Judge idea to move fair on its merits
People get uneasy when a small group of rich, powerful people start working on big projects behind the scenes. No surprise there.
People take a dim view of having their future planned for them. They prefer to have a say.
So there was a predictable backlash when the public learned that a group now known as the 2015 Visioning Group was talking about moving the Nebraska State Fair to a new location.
Nonetheless, people outside the inner circle would do Lincoln and the rest of the state a favor by keeping an open mind about the “big picture” the group says it is working on for the public good.
Cities need help from philanthropists and businesses to get big things done. The trick is for them to engage the community fully and openly as they offer that help.
Lincoln used to have its famed “O Street Gang.” People used to grouse about its heavy hand. But when the group faded away, its demise was lamented. When people wanted to get something done, they looked around to find … a vacuum. Meanwhile, in Omaha, a monied group of movers and shakers was getting things done, to the envy of the Capital City.
The suggestion that the State Fair be moved to the Lancaster County Event Center is one of the biggest and perhaps one of the most invigorating ideas to be floated in the Lincoln community in years.
The entire state has an interest in this discussion. The implications are enormous — not only for the venerable fair and its tradition dating to the 1800s, but for the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska.
Some of the principals in the 2015 Visioning Committee already have established a constructive track record. Jim Abel of Nebco Inc., for example, was a key private partner with the city and university in development of Haymarket Park, home of the Husker baseball team and the Saltdogs. Kent Seacrest was instrumental in the Antelope Valley Project.
The group plans to present its ideas to the public the week of Nov. 5, before making a presentation to the State Fair Board on Nov. 10.
Admittedly, the proposal is off to a rocky start. The 2015 Visioning Group has to find a way to build trust. State Fair Board member Tam Allan of Lincoln says “the fix is in.” Fair board member Van Neidig of Battle Creek called it a “land grab” on the part of the university.
But startling as the proposal may be in its scope and impact, we hope people take a clear-eyed look at the proposal. This idea might have been hatched behind closed doors, but it doesn’t have a prayer of becoming reality until is examined fully in public. It should be evaluated on its own merits.
People take a dim view of having their future planned for them. They prefer to have a say.
So there was a predictable backlash when the public learned that a group now known as the 2015 Visioning Group was talking about moving the Nebraska State Fair to a new location.
Nonetheless, people outside the inner circle would do Lincoln and the rest of the state a favor by keeping an open mind about the “big picture” the group says it is working on for the public good.
Cities need help from philanthropists and businesses to get big things done. The trick is for them to engage the community fully and openly as they offer that help.
Lincoln used to have its famed “O Street Gang.” People used to grouse about its heavy hand. But when the group faded away, its demise was lamented. When people wanted to get something done, they looked around to find … a vacuum. Meanwhile, in Omaha, a monied group of movers and shakers was getting things done, to the envy of the Capital City.
The suggestion that the State Fair be moved to the Lancaster County Event Center is one of the biggest and perhaps one of the most invigorating ideas to be floated in the Lincoln community in years.
The entire state has an interest in this discussion. The implications are enormous — not only for the venerable fair and its tradition dating to the 1800s, but for the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska.
Some of the principals in the 2015 Visioning Committee already have established a constructive track record. Jim Abel of Nebco Inc., for example, was a key private partner with the city and university in development of Haymarket Park, home of the Husker baseball team and the Saltdogs. Kent Seacrest was instrumental in the Antelope Valley Project.
The group plans to present its ideas to the public the week of Nov. 5, before making a presentation to the State Fair Board on Nov. 10.
Admittedly, the proposal is off to a rocky start. The 2015 Visioning Group has to find a way to build trust. State Fair Board member Tam Allan of Lincoln says “the fix is in.” Fair board member Van Neidig of Battle Creek called it a “land grab” on the part of the university.
But startling as the proposal may be in its scope and impact, we hope people take a clear-eyed look at the proposal. This idea might have been hatched behind closed doors, but it doesn’t have a prayer of becoming reality until is examined fully in public. It should be evaluated on its own merits.
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