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Heineman signs bill to move State Fair

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From staff and wire reports

Friday, Apr 18, 2008 - 04:56:07 pm CDT

GRAND ISLAND — Calling it “the opportunity of a lifetime” for the Nebraska State Fair and the University of Nebraska, Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law Friday legislation that will move the fair to Grand Island, beginning in 2010.

The measure (LB1116) also transfers the state fairgrounds in Lincoln to the university, which plans to develop a public-private research park at the site.

Several hundred people attended a signing ceremony at the Heartland Event Center adjacent to Grand Island’s Fonner Park.

Story Photo
Gov. Dave Heineman

Related Media

The story so far: Nebraska State Fair

Get background and the latest developments on moving the Nebraska State Fair from State Fair Park in Lincoln. (Laura Meerkatz / JournalStar.com)...

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The board will negotiate a long-term lease beginning no later than 2010 for Fonner Park and the adjacent land owned by the Hall County Livestock Improvement Association.

“With today’s bill signing, we have created the opportunity of a lifetime for two very important institutions in our state — the Nebraska State Fair and the University of Nebraska,” Heineman said before signing the bill.

“I have confidence that the State Fair will prosper here in Grand Island because of the leadership present in this community, your determination and the can-do attitude we’ve seen in the last several months of this discussion. Today is an exciting day for Grand Island and all of central Nebraska.”

The University of Nebraska will provide $21.5 million to finance the move of the fair from its historic location in Lincoln, adjacent to the university’s City Campus.

Additional funds will come from the city of Grand Island, which will contribute $8.5 million, a contribution from the State Fair Board of $7 million, and $5 million from the state’s cash reserve fund.

Heineman initially had opposed the use of any state funds to move the fair.

The $42 million in financing will be used by the State Fair Board and the Hall County Livestock Improvement Association to upgrade the existing Fonner Park site, and add livestock and maintenance buildings, barns, exhibition halls and arenas, in addition to making improvements to the property.

Former Grand Island Mayor Jay Vavricek said it will take hard work to raise the city’s share of the cost.

“I would hope that everyone today can enjoy the moment,” Vavricek said. “The challenge is just beginning. The adventure is just beginning.”

The relatively low cost to the state helped attract support from lawmakers for the move.

Money from the university will likely include private donations and proceeds from the sale of other land.

Sen. Philip Erdman, Chairman of the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee, said, “It was important that any relocation provide new opportunities for the State Fair to be successful. That was accomplished through this proposal.”

The bill, passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature, changes the makeup of the State Fair Board to include representatives from Grand Island, and provides that university officials outline a master plan and business plan for the development of the Innovation Campus and provide regular updates to state officials.

“This is also an exciting day for the University of Nebraska,” Heineman said. “Relocating the fair provides a historic opportunity for Lincoln. The new business development opportunities that will be created in the years to come will help attract new jobs to our state and help our capital city continue growing for the next generation of business leaders.”


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Cross your fingers! wrote on April 18, 2008 1:02 pm:
" Everyone needs to remember this day. This is the day that will either go down in history as a booming success, or monumental failure. I may not agree with it, but I hope it works out for the best, for EVERYONE, not just the University. "

 charley wrote on April 18, 2008 1:14 pm:
" I think this is the dumbest move the legislature has ever made. There is NO ROOM at Fonner Park. NO PARKING or is Grand Island going sneek to the north side of Fonner Park and buy out all the housing and put in parking? "

 Concerned wrote on April 18, 2008 1:21 pm:
" I have never been so disappointed with a Governor as I am at the this time. We get things shoved down our throats all the time. I certianly will never vote for this Governor again. This is just about enough to make me wonder how long it will be before the entire system will crash and the economy will tumble. Ethanol is not going to be the big saving grace that we all thought, and food prices will continue to climb, cost of living will increase and the cost of fuel will go out of sight. We will all be wishing we could go back to the 70s and maybe even the 80s by the time all of this falls out. I predict that there will be another shortage of teachers in Nebraska and the school systems as well as the State Fair and other venues will begin to colapse as the revenue will become less and less. We are not bringing new business into the State and people are leaving faster than you can say goodbye. Most going to places where there is real incomes and real wealth. Disappointed is the word and a little concerned. As you can tell, Spelling is not my forte. "

 mitchy_v wrote on April 18, 2008 1:31 pm:
" See you there! "

