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Omaha business wants naming right to new stadium

An Omaha financial company has expressed an interest in securing the naming rights to the new downtown baseball stadium that will replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site for the College World Series beginning in 2011.

The Omaha World-Herald reported Wednesday that TD Ameritrade has made their interest known in a letter to David Sokol, chairman of the Metrpolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA). MECA is handling all aspects of the new stadium, including naming rights, as part of its management agreement with the city.

TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia told the newspaper that the company is hoping to get the naming rights, and when asked if the company was willing to pay the estimated $750,000 that is being projected as the asking price for naming rights, he told the World-Herald that the figure is in the neighborhood.

The World-Herald also reported that if TD Ameritrade secures the naming rights, they would be willing to make a contribution toward the $43 million in private fundraising that would help pay for construction of the $140 million stadium.

Omaha, NCAA to sign CWS contract today

The 2008 College World Series is on the minds of most Omahans today, but Mayor Mike Fahey will be looking ahead to the future of the tournament today.

The city of Omaha and the NCAA are expected to formally sign an agreement today that will keep the College World Series in OMaha through 2035, with the tournament being played in a new stadium downtown near the Qwest Center beginning in 2011.

Additionally, the Omaha City Council is expected to ratify an agreement with the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) to build and run the new downtown stadium. The council is also expected to approve several measures regarding the new stadium, including the approval of increases in the city's car rental fees and hotel tax, which would help fund the new $140 million stadium.

Concerns raised over ballpark's orientation

The building of a new baseball stadium in downtown Omaha may be all but a formality, but that hasn't stopped some people from nitpicking over details of the new stadium.

At the Omaha City Council meeting Tuesday, a small handful of people attended to speak out against the stadium as the city board began considering items that will lead to the building of the stadium.

Most dubious among those criticisms was the orientation of the new park, or the line of sight from home plate to center field. The new design calls for a southeast orientation, which would provide for a view of the downtown skyline.

Critics, though, feel that the stadium should be facing to the northeast, the same way Rosenblatt Stadium now faces. One critic was quoted in the Omaha World-Herald saying "We will regret it forever if we don't face it in the right direction." Others claim that fans would be overly exposed to the sun with a southeast-facing ballpark.

Councilman Franklin Thompson pointed out that not every stadium faces to the northeast. In fact, Haymarket Park -- home of the Nebraska Cornhusker baseball team -- also faces to the southeast and provides a view of Memorial Stadium as well as the Lincoln downtown skyline. Thompson also said that engineers working on the project noted that the southeast-facing design would allow for an angle at which the sun shines on Omaha that would eliminate any sun problems.

Other concners were raised regarding the proposed increase in rental car taxes and keno revenue, but city officials quashed those concerns as well.

The World-Herald reported that city attorney Paul Kratz said that a final design has not been created, but that the public would have "zero official input" in the design process.

A sudden change of heart over hotel tax rates

As human beings, we have the opportunity to form an opinion on a subject, with the option of reassessing and even changing our belief based on new information.

This, however, is simply amazing.

Three months ago, as the concept for a new downtown stadium in Omaha was gaining ground, Mayor Mike Fahey said that part of the funding for Rosenblatt Stadium's replacement would come from a 1 percent increase in hotel taxes.

Judging from the response at that time by the Metropolitan Hospitality Association, you would have thought the end of the world would arrive if this tax increase went through. Omaha already has one of the highest hotel tax rates in the country, they said. It would drive convention business away from the city, they worried. It would make other cities more attractive to people looking to grow their business in bigger markets, they claimed.

Three months later, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the MHA had decided that the hotel tax wasn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, it was such a GOOD idea that they asked the mayor to increase it by an ADDITIONAL half-point, with the revenue from that extra increase going to the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau to fund promotion of Omaha as a destination point.

Good heavens -- somebody could sprain something doing a 180-degree turn that quickly. Are you kidding? The MHA has gone from being AGAINST a 1 percent increase in the hotel tax to being IN FAVOR of an increase that is actually HIGHER than the original suggestion?

