An arena is traditionally described as a large public assembly facility that is designed to provide exceptional seating opportunities to a maximum number of patrons. The seating configuration is in an elongated oval and the seating surrounds a performance or competition floor. The arena is configured to host events like basketball, hockey, concerts, indoor rodeo and circuses. Large scale family shows like Sesame Street and Barney, indoor motor sports including monster trucks, motocross and extreme sports and indoor football are also potential and common uses for an arena. Classic arena examples would be Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, Kemper Arena in Kansas City and the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The size of an arena floor can vary from something as small as 16,000 square feet which is Pershing's floor size to over 30,000 square feet. That large floor area lends itself to being a large trade show floor, a large banquet floor set or exhibition floor for large equipment shows. Generally floor access to an arena is large enough to allow large trucks and vehicles adequate access to the floor. An arena also will have large concourses and foyers that can be used for banquet, display and exhibit show space. Meeting rooms in the arena or club/suite level spaces within the building can serve as meeting spaces for various sized local groups and the service infrastructure of the building can more than adequately service these ancillary areas. Because of the ability of an arena to host an event with 16,000 patrons, a trade show with 250 booths or a small meeting of 50, it is a very versatile and multifunction facility.

A convention center is a facility that is designed to host trade shows and exhibitions. The physical building will have a large clear span exhibit space with 35' foot ceilings, utilities and data connections in the floor. The space will be divisible into smaller "halls". Multiple truck docks for exhibitor access are another key factor. A typical convention center will also have an area that is finished with hotel quality accoutrements for formal dinners and luncheon functions. Minimum exhibition hall space would be in the 30,000 square foot range plus pre-function space, break out rooms and service areas. Convention centers are not normally configured for concert activities. A convention center can host car shows, boat shows, RV and equipment shows. A key benefit drawn from convention centers are the room night and ancillary spending from convention exhibitors and out of town attendees. If a convention center would be built in Lincoln it is conceivable that UNL departments and research divisions could host plenary sessions and academic conferences that would benefit both the City and the University. Several key local businesses and manufacturers would also be able to host exhibit shows "at home".

An exhibition center would be a facility similar to a convention center. The configuration of an exhibition center would be a large exhibition hall of potentially 75,000 to 100,000 square feet of contiguous space. The interior finish would be less formal and ideally utility service locations would be strategically placed throughout the building. Pre function space, high finish break out spaces and hotel quality ancillary amenities are lower priorities. Typical events held in exhibition center would include RV shows, farm and agricultural equipment shows, swap meets, car shows, gun shows, boat and travel shows and heavy construction equipment exhibitions. Because of a less formal level of finish livestock exhibitions and pet shows are also events that would be hosted in an exhibition center. An exhibition center would be an important complimentary facility on the site of an entity like the State Fair or the Lancaster Event Center.

An agricultural exposition center would be closer to an arena in configuration. It would be a larger floor space either dirt or concrete that is surrounded with spectator seating. Horse shows, livestock exhibitions, antique tractor and horse pulls and livestock clinics would be normal uses for an agricultural exposition center. Because of the need for keeping the patron or participant close to the exposition floor the seating capacity is less than an arena built for basketball and major level concerts. Patron amenities might include a pre event foyer, concessions stands, merchandise stands and some break out meeting rooms. An agricultural exposition center would be an important complimentary type of facility for any entity that would focus on large livestock or agriculturally based shows and expositions.

Yes. Concert performers and promoters are interested in Lincoln as a destination. If the arena is large enough to generate sufficient revenue to cover the costs associated with major concerts, they will come to Lincoln. Nebraska has shown that on a football weekend 85,000 plus people will come to downtown Lincoln for a quality event. A significant percentage of the attendees at West Center events come from Lincoln and communities adjacent to Lincoln. Lincoln supports live events and a new arena can successfully attract top "A" level performances.

Multiple options exist for Pershing.

One consideration would be that after the construction on a new arena is complete, an infrastructure update could be done to the Pershing structure so that small and mid-size events could still be held at Pershing. Having a new arena and a mechanically sound Pershing would significantly expand the ability of Lincoln to increase event, convention, meeting and exhibition offerings for the entire community. A shared governance and operations staff with the new arena would provide an economical way to keep Pershing viable and usable for the foreseeable future.

The Lincoln Library Board examined a second consideration for a future use of Pershing. A local architect studied the Pershing structure and gave the library a preliminary estimation that Pershing could be converted into a 150,000 square foot library space that could replace the current Bennet Martin library. Pershing's location on Centennial Mall close to museums and midway between the UNL campus and the state capitol would make a major library on the site a very desirable possibility.

Additionally, the location of Pershing again could make it an attractive property to be converted into a state, county or city government facility. Other similar facilities in urban areas have been converted into science museums.

An arena fulfills many functions. It is a public assembly facility, a sports venue, and a visible icon/symbol for a community and an economic engine that supports existing businesses and encourages new developments. When you examine the entire matrix of uses, client base and the potential for adjacent business support and new business development, the Haymarket site offers the best mix of positive factors. Finding a site requires more than just physical space for the venues footprint. The symbiotic relationship between an arena and the surrounding support businesses of hotels, restaurants, retail space, parking, the UNL campus, urban residential space and proximity to other sports venues points toward the Haymarket site as the place where a significant investment of public funds can make the largest positive impact.

Secondary reasons for the Haymarket site vs. the State Fair location include the inability for the city to capture incremental tax revenues from state owned land and the lack of business development i.e. hotels, restaurants and retail adjacent to the fairgrounds.