 Next two fairs wrote on April 18, 2008 1:33 pm:
" How run down are the facilities going to be now? Just band-aid fixes I suppose. "

 Dustin wrote on April 18, 2008 1:37 pm:
" I read that Grand Island's mayor and senator were comparing Grand Island (approx pop. of 55,000) to that of Kansas's state fair location of Hutchinson (approx pop. of 42,000). They mentioned hutchinson pulled in 350,000+ for the state fair there and grand island can do likewise.
There is a great problem with this "theory". Based on the Nebraska state fair 2007 report done by ERA (its in a pdf file on the internet... look it up), over 80% of those who attended the fair lived within 70 miles of the fair. The rest came from out of state and 8% a little farther away. Hutchinson has over 820,000 people living within that 70 mile radius. However, Grand Island only has 280,000. You can solve the rest of the math from there yourself.

Heinemann signed the state fair to its death today. "

 me-but wrote on April 18, 2008 1:50 pm:
" At this point... who cares? "

 Josh wrote on April 18, 2008 1:52 pm:
" I'm surprissed there hasn't been a billion people here crying about how they won't ever go to the fair again now that it's (gasp) shortly over an hour away. "

 Glad to be gone wrote on April 18, 2008 2:09 pm:
" After years of failure and mismanagement at the current site, this is a bold move that's long overdue. I predict a rousing success for the fair in GI. It's time to get off the Governor for having the guts to make tough decisions. I'm glad Nebraksa has a governor who can get past all these whiny, do nothing citizens who are offended everytime an elected official does something without their personal permission and take some bold moves to inject some life into issues. The fair and the tech park on the old fairgrounds site will be one of Gov. Heineman's great achievements. Leadership is all about doing what's in the best interest of his constituants, not being their puppet.

I may be "glad to be gone", but I'm coming back for the first fair in GI. Do us proud, Islanders! "

 CLS wrote on April 18, 2008 2:10 pm:
" Remember, the people promoting this are the same ones who gave us Steve Pederson and Bill Callahan.

We all know what an expen$ive le$$on that wa$. "

 Meh wrote on April 18, 2008 2:13 pm:
" Again ... what does this mean for the horse track? "

 Its Official....... wrote on April 18, 2008 2:25 pm:
" I will NEVER attend the fair again.

Josh I can't go 100 miles in an hour (withouth speeding) the fair before was less than 5 minutes away so I would take the whole family for a fun day sometimes two. "

 jbravo wrote on April 18, 2008 2:27 pm:
" Having spent a lot of time in NC, seeing first-hand the impact of RTP to that State's economy with regard to commerce, jobs, tax base, not to mention research, I can only think dollars well spent. NE GDP to grow. Not without growing pains of course. "

 Fred wrote on April 18, 2008 2:47 pm:
" I"m with you, Its Official. I will never, ever to to the State Fair after the underhanded manner in which this was handled.

I'd like to remove this Governor from office.

And that's a great point, CLS. Perlman snaking himself on the Fair Board while he was trying to sabotage it's success in Lincoln, Pederson, Callahan, the drugged out pop star that he had representing the University on TV.

He has thrown a LOT of wasted money around like it's his. "

 Drama Q wrote on April 18, 2008 2:51 pm:
" That's it! I'm moving to a different state! "

 mitchy_v wrote on April 18, 2008 2:52 pm:
" Fonner park has plenty of room and will have enough parking if you look at the proposed layout before posting. "

 Its official wrote on April 18, 2008 2:55 pm:
" this board will now be bombarded by people never going to the fair again instead of supporting someing located outside the city limits. They probably wouldn't go to a Husker game if the stadium was located 10 mi west of town. "

 Justin wrote on April 18, 2008 3:01 pm:
" "No politicians in this state are responsive to their constituents, blah blah blah." I for one am happy about the move. I would have preferred for Lincoln to have its cake and eat it too, but I'll take the technology/research park over the state fair any day. "

 Best for all wrote on April 18, 2008 3:13 pm:
" This is the best move for everybody involved. The research park will be a great thing for Lincoln and UNL plus I believe the fair will improve by moving to G.I.

