Mayor Winnecke to head Evansville Regional Economic Partnership when term is over

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership held their 3rd Annual Meeting and Dinner Thursday night at the Ford Center.

At the end of the night, a special announcement was made about E-REP’s future.

It was announced that Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will become their CEO when his term is over in January.

Prior CEO Tara Barney announced her retirement in July.

Mayor Winnecke is at the end of his third term as Evansville’s mayor.

“I look forward to working closely with the dedicated E-REP team and our community partners to further our mission of driving economic growth and prosperity for the Evansville region,” Winnecke said. “Tara has set a high standard, and I am committed to building on her legacy and taking our region to new heights.”

E-REP officials say Winnecke is positioned to lead them into the next era of economic growth and innovation thanks to his distinguished career in public service and a strong record of economic development.

More information was also discussed about the Evansville Riverfront’s future.

The event’s keynote speaker was landscape architect Anna Cawrse. She’s Sasaki’s Principal in Charge for E-REP’s Ohio Riverfront Vision and Strategic Plan.

At the event she presented two possible design philosophies.

One was a “Ripple Park”. Cawrse described it as a extending a park area on the river up toward the downtown area. Riverside Drive would be reduced to two lanes, and the waterfront would be the dominating feature.

The other involved urban expansion. In that design, they would look to extend Main Street and create an extra block of urban activity. It would provide opportunities to expand business and create more attractions right on the riverfront.

Cawrse said Thursday was a sneak peek for those designs. She said they would be returning in mid-October to confer with the general public and receive more feedback.

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