Demolition of old Evansville arena now in doubt

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — The Evansville City Council isn't going along with plans to tear down the city's closed Roberts Stadium arena.

Council members voted 6-3 Monday night to block transferring $187,000 raised from an auction of old arena equipment into a demolition account.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has backed a plan to demolish the arena and convert the site into a park with skating and dog facilities. But the low demolition bid of nearly $960,000 topped the early $200,000 estimate.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports (http://bit.ly/Pl6mrn ) that Councilman Dan Adams says he thinks the city should try to sell the arena property.

The 56-year-old Roberts Stadium was shut down with last year's opening of the city's new $127 million Ford Center arena.