03/18/2009 - Mayor: Arena is ‘stimulus’ (Evansville Courier & Press)
Mayor: Arena is 'stimulus'Downtown growth, jobs cited as factors
By Jimmy Nesbitt
Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel used his "State of the City" address Tuesday to once again make the case for construction of a Downtown arena, calling it "another stimulus project for Evansville."
"There really couldn't be a better time to build a new arena," Weinzapfel told members of the Rotary Club of Evansville. "It will create community pride, improve our quality of life and attract more prestigious and visible events to Evansville. An arena will be our own stimulus package.
"It will put hundreds of people to work and support more economic development Downtown. And we will not raise property taxes to build it."
Weinzapfel focused on the economy and said Evansville, while not immune to the job losses and foreclosures that have affected cities nationwide, is in a good position to weather the recession.
He pointed to local companies such as Berry Plastics, Mead Johnson and American General Finance, all of which have planned or have started millions of dollars in expansions.
"In all, these moves represent around 400 new full-time jobs, maybe more," Weinzapfel said.
Some Indiana cities facing budget shortfalls have reduced services or laid off employees. Weinzapfel said his administration has avoided doing either by making government more efficient, eliminating nonessential positions through attrition. The city also has cut costs by merging the joint city-county purchasing department with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. to create a cooperative purchasing organization.
Weinzapfel also said Evansville will benefit from President Barack Obama's stimulus package. The city has received federal allocations that will be used to improve infrastructure in the Downtown area and complete the next phase of the Pigeon Creek Greenway. Additional stimulus funds will be used to revitalize neighborhoods, buy hybrid buses and fund programs to fight crime.
"Trust me, we are carefully monitoring grant opportunities through the recovery act, and we will aggressively pursue them," Weinzapfel said. "But, at the same time, we are Hoosiers, you know, so we are not waiting for the federal government to bail us out."
Twofold plan
Evansville has two projects - the Downtown arena and EVSC's $149 million plan to build a new North High School/Middle School complex and renovate other schools - that will create jobs and stimulate the local economy, he said.
Weinzapfel dedicated the end of his speech to the Downtown arena, reviewing the reasons why the city has chosen to replace Roberts Stadium with a new facility. He said the cost to renovate the stadium has been estimated at $90 million. The city would have to raise property taxes by about $60 million to build a new facility at the Roberts Stadium site similar to the one planned for Downtown, Weinzapfel said.
"The biggest (problem) is the insufficient rigging," Weinzapfel said. "Acts like Rascal Flatts, Celine Dion and even the Trans-Siberian Orchestra have passed on playing at Roberts because the rigging isn't strong enough to support the weight of their equipment."
Arena funding
The cost of the Downtown arena is estimated between $117 million and $127 million. The city plans to use tax increment financing funds, revenues from Casino Aztar and money from the food-and-beverage tax to pay for the arena.
Weinzapfel was asked after the speech about the future of Roberts Stadium and said one possibility is converting the stadium into a natatorium, or swimming facility, for the EVSC. School spokeswoman Marsha Jackson said nothing formal has been discussed. EVSC currently uses Lloyd Pool for indoor swimming competitions.
Weinzapfel said the city will hire a local company within the next few weeks to explore options for Roberts Stadium.
Keep in mind, Weinzapfel said, that the stadium will remain open for at least two more years. Construction on the Downtown arena is expected to begin this summer with completion in late summer 201