I have lived in Lincoln most of my life and I had no plans to visit the fair ever again. I believe I will go see the fair in its new location where it will hopefully become an agricultural fair like it should be.

This is great for everybody except people who live in Lincoln, love fried food on a stick and refuse to drive for more than an hour. Sorry fat, lazy Lincolnites. "

 to the whinners wrote on April 18, 2008 3:21 pm:
" all the people saying they wont go b/c is in G.I. were NEVER really fair fans to began with and thats why the fair failed in lincoln. People need to realize that its called the STATE fair. if it was meant to be in Lincoln forever it would be called the Capital City Fair.
Its time for these whinners that don't want to support our fair and our state for that matter to leave. move to Iowa or Kansas if you can't stand the way we(nebraskans) run things here. please leave "

 Mike in DC wrote on April 18, 2008 3:23 pm:
" Josh's comment is right on. Grand Island is SOOOO far away. Some others on here point to cost and jobs and brain drain. If you want to bring in jobs that pay large salaries, you start with a quarum of people with high-tech master's degrees. That's par for the course. Regular jobs have people with multiple master's degrees, being led at the project level by folks with PhD's and those PhD's later get an MBA and move into upper management or start a spin-off business. All these moves have to be part of that. You have to let the University System, and other colleges around with a stake in Nebraska to help lead the way; but maybe it's time the city and county and maybe a wider partnership with the Omaha metro start thinking about higher-ed collaboration. It all starts there. It doesn't start with livestock competitions. It's nice. It's fun. But the fair ain't going to get you there, Lincoln. And this move will help the rest of the state feel more engaged. That sounds very political, but this is a good move, even if the fair fails, because you know what? Any way you look at it, it wasn't doing too well in Lincoln and that land is too valuable in terms of monetary value and in terms of the future to the state of Nebraska to be largely used for entertainment purposes only and only mostly a short period of time every year. This was a smart move without knowing the future in hindsite. "

 You can't always get what you want... wrote on April 18, 2008 3:23 pm:
" ...but if you try sometimes, you get what you need." What we need Lincoln is development and progress, which is the tech park. The fair is a dying piece of nostalgia that is only good for food-on-a-stick and too many spa and facial care vendors. Give it to G.I. and let it die if that's it fate. Look at it this way, can the city survive without the fair? Yes. Can the city survive without the university? Probably not! Think of this way..what do you want more, your beloved football team or the fair? Shut and deal! The fair is gone and tech park is on the way! Thank god for progress and foresight for the future!! "

 YES! wrote on April 18, 2008 3:26 pm:
" The stay fair was awful anyway! It was run down, and realistically, did it make any impact in the region? I am glad to see the university is looking ahead to the future and the well being of not only Lincoln, but the state of Nebraska. Remember though people, it may cost a lot now, but will be beneficial down the road....so hang tight "

 r wrote on April 18, 2008 3:29 pm:
" If Gov Heineman thinks this is an exciting day for the University he has more confidence that this will actually happen. Just look at the track record of the University - Whittier School, Cushman building disaster..they can't do anything with these what are they going to do with the Fair Grounds. University can't even write up a contract - look at the millions it cost to get rid of staff, And all the OUT Sourcing that is taking place in departments - how will this every bring jobs to Nebraska???
And Gov Heinman I am sorry you got my vote - I even changed political parties to vote for you in the primaries. Poor did I get taken....
And to the Lincoln Senators how sad you chose to vote against keeping the Fair in Lincoln. Term limits will come quickly for you. "

 jim wrote on April 18, 2008 3:36 pm:
" now the business people and pea and moan about the loss of business,,,rock on economy wreckers "

 whatever wrote on April 18, 2008 3:38 pm:
" Ok, now let's hear some details on the Research Park. "

 Tom wrote on April 18, 2008 3:46 pm:
" What - the fair moving- OH NO! UNL building something for the future of Nebraska - OH NO!
The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Run chicken little run.
Oh my - something so good for Nebraska is so bad. Hmm Run chicken little run! "