Of course, the hotel tax is a good idea in that it would help eliminate the need to raise property taxes in a city that is already taxed out. People who were initially against the new stadium worried about the effect it would have on property taxes, but the stadium funding will come from hotel and car rental taxes, keno revenue and stadium revenue.

We just find it strange that an organization that was so adamantly opposed to a hotel tax increase, suddenly, is now not only in favor of it, but wants to see it raised higher than originally announced. We wonder what would cause such an immediate 180-degree turn in the thinking of the MHA.

New stadium may lose old tenant

One of the assumptions with building a new stadium to replace Rosenblatt Stadium has been that the Omaha Royals would play in the new stadium when the College World Series isn't in town, as they have throughout their history.

That may not be the case, though. In fact, there is concern that the Royals may leave Omaha for a new home.

Recently, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the team's management was not commenting on reports that the team has drawn the interest of suitors in the Texas cities of Sugar Land, Katy and McAllen, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia.

Team president Alan Stein told the newspaper that the only entity the team is negotiating with is the Metropolitain Entertainment Convention Authority, which will run the new downtown stadium in Omaha. They have had no formal or informal negotiations with any other city or group interested in bringing the Royals to their city.

Having the Royals as a tenant at the new stadium was part of the financial plan set forth in the new stadium agreement. How a Royals departure would affect the new stadium's plans remains to be seen, but there is always the possibility the city could lure another minor league club. They could also field a team in the American Association, which includes franchises in Lincoln, Sioux City, Sioux Falls and other area cities.

New stadium is a done deal with 25-year agreement

The people of Omaha can exhale now -- the College World Series won't be going anywhere until 2035.

It's hard to imagine what the game of baseball will be like a quarter of a century down the road. When you think about it, 25 years ago from now was 1983. Back then, we saw some tremendous talent play in Rosenblatt Stadium that would eventually wind up in the big leagues. Some of the guys on the all-tournament team that year are names you no doubt remember in big-league uniforms -- Dave Magadan (Alabama), Chris Sabo (Michigan), Barry Bonds (Arizona State), Pete Incaviglia (Oklahoma State) and Calvin Schiraldi (Texas) all made names for themselves in Major League Baseball after showcasing their talents at the College World Series in 1983.

The tournament will remain at Rosenblatt Stadium until 2010, when the current agreement between the city of Omaha and the NCAA runs out. In the summer of 2011, the tournament will move up 13th Street a few miles to a brand new stadium that will be built just a Bob Horner moon shot away from the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha.

There are so many memories college baseball fans have of Rosenblatt Stadium, memories that will no doubt be hard to replace even after "The Johnny" is torn down after the 2010 College World Series. As it always is, though, the memories of days gone by will be the foundation for new memories that will no doubt be created in a brand new 24,000-seat facility that will be built with this tournament's best interests in mind.

Omaha has been the perfect host for this tournament. With its central location and the timing of the season, there is no better place on this planet for a tournament as unique as the College World Series. The NCAA recognized this and went beyond its comfort zone of short-term agreements to keep the College World Series in a city that has treated the NCAA very, very well over the years.

The College World Series has also served as a calling card for the city in helping to bring other NCAA tournaments to town. Omaha hosted the NCAA volleyball tournament in 2006 and will do so again later this year. Earlier this year, it hosted an NCAA basketball regional for the first time in over three decades. Two years from now the NCAA Div. I wrestling championships will come to Omaha.

The last hurdle to the process will be approval by the Omaha City Council, and that is not expected to be a problem despite the fact there is at least one member on the seven-member board who has said he will vote against any and all stadium-related issues. The 25-year agreement the NCAA will sign later this spring makes this a done deal, and it will be great for baseball fans to continue coming to Omaha to see the College World Series well into the 21st century.

Proposed streetcar system would go by new stadium

With a new stadium to replace Rosenblatt Stadium all but a done deal, the big concern for College World Series fans might be centered around parking.

While parking at Rosenblatt Stadium is nothing short of a nightmare -- unless you want to pay $20 to park in somebody's back yard -- the situation at a new stadium will be helped with more available spaces and could be further improved with a streetcar system that is being touted by Mayor Mike Fahey.

