BOONVILLE — There's no doubting EDGE of the Lakes in Boonville would be a spectacular, transformational, honking big $250 million tourism and economic development success story.
Developers of the planned mixed-use entertainment, hospitality and residential development invited area media and anyone else who wanted to come to a press conference at the Warrick County Museum on Tuesday to explain it all.
They came with dazzling renderings, talk of major national tenants who are committed and news that the iconic Coca-Cola brand has agreed to be the EDGE's official beverage. Project leaders formally acquired the land from its owners, they said.
There's more.
A seven-acre aquatic center is planned, plus a large lake and beach area, entertainment venues, a steakhouse, two hotels, daycare, a skatepark, an expo center, retail shops, a dog park and more. The EDGE would be 217 acres in size in all. Jobs? There would be nearly 2,000 of them, developers say. Tens of millions of tax dollars would be pumped into the local economy.
But Warrick County residents have been hearing such talk for two years now.
The EDGE was announced in November 2023. Construction and renovation of the land was scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2024 and would continue in phases until completion in 2026.
There are questions about whether it will really happen and about how it will be paid for.
Warrick County Commissioner Sarah Seaton called the EDGE "that thing in Boonville that’s supposedly going to happen/not happen."
"I know nothing of it," Seaton told the Courier & Press. "Nothing. Even as a commissioner, I know nothing.
"I hate to say this sounds kind of like hogwash, but I don’t — I mean, I don’t know. I’ve seen nothing that makes me think it’s going to be a reality."
Indiana State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville), whose district includes Boonville, readily admitted she's not in the loop about the EDGE.
"I did go up for something when they first talked about it," Becker told the Courier & Press. "But I’ve not been kept up to date. I don’t know what’s going on with it now."
Becker wasn't invited to Tuesday's event at the Warrick County Museum, she said.
Skepticism also could be glimpsed in a handful of comments under EDGE of the Lakes' Facebook livestream of Tuesday's event.
"It's finally September 2024!" said one.
"I'll take things that will never happen for $1000, Alex," stated another.
EDGE of the Lakes COO responds to doubts
Tuesday's event was hosted, an announcement said, by "EDGE Investment Team."
In an email after Tuesday's event, EDGE of the Lakes' Fort Worth, Texas-based chief operating officer, Zac Guy, said people can believe that the project will come to fruition.
"All projects have critics and the EDGE project will be no different," Guy wrote. "We have well planned mission and we intend to execute on that mission to the best of our ability. Thus (this) Team has a proven track record of success."
There was talk at Tuesday's event of the development having received a state Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) economic development grant.
Guy was not specific about the project's funding sources in his email.
"There is public money it is being funded by private investment groups," he wrote. "Jointly among the groups is $250 million."
In a March 4 Facebook post, EDGE of the Lakes wrote that the development's estimated cost was "well over $250 million once completed with funding sources that include the grants, private equity, and financial institutions."
"This release is not promoting the sale of securities nor is it an offer to sell securities," the Facebook post stated. "We are not looking for investors, as we have funding sources already subject to specific terms and conditions."
The new breaking ground date is...
What's really going on? Steve Roelle, executive director of Success Warrick County, said he doesn't know much more than the average person on the street. Roelle is Warrick County's chief economic development official.
"I will say that, a lot of projects hold their cards close to the vest kind of until the last minute," he said. "It’s kind of where you don’t hear about something until it’s gone to an area planning meeting or something when someone says, 'Oh, there’s a new, whether it’s a Starbucks or a truck stop or a solar project or whatever. So it’s not uncommon."
Roelle paused a beat.
"However, there’s always been a lot of mystery around this project," he said. "I think the community wants it to happen, wants it to succeed. It’s a really big lift, and I’m as curious and excited as you are and as everyone else is."
EDGE on the Lakes almost certainly will happen, if it happens, in phases, Roelle said.
EDGE COO Guy had an answer for that too.
"The investment groups have been working diligently with the engineers, as well as the architects on the planning of the site as well as their global partners that are involved," Guy wrote. "Anticipated breaking ground date is spring/summer 26.
"Horizontal engineering is currently being finalized for permits."
Roelle said he's looking forward to hearing more.
"I think there’s still a lot of questions for the totality of these things, and I’m in the dark as much as everyone else that was there (at the Warrick County Museum) today," he said.
"I think the community is hoping for a transformative development or a hotel piece, or happy to see it get started. And you and I just may have to wait until the next update."