Build it Downtown: Advisory Panel Agrees with Consultants

After more than a year of meetings, the Roberts Stadium Advisory Board is ready to recommend to Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and the city council that the city should move forward with building a new downtown multi-purpose arena. But with a projected $92 million price tag, the Advisory Board wants to make sure there is adequate due diligence before any dirt is turned. The recommendation which the Board will present to the Mayor in the next ten days calls for a new downtown arena with between 9,000 and 11,000 seats. Construction of that arena is contingent on several factors, says the board. Perhaps most important of those factors is confirmation of funding sources which exceed or meet the projected cost. To that end, the Board recommends hiring a financial consultant to perform a detailed study on what costs and revenues would be over the life of the facility, and how property taxes might be affected. The Board wants the city to confirm that appropriate land be acquired at a reasonable cost. They are also suggesting that the city renegotiate the lease with the University of Evansville, so they will continue to use a new arena for their basketball teams. They are recommending that the city engage architecture and engineering firms to get a better grasp on costs. And also want to see any new stadium be built in an aesthetically pleasing fashion that makes the building inviting. Also on their list: comfortable seats, parking, traffic concerns, and finding a reuse plan for Roberts Stadium. The recommendations are non-binding. The Mayor says no final decision is expected before the end of the year.