Establish the 'sports triangle'

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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

For a city considered behind the competition in terms of sports venues, the opportunity exists for a dramatic comeback.

* A mayor’s facility task force is recommending a new arena in the west Haymarket.

* And the 2015 Vision group is pushing an expanded Haymarket Park.

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So Lincoln could find itself in the enviable position of marketing a comprehensive, convenient sports district.

“Absolutely, we’d have something unique,” said Joel Schossow, general manager of the downtown Holiday Inn. “It’s definitely something you could market, which is the whole key.

“If we build it, we’ve got to fill it.”

Dubbed The Sports Triangle in 2015 Vision circles, the area defined by Memorial Stadium, Haymarket Park and the proposed arena would bookend Interstate 180, considered by many the gateway to Lincoln.

Stan Meradith, sports venue design leader of the nationally acclaimed DLR Group, said sports fields are considered a clean industry, making them ideal as buffers to urban areas or along transportation routes.

“Many cities would give anything to have what Lincoln has,” said Meradith, a York native and contributor to the mayor’s task force. “You have a very nice entryway, with Memorial Stadium on the left side and Haymarket Park and hopefully an arena on the right side.

Beyond its good looks, the triangle would serve a key role in the economic vitality of Lincoln.

Long the home for lucrative state high school championships in a number of sports, Lincoln already lost the state wrestling meet to Qwest Center Omaha, and there’s pressure from Grand Island — home to the new Heartland Events Center — for state volleyball.

Depending on the sport, a weekend state tournament can pump anywhere from $1 million to $2 million for Lincoln’s into economy.

Project supporters also say sports are simply a good fit with what residents value.

“Hard work, desire and a passion for a good life,” Meradith said. “Nebraskans value sports.”

Meradith’s firm was involved in the design of Haymarket Park and the West Stadium skybox project at Memorial Stadium, and is a participant in a project to consolidate the headquarters of the Nebraska School Activities Association and Nebraska State High School Hall of Fame just north of Haymarket Park.

The $4.5 million building, which designers say will feature its own “dynamic entryway,” is another key part of the plan to create a sports triangle.

With construction delayed six months awaiting U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval, the NSAA now plans a January 2008 move to its new quarters. Other recreational areas, possibly a high school football stadium and complexes suitable for youth baseball, softball and soccer tournaments, would be phased in over several years.

Beyond the need to replace the aging Pershing Center, supporters of the projects say Lincoln is behind other cities in facilities for sports of all shapes and sizes.

“Our thoughts are to use this initiative to improve the entrance to the city as well as to satisfy the sports needs of the city,” said Jim Abel, Nebco chairman and owner of the Lincoln Saltdogs.

Abel said he is less nervous about the success of his latest project than he was during initial talks to build Haymarket Park with the University of Nebraska and the city in 1999.

Haymarket Park, which houses the Saltdogs and Nebraska’s baseball and softball teams, has become a landmark. A pedestrian bridge links the area to the Historic Haymarket District with access to Memorial Stadium.

Those sidewalk connections would be enhanced, just as officials anticipate new sports-related facilities would provide more opportunities for Lincoln residents and another reason for families to travel to the capital city.

“With all the changes put forth, entertainment would come along for the ride, whether that’s a hotel with a water park, shopping, go-karting or something else,” said Jeff Maul, executive director of Lincoln’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. “That, in turn, would get even more people off the interstate and into the community.”

Music to the ears of Schossow, whose hotel — at Ninth and P — is in the heart of what would be marketed as Lincoln’s sports district.

“The more demand generators that we can bring into Lincoln, that’s more reasons people will travel in,” Schossow said.

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7439 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.