CWS Oversight Committee Meets with NCAA To Recommend New Downtown Stadium

 

Community Presentations Begin Week of March 3rd

(OMAHA, Neb. – February 27, 2008) – Members of the CWS Oversight Committee presented their recommendation for a new home for the Men’s College World Series to NCAA executives during a two-hour meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday. The recommendation called for a new 24,000-seat stadium to be constructed on Qwest Center parking lots C and E in downtown Omaha.

Representing the CWS Oversight Committee at the presentation were Ken Stinson, chairman; Jack Diesing, president of CWS of Omaha Inc. and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey. Members of the committee’s professional team participating in the presentation included Bruce Carpenter of HDR, Martin DiNitto of HOK and Patrick Duffy of McCarthy Capital Corp.

“After thoroughly analyzing all reasonable alternatives, our committee recommended construction of a new baseball stadium in downtown Omaha on City property, currently referred to as Qwest Center parking lots C and E,” according to Stinson. “This recommendation is contingent on CWS of Omaha Inc. securing a long-term contract to host the NCAA College World Series.”

The committee’s presentation highlighted several stadium amenities designed to enhance the championship experience for NCAA student-athletes, member institutions and fans who support the Men’s College World Series. Some of the amenities are:

  • An open concourse with 360-degree walk-around
  • Wider seats with more leg room and improved sight lines to the field
  • 28 luxury suites
  • 14,000 reserved seats, 5,292 general admission seats and 4,708 box seats
  • Closer proximity of seating and suites to the playing field
  • Much longer stadium design life
  • Better parking and traffic infrastructure
  • Proximity to downtown amenities such as hotels, restaurants, entertainment, Heartland of America Park, the Old Market, Lewis & Clark Landing, Central Park and a well-defined “Clean Zone”
  • New team clubhouses, batting cages and adjacent practice facilities
  • Expanded administrative offices
  • Dedicated sponsorship areas
 
“The new stadium will have a much improved fan experience – not only for the College World Series, but for the Omaha Royals and Creighton University,” Stinson said. “There will be better parking and traffic infrastructure. And a new stadium downtown will create a unique opportunity for the Henry Doorly Zoo for the next 100 years.”

Total seating distribution in the 24,000-seat stadium includes 14,000 reserved seats, 4,708 box seats and 5,292 general admission seats consisting of continuous benches with backrests provided over cast-in-place concrete treads and risers. A sloping ramp on the outside of the stadium will provide an overlook of the Fan Fest area for general admission fans waiting for entry into the outfield seating areas. Also included are covered party decks on the suite level, 12-foot deep stepped dining terraces for picnic tables and chairs located in the outfield seating areas and open slab areas for portable party tent structures with picnic tables, chairs and food service carts.

In its analysis, the CWS Oversight Committee’s design team cited several design limitations to Rosenblatt Stadium when compared to a new stadium, including narrow and confined concourses, the location of the stadium relative to restaurants and hotels, limited number of clubhouses and student-athlete lounge space, limited NCAA staff office space and inadequate press conference space.

Other limitations at Rosenblatt Stadium when compared to a new stadium include operational inconveniences such as obstructed NCAA committee access to the field, lack of staging areas for activities on the field, inadequate storage areas, insufficient space for NCAA interactive exhibits and lack of space for athletic training and drug testing. The committee felt it was questionable whether a renovation of Rosenblatt Stadium could result in a state-of-the-art venue that, when compared to newer stadiums student-athletes play in during the regular season, is of the “championship quality” the NCAA requires.

Also considered was the continued negative parking impact of the Men’s College World Series on the Henry Doorly Zoo, the risk of losing the Omaha Royals due to displacement during renovation and issues related to property acquisition of land areas west of 13th and south of Bert Murphy Drive for development as a “Clean Zone.”

The recommended site is bounded by 13th Street to the west, Cuming Street and Abbot Drive to the north, 10th Street to the east and Webster Street to the south. The location was one of eight prospective downtown sites considered by the CWS Oversight Committee and its design team. Also considered was a ninth site on the existing Rosenblatt Stadium site.
“A program was developed for a 24,000 seat stadium, listing all the individual spaces and square footage, based on interviews with the CWS, Royals and Creighton, and on the experience of HOK and others on the team,” HDR’s Carpenter explained. “This program, essentially the heart of the design, was used to test potential new sites and modifications at Rosenblatt.”
 An analytical matrix was created, with input from all members of the team, to score each site with respect to site factors, accessibility, urban design and timing. “After scoring the sites, we developed information further and performed a design analysis for comparison of new stadium alternatives and a Rosenblatt renovation with respect to cost,” Carpenter noted. “Major cost elements were analyzed including property acquisition, stadium construction, parking, traffic and infrastructure. At the same time as the cost exercise, alternatives for funding were evaluated, such as public sources, stadium revenue potential and private funding sources.
 
The recommended site offered several advantages, including its proximity to hotels and parking, its views of the city’s skyline, lack of major infrastructure issues and location on city-owned property. The area also represents a high-impact entrance to the city.

Total cost of the new stadium is estimated at $127.84 million, plus an additional $11.95 million required to retire the existing Rosenblatt Stadium debt and secure control of Rosenblatt property. Private donations would account for $42.95 million for a new downtown stadium, which includes the $11.95 million to retire the existing Rosenblatt debt. The remaining amount would be paid from a combination of stadium revenues, proposed increases in hotel/motel and car rental taxes and Keno funds.

“It should be noted that, excluding the contribution to acquire the Rosenblatt property for the zoo, the private contributions would be about 22 percent to 24 percent of the project cost for either the downtown stadium or the Rosenblatt Stadium alternative,” Stinson reported. “Another important factor in the committee’s recommendation was that we get a new state-of-the-art stadium with a long design life for the same cost to the public as renovating Rosenblatt,” Stinson emphasized.

Heritage Services, a local private fund-raising group, has taken the lead in raising the private funds among Omaha corporations and individuals for the stadium. Heritage Services has a proven record in raising private funds for significant projects, including $100 million for the Holland Center and $75 million for the Qwest Center.

In addition to serving as the new home of the Men’s College World Series, it is anticipated that both Creighton University and the Omaha Royals will use the stadium for their scheduled home baseball games. Representatives of Creighton University and the Omaha Royals serve on the CWS Oversight Committee and will be consulted on the future programming and design development phases of the project for their input on desired use of the facility.
The CWS Oversight Committee has created a Web site (www.omahastadium.com) where visitors will find all programming and pre-design reports, the CWS Oversight Committee presentation to the NCAA and other related information.

“The Committee understands the importance of fully informing the public of its analysis and conclusions and of the need to provide detailed information on the estimated costs and the sources of funding,” Stinson acknowledged. “Our committee will seek input from the public in a series of public meetings very similar to those conducted prior to the development of the Qwest Center in 2000.  

“We’re looking forward to another generation with Omaha as the host city for the College World Series,” Stinson added. “We’re improving the Road to Omaha, and have once again demonstrated our community’s ability to respond to opportunities.

“In addition, the committee looks forward to working with the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) board to agree on a workable solution for the stadium on Qwest Center lots C and E and to begin crafting an operations and management agreement for the new stadium.”

The schedule of public meetings is March 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lauritzen Gardens in the Great Hall; March 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at Omaha North High School gymnasium; and March 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Westside High School auditorium.