Fahey has plans to build a $55 million streetcar loop that would run through the Old Market, the north downtown area and Creighton University. The proposed loop would also bring the streetcar near the front entrance of the new stadium.

It's an idea Fahey has proposed several times, and he actually received a privately-funded proposal in 2006, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Fahey tabled the idea to spend more time securing a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha, which resulted in the proposed new stadium that has resulted in a minimum 20-year agreement for the NCAA to continue using Omaha as the host site for the College World Series.

There are a number of hoops that must be cleared before this streetcar system becomes a reality, including how a system would be funded. The streetcar loop would be built into current traffic lanes on streets along the proposed route, and vehicles could still use the lane for traffic.

NCAA agrees to 25-year deal with Omaha

The College World Series won't be leaving Omaha for a long, long time.

Tuesday afternoon, the College World Series of Omaha Inc. organization announced it had reached an agreement with the NCAA that will keep the college baseball tournament in Omaha through 2035.

Last week, a memorandum of agreement between the two sides noted that the College World Series would stay in Omaha for at least 20 years, but now it will be 25 years before Omaha has to worry about negotiating with the NCAA.

Under the agreement, the majority of revenue that comes from the two-week tournament will go to take care of the city's stadium construction debt, which is expected to be about $140 million. The remaining funds will go to stadium operation expenses and upkeep, reserve funding for stadium expenses and the NCAA.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, the stadium is projected to bring in about $16 million in 2011, the first year it is open. Of that revenue, $6.5 million would go to settle construction debt, the NCAA would get $5 million and another $3.5 million would go to operating expenses. The remaining $1 million would be split between the city and NCAA, with the NCAA receiving 80 percent.

Currently, the NCAA is under contract to hold the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010. Under the current deal, the NCAA receives about $3.3 million from Omaha, so the new deal will be an increase of over 50 percent for the collegiate governing body.

The stadium will be run by the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA), which also oversees the Qwest Center, located just southeast of the new stadium site. MECA will work with the NCAA on securing stadium naming rights, which could bring in close to $1 million annually.

New stadium to be huge lift for Omaha, CWS

College baseball fans can breathe a little easier now, knowing they aren't going to have to worry about finding different hotels, restaurants and watering holes to hang out at during the College World Series.

The "memorandum of understanding" that was signed between the NCAA and Omaha officials means that the College World Series will stay in Omaha well into the 21st century. The current agreement will have the tournament at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010, with the tournament moving to a new downtown stadium for a 20-year run that will keep it in Omaha until 2030.

It has been an interesting 12 months since discussion of a new downtown stadium first started. With cost estimates, controversy surrounding the city's reluctance to give out any details about the stadium and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes with such a project, it's a relief to see that the NCAA has come to realize the crown jewel it has by keeping the College World Series in the same city that has served as the tournament's host for almost 60 years.

This is a unique situation for the NCAA. Normally, their national championship tournaments rotate from city to city, with cities usually getting the tournament for no more than two or three years in a row. The Final Four in both men's and women's college basketball is in a different location each year. The NCAA Div. I wrestling tournament has had its tournament in St. Louis the past two years, but normally rotates it around the country as well. Only the Div. I College World Series stays in the same location every year, and much of that is a testament to what the people of Omaha bring to the table every year and the enjoyment fans have in coming to the middle of the country every year to cheer on their favorite teams.

Certainly, moving to a new stadium is going to be met with some resistance. The people living around the stadium are going to miss out on charging $20 to allow fans to park in their front yards, and some of the traditional atmosphere will be lost in a new stadium. But the positives -- improved parking, better access to hotels and the overall downtown atmosphere near the stadium in the Old Market -- is going to bring a new, exciting vibe to what is arguably college sports' biggest event.

The new stadium will provide a much-needed lift to Omaha's revitalized downtown region and will be a nice complement to the Qwest Center, which was built just a few years ago and is already becoming a top-notch facility in its own right. This is going to be a huge lift, not just for the city of Omaha, but for the College World Series as it continues its long, storied tradition in Omaha, Nebraska.

