The Air Force Base
from the 1964 Air Force Base manual
The base has facilities for using the equipment, including a tennis court, a lighted football field is laid out. A swimming pool is available near the NCO Club and also the Officers Club. Also provided is a field for the use of model airplane hobbyists.
The base sponsors a judo team which offers exhibitions on the base, in Lincoln, and surrounding communities.
A bowling alley is also available for the bowling fans. There are 10 lanes and they are equipped with AMF Automatic Pinsetters. The bowling alley is air-conditioned and has a snack bar located inside. The alley is open 1100 to 2400 hours seven days a week. Open bowling available.
History of the Air Park (Arnold Heights) Recreation Center
1954: The building that houses the current Air Park Recreation Center was built as part of the Lincoln Air Base facilities. It is located east of NW 48th Street at 3720 NW 46th Street in northwest Lincoln.
1979: Air Park Recreation Center opens to serve families of the Arnold Heights neighborhood. It includes a gym, fitness/weight room, computer/study room and a game/activity room.
2013: Arnold Elementary School is relocated west of NW 48th Street. Space reserved for relocation of the Air Park Recreation Center next to the school.
2020: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approves master plan for the Air Park Recreation Center Replacement project.
The old days
Air Park originally started its life as Arnold Heights Recreation Center. Arnold Heights was created in January of 1971 to serve the students of Arnold Elementary School and low-income families in the Arnold Heights area. The Director of this center and a champion for offering programs for low-income families, Emma Roseberry made sure that the City of Lincoln offered opportunities for every citizen. Arnold Heights Recreation Center became so popular that classes were being added very frequently, and soon the center itself was unable to hold the amount of people and activities that were required of it. Roseberry continued to work for Arnold Heights, requesting that the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department find a solution to help families and students in the Arnold Heights area.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the City of Lincoln began developing an area of land near the Lincoln Airport. The area was notably named Air Park. Neighborhoods, shopping centers, and companies started sprouting up in this area like wildfire. This exponential growth was happening right next door to the Arnold Heights neighborhood, directly affecting everything from its schools to its recreation center. In 1973 it was decided that Arnold Heights Recreation Center could no longer adequately provide for the growth that the area was experiencing. A new, more centrally located recreation center would be created to provide for families and students in the Arnold Heights and Air Park neighborhoods. The Air Park Recreation Center was dedicated and opened in 1974. The new recreation center served community members with a variety of needs and interests, from students needing physical activity and stimulation after school, adults wanting to learn a new skill in classes offered, to groups joining together and playing in tournament sports.
As of 1979 Emma Roseberry was the director of the recreation center.
Just Recently
In 2018 it was announced that Air Park would undergo major renovations. In the 44 years since its construction, the area of town had grown more, and the recreation center could no longer hold the facilities needed to support its needs. Today, Air Park serves the community in the same ways it has since its beginning. Through the efforts of Emma Roseberry and many directors after her, Air Park will continue to be improved to be a staple in the Air Park and Arnold Heights communities.