 J.R. wrote on April 18, 2008 3:55 pm:
" I hope theres enough room at Fonner Park to bury the dying Nebraska State Fair "

 I'm a Lincolnite wrote on April 18, 2008 4:03 pm:
" Congratulations Grand Island!! I think this move is long over due. I'm looking forward to coming out to GI to see what you've done to resurrect what Nebraska has called a State Fair for so long. We call Fairs like this County Fairs in Iowa. I'm can't wait to go to a real State Fair in Nebraska in 2010. This is a Great Day! "

 100% on board! wrote on April 18, 2008 4:06 pm:
" This is a step in the right direction for both communities. This finally gives the Tri-cities an attraction work driving for and it gives Lincoln a research park that can compete with growing cities of its size. The people from western and central Nebraska will more than make up for the "lazy lincolnites" in the fried meat on a stick purchases. Good job Gov. Heineman and thanks for doing what is best for our state as always. Ethanol may not be the fuel source of the future, but it is selling our corn!!! "

 Dustin wrote on April 18, 2008 4:13 pm:
" It's a simple fact that people don't travel 80 miles to the state fair. 80% of those who went to the fair did not travel farther than 80 miles. You lost everything east of Lincoln in this thing. There goes a million people right there. Hopefully the crops are good so mom and pop can take the kiddies to the fair. Ohhh wait. I can't ge to the fair cuz the combine is broken and I have to get the crops out in three weeks. Guess nobody but grand island is goin.

Wonder who's playing at the small arena? Doesn't matter. Cause we're all either goin to a husker game or River City Roundup for a concert/rodeo. "

 Mrs. B wrote on April 18, 2008 4:15 pm:
" Why doesn't Heiney just move there. We'd be better off without him. And why exactly are WE giving them money to move the fair?? They should come up with their own money for it. How about fixing our dang pot-hole covered streets with that money?? "

 Nebraska wrote on April 18, 2008 4:16 pm:
" Heinemann signed the state fair to its rebirth today. " "

 whatever wrote on April 18, 2008 4:16 pm:
" Much of the criticism of this move isn't so much a denial of the value of a Research Park, but a critique of the process and the plan. With a little "vision" you could have had your cake and ate it too. If you completely scrap the LCEC and scrap the North Bottoms you could have a new Arena, Research Park, Skating Rink and State Fair Park. Now we will have a hodgepodge of competing entities that will minimize the profitability of said ventures. This whole "thing" may have been planned but it was planned out very poorly and with little vision. Which brings us to the main underlying point of contention. Many, if not most of the citizens of Nebraska have little faith or trust in the "leadership" in this state and among many members of the business community to get something done and get something done correctly that isn't completely self serving. This sudden "realization" of a need to do "something" is probably a little late for a good part of the state and perhaps Lincoln. At this point things need to happen FAST and CORRECTLY to reverse the economic trends that are affecting much of Greater Nebraska and Lincoln. At some point you reach a tipping point where you become "Youngstown Ohio". Lincoln isn't quite there yet, but a lot of the state is. "

 John M. wrote on April 18, 2008 4:20 pm:
" The university is making a business and research park?!?!?! Give me a break! None of those guys could make it in business in the real world so they stuck with a state job. Ooooops... expenses/payroll is higher than tuition/income. Hmmmm... what shall we do. 1. beg for money from alumni 2. raise tuition so students get even more broke and leave town for greener pastures and better jobs to pay for their debt. 3. Get money from the state

Go ahead... spend some more of our money while your at it. And raise my kids tuition another 5% like you've been doing the past 8 years. Nothing like good 'ole compound interest. "

 mitchy_v wrote on April 18, 2008 4:23 pm:
" Hutchinson has over 820,000 people living within that 70 mile radius. Hutchinson (approx pop. of 42,000)+ Wichita (approx pop. of 345,000) = 380,000. I was not aware that 470,000 lived in all of those small ks towns? "

 Pat wrote on April 18, 2008 4:25 pm:
" Yeah... Heinemann is just another typical state employee. Giving money ($5 million) to those who don't need it.