The involvement of UNL and its sports teams in a new arena is not presupposed. Nor is UNL's involvement key to the advancement of the proposed arena project. A new arena will be built to specifications that would readily accommodate basketball and other high school or college level sports. UNL has been a participant in the Task Force discussions and they have not voiced a commitment to be a participant in the construction and or use of a new facility. Major college programs across the country are leaning more toward facilities that can be committed to a specific sport use 24/7 every day of the year. The proposal to build a new arena in Lincoln to replace or augment Pershing assumes a wide event mix of concerts, sporting events, dinners, conferences, trade shows and other similar events. This vision for a "City Arena" is not easily compatible with an athletic department type of vision that might look more readily toward a venue that is largely committed the vast majority of the time to accommodating a major Division I athletic program. It is not assumed though that at sometime in the future if a new arena is built that a mutually acceptable arrangement could be negotiated that would allow UNL or other regional athletic teams to play in the facility.

Compared to other proposed locations, the West Haymarket has several advantages. The site will be comparatively easy to assemble. There are a limited number of landowners who will be affected and preliminary discussions with those owners indicate a willingness to consider proposals. The location is very close to hotels, restaurants, retail and the other attractive amenities available in downtown Lincoln. A nearby arena will enhance these businesses and the arena will similarly benefit from having these attractive patron amenities close. The location is close to multiple parking options including the Haymarket Parking Garage, the Saltdogs flat lots and surface lots that are anticipated to be part of the overall project. The nearness to the Football Stadium and the University could create opportunities for pre-Husker game activities and other similar university based events.

Yes, much of the property for an arena and other redevelopment opportunities in Haymarket West - notably near the Lincoln Station and south of the Harris Overpass - is within mapped floodplains. This situation in and of itself does not, however, preclude the use of these sites for future development. Site preparation and other flood management techniques can be employed to provide water storage capacity lost because of new development. The floodplain in the area suggested for possible redevelopment is relatively shallow and flood mitigation can take place. The City of Lincoln is working on a new flood management program for Salt Creek. If adopted, this program could be instrumental in securing a workable solution to the floodplain situation in this vicinity.

The majority of the rail yard in West Haymarket is currently used for storing rail stock that is awaiting repair. The repair yard is now located in Havelock. During informal discussions with railroad officials it became apparent that:

• The railroad was interested in working with City officials to discuss and explore the
• The railroad is interested in consolidating their rail lines to the western edge of the West Haymarket area. This consolidation of tracks would allow for a more efficient movement of trains through the area thereby increasing their efficiency.
• The multi track storage facility is not needed in West Haymarket; there is sufficient land capacity for storage in the Havelock yard.
• The Amtrak line that currently runs directly west of the Lincoln Station building could be part of the consolidation of rail lines to the west of the property bordered on the east by Lincoln Station and on the west by the Salt Creek drainage berm.

During the initial phase of the Task Force discussions, the West Haymarket Postal Office site was considered one of the leading locations of interest. Informal discussions with Postal Officials indicated that sometime in the future the Postal Service might consider moving out of the Haymarket area to a location that had better truck access and a single level mail processing area but in the short term no immediate plans existed to leave their present site. While the site is logistically a good option, the reality of the situation makes it less desirable because of the long time line associated with securing that location. Should the current perceived situation change significantly and if the site became rapidly available, that location would be reassessed.

A new arena would have suites and club seating. Suites and club seats provide areas for a higher level of comfort and service to be available to event patrons. Suites and club seats also provide an important revenue stream to the arena operations.

The Mayors Task Force Technical Finance Subcommittee in a report attached to the final project identified over 30 annual and one time potential funding sources to apply to an arena project. The report details the sources of funding and assigns a 'level of difficulty' to each source. Some of the potential funding sources are operationally generated, others would be tax based and would require legislative changes. Detail of these multiple funding sources can be found in the main Task Force report and attachments.

Pershing Center was designed in the 1940's. When WWII started the plans for a municipal auditorium for Lincoln were put on the shelf. In the mid 1950's those same plans were brought out and the decision was made to build Pershing on its' present site. The design, sizing, patron amenities, parking, number of bathrooms, etc are all designed to meet the needs of a 1940's based entertainment industry. Never did the designers anticipate shows that would have up to twelve truckloads of equipment, hang tens of thousands of pounds of lighting and sound from the ceiling, feed 250 persons a sit down china plate meal in the backstage area or have star quality dressing rooms for four major egos at once. The designers didn't anticipate indoor football, monster truck racing, multi court volleyball tournaments or dance and cheerleading clinics that need large warm up area.

Low capacity, aging infrastructure, lack of parking and parking revenue, small concourses that limit food and beverage sales, lack of patron amenities, lack of performer / client amenities, lack of open floor space and a landlocked building footprint combine to make the use and economic return for Pershing less than optimal. The Pershing staff and the City of Lincoln do a good job with a 50 year-old facility but the competition from surrounding communities and the challenges of an out of date physical plant provide sometimes a less than first class experience for the citizens of Lincoln.

The Task Force has suggested to the Mayor that Lincoln could benefit from a Convention Center type of facility. Many local businesses currently could benefit from a sufficiently large convention space attached to a full service hotel. A new arena will be able to bridge the gap for convention space in the short term. A better long-term solution is a phased approach to build an arena first and work with a private developer to site and construct a nearby convention center and hotel to be built after the arena. The West Haymarket site is again a good fit to allow a private developer the ability to assemble a sufficient amount of land with the proper mix of adjacent support facilities like restaurants, retail, sports complexes and close to downtown.

The current convention space in Lincoln is limited. The major areas that currently function as convention spaces are the Embassy Suites and the Marriott Cornhusker. Additional open span "convention floors" are Pershing Center, the Lancaster Event Center and a couple of different buildings at the State Fair Park. The hotel spaces are 12,000 square feet or less and the suggestion to the Mayor is that minimum convention space should be 35,000 square feet or more.