christian Fellowship. They’ve agree to trade 70’ x 126.5’ lot on N. Main for the 100’ x 127.5’ lot just west of N. Main, 14 W. Iowa. This allows the City to control a parking lot on N. Main in this block, but in effect gives visitors TWO lots in this block to park on, as the church is accustomed to “shared use†of the property they own, and would certainly expect “shared use†of the City-owned lot on Sundays. 24-26 Spaces Provided.
VI. Delaware to Columbia – Heavy retail use currently. Plan of action is to support this block from north and south with lots in adjoining blocks.
VII. Columbia to Maryland – 800 N. Main. Gene & Charlotte Warren have agreed to sell this 277’ x 126.5’ property, which gives the City an opportunity to use this block as the connectivity center between N. Main retail and Garvin Park/Bosse Field. With a redesigned entry facing Main Street, the existing 10,554 SF building could be repurposed into a multi-use facility (bike rentals, non-profit offices, retail use, etc.). 20-22 Spaces Provided.
BREAKDOWN OF PROPERTY LOCATED ON NORTH MAINâ€
North Main Streetscape Enhancement Project
110-118 New Parking Spaces Provided
Primary Goal: To provide readily-accessible, intimate parking lots, evenly disbursed along the North Main corridor, replacing the street parking which is being surrendered to the Streetscape Project.
Method:
– Identify properties in each block which may be available.
– Laying out safe, easily-accessible small parking lots which maximize available space while minimizing cost.
– Focus on connectivity to existing retail, restaurant and office uses, while seeking to support possible new property users along Main Street.
Block By Block “First Look†Properties:
I. Illinois to Franklin – well served by the grocery store lot.
II. Franklin to Michigan – Heavy retail use currently. Plan of action is to support this block from north and south with lots in adjoining blocks. Hutch & Sons has its own, adequate parking lot.
III. Michigan to Virginia – 401/415 N. Main offers 164’ x 142.25’. This is large enough to swap land with the owners of a proposed new SUBWAY (see below), leaving a 62’ x 142.25’ lot for parking. 26-28 Spaces Provided.
IV. Virginia to Iowa – 506 N. Main is the former Knotty Pine Restaurant. SUBWAY was planning to build there, but will swap for 401 N. Main, leaving the City a 95’ x 126.5’ lot at 506 N. Main, and a 50’ x 127.5’ lot on Virginia to the west of 506 N. Main. 40-42 Spaces Provided.
V. Iowa to Delaware – 600/602/604 N. Main is owned by Apostolic World Christian Fellowship. They’ve agree to trade 70’ x 126.5’ lot on N. Main for the 100’ x 127.5’ lot just west of N. Main, 14 W. Iowa. This allows the City to control a parking lot on N. Main in this block, but in effect gives visitors TWO lots in this block to park on, as the church is accustomed to “shared use†of the property they own, and would certainly expect “shared use†of the City-owned lot on Sundays. 24-26 Spaces Provided.
VI. Delaware to Columbia – Heavy retail use currently. Plan of action is to support this block from north and south with lots in adjoining blocks.
VII. Columbia to Maryland – 800 N. Main. Gene & Charlotte Warren have agreed to sell this 277’ x 126.5’ property, which gives the City an opportunity to use this block as the connectivity center between N. Main retail and Garvin Park/Bosse Field. With a redesigned entry facing Main Street, the existing 10,554 SF building could be repurposed into a multi-use facility (bike rentals, non-profit offices, retail use, etc.). 20-22 Spaces Provided.
COMBINED PROPERTY PURCHASE SUMMARY REPORT
by J. Cory Mills, CCIM Senior Broker Woodward Commercial Realty, Inc.
Nice little payday for Winnecke’s wife. Why are there no laws against this? Can’t blame the liberals for this one.
Because when you get in with the group that writes the laws, it’s easy to make them (the laws) favour whatever you want to do, ‘legally’ (loopholes) .
Old Christmas Carol a/k/a Carol McClintoch is not qualified for Commerce Property, however, her sidekick, Kenny Newcomp is another matter . . .as it seems, there has been much work going in room 302 commonly referred to as Santa’s Workshop and we see that Santa lloyd is checking his list twice to see who been naughty or nice (the barometer for nice = campaign donations) or in the case of one particular City Council member’s case, no opponent .
And . . .again, we are blessed with his most favorite Elf – i.e. Elf Kelley and now enters one of his darling munchkin, Ms. Tenbarge who by the way does NOT resided anywhere close to those mostly economically challenged residents in the Jacobsville TIF . . . CRONY CAPITALISM MIXED WITH ELITISM . . . where in the hell is Steven Speilberg?
Good information. Now, find the answer to your question: “We wonder what candidate Riecken thinks about this project?”
Also, how has the “North Main TIF” amassed 1.5 million dollars before this project has even started?
The crime was committed when the TIF was formed. The TIF district is North Main st with Berry Plastics drawn in so that all increased valuation on Berry Plastics has to be spent on Main street. This takes Berry Plastics out of the funding picture for the rest of the government – including schools.
Right, George. A good example of how TIF projects deliver a “double whammy” to Evansville taxpayers.
BTW. I wonder how many city officials and taxpayers actually know what TIF programs are and how they are supposed to work.
We can fix a big part of the problem by de-electing Winnecke. I do not think he tracks with reality. He has upped an Imperial Mayoralty. Not good. He will soon be sporting gold epaulets on his little shoulders if we don’t rein him in soon, maybe he already is, late at night in his condo.
I too would like to hear from Gail Riecken. Her ‘campaign’ is giving Winnecke a pass on some pretty odious stuff. Is she still for the unnecessary hotel, even in its current truncated foisting? Still for the unusual placement of the medical school? It was sited for policital reasons, bypassing much cheaper, more logical and suitable locations. We can thank Pat Shoulders for doing that for Winnecke, we can’t blame him though in light of all the legal work the mayor sends to his firm. Many people are getting rich off the machinations of this filthy administration.
The clock is ticking. The puppet mayor struts and is co-opting Mrs. Riecken’s constituencies, while spending our money to do so. I would have to take her word for it if she said she is actually running for mayor. The stakes for Evansville are high, now is not the time to sit back and watch. A tepid campaign is worse than none at all. It is way past time to hope the City Council discharges its duty to the citizens. There are currently no checks on Winnecke’s profligate spending of our money.
You’re clear headed today except de-electing Winnecke is not enough.
I am encouraged to see the CCO and some prime posters asking for Gail’s position on these issues. Transparency means nothing. Give me a reason to be giddy for Gail other than she’s not Winnecke.
Silence can be golden. In this case it’s brown. There’s no reason to believe Gail is not for these projects and other wastes of taxpayer money.
Instead of merely cheerleading for Riecken, CCO would do well to ferret out her position on issues.
Unless she steps up all we will gain is a new bag of tricks to learn.
Now… The question is – – -WHY IS OUR CITY COUNCIL ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN? Why do we pay the City Council to sit there and do nothing? How much are we paying the City Council?
“A close review shows that some of the property on this list has been purchased over reasonable appraised and assess value. ” (CCO)
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Say it isin’t so! When has THAT ever happened in the past?
https://youtu.be/05B1GjXNEbc
But according to the summary report they saved us $69,300.
Bend over and spread’um. Or stand straight up in their collective political ogres
faces and just say, no, this time. Hope fades with each day passed for those in Evansville proper’s salvation from the stinking demise that plagues them from MLK boulevard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_YF2mtpXQg
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