Why are we even worried about the fair or keeping it? It loses money every year! It's obviously not working. Just ditch it.
"

 Going on a limb to say this will work wrote on April 18, 2008 4:26 pm:
" I was neutral on this topic at first, but as time has passed, I believe the right decision was made. I think the fair is now in the hands of people who actually care about it as a whole and will put their hearts into making it succeed. In Lincoln, it had come to a matter of just going through the motions, and let's face it, no one truly cared about it until the threat of it leaving came about.
I do not think a decline at the gate, particularly in the first few years at GI should be seen as a failure, or even a decrease in profits, because I think having a quality product ( which I envision it to be 8 times the fair that it was in Lincoln) is a much more important goal here. The fairgrounds as they stand now are an utter disaster and it was at times sickening to be there.
I say good luck to GI, even if no one from Lincoln is there.

"

 OhWellOkay wrote on April 18, 2008 4:52 pm:
" There's over a million people within 50 miles of Lincoln, yet the fair still failed, so what makes anyone thinks that keeping the fair in Lincoln is even going to work? People in Lincoln basically let the fair go. They didn't put up much fight to keep it. Grand Island deserves it more than Lincoln does because they actually want it. Unlike Lincoln. By the way, there's PLENTY of room for the fair, and lots of room for expansion without tearing any houses down at Fonner Park. More than people realize. "

 Great Day wrote on April 18, 2008 4:53 pm:
" I am not a big supporter of the Governor, but this is a great day for Nebraska and I am proud of him for ponying up $5m in state funds to support this move. This is clearly a win / win. Ever since the City of Lincoln and County government proved they couldn't work well together with the Lancaster County Events center, the writing was on the wall. Thanks to Chancellor Perlman for stepping up to the plate and offering a bold vision and push to get this idea not only off the ground but out of the Legislature in less than a year. And congrats to Grand Island. As a Lincolnite with young kids I've gone to the state fair every year I've lived in the Star City and enjoy it. However, you could plainly see it was never going to overcome the bland facilities it was burdened with and it was always a shame to see such prime real estate used so infrequently. I'll be driving out to Grand Island in 2010 to kick it off. Win - win - win "

 Nebraska Citizen wrote on April 18, 2008 4:56 pm:
" This is jusrt one more time that this Gov has abandoned the state. Moving the state fair will be costly-inefficient and will start the demise of one of the greatest institutions in this state. It proves that this governor really doesn't care about traditions that support this states number one indsutry--agriculture.....
One more good reason not to vote for Dave Heinamann "

 scott wrote on April 18, 2008 5:02 pm:
" Ben Nelson will be remembered for the nuke waste dump fiasco and Heineman will be remembered for the state fair. "

 Erik wrote on April 18, 2008 5:05 pm:
" Have fun paying higher taxes for this, Grand Islanders! "

 Fair Fan wrote on April 18, 2008 5:17 pm:
" I was a long time supporter of the state fair, and I'm not whining when I say I WILL NOT GO AGAIN. The legislature sold me out (actually gave the fair away). Why was Perlman allowed to name his own price for the land? It was reported on the local TV station that this research park will cost one billion dollars when it's all done. It's not even been said, outside of vague promises of high paying jobs, how this will help Nebraska's economy. Is GI prepared to pay the matching .percent of funds to match the lottery that Lincoln was supposed to pay. I believe it was something like $200,000 a year, because they profited by hosting the fair in their city. The first year, Lancaster County Board paid it because the city didn't have the funds. There are lots a questions, little answers. Oh and to the person wondering about horse racing, the last I heard, once the fair is gone, so is horse racing. Lancaster County event center says they're prohibited in building a race track on their property. "

 Late O'Day wrote on April 18, 2008 5:52 pm:
" After Lincoln has methodically ruined virtually every festival and business venue they've touched -- about the only escape I had was the Horse Racing Track. Think I'm gonna be blackmailed into going to a crap track like Fonner? Guess again. To me, Grand Island is that backward berg I drive by as quickly as possible on my way to anywhere else. "

 Dead by 2015 wrote on April 18, 2008 6:05 pm:
" If the fair moves by 2011, it will be dead and broke by 2015....as it should be. "

