The Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District will hold its 2011 Electronics Recycling Days on Saturday, May 14, and Saturday, September 24, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at the Civic Center parking lot.

The Solid Waste District conducts tire recycling programs each year in the spring and fall for the residents of Vanderburgh County. 

These programs provide an environmentally proper method of disposal of used tires so that they are kept out of the landfill and are not illegally dumped. 

There is a $1 per tire fee for car & light truck tires.  Semi tires are $10 and tractor tires are $25.  Tires from businesses are not accepted. 

The District accepts an unlimited number of tires free of charge from neighborhood associations and other civic groups who collect unwanted tires from alleys, roadsides and ditches.

2011 PROGRAMS     Civic Center Parking Lot    8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Saturday, April 16

An Iowa company has been selected to manage the new arena in downtown Evansville. Project Director John Kish has been authorized to begin negotiations with VenuWorks for a final contract. The Evansville Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved another committee's recommendation to hire the company, which manages 36 facility in 17 communities.

Evansville, Ind. -- The Evansville Redevelopment Commission (ERC) voted unanimously this morning to direct Arena Project Director John J. Kish to begin negotiations with VenuWorks for management and coordinated operations of the new Evansville Arena, which will open this November. VenuWorks, based in Ames, Iowa, manages 36 facilities in 17 communities.

“I am pleased that the Redevelopment Commission heeded the recommendation to select VenuWorks to manage the new Evansville Arena,” said Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “VenuWorks has a proven track record of successfully opening new facilities in communities similar to Evansville, and I believe they have what it takes to help the City make the new Evansville Arena a great success,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

The decision to recommend VenuWorks to the ERC was made by a non-partisan committee that, according to Kish, unanimously agreed that VenuWorks was the best choice to manage and operate the new Evansville Arena. “The committee was particularly impressed by the commitment and involvement from VenuWorks’ senior management, as well as the company’s focus on mid-sized communities,” Kish said.

Steven L. Peters, president of VenuWorks, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to manage Evansville’s new arena. “This community is building a wonderful new facility that holds tremendous promise for the future of Evansville. We are honored that VenuWorks was selected to manage the arena and we will utilize our experience and resources to ensure it is a success.”

The new Evansville arena 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.

Source: City of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=46180

EVANSVILLE - Authorities in Vanderburgh County have issued a burn ban for the county and the City of Evansville.

The Evansville EPA issued the ban Tuesday night, effective immediately, because of extremely dry conditions.

Since July 1st, Meteorologist David Heckard said Evansville is 3.45 inches of rain below normal, and for the year is nearly 9 inches below normal.

The burn ban prohibits all forms of Open Burning including recreational fires, burn barrels, and agricultural and ditch cleaning. The ban does not include grills or patio fireplaces.

If you have any questions about the ban, call the Evansville EPA at (812) 435-6145. The EPA will issue a press release when the ban has been lifted.

Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=13042027

Garbage crews will begin picking up “heavy trash” from Evansville residents later this month.

The collections will run from Sept. 14 to Oct. 16. The city considers heavy trash to consist of sofas, tables, chairs, mattresses, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, televisions, stereos, building materials and similar things.

For the collection, the city has divided the city into a number of areas. Crews will spend one day picking up heavy trash in each of the areas.

To see a map showing the collection schedule, go to HeavyTrash.

To be picked up, items must be put out before 6 a.m. on the collection day.

The heavy trash should be set in the same place where normal trash is collected. Building materials or debris must be placed in trash cans or boxes. The containers should be light enough to be lifted by two adults.

No concrete blocks or steel poles will be collected. Sections of fencing should be cut in half or to a smaller size.

The work crews will not pick up trash that can be set out for normal collections. Nor will they accept automobile parts, batteries, tires, computer equipment or hazardous substances. For more information, call Allied Waste at (812) 424-3345.

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/02/02web-HeavyTrash/

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

The University of Evansville began fall classes this morning with an increase in overall student enrollment, including the largest freshman class in more than a decade.

