October 5, 2007

Rosenblatt - should it stay or should it go?

Rosenblatt Stadium, which was built in 1947, has been hosting this event since 1950. Originally called Omaha Municipal Stadium, the name was changed in 1964 to honor the late Johnny

	Omaha's Rosenblatt stadium - Home of the College World Series since 1950.

Rosenblatt. Johnny played amateur, semipro and professional baseball before becoming mayor of Omaha from 1954 until 1961.

The stadium, affectionately called "the Blatt", represents what college baseball is all about - teamwork, dedication and camaraderie. It is rich with history, tradition and emotion.

The problem is - like everything else, it has become outdated. Although more than $35 million in improvements have been made to the stadium since 1989, the NCAA has presented a request for such things as more open concourses, a larger area for fan activities outside the stadium and access to more hotels and restaurants. They are also requesting a clean zone be created where unauthorized advertising, merchandise and alcohol are prohibited.

One tradition that had been taking place since the 80's ended this year with the eviction of Dingerville. Dingerville was created by a group of RVer's who met each year and camped out throughout the series together. Originally located on the south side of the stadium, the often muddy campsite was home to a unique group of characters from all over the country who really loved baseball. In 2000, the City of Omaha relocated the temporary RV township out of the mud to the north side of the stadium and even provided water and electricity for the group. The campsites were so popular that spots were assigned through a lottery system. Each RV owner paid a $350 fee which generated about $11,000 for the city. That all ended when the city decided to expand the fan fest area and needed to relocate some vehicle parking, thus eliminating a tradition that had been going on for over 20 years.

With attendance growing each year (this year's series drew an average of 23,131 to each session compared to 1,781 in 1950), it has become obvious that some changes need to take place. An earlier plan was to spend $26 million upgrading Rosenblatt and the area around the stadium in exchange for a 10-year contract.

That plan has now been scrapped by the mayor's office and replaced with a proposal to build a brand new 25,000 seat stadium downtown north of the Qwest Center. Although the NCAA is endorsing the new plan, they have not yet committed to a 20-year contract which the mayor has said is part of the deal. The NCAA negotiates directly with a group called the College World Series of Omaha Inc. who in turn, leases the facility from the city.

The Omaha Royals (triple-A franchise of the Kansas City Royals) also plays their home games at Rosenblatt. They have not provided an endorsement for the new stadium as of yet.

If the decision is made to build a new stadium, many questions will need to be answered. The obvious one is - how will it be