 Bring on the Petition wrote on April 18, 2008 6:25 pm:
" This whole decision is bad. I can not believe this idea even got any consideration. Who ever heard of moving a State Fair. Only the powers that be could get this through and they did. Recall last Fall our Governor said the people just voted to give 10% of the Lottery money to the State Fair at State Fair Park. Yet now he is all for it. Who or what forced him to sell out to the big boys? This governor has let us down. The State Fair will not suceed in Grand Island. This is nothing against GI, but there is simply not enough people in the Grand Island area. They essentially gave the State Fair Park away. The original bill called for $30 million or the appraised value that the University had to pay. What happened to Erdman on this point? He sold out too. The Fairgrounds is insured from $60-$70 million and think what the land alone would be worth. This action has already costed the taxpayer millions of dollars. Who knows what it will cost to build the University's Research Park. The taxpayer will definitely lose on this one. I say we need a petition to overturn this stupid legislation. Bring on the vote of the people. Of course, the powers that be did not want that. "

 rfoltz wrote on April 18, 2008 6:41 pm:
" In a time when we see ever increasing gas prices and falling economic opportunities, it seems stupid to think that the crowds at the relocated State Fair will even come close to those in the past. But if that is what the state wants, then fine, we should do away with it all together and save the tax payers money. "

 Ricki wrote on April 18, 2008 7:21 pm:
" When the Governor plans on running for future office,I hope there is enough people in the GI area to get you there,you let alot of people down in eastern NE.They will return the favor, "

 CG wrote on April 18, 2008 8:32 pm:
" 20 years plus is what they are saying before UNL will complete the Research Development. So that gives UNL time to make the taxpayers pay for it. Bet it is just more land for them to mow in the long run! "

 Move it sooner wrote on April 18, 2008 8:58 pm:
" Can we move it in time to get rid of it this year? "

 toasted wrote on April 18, 2008 9:12 pm:
" Forget about rehashing what has been said for the last 6 months. Has anyone realized that the governor has spent state money to buy $3.45/gal gas to go to GI and sign a piece of paper. He could have saved the money and signed it in Lincoln. This is proof of how foolish our leaders are with our tax dollars. "

 Matt P. wrote on April 18, 2008 9:20 pm:
" To all those saying you won't go because its too far and the fair only used to be "5 minutes away," well, how self-centered can you be?? You didn't seem to have a problem with people in Grand Island putting their kids in a car and driving 90 minutes to Lincoln. You didn't have a problem with people in Kearney, Hastings, North Platte, Scottsbluff, Valentine, Ogallala, York, Burwell, Ord, Nebraska City, Chadron, Alliance, or anywhere else driving to Lincoln. Do you think you're the only person with children? Do you think you're the only person who dislikes fuel prices? Its about time another part of the state benefits from "state events!" Lincoln has long neglected the State Fair and Grand Island will do a wonderful job! FYI, I lived in Lincoln for 10 years and currently live in Omaha. You count my family of 4 as one of the attendees in 2010! "

 Tammy wrote on April 18, 2008 10:12 pm:
" "Money from the university will likely include private donations and proceeds from the sale of other land."

So basically, the University does not yet possess the money they have pledged. What land are they selling, and whose buying? If they don't have the money for the land, where are they getting any funds for the research park? What private entities have pledged dollars/occupation of said research park? I look around Lincoln and I see a whole lot of empty buildings. Strip malls that keep getting built, with no occupants. Apartments keep getting built, with high vacancy rates. A brand spanking new shiny research park with no tenents...what good is that?

Remember kids, the University is a STATE entity, not a local one. ALL of us in NE will pay for this, and believe me, we WILL pay, because somewhere down the line the U will say they don't have the money and gee whiz, can the State help out please?