UE's freshman class of 701 is the largest in 13 years, and the full-time student body is up 6.0 percent over last year. The new class also ranks among the strongest in the last decade, with higher SAT scores and a larger percentage of students who ranked in the top 10 of their high school graduating classes.

"We are extremely pleased to see such strong growth of full-time students on campus," said Thomas Bear, UE vice president for enrollment services. "Seeing this kind of increase, especially in these difficult economic times, is an endorsement to the quality of education UE provides. Our recent rankings in U.S. News & World Report as a top 10 Masters-granting institution in the Midwest, #6 strong commitment to teaching, and #2 Best Value in the region has prompted more students locally to consider UE."

The University experienced increased enrollment from students in Vanderburgh and surrounding counties. Additionally, UE saw its number of transfer and adult students grow this fall.

"There continues to be a strong desire for many local students and residents to obtain a University of Evansville education. Several local veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan have embraced UE’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program. This financial award provides these servicemen and women a full-tuition scholarship," stated Bear. "To support the enrollment of these students, the University opened an Office of Veterans' Affairs on campus."

As in past years, diversity is a hallmark of the UE student body for the 2009-10 academic year, with students representing 44 states and 48 countries. Ten percent of the entering class are domestic minority students, meeting another University strategic goal.

Source: University of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=37379

The University of Evansville will provide an open discussion next week about health care issues. The forum, which will be held September 10 at UE's Schroeder Family School of Business Administration, will address America's health care system, some of the plans for change and possible ramifications of various ideas. UE says it wanted to create a non-political event to discuss the system and various options for changes.

With Congress preparing to return to work, and health care the topic on every American’s tongue, faculty from the University of Evansville are looking to provide an open discussion about the issues.

The forum, which will be held Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. in Harkness Hall (room 162) of UE’s Schroeder Family School of Business Administration, will be a discussion of America’s health care system, some of the plans for change, and possible ramifications of various ideas.

The event is free, and open to the public.

“Obviously, health care is always an important issue for quality of life. Currently, there is considerable controversy surrounding the best way to provide quality and access while managing cost,” said Lynn Penland, dean of UE’s College of Education & Health Sciences. “With all of the attention being paid to the issue, we wanted to create a non-political event where we can discuss our system and various options for changes.”

The forum will begin with brief comments from Penland, who will serve as the moderator, and the three panelists. They then will open the floor for questions and comments.

The panel will include:

· Dr. Amy Hall, chair of the UE Department of Nursing
· Dr. William Stroube, UE Professor and Director of Health Services Administration
· Mary Kessler, chair of the UE Department of Physical Therapy
· Dr. Robert Clark, dean of the UE Schroeder Family School of Business Administration

The Core Purpose of the University of Evansville is to provide life transforming educational experiences that prepare students to engage the world as informed, ethical and productive citizens.

Source: University of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=37458

The University of Evansville's Ridgway University Center is the second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building in Vanderburgh County — and the second on the UE campus.

The building, located on Walnut Street across from the Carson Center, opened in November 2008. It was designed by Hafer Associates and Mackey Mitchell Associates and built by Industrial Contractors as an environmentally friendly building, and was registered with LEED before construction began in mid-2007.

"At the University of Evansville, we are proud of our commitment to sustainable, 'green' living," said UE President Stephen Jennings. "As a university, we have made it one of our goals to reduce our carbon footprint in any way we can, and by building the county's first two LEED-certified structures, we are backing up that commitment with action. These campus facilities have been constructed so they require less energy, use less water, and adhere to all of the standards laid out by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design."

The Alcoa Foundation also provided generous financial support to the LEED components of the Ridgway University Center.

Buildings must earn points in six categories set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council in order to achieve LEED certification. Those six categories are: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.

Construction was completed on Ridgway University Center in late summer 2008. The center opened in November 2008. After opening, all LEED-registered buildings must go through several months of use and testing before being officially LEED-certified.

— Mark Wilson

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/30/evansville-ue-widens-its-lead-in-green/