Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says construction of the Ford Center created 30 percent more local jobs than originally estimated. The city says more than three-quarters of the nearly 1,600 workers on the new downtown arena are members of local trade unions.

Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel is pleased to announce that the construction of the Ford Center created 30 percent more jobs for local laborers than originally estimated.

Collectively, the 1,597 people who completed safety orientation training logged approximately 692,862 hours on the project. According to Hunt Construction, 1,275, or 80 percent, of those who worked on the Ford Center are members of local trade unions.

An initial economic impact study, completed before construction on the facility began, estimated that only 50 percent of jobs created would be from local labor.

“When we began this project in 2008, we knew it would benefit hundreds of local families by putting men and women from our community to work. Today, I am proud to report that the economic impact of the construction of the Ford Center has exceeded our expectations. With Indiana and the nation struggling with record unemployment, we created good paying jobs for nearly 1,300 area residents,” said Mayor Weinzapfel.

“The construction of the Ford Center provided a much needed boost for all of our local craftspeople. We are proud of the work that’s been done and proud to have been part of the project. Hunt Construction created a great environment on the job and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner,” said Jack McNeely, President of the Central Labor Council. “The Ford Center is going to be a significant asset for Evansville.”

To thank all of the men and women who worked countless hours to make the Ford Center a reality, a contractor appreciation event is being held this Saturday.

It is a celebration of the workers’ achievement and an opportunity to showcase the project to family and friends.

The multi-purpose Ford Center will be the region’s center for sports and entertainment, designed to host basketball, hockey, concerts, exhibitions, and shows for audiences as large as 11,000.

More information is available at www.EvansvilleArenaProject.com and www.TheFordCenter.com.

Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says he will not seek re-election. The Democrat is leaving the door open for a political office in the future saying he's seeking new challenges. During a news conference to announce his decision, Weinzapfel did not mention the 2012 governor's race.

He was first elected Evansville mayor in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

Weinzapfel has also served as a state representative.

He has highlighted some accomplishments in the mayor's office including the downtown arena project, a regional approach to economic development and the attraction of "tens of millions of dollars in investment" creating hundreds of new jobs.

He points to Berry Plastics, American General, Mead Johnson and AT&T who have continued to expand in Evansville over the past seven years.

The city also lost a major employer in that period when Whirlpool stopped refrigerator production in Evansville and moved most of those operations to Mexico.

Source: Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=45451

It's called the "Landscaped Islands Ordinance" which was signed by Mayor Weinzapfel in March.

"Large parking lots are a common part of the landscape of cities across the country. What we are ensuring with this ordinance is that new parking lots in our community will include green space to make these areas more visually appealing and lessen their negative impact on our environment," said Weinzapfel.

Officials say landscaped islands help reduce heat and the amount of storm water run-off.

Under the new ordinance, new developments with parking lots having 30 spaces or more will be required to have landscaped islands, one island for every 15 spaces. Developers will also have to plant trees in the islands when the parking lot is 60 spaces or more.

Violators could face $500 fines. There are also incentives for developers who plant trees on the islands.

Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=12408360

The city of Evansville enters 2010 looking to continue to manage the recession. Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says the area's unemployment rate has consistently remained under the state average, currently by a full two points. He says companies like Mead Johnson and Berry Plastics have been adding jobs and that several construction projects are underway, led by the new $125 million downtown arena.

Weinzapfel says the city also made the decision to bring management of local water and sewer utilities back to local government, which is expected to save an estimated $14 million over the next five years.

Source: Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=39894

Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says any discussion of using the Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR) property in the city as a landing strip are "premature." Our partners at the Evansville Courier & Press have reported officials with the city's airport authority want to explore the possibility of using the property for a runway expansion, if the plant is razed after production moves to Mexico. Weinzapfel says the focus for the property is "jobs and job creation."

“With regard to the future use of the Whirlpool property, our focus is on jobs and job creation. We will review all opportunities for the constructive reuse of this land that would allow us to bring in new businesses and jobs to the area. Any discussion of the use of this property as a landing strip is premature,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

Source: Office of the Evansville Mayor & Inside INdiana Business

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=37492

Bank of Evansville finds 'Bank On' program works

A Bank of Evansville program led to the opening of 324 bank accounts in the first half of 2009.

The program is a response to Census statistics indicating that 6,000 Evansville households lack bank accounts. It is believed those who live in such households spend more than $800 a year to cash paychecks and to write checks for their bills.

The 324 accounts added in the first half of 2009 were opened by the 15 financial institutions participating in the program. That number makes up 27 percent of 1,200 accounts the city wants to see opened through Bank on Evansville this year.

The average monthly balanced held in them was $219.

The National League of Cities has reported that Evansville has the fastest expanding "Bank On" program in the United States.

"These numbers show that Bank on Evansville is really making an impact in our community," Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said.

— Dan Shaw

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/19/no-headline---20a03bankon-brf/