We're certainly planning lots of projects at a bad economic time, dontcha think?
"

 I'm outraged.... wrote on April 18, 2008 11:24 pm:
" ....that it's not leaving Lincoln until 2010! I think it should be more centrally located so the people out west don't have to drive for 5+ hours to go to the fair. I live in Lincoln and went to the fair last year for the first time in 25 years since I was a kid. I walked through and was disgusted and disappointed at how bad things looked. At least the move will give it a much needed face lift. "

 Shelly, Lincoln Resident wrote on April 19, 2008 12:14 am:
" My family (very large) will not be going anymore after it leaves Lincoln because quite frankly Grand Island isn't worth my time or gas money. I WILL however be attending the Iowa State Fair with my family and the nearly $1000 I spend at the Ne. State Fair, I will gladly fork over to Iowa so it can flourish and and not disrespect their customers by moving the fair to some small town that doesn't even count. I grow more disgusted in this city everyday and I never wonder why this town is going further through a downward spiral. "

 Protest wrote on April 19, 2008 12:25 am:
" if you are really upset about how the Gov handeled this.. then protest! Don't show up to the state fair durring the last few years that it's in lincoln... If enough people stand their ground, people will take notice. Hit the state fair board where it hurts most ($$). Oh, and how come a major change like this wasn't put on the ballot and voted on by the people? I would like to see if this move would have passed or not. "

 Do you really care? wrote on April 19, 2008 12:39 am:
" Dwindling attendance has led to this. If all of you really cared you would have attended the fair to support it. The problem is the fair sucks! The good rides are usually broke down, and everything is so overpriced it's not even worth the gas to get there. Nobody cared until it was time for a change, and it's only because you are all scared of change that this matters at all to you! "

 Move It NOW!!!! wrote on April 19, 2008 12:45 am:
" As long as it's gone, lets move it now. NO money will be spent if it's in Lincoln this year. It's done. Won't be much of a fair if it's held in Lincoln this year, MOVE IT NOW!!!!! Please "

 Joe wrote on April 19, 2008 1:03 am:
" So now the governor calls this the "opportunity of a lifetime." Just a few months ago he pledged that no tax dollars would be used to move the fair and that he would not allow anything to be taken from the state "surplus" funds. When he talks from both sides of his mouth, which side can we believe?
"

 T. Hewitt wrote on April 19, 2008 1:27 am:
" 1.) Are we not in a state budget crisis right now that prevents state positions from being filled and remain competitive?
2.) Did'nt Heiniman say we were not going to touch state savings to supplement the shortfall?
3.) If so, why are we spending state savings on this, and why is he wasting gas to drive to GI to sign the bill.
4.) Was this simply done to get attendance at the Archway monumnet up? Remember that dabacle.
and finally...
5.) Heiniman was the same givernor who put a max security prison in Tech. Why to suck up to the rural vote. But what happened, we have a multi million dollar facility that is not at 100% capacity, while EVERYOTHER prison in NE is over populated. This is due to poor decision making, and not keeping best interests in mind. "

 newspaper fatigue wrote on April 19, 2008 7:09 am:
" Can this be the "last" story about the state fair??? No clue as to why G.I. would want it, but hey, take it. We are lucky to get anyone to take it. The only clean thing I have ever seen there were the animals, and this way they don't have to drive so far. "

 laurie wrote on April 19, 2008 7:29 am:
" Im sad about this not because of the drive not because of the money, But because they seem to always take away from Lincoln..Look when Omaha put in Quest center Lincoln lost the Concerts, Now look the fair is being moved we have lost mnay things to do in Lincoln..And were suppose to be the capital of nebraska but yet everything is always moved away from us?..hmmmm "

 roger wrote on April 19, 2008 10:43 am:
" Drove by the fair on my way home last night and had to laugh at the decrepit, run-down tin shacks all the old people are crying about. Give me a break, we can't get rid of it soon enough. Oh, and thanks to Tam Allen and the rest of the Fair Board for letting this "Fair" turn into a complete joke over the last 20 years. "

 Fair fan wrote on April 19, 2008 5:09 pm:
" I agree, I'm not going to go to the fair this year in Lincoln either. I'm not going to give them any more of my money to move it to GI. And yes, I went to the fair almost every year, sometimes more than one day, so I did support it. Local citizens, lets not go to the fair in protest this year or next. Let them see just how few people travel distances to the fair, and see what they will lose. UNL has already said they won't even begin to build until several years. "

