Broken brick pavers on Walnut st between MLK and 4th st.
Ford Center 2021
It’s a no wonder the depth of miss-management of the city’s projects, e.g. the nonexistent Park at Roberts Stadium (empty field), Ford center (rarely used), Casino (a total dump and with a half abandoned property,) 420 Implosion into an unsightly pile, Medical school with seemingly no students, the last 20 years……..
And for the title of this post……the brick pavers which were used on Walnut St. between the Double tree and Fourth street, are caving in on themselves after only a handful of years. (see photo below) Bricks paving MAIN Street in downtown evansville are literally rubble in some places, crumbling into sand, pocked with ad-hoc unsightly patches. Dress plaza has turned into a free-for-all dump of unenforced closing times, drugs, fights, and fosters a terrible environment along the river front. Owensboro is running circles around Evansville with their river front, and vibrant downtown.
Broken brick pavers on Walnut st between MLK and 4th st. Aug. 2022
Evansville’s river front after dark is not safe for kids without adults, let alone adults walking alone. There are many drunk, high, and generally unwell looking people roving the greenway along the river, many are juveniles harassing others. Where are the police? Where is the city streets department in keeping up with the crumbling “crown jewel” of Evansville’s downtown? Main St.
Which brings us to today. The developer Domo Development, who worked with the city to secure $18.5million in state tax credits for the RE-development of 420 main, has backed out of the initial plan the city sold to the public, citing “inflation, increased costs”… The human-centipede of miss-management, inept vetting of developers continues……
Why? Nearly a year later, the site remains a pile of rubble, and the Mayor is calling it quits and not running for re-election. Coincidence? WE think not.
What will 2023 bring in the wake of the news of a non incumbent mayor? WE hope it is not a member of the same group of morons who have been incestuously running the city of Evansville into the ground since mayor McDonald left office 20 years ago. Mr. McDonald II was the last Mayor/admin who actually did something for the city, e.g. bring the Casino. Yes, today the casino has changed hands numerous times, and the entertainment property by Mulzer stands abandoned. And the the foot traffic we all hoped the casino would bring downtown, is non existent, BUT Riverboat is gone, and the LST is in its place (great play there).
If not for the casino’s recurring yearly tax revenue, the city would no doubt have difficulties covering the debt service on the municipal bond coupon payments for the Ford center, Library, Medical School, Sewer projects etc. Which means, if NOT for the Casino, the City of Evansville would be in a fiscal crisis. One can thank ex-Mayor McDonald II for the fiscal reserve the city used to fall back on during 20 year of mismanagement.
The city of Evansville has been run by many inept, malingering officials for the greater part of the last 25 years. The leadership has saddled the city and county taxpayer with over $200 million in municipal bonds on projects which see little to no use. Yet what downtown really needs, affordable housing, is still a mirage.
Who knew it would only take $20+ Million in tax credits, and $200 million in bonds to lure a cookie shop to Main St?
