EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
Last week, the Evansville Parks Department received five bids to tear down Roberts Stadium.
The lowest was more than $700,000, more than what the city council had originally budgeted, and those high bids to demolish Roberts Stadium are being addressed by the mayor.
The ultimate decision about what happens to the building rests in the hands of the Parks Board, but it certainly does not sound like there's much second guessing happening in the mayor's office.
Mayor Winnecke on Tuesday says those bids that were opened last week weren't really all that unexpected.
They ranged from $958,000 to $2.7 million, and the city council had only $200,000 budgeted for demolition this year.
But Mayor Winnecke says they've also requested $500,000 from a capitol improvements fund for Roberts Park next year.
He says when you take that, the $200,0000 in this year's budget, and $200,000 raised from the auction at Roberts last month, you're pretty close to that low bid of $958,000.
The reason, he says, that the city council had only budgeted $200,000 this year was based off an estimate the city got last year.
The bottom line, Winnecke says, is that estimate was much more basic than what the city asked of construction companies.
"If you go back to what the Task Force heard, that is, make is something that most people can use and green space over commercial space, I think is a winner every day of the week," Winnecke said.
A couple of city council members have gone to him with questions or concerns, but the plan is to move forward.
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The lowest bid to tear down Roberts Stadium was more than $700,000.
