“I believe the proper approach to determine if we need a new arena is a referendum. The voice of the people must decide if it is in the best interest of all to have a project of this size. In addition to the original cost we must also weigh the cost of upkeep of a new arena, plus what must be done with Roberts Stadium. A quality answer as to Robert’s fate must be determined before a shovel of dirt is moved on a new arena. A face-lift and renovation of Robert's is the prudent way to go, so future generations will not be saddled with debt and a "white elephant" on the East Side. We messed up badly on the location of the new jail. Let's not be frivolous with money that belongs to the people and no one else” (Kniese).
These are the words that N.L. Kniese, Sr. of Evansville wrote to the Evansville Courier and Press about building the new Roberts Stadium downtown. This is just one of many outraged citizens who believe that this idea is ludicrous. Because of the poor and unstable economy that we are facing, Evansville residents do not believe that the city needs to be spending any money on unnecessary projects that will add to the growing debt that the United States is dealing with. With an estimated 30.2% of Evansville’s ancestry being German, this explains the hardheadedness of the people to accept change and the willingness to branch out to new opportunities (City Town Info).
The new proposal to replace the aging Roberts Stadium and move it to a new location in the downtown area has caused much uproar in the Evansville area. People see no problem with the location and condition of the present arena. They believe that it is just another way for Evansville to spend money on an attraction that will soon become a “white elephant” that nobody uses. Just like the cMoe Museum that is now downtown and does not receive the number of guest that was first projected. There have been many residents who have written into the paper saying that they will not go to the new arena if it is moved downtown because the location will be much harder to access. Handicapped citizens are especially being left out on this decision because they will not be able to walk the far distances that downtown will require. Downtown Evansville is not set up for large groups of people who may attend a concert or sporting event that would be held at the new location. The present location for Roberts Stadium works great with easy access and plenty of parking. The current arena has 12,117 fixed seats and the new arena would only seat 11,000 people (“How Many Seats”). If Evansville wants to draw in larger crowds of people, this is foolish. If they want to enhance the stadium, they need to build it with all the modern technology and in the right location with the proper amount of seating so that in a few years it will not be seen as outdated.
The citizens of Evansville know that downtown is not a convenient location for such a huge attraction as Roberts Stadium. It is difficult to get around and the parking is very limited. To put such a busy place here would cause a tremendous amount of clutter and confusion because most people are not familiar with that location. Many people wonder what will happen to the current location of the arena if it is rebuilt downtown. What would the city do with such a large building with all the parking spots if all the events that take place in it are moved downtown? This would become yet another building that has closed its doors and never gets reopened. It would sit vacant on a massive amount of land that could be making money but instead has caused a much larger amount of debt. To simple remodel the arena would prevent much headache for the city of Evansville. The parking and access to the place are already there. It seems more logical to keep the arena in the same location but to make the needed enhancements inside.
It only makes sense that the citizens are outraged because they have no say in this matter. It is our money that they are spending, so why should they care. The people are worried about this move because it does not make since to leave a perfectly great building in such a prime location vacant. They do not want to see such a great money maker move to a location that may make it go under. To many people it is more of a waste to leave a perfectly fine building vacant then to rebuild in a new location. Evansville cannot afford for this huge attraction to become yet another mistake that is eventually forced to close its doors.
Another example of how the Evansville citizens do not like change and spending money comes in the project to rebuild a new North High School. One outraged parent replied to an article online by saying: “I think this is ridiculous because some kids may not be in the bus riding area and parents can’t afford the gas back and forth to North. This is just plain ignorant leave the schools as they are they been this way for years and it should be many more to come .......I guess ignorance is allowed a lot!” (“North School Complex”).
People do not like it when they have to change their everyday routines because this causes too much chaos. For students to have to travel further to school or not be able to take the bus causes a lot of adjusting. People are not willing to adjust because they believe that the school they currently attend is where it needs to stay. Moving North to a new location will result in new school districts. A bus will have to be able to pick up students who are in that school district, so every student will have a way to school. It is just the thought of building a new North and remodeling the grade schools that sets people off because this means spending money. They forget that schools have to keep up with new technology and the growing population in order to keep its students and give them the best education possible. This requires remodeling and North does not have the space to add on to the current building and parking is a major issue.
Like the Robert Stadium problem, people wonder what will happen to the old North High School building. To have a vacant building left sitting is torture to most people. Evansville has a bad habit of leaving unused buildings sit idle. For example the old west side Wal-Mart building has been unused since the Super Wal-Mart opened. There have been many rumors about other businesses moving in such as Sears but no progress has been made. It seems that they could use these buildings instead of always building in new locations. There is no longer any open farm land because this has all been built up for businesses. It is sad to think that one day when you look out your window all you will see is houses and businesses. There will be no such thing as open land for wildlife to life.
Instead of the Evansville people not wanting to spend money, they need to be more concerned with the resources that all of these changes are using. Not only is money a huge part, but nature is affected also. With all the changes Evansville wants to make, this requires building on land that is used for farming. What will happen to the farmers in years to come when they find that they have no land to grow crops on? Evansville citizens must remember about the future generations. Not only are they going to leave behind the huge burden of debt but also the threat of no good farm ground. Current residents believe that this is not their worry but the citizens to follow. I wish that Evansville would think out these major decisions before they act because this has an everlasting impression on the city.
What most of these examples boil down to is the fact that Evansville must make these changes in order to keep up with the technical world. It takes a group of people to make the decisions that will be best for the community and there will always be someone who is not happy with the results. In the examples of the new arena and the new North, it all boils down to upgrading our current facilities, and citizens do not believe that we need to be spending money. Often times you have to spend money in order to make more money. The population of Evansville has a more moderate conservative approach on the political spectrum (US Census Bureau). This all has to do with the large majority of the ancestry being German. The people do not want to see changes taking place because this means that our money is being used to do so. They believe that they city needs to be more conservative and not constantly spending money on projects that seem worthless.
In conclusion, the older generations of people do not believe in spending money because they see the current buildings as getting the job done. This is where the younger generation steps in to keep up with the growing world of technology. If Evansville wants to keep up with the modern world, they must be willing to upgrade their current attractions. In order to bring larger concerts to Roberts Stadium we have to make changes to the arena to enhance the sound and other outdated features. To better the education that students receive, we must be willing to rebuild our schools to offer the best education possible. I believe that Evansville does a great job of keeping up with the advancing world, but their plans need to be better understood by the citizens. They need to state what will happen to the old buildings and how the new locations will better serve the city. With better communication between the people and the government much confusion can be cleared up. The citizens of Evansville need to have a more open mind when it comes to remodeling and spending money instead of instantly bashing every idea that comes forth. I hope that Evansville makes the best decisions for all of its citizens and for future generations to follow.
Works Cited
City Town Info. 31 Dec. 2008. Moving Traffic, Inc. 3 Mar. 2009
“How Many Seats?” Evansville Courier and Press 25 Jan. 2009. 3 Mar. 2009
Kniese, N.L. Sr. “Cast My Ballot as No For the New Arena.” Evansville Courier and Press 26 Feb.
2009. 3 Mar. 2009
“North School Complex on Paper.” Evansville Courier and Press 9 Feb. 2009. 1 Mar. 2009
U.S. Census Bureau. 22 Dec. 2008. 26 Feb. 2009
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