The Other Side
After my wife and I bought our condo downtown last year, we found LEO to be a delightful source of insight into Louisville. Thanks to LEO, we found our way to great music and dining.
Given the care you take to accurately describe restaurants, music and communities, I was surprised by LEO’s June 5 squib about the Louisville Arena Authority’s 2012 financials. It says “Arena Revenue” dropped by 43 percent and questions whether revenue had increased since AEG started managing the facility in mid-2012. Those conclusions are the equivalent of a music critic in the 1970s deciding one side of a vinyl LP is the whole album.
“Arena Revenue” is a defined term from the contract with the Fair Board. That contract was terminated halfway through 2012. Thus “Arena Revenue” dropped in 2012 because it only existed for half a year. The 2013 “Arena Revenue” will be zero. AEG manages the Yum! Center now and pays a guaranteed revenue stream (with upside) to the LAA. Reports on AEG’s operations given at LAA Board meetings are accurate. Net revenue shifted positively during the latter half of 2012, after AEG started managing.
Full disclosure: I head the Municipal Securities Group at Hilliard Lyons. We serve as Financial Advisor to the LAA. I am writing to you out of respect for LEO’s commitment to Louisville and belief that you and your readers would appreciate the positive shift in the LAA’s operations.
I look forward to sampling more recommendations from the Priceless weekly.
Alex Rorke, Downtown
Apples to Oranges
In his otherwise excellent article regarding the effect of the Ohio River bridges on Louisville’s heat island, Jonathan Meador cited a 2012 Courier-Journal article that reported that Louisville ranked behind other “similarly sized cities” like Nashville, Montgomery, Ala., and Annapolis, Md., in terms of its tree canopy (LEO Weekly, June 12).
Similarly sized? Indeed Louisville and Nashville are. The population of the Louisville metropolitan area is approximately 1,440,607, and Nashville’s metro population is approximately 1,589,934. However, Annapolis has a population of 38,394 and is only 8.1 square miles. Montgomery has a metro population of approximately 377,149. To say that Annapolis and Montgomery are “similarly sized” to Louisville is akin to comparing the Spalding University basketball team to the University of Louisville basketball team.
There are enough legitimate issues to discuss regarding the Ohio River bridges and climate change without having to resort to manipulated statistics and misleading comparisons.
Keith Norris, Fern Creek
Useless Point
Just read your biased article on the Ohio River Bridges Project (LEO Weekly, June 12). While I don’t expect anything different from LEO as this has been going on as long as the project, I would appreciate the truth. Your article twists so much information in order to make it fit that I frankly just had to stop reading it. Point one: Louisville’s canopy is less than similar-sized cities. Please, have you ever seen aerial shots? This city has got to be one of the greenest existing cities ever! There are so many freaking trees, you are hard pressed to see the asphalt. And, point two: Similar-sized cities Montgomery, Ala., and Annapolis, Md.? Oh yeah, since when?
Annapolis: population 38,880 in city
Montgomery: population 205,293 in city, 417,965 in metro
Louisville: population 740,000 in the city, 1, 400,000 in the metro
I fail to see how the two towns cited are in any way comparable to Louisville. Montgomery cannot even compare to Lexington. If you have to go that far down a list to prove your point, then your point is not worth noting.
Neil Dickson, Louisville
