Evansville: Stop and Smell the Roses
It’s no secret that bad news sells newspapers, and criticisms constantly dominate editorial pages. But occassionally we must stop to smell the proverbial roses. With the announcement of condominium development in downtown Evansville, the city might be wise to do just that. New upscale condominiums under construction in the old downtown JC Penney are the latest in a string of big boosts for downtown revitalization. Other recent or coming downtown attractions include a new Hands on Discovery Children’s Museum being developed at the old Central Library, the Evansville African American Museum, LST 325 and Casino Aztar’s new seven-acre entertainment district now under construction.
The new Aztar project in particular will bring a giant-sized dose of caffeine to efforts to boost downtown activity. Aztar plans to invest $40 million to develop the district, which will create more than 300 jobs with average annual salaries of $32,500. Just as important as jobs, though, the district will lift the spirits of the region’s 21-35 year old age group, a demographic often heard grumbling “there’s nothing to do here.” The entertainment project will include a Jillian’s Billiard Club, Ri Ra Irish Pub & Restaurant and two additional venues to be announced at a later date. The hotel and leisure attractions will be configured around a new riverfront park with associated infrastructure that offers an “eclectic, free-flowing design that links all of the project components.”
There is little doubt that Evansville’s downtown is enthusiastically revitalizing. Nevertheless, numerous issues still need to be addressed, such as road improvements and city-county unification. Just as Aztar’s initial detractors are now its fans, I have no doubt that unification’s skeptics will also one day look back on their opposition with regret.
After creating a small group opposed to unification, Richard Clements responded to unification proposals with an extreme hypothetical, saying, “why don’t we just let (Gov.) Mitch Daniels take over everything, then?” But the opposite could be asked as well: why don’t we just break up city and county governments into townships? Neither extreme would be advisable, but there is a logical, efficient boundary corresponding with the area’s economy and culture. Combining Evansville and Vanderburgh governments would accomplish that. In addition to unification, roads within and leading to the city need to be addressed. Interstate 69 and Lloyd Expressway upgrades are just two such examples.
In spite of these hangups, Evansville remains on the move, with its downtown leading the way. Civic leaders like Mayor Weinzapfel and Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave deserve praise for their tireless work, but so do countless business and community leaders. This is an exciting time for the community and we’d all do well to stop and smell the roses.
