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Judge idea to move fair on its merits

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Friday, Oct 27, 2006 - 12:06:15 am CDT

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.


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Jan wrote on October 27, 2006 8:10 am:
" I have been hearing about this for at least a year if not more. I thought the Lancaster Event Center and State Fair Board already said they weren't interested in merging. Been talked about, both parties said no thanks. Why is still an issue. "

 Amazed wrote on October 27, 2006 8:11 am:
" Yes this group has caused concern, No this group is not representative of entire city of Lincoln. Let the projects in this city finish before starting newer ones. The Antelope Valley project is not even complete yet. O Street development is not complete yet, and the fire department is now thinking of letting the Ambulance Service be private again. Some of these big ideas may sound good etc., etc. etc., however, Lincoln has a limited amount of people to pay for these and is not Chicago, Omaha, Des Moines, etc.,. State fairs are losing their popularity and the Nebraska State Fair only recently picked up a few more numbers on the attendence. This increase in attendence doesn't automatically indicate that people want it to move from its current site, in fact it may mean that the current site is acceptable. I am not opposed to task forces, however the big guns on these are not thinking of Joe average citizen. As to whether or not Joe average citizen is just stuborn or not open minded, I think it is the other way around, I don't think that the movers and shakers sometimes keep an open mind. Their thoughts are only on how to create more problems instead of fixing and creating a climate of community. I wish them many years of success and may their dreams become productive to the community. However, at present the city is in fiscal situations that will only get worse until situations and solutions to current problems are solved. Look at the situations being confronted by the city right now, Antelope Valley, the by pass idea, Ambulance Service, City employee retirement, O Street, Infrastructure Colapse, and the latest being North 56th Street with the use of Tax increment financing as a tool to develop. We as a community need to step back and take a look at how far we can really go before we reach tilt. Maybe we have already reached tilt. Our Police and Fire Departments are not funded to the extent that we have enough fire fighters and Police Officiers, our parks are not being funded correctly, Streets are constantly being fixed. You bet lets go ahead and create more situations and put this city in financial straights. Our Bond ratings are starting to drop etc, etc, etc. Reality is sometimes hard to look at. But it is still reality. "

 Curt wrote on October 27, 2006 8:16 am:
" It has been a huge land grab from the start of the Antelope Creek project. All done under flood control it is simply a way for UNL to grab up as much land as possible and then demand the taxpayers pay for new buildings and help puff up the foundation and chancellor and president. There is nothing new about all of this it's been in the works since the Northeast radial. Old news, sad newspaper. "

 ? wrote on October 27, 2006 8:27 am:
" I don't think there was public "backlash," I think there was a Lincoln Journal Star backlash. "

 dtw wrote on October 27, 2006 8:35 am:
" The majority of individuals that attend the state fair are not even from Lincoln. I believe that the state fair would do more good for the state if it was moved to somewhere in central Nebraska, Grand Island perhaps. "

 ted wrote on October 27, 2006 9:06 am:
" It takes educated experienced leaders to make practical intelligent decisions. The idea that every citizen in the community has the objective vision to decide issues like the Fair is very naive. Average residents make decisions based on personal emotional experiences that are often limited, such as "the fair has always been there so why should it ever move". If Van Neidig prefers the Fair to the University, maybe the university should move to Omaha, and he can expand the fairgrounds. This would be a great economic benefit to Linciln. "

 save some money wrote on October 27, 2006 10:11 am:
" Yes send the fair to Grand Island "

 concerned wrote on October 27, 2006 10:27 am:
" The idea of ceding more land to UNL concerns me. UNL already has properties sitting empty, or being allowed to deteriorate so badly that they will have to be demolished: Whitter School, the Cushman facility, the Lewis-Syford House, and many more. "

 Cindy wrote on October 27, 2006 11:25 am:
" I think this is a great idea for all parties concerned. The State Fair could build a beautiful new complex (have you seen the condition of many of the buildings and facilities on the fairgrounds?) and Nebraska gets space for a research park. Sure, it is not this simple but it is one of the few forward-thinking, bright ideas to come out of this city in years. Lincoln has an opportunity to move forward and be significant or stay the way we are and continue towards obsolescence. "

 Support the Fair wrote on October 27, 2006 12:19 pm:
" Keep the State Fair where it is. Lincoln should be proud of the Fair. The only reason this stupid idea keeps coming up is that developers want to make a ton of money on this land. I say sorry, the Fair stays where it is. Let these developers find another conquest. They have no power on moving the Fair. The Lottery money was given to the Fair to support it and renovate the buildings on the Fairgrounds, not to move it! The reason the Fairgrounds has been run down is because when horse racing dried up there was not any money given to the Fair in its place. Now there is. In a few years these buildings can be repaired and the Fair will continue to improve. "

 fed up wrote on October 27, 2006 1:01 pm:
" It's an issue because someone stands to make big bucks and the taxpayer's will foot the bill again. The event center should be a dead idea. The Quest Center can't pay it's bills and tries to get money from the unicameral to offset their losses. The mayor can't wrap her mind around the fact that Lincoln is not a major metropolitan area. Hopefully her term will end and all this madness will stop with the new mayor. Move the fair to central Nebraska. At least they would appreciate the opportunity and the revenue. Evidently the mayor and company find the Fair a nuisance. "