It's official: College World Series in new stadium

The i's have been dotted and the t's are crossed -- the College World Series will stay in Omaha.

The NCAA and Omaha officials announced late Wednesday that they have put the finishing touches on a memorandum of understanding that will keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2030. The two-week national tournament will be played in a new stadium that will be built in downtown Omaha in two parking lots located just northwest of the Qwest Center.

Currently, the NCAA is holding the College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium. A five-year agreement that runs through 2010 will mean the tournament will have been played in the same location for 61 years when the contract runs out. The first tournament in Omaha took place in 1950.

By 2011, the new $140 million downtown stadium will be ready and the College World Series will move to its new location. The NCAA agreed that it will keep the College World Series in Omaha for 20 years. There had been speculation that the agreement would be for 25 years, but Omaha officials are happy to get a 20-year agreement.

The last sticking point between Omaha and the NCAA was how the money would be split up. This ultimately went Omaha's way, as they agreed that revenue generated by the new stadium would be used in the following priority:

1. annual payments on construction debt

2. stadium and CWS operating expenses

3. payments to a capital improvement fund for future stadium repairs

4. leftover funds would go to the NCAA.

The city hopes to pay the new stadium debt off in about 20 years, using a combination of stadium receipts, private funding and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The two sides spent the better part of two days negotiating the final terms in Omaha earlier this week. NCAA president Myles Brand is expected to sign the agreement in a few days, and the Omaha City Council will have to approve construction contracts and agreements within the next six weeks.

NCAA in town to talk about new stadium deal

Last week, Omaha representatives traveled to Indianapolis to talk with the NCAA about plans for a new downtown stadium.

This week, it was the NCAA's turn to go on the road, and they have been in Omaha the past few days negotiating with Mayor Mike Fahey and city officials over plans to keep the College World Series in Omaha past 2010.

Rosenblatt Stadium has been the host site for over six decades, but plans are in the works to build a new stadium just northwest of the Qwest Center and tear down the 62-year-old stadium in south Omaha, most likely for future use by the nearby Henry Doorly Zoo.

The goal this week is to have a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides. This would, in essence, be the next step toward securing a final long-term deal that would keep the College World Series in Omaha for at least 25 years.

Mayor Fahey has told the local media that they are going to try and get all the remaining issues worked out and were hoping to have an agreement signed by the deadline of Wednesday, April 30. If an agreement is not reached, Omaha can ask the NCAA for an extension. It is likely that an extension would be granted, which would prevent other cities from potentially stealing the College World Series away from Omaha.

Save Rosenblatt group looking at alternatives

It would appear that Rosenblatt Stadium's days are numbered.

The Save Rosenblatt group that was formed last summer to try and offset support for a new downtown stadium has pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that the stadium they want to keep around will soon become a memory in the city's history.

With progress continuing on a new stadium in downtown Omaha, the facility that has hosted the College World Series for the past six decades will soon become a target for a wrecking ball. If the plan goes through, the tournament will be moved to the new stadium, located northwest of the Qwest Center, and play will begin there in 2011.

As part of the financing for the stadium, a donor has committed to giving $12 million to retire the city's debt on the stadium, which came as a result of numerous renovations to the stadium over the years. As a condition of that donation, the stadium would be torn down and the land would be given to the Henry Doorly Zoo for future expansion.

Those in the south Omaha area hope that the zoo will expand and another tourist attraction would be built on the old stadium property. The Omaha World-Herald said that City Council representative Gary Gernandt would like to see something along the lines of the Great Wolf Lodge or a similar type of facility that would cater to families who visit the zoo.

For college baseball fans, it will certainly be a change not going to Rosenblatt Stadium after the 2010 edition of the College World Series. It will also be a big change for people living near the stadium, many of whom sold parking space on their lawns during the tournament to make a little extra money.

Revenue sources in negotiation between Omaha, NCAA

Money is the major hurdle that stands between Omaha and the NCAA when it comes to the future of the College World Series.

Revenue generated from the proposed $140 million stadium would be split between the city and the NCAA. The city has built stadium revenue into its proposal for the new downtown stadium, while the NCAA seeks revenue to help take care of the costs it experiences with running a championship tournament.

