Let's Talk About Omaha, Nebraska Commissioner Winnecke

(www.onlineatlas.us)

For those who watched last week's mayoral debate, you may recall a certain specific incident during the debate.

About midway through the debate, Mr. Rick Davis proposed converting Roberts Stadium into a natatorium. Commissioner Winnecke responded by saying, " I've got two words: Omaha, Nebraska." Commissioner Winnecke then went on to say that Omaha built a natatorium that now costs several million dollars to maintain. He then said that this is further proof that there is a good chance reinventing Roberts Stadium might be too costly.

During the debate, I was fortunate enough to have a front row seat as I was one of the camera operators for WNIN. As soon as Commissioner Winnecke brought up Omaha, I have been shocked ever since. Why would anyone not want to be like Omaha? Why would Omaha be an example that would support demolishing Roberts Stadium?

Ironically enough, one week and one year ago, I was in Omaha, Nebraska. I decided to take the 9 + hour drive to the Cornhusker State because it was the last baseball game ever that was played at their historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium...



From my Omaha experience, the only mistake that I believe Omaha is making is their decision to tear down Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Yes, their zoo will benefit, but the district will not. While the College World Series moves to TD Ameritrade Park, the Omaha Royals (now Storm Chasers) moved out to the county. And just this past week, Omaha found out that they will not be able to place an independent league team in TD Ameritrade Park due to contract conflicts. OOPS!

Besides that one hiccup, Omaha is rolling. Situated on the Nebraska/Iowa border, Omaha is working hand-in-hand with Council Bluffs, Iowa to take the region to the tops of the US population rankings. Omaha is doing really good things including the following...

(click on photos to enlarge)

1. Taking advantage of their railroad heritage...



2. Taking on new capital improvement projects...

3. Preserving and improving a historic part of town...







4. Constructing a botanical garden...

(photo credit: eventective.com)

5. Improving their zoo...



In the past two decades, Omaha has grown by leaps and bounds by doing the right things. I honestly do not know what specific natatorium Commissioner Winnecke is talking about, but my closest guess would have to be HPER Swimming Pool...

http://www.omavs.com/sports/2008/6/5/hper_pool.aspx

HPER Swimming Pool serves as the home of the University of Nebraska-Omaha swim team. It was the site of the Midwestern Collegiate Championships. It also is the premier host to various conference tournaments and meets, as well as invitationals for various swimming organizations. Rarely is the facility not being used.

Regardless of the facility, it really doesn't make sense to consider a natatorium in Omaha to be a failure or a waste of money even if it costs $3 million + to maintain. The reason being is that Omaha is the premier site for USA Swimming. In 2008, Omaha served as the home city for the Olympic Swimming Trials and will be again in 2012 which will see Michael Phelps come to town.

In 2008, over 95,000 tickets were sold to out-of-state visitors, and the event was one of three events that brought in over $29 million in revenue to the city of Omaha as well as $97 million in international media exposure...

http://www.omahasports.org/archives/135

With all of that being said, I do not believe a natatorium is the best possible solution for Roberts Stadium (although it is better than demolition). I firmly believe that Roberts Stadium's floor should be raised with indoor soccer, NBDL basketball, indoor football, mid-sized concerts and trade shows, and youth sports as tenants.

There is one more facility in Omaha that replicates this EXACT scenario. That facility is the Omaha Civic Auditorium...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Civic_Auditorium

It is amazing how similar this facility is to Roberts Stadium. Built in 1954, the Omaha Civic Auditorium lost its main tenant the Creighton Blue Jays (who are in the same conference as the Aces) as well as Omaha's premier concerts when the Qwest Center opened up in 2003. So what does the facility host today?

Today, it is home to the Omaha Beef indoor football team. It is also used for trade shows, concerts, smaller conventions, and local graduations. On 5 February 2009, the Junior-A United States Hockey League announced on its website that the Omaha Lancers franchise would be moving to the Civic Auditorium from the Mid-America Center across the river in Council Bluffs.

It was announced on August 18, 2010 that the MISL is expanding into Omaha starting with the 2010-11 season. The team, tentatively called Omaha Vipers, will play at the Civic Auditorium.

Bingo! Not one of the above teams were able to afford the Qwest Center (now CenturyLink Center) due to its enormous size and costs. With 2 arenas and a convention center all within walking distance, Omaha has cornered the market for all sports and events of all sizes in their region. And if you take one walk around the district, you will see just how successful Omaha is becoming because of these three investments.

This is exactly what we need to do here in Evansville as I've already identified an investor who has 2 of these teams with enough connections to fill in the rest of the dates with a 3rd team, concerts, and other miscellaneous events.

The writing is on the wall and the solution couldn't be any simpler. This problem shouldn't be too hard for city hall to figure out, yet it is and I just don't understand.

If you're looking for the solution to solve the Roberts Stadium dilemma Commissioner Winnecke, I've got two words for you....... OMAHA, NEBRASKA!

(legendsofamerica.com)