 TJ wrote on October 27, 2006 1:32 pm:
" Lincoln isn't Chicago, Omaha, Des Moines etc because the leaders and rich longtimers refuse to let the city grow. No one or no place ever goes anywhere if you don't grow. People in business, if they don't keep up with the changes they don't grow, they are left behind, which is what has happened to Lincoln. State fairs are not on the way out in many other states. In fact they are fun, clean and growing fairs in other states that are not taxed to death. Leadership still sits on their front porches and wave to industry going down I 80. So far this year, the Indiana governor has brought in over $1 billion industry. The mayors and governors get out and work hard at advancing the cities and state, which in turn have half the taxes and consumer expense as Nebraska. As long as the cart is before the horse and these taxes aren't reduced Lincoln and Nebraska is a lost cause. Under the presure Omaha is the only advancing city, think what it could do with less taxes on the citizens. "

 Rodger wrote on October 27, 2006 3:12 pm:
" Over the years I have driven through the fairgrounds many times and remarked to my passengers that "somewhere, some developer gets cramps each time they look at the fairgrounds." I may have been prescient and those were actually the labor pains of a cabal of "Businessmen" and their lawyers who formed the recently revealed "Visioning" group. I am a firm believer that the private sector should be allowed to operate with as little government intervention, other than needed regulation, as is possible. In line with that belief, I think anyone who can afford it should be allowed to buy the land and build an "EVENT CENTER". They should be able to operate it with the least amount of government interferrence. I also mean they should do so with NO government money. No tax increment financing. No unlawful taking of private property through collusion with government. Just good old free enterpise at work. "Amazed" is absolutely on target "

 Marcy wrote on October 27, 2006 3:53 pm:
" I think it is refreshing that a group of private citizens have taken their own time to brainstorm about the future of this city and ways that it can be strengthened. The State Fair complex has aging buildings and infrastructure that is in need of revitalization. Continuing as it has will do nothing to strengthen its appeal to Nebraskans. This group's proposal deserves a hearing from open minded individuals. "

 Kansas Medic wrote on October 27, 2006 5:04 pm:
" TJ is right on. Lincoln has a long track record of stamping out progress squashing new ideas. That land would be much better suited with a different venue. First of all the traffic during the fair is terrible and will be nearly impossible to improve. Heres a crazy idea; How about putting the fair in between the states two largest population hubs Lincoln and Omaha. This could definately improve attendance as well as opening it up to more Omaha attendance! Just a thought. "

 leave it there wrote on October 27, 2006 11:41 pm:
" Lets spend the money fixing my the old fair grounds instead of bailing out and moving it to the Lancaster County event center. It will cost too much to move it and do it right so lets not even bother. We all know that in the end it will just be too small and so porely done that it won't be like going to the fair at all. "

 Oh Yeah.. wrote on October 27, 2006 11:45 pm:
" What happens to Lincoln's new-found sales tax revenue if they move the fair out of town? "

 Positive Influence wrote on October 28, 2006 4:10 pm:
" I'm all for the move. Change is the essence of everything. If you don't change, you get left behind. For the nay-sayers who claim that Lincoln's growth is stimied, look at your local government. Did you vote for those in office now? I voted for some of them, and the road of change is a hard-fought one. Stay positive, stay focused, and the change will come. It is only logical to consoldate the county and state fair to the same location. Typically, aren't the state fairgrounds usually located in their respective capital cities anyway? As long as agriculture plays a significant role in our nation's economy (i.e. more jobs per capita), the popularity of state fairs will remain a factor. I think it's consoldation on 84th street would almost be perfect because of the relatively easy access to the interstate. My only issue is traffic. You could widen and pave the streets in the vicinity and that might solve the problem, but what would you do though with the vacant spot, how about using that spot for the new convention center everyone's talking about? If you were to move the state fair to, say, Grand Island, all of that money that pumps up the economy here will leave. Thus, Lincoln will only become smaller with time. This is the same issue as the convention center. If we are to become a larger city, wouldn't it only make sense to provide the facilities that larger cities have. We maybe putting the cart before the horse, but it's only a matter of time before we explode, much like Omaha. If we lowered taxes, we could open the floodgates to businesses so they can set up shop in Lincoln, thus bringing more money into our community. We have to encourage capitalism here in Lincoln, otherwise we're dead in the water. "

 Donna wrote on October 31, 2006 11:28 am:
" And who is to gain by moving the State Fair. They need to take all people connected with business to gain and University off the 2015 Vision group and the State Fair Board....Let the State Fair be just that. The buildings should be used throughout the year but they don't have to be for mega money events. "

 anon2 wrote on November 1, 2006 3:23 am:
" Just as soon as the county fair moves out to a successful venue there are folks who say lets combine them again. If we can't finance the thing in Lincoln then give somebody else a shot. Move the state fair out to the tri-city area and let it become the exposition it should be. The party and concert crowd in Lincoln and Omaha won't really miss it. "

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