Who gets what is something that will continue to be negotiated. Qwest Center president Roger Dixon told the Omaha World-Herald that it's possible that the naming rights for the stadium could be handled through the NCAA with one of its corporate benefactors. Among the NCAA's corporate benefactors are such companies as AT&T, Lowe's, State Farm Insurance and Pontiac. Since the stadium is being built on Qwest Center property, it would seem unlikely that AT&T would be able to attach its name to the stadium.

Stadium naming rights are one of several potential revenue streams that the city and NCAA would share. Other possible revenue opportunities would come from skyboxes and premium seating, among other things.

Omaha is looking for a long-term commitment from the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha well past the current contract, which runs through 2010. Omaha officials are hoping for at least a 20-year agreement, and they are optimistic they can get a deal completed by the end of this month.

Fahey recall effort goes down in flames

In baseball, batting .377 will get you elected to the Hall of Fame.

If you're trying to recall a mayor in Nebraska, though, it won't even get you a cup of coffee.

The group trying to recall Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey over his handling of the issue of replacing Rosenblatt Stadium went down with barely a whimper Tuesday.

The April 22 deadline for securing enough petitions to force a special election to recall the two-term mayor went by with the group coming well short of the required 21,734 signatures needed to force a special election. In the end, the group collected 8,202 signatures, barely a third of the required number.

The result was of little surprise to those who have closely followed this story, as a lot of the angst and frustration over replacing Rosenblatt Stadium died down fairly quickly after the recall effort was announced.

In Wednesday's Omaha World-Herald, recall co-chairman Greg Lyons said a number of factors hurt the group's efforts. The group had just 30 days to collect signatures and didn't get any support from the Save Rosenblatt organization.

The bottom line, though, is that the vast majority of people in Omaha see the value in replacing Rosenblatt with a new downtown stadium, one that will guarantee to keep the College World Series in Omaha well into the 21st century. The 60-year-old Rosenblatt Stadium has reached the point where further additions would not be cost-effective, and there are greater revenue-producing options available with a new downtown stadium.

Omaha officials met with the NCAA earlier this week to begin hammering out a deal, and it is expected that an agreement will be reached by the end of this month, which would allow for the City Council to consider a variety of items that would get work on construction of the new stadium going by later this summer.

Meeting goes well on new stadium

Officials representing Omaha met with the NCAA to discuss the future of the College World Series, and officials on both sides expressed a positive response to Monday's meeting in Indianapolis.

The College World Series will stay at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010, and with a new downtown stadium in the works the city of Omaha is hoping to get the NCAA to commit a long-term deal to keep the tournament in the city that has served as the host for over six decades.

While a commitment was not expected, both sides said that they are negotiating on how to split revenues generated during the two-week tournament. Omaha officials, obviously, are relying on revenue generated through concessions, skyboxes, premium seating and naming rights to help fund part of the $140 million stadium project and they will continue negotiating with the NCAA on a deal in that area.

NCAA officials are satisfied with the city's plan for the new 24,000-seat stadium, which would be built northwest of the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha. It is hoped that an agreement can be reached by the end of this month so that the Omaha City Council can vote on items relating to the construction in the next month or so. The goal is to have the stadium ready for the 2011 season and for the NCAA to continue using Omaha as the host site for the College World for 20 years or more.

Omaha starting negotiations with NCAA

A group of people representing Omaha is meeting with the NCAA today in Indianapolis.

The subject -- the future of the College World Series.

Now that Mayor Mike Fahey has received the blessing of the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA), the next step is to get negotiations going for a long-term contract that would keep the College World Series in Omaha.

The NCAA is under contract to keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2010, with games being played at Rosenblatt Stadium. With almost all the hurdles cleared for a new downtown stadium near Qwest Center that would replace Rosenblatt Stadium, Fahey and Omaha officials are meeting today to get the discussion going for a long-term commitment from the NCAA to play the College World Series in the new stadium.

