Issues
Increasing Tax Revenues W/O Increasing Tax Rates
- Developing Areas that presently produce low tax revenue
- Withdrawing city services from areas that are so blighted that they need to become inner city parks and larger lots, as has been done in Dayton, OH
- Strategic Annexation
- Increasing Jobs
Jobs
- LST promotion of Boat “Queen” Tourism worth $1.2 million with kiosk coordination with other tourist venues (The Reitz House with Goebel Soccer, The Children’s Museum with Swonder, The LST with everybody
- Lower River Development - slack water port and inter-modal traffic, use of all space efficiently along the lower river, truck access under the CSX tracks – consultant working now
- Area Healthcare Education Center (AHEC) – consortium of healthcare competitors dedicated to foster the growth of a new generation to take the present healthcare workers’ places
- Covanta Energy – Making electricity and steam out of clean burned trash
Sewers
- As you read this page, Sewers are being cleaned up BEFORE the Stadium.
- The necessary, but boring engineering study has been done with weight to those areas that have had poop in their parlors
- See Raccoon Ditch, which is part of the $50 million being spent….before a mess, now freely flowing
- The format derived by the Flood Task Force needs to be followed. A total of $ 104 million for the total project with B Slough due to be fixed by 2013
- Stop making new living space to be flooded …Review and tighten up rules for all development planned in flood plain.
- Require white reflecting roofs, more green space in parking lots and planned water runoff cistern control on all new projects.
- After leaves fall, have city cleanup begin with previously flooded areas first to remove all potential drainage obstructions to maximize subsequent rainwater removal.
- Incentivize removal of leaves from drainage pipes under private driveways and encourage house back flow valves for domestic drains, using neighborhood associations for education.
- Create a system of real time rain gauges in the previously flooded areas to know precisely where each storm volume is falling and what volume produces what damage. Information to go directly to Sewer Department and Levee Authority
- Encourage (tax rebates) large established parking areas to improve water retention/runoff.
- Review progress every 4-5 years via task force revisit
- My job is to be sure this plan is not just for an election year smoke (and I do not believe it is!)
Stadium
- Present setup woefully inadequate. Seats are painful, no disability provisions, etc.
- Present study due in January is indicated
- No decision other than doing the study has been made to my knowledge
- My job is to assess the completed stadium study using my MBA skills, and independent stadium creation contacts to make my thoughtful opinion
Pools
- The Number of Vanderburgh County Children has gone down by 17,000 since 1970
- Overall City pool usage has gone down by almost two thirds since 1970 (263,000 to 104,000)
- Neighborhood pool swims have gone down from 75% to 19%
- Only 21% of the population uses City pools
- The population will rapidly “grey” over the next decade with “Baby Boomers” becoming 60+
- 4.4 pools are estimated to be needed for current bather capacity, 7.6 pools needed by national standards per population
- In America, Black children between ages 10 and 14 drown at 4.5 times the rate than white children.
- Give up our present system for something better!
- Inner city pool at Tepe or Bellemeade with The Boys & Girls Club House there also
- The Westside pool should be at Howell if the soils tests prove OK
- Fewer pools (9 to 4 or 5) that have more of what the kids & adults are asking for.
- Community-Neighborhood pools and one year round jewel pool that will meet future needs
- Create a 10-lane, 50-meter, all-year, seating 500-1000, centrally located jewel pool with some amenities
- Probably will need a pool (?Lorraine) east of Highway 41