 Sam wrote on April 19, 2008 6:31 pm:
" Shelly, your sentiments are EXACTLY the reason why people outside of Lincoln and Omaha have bitter feelings about that end of the state. Grand Island DOESN'T count? Lincoln's in a downward spiral? Its about time. They have been the center of their own universe for way too long. Our little town is prospering just fine right now. Ag economy is good, farmers have money on this end of the state -- just look at the grain prices. I know inputs are rising and fuel is too, but we all have our priorities. If you really want to see change happen, then put the state high school volleyball and basketball tournaments on a rotation. Let Lincoln have Class A. Let the rest rotate between North Platte, Kearney and Grand Island. You'd be saving quite a bit of your tax dollars vs. having every little school driving to Lincoln. "

 Ej wrote on April 19, 2008 10:34 pm:
" so was the land just given to the university? "

 russ a lincoln wrote on April 19, 2008 11:38 pm:
" hummm 2010 gas will be about 4.50 a gal i am sure there will not be many driving from to far to attend and if they do wont waste the money for a over nite stay "

 Bo wrote on April 20, 2008 12:56 am:
" Get your head out of the sand Tom,you will not see anything with the research park for at least 20 years,you've been duped,no fair,no research park,just pay your higher taxes,and your membership dues to the vision group,gosh I hope they don't tell you to jump off a cliff,your the number one sheep, "

 mike wrote on April 20, 2008 2:45 am:
" roger your right this was just the final step in the plan they have been planning this for years just like with Pershing they just plain stop taking care of things let them run down beyond repair for any reasonable cost they they move it or say we need new and bigger you can see it happening at davany center now also i wonder if they will move the dates around on the fair so it will not interfere with a husker home game if they dont i wonder if the stadium will be empty or the fair grounds in gi "

 Patrick wrote on April 21, 2008 10:44 pm:
" If you people are so upset by this don't blame the Legislature or the Governor. It's that 2015 group that put the muscle together to get this done. They started it. Now lets see who the people are that own the construction firms that will build this wonderful park of Perelmans. Check to see who gets the contracts, hum, could be interesting. Also check to see who gets the contracts in GI, might recognize a few names. One hand feeds another you know. "

 Need a Petition wrote on April 22, 2008 1:38 pm:
" This hopefully isn't over yet!! Please comment if you are interested in getting a petition started--list your full name so we can call you. Or let Senator Karpisek know that you want to help with a petition!! Since the State Senators (all but 3) don't care about what their constituents want, then let the people vote on this issue!! There already will be an election in Nov., so let the people express how they feel on this issue. I believe we will get to vote if we want a new arena in Lincoln, but we couldn't vote on the State Fair issue, which involves millions of dollars!! Please show your support for a petition!! The taxpaying citizens of Nebraska should be allowed to express their opinions!! The State Fair should be in Lincoln, the Capital City, where is has been for over 100 years!! UNL & 2015 vision can still get what they want and build their tech park somewhere else!! UNL has a lot of other land in which they can built this on. If they get their way and push out the State Fair, they probably will just demolish everything & let the land sit--since they won't have the 100 million of dollars to develop this. Of course taxes will just increase!!! Also, UNL already has a tech. park in Northwest Lincoln--which I think is mostly sitting empty!! The lottery money, which we were allowed to vote on, for the fair was meant to be to improve the State Fair at its current location!! All of the people at the 2 hearings about the State Fair were in favor of keeping the State Fair at its current site!! LETS GET A PETITION STARTED!! SAVE THE STATE FAIR & KEEP IT IN LINCOLN WHERE IT BELONGS!!! DON'T LET 2015 & UNL ALWAYS WIN!!
"

 JAZZY wrote on April 24, 2008 1:41 pm:
" Okay... it's moving. So we bring the employment up in GI. I hope they really check the records, when they hire temp help ( ticket takers, and car parkers). Check those green cards. I lot of Lincoln Seniors, took advantage of the temp help, at fair time. "

 Cassandra wrote on May 7, 2008 1:57 pm:
" How is the state fair bill going to affect the way Lincoln citizens drive and use gas? My opinion is that the way gas prices are... We should just keep the state fair in Lincoln because the people would be angry and complain... I think we should keep it in Lincoln because the "State fair" Deserves to be in the capital... And it has been there for about... 108 years! "

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