An agreement is unlikely to be signed today, but Omaha officials are looking for a verbal commitment from the NCAA that would lead to the signing of a contract. It is expected that an agreement will be reached long before the start of this year's College World Series on Saturday, June 14.

Once an agreement is reached between Omaha and the NCAA, the final hurdle to clear will be the approval of several construction-related packages by the Omaha City Council. At this point, it is expected those will pass, but not without objection. At least two council members are on record saying they will vote against anything relating to this project, but it appears there are enough favorable votes on the board to pass the stadium through.

NCAA needs to keep College World Series in Omaha

Two years from now, a tradition over 60 years in the making is going to end -- the College World Series will play its last game at Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010.

If the NCAA is smart, though, it won't be the last College World Series game played in Omaha.

For over six decades, college baseball fans have made it a tradition to spend two weeks in Omaha. And while Rosenblatt Stadium has been the focal point of the fans who come to town, the fact is that Omaha makes the College World Series the event that it has become.

The NCAA has a rather easy decision, then, when it comes to whether or not it wants to continue having Omaha as the host city for the College World Series. And the decision is not going to be whether or not to keep the tournament in Omaha. Instead, the decision will come down to numbers -- and the numbers 20 and 30 leap to mind.

The number that the NCAA needs to decide on is the number of years it is willing to commit to play the College World Series at the proposed new stadium in downtown Omaha. After all, the NCAA has (although nobody will publicly admit to it) told the movers and shakers in Omaha that Rosenblatt Stadium has outlived its usefulness as far as the NCAA is concerned.

They have asked for -- and the city has delivered -- a new stadium. So now the question is how long the NCAA is willing to use the new stadium for the College World Series.

We would like to see the NCAA make a serious long-term commitment to the new stadium. The city and NCAA have been running on five-year agreements for several decades at Rosenblatt Stadium, even when the NCAA demanded upgrades to the old stadium on the hill. Omaha complied with every demand the NCAA made and Rosenblatt Stadium served the city and the tournament well for over six decades.

So now it's time for the NCAA to give a little after the city of Omaha has given so much to making the College World Series what it is. The NCAA is not going to get anything near what Omaha has to offer by moving this tournament to Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Orlando or wherever else they might find potentially suitable. It's the NCAA's tournament, to be sure, but it wouldn't be what it is without Omaha.

Omaha officials need to go in with a big number. A 20-year agreement should be an absolute minimum. The NCAA should commit to at least 30 years, and it would be a tremendous compliment to the city if it would match the 60 years it played at Rosenblatt Stadium with a 60-year deal (although, we'll admit, that might be a little too much to ask).

The NCAA can do what it wants with the College World Series. Whatever they do, though, they need to make sure they keep playing the Div. I college baseball championships in the city that helped make it the event it has become -- Omaha, Nebraska.

Update on downtown stadium issues

There are still a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up on the issue of a new baseball stadium in downtown Omaha.

The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority approved an agreement earlier this week that will allow a new stadium to be built in Lot C and Lot E, two parking lots located northwest of the Qwest Center.

The city gave up some property that will be used by MECA for future parking and hotel opportunities. Construction on the parking lots should begin this summer, pending Omaha City Council approval.

Mayor Mike Fahey and other Omaha officials will head to Indianapolis next week to work out a long-term agreement with the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha past 2010. Reports have varied on the length of that contract, but expect it to be a minimum 20-year agreement that the city will ask for.

There are still some other outstanding issues, though, that are going to need to be addressed before the stadium is a go.

First is the future of Creighton University and the Omaha Royals, both of who are expected to use the facility when the College World Series isn't in session. The Omaha World-Herald reproted that Creighton has tentatively committed to playing its home games in the new stadium.

The Omaha Royals, though, aren't quite on board yet. They have benefitted from a sweetheart deal with the city over the years, paying just $5,000 a year to use Rosenblatt Stadium. They also get to keep all the proftis from concessions sold during their games, and get a 9 percent cut of College World Series concessions. The city also pays the Royals $100,000 to vacate the stadium during the College World Series. MECA officials are confident they can generate enough revenue, regardless of whether or not the Royals stay in Omaha or move somewhere else.

The Omaha City Council will be the final hurdle to the stadium project. Sometime this summer, they will begin discussion on a variety of contracts relating to street reconstruction, land purchases and construction of the new stadium. At least two City Council members have expressed their intent to vote against any stadium-related proposals, but it's expected that there will be enough support on the council to make the stadium happen.

Then there's the little item of a recall petition to have Fahey run out of office. Supporters of the effort need to collect 21,734 signatures by next Tuesday. They aren't saying how many they have, increasing speculation that there isn't enough support for a recall election to take place. If one does take place, it would actually happen during the College World Series, which would be something of a black eye for the city to experience in a setting of national interest.

MECA approves stadium agreement

Mayor Mike Fahey and MECA are now officially on the same page.

Monday morning, the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA) approved an agreement with the Omaha mayor that would allow the city to build a new downtown baseball stadium.

The agreement notes some changes from the original proposal, but there will be no change to the projected $140 million price tag for the new stadium, which will be paid for through private funding, stadium revenues and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The city will have to create two funds that were not in the original plan. One is a $5 million capital improvement fund for future stadium repairs, a fund similar to one currently in place for the Qwest Center and Hilton hotel. The city must contribute a minimum of $250,000 annually to this fund, and any profits from the stadium that are not needed to cover construction debt would also go into this fund.

The second fund is a debt reserve fund that would be used to make debt payments on the stadium if planned revenue sources come up short.

Officials said that these additional funds would not create an additional tax burden, because the original plan had a $19 million funding cushion that would cover items such as this.

Parking was also addressed in the agreement, and the city will create 369 additional stalls, an increase from the 100 stated in the original proposal.

To do that, the city will convert an area on Capitol Avenue from 10th to 12th streets into a 509-space parking lot. They would have to acquire two properties along that stretch for the parking, which will eventually be converted to hotel space by MECA.

The city will also purchase 10 acres from Gallup, located northeast of the convention center, to expand parking for an additional 600 spaces, and expand another lot southeast of the arena. Two city lots with 153 spaces, located under Interstate 480, would come under MECA's control.

The next step in the process will come next week when Fahey and other local officials sit down with the NCAA in their Indianapolis headquarters to hammer out a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha. Currently, the NCAA is committed to playing the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010, but city officials are hoping to get an agreement of as long as 30 years to host the tournament at the new stadium.

Once that agreement is reached, it will fall upon the shoulders of the Omaha City Council to approve the required items to make the stadium a reality. If all goes as planned, the stadium would be ready for the start of the 2011 season and would be used by Creighton University and the Omaha Royals, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

MECA to decide on agreement today

Today, the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority will discuss the agreement its board chairman reached with the city regarding the downtown baseball stadium issue.

If the MECA board approves it, it will mark the next step in the process of building a new baseball stadium that would replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site of the College World Series.

A committee working on a new stadium site selected parking lots C and E northwest of the Qwest Center as the ideal location for a new baseball stadium, a decision that did not sit well with MECA initially. After several months of negotiations, an agreement was finally reached last week between Mayor Mike Fahey and MECA chairman David Sokol.

The agreement includes naming MECA as the administrator of the stadium, as well as giving MECA property south and west of the Qwest Center to develop for parking and a new hotel. It is expected that the five-member MECA board will approve this agreement, allowing the process to continue forward.

Once that agreement is approve, Fahey will meet with officials from the NCAA in Indianapolis to hammer out a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha. The current contract runs through 2010, and it is expected that the new contract would include a minmum 20-year agreement to continue the College World Series in Omaha, the tournament's host city since 1950.

After an agreement is reached with the NCAA, it will fall upon the Omaha City Council to approve the items needed to make the new stadium happen. The first vote, expected in early summer, is to approve contracts to demolish the former Swanson plant at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue. That property would then be turned over to MECA for development of parking and hotel space.

MECA to discuss agreement; City, NCAA to meet

Now that the City of Omaha and the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA) are on the same page, the next 10 days will be important to the future of a new downtown baseball stadium in Omaha.

Late last week, Mayor Mike Fahey and MECA chairman David Sokol announced that they had reached an agreement in principle on the issues surrounding the building of a new baseball stadium on two parking lots northwest of the Qwest Center. The stadium would replace Rosenblatt Stadium and become the future home of the College World Series, possibly as soon as 2011.

The city has agreed to avoid developing any remaining parking lots around the Qwest Center without MECA's permission and involvement. Additionally, the city gave MECA the right to develop the former Pinnacle property at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue, located just southwest of the Qwest Center, for future parking, hotel and retail space.

The next step comes Monday, when the MECA board will meet and formally approve the agreement. Sokol was confident he could get the board's approval on the project, which would be the next step toward a new downtown baseball stadium.

Once that approval is reached, Fahey will meet with the NCAA, probably on Monday, April 21, to put together a new long-term agreement. Currently, the NCAA is committed to playing the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010. The hope is that Fahey and the NCAA will put together an agreement of at least 20 years to play the College World Series in the new downtown ballpark, beginning in 2011.

Even if Fahey and the NCAA hammer out an agreement, a final pitch must be made to the Omaha City Council to make the new stadium a reality. The City Council must approve all the contracts related to the construction, and that's not as solid a guarantee as it is with the MECA board. At least one councilman is on record against the new stadium, while the other board members have either been silent or are leaning in favor of the new stadium.

Rosenblatt Stadium's days are numbered

More and more, it's looking like the days of the College World Series being played at Rosenblatt Stadium are numbered.

With the recent work done by officials in Omaha, it is quite likely that the College World Series will be played in a new stadium in 2011, whether in Omaha -- the tournament's host city since 1950 -- or in another stadium in another city.

A lot of work has gone into designing a new stadium. You can go to the Omaha Stadium website for all the details on the new stadium, including a recently-added fly-by animation of the stadium.

The biggest hang-up in the progress of this concept has been the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA), which oversees operations of both the Qwest Center and Omaha City Auditorium.

For several weeks, MECA officials were at odds with Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey over the use of two parking lots located north of Qwest Center as the location for a new downtown stadium. Taking away over 900 parking stalls was not viewed as a good solution by MECA officials, as well as those who regularly attend events at the Qwest Center and find parking somewhat difficult at times.

A lot of negotiations and behind-the-scenes work has made it possible for MECA to finally get on board with this project. They are expected to formally approve the plans at their meeting next Tuesday. After that, Fahey will meet with officials from the NCAA to hammer out a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha for at least 20 years.

The new stadium is expected to cost around $140 million, and no local property tax dollars are expected to be used to fund the stadium. Funding is expected to come from stadium revenue, local donations and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The College World Series will continue to be played at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010. If an agreement is reached between the city and the NCAA and the Omaha City Council approves everything, that will be the last year fans will gather at "The 'Blatt" to watch the best in college baseball compete for a College World Series title.

City Council should get stadium items in late April

By the end of this month, the Omaha City Council should be deciding the final fate of the proposed downtown stadium that would replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site for the College World Series.

Later this month, the council is expected to vote on a proposal to bid out for contracts to demolish the former Swanson frozen-dinner plant, located at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue in downtown Omaha. The property is located just south and west of the Qwest Center, and would be used as parking that would replace lots C and E, which is where the new stadium would be built.

That location, which MECA has gained the right to develop, along with two other properties on the east side of 12th Street, are the target location for a future hotel. A new hotel would add more opportunities for lodging near the new baseball stadium.

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey is expected to meet with the NCAA within the next two weeks to work on a long-term agreement that would keep the College World Series in Omaha well past the current agreement, which ends in 2010. Omaha officials are looking at a minimum 20-year agreement, with some reports suggesting an agreement as long as 30 years between the NCAA and the city. The College World Series will celebrate its 60th year in Omaha during the final year of the current agreement.

The bigges challenge will come after that, when the city will be asked to vote on contracts that would approve an increase in the hotel tax and per-car rental fee, which is part of the plan for financing the new $140 million stadium. It would also have to approve all construction and demolition projects, as well as the agreement between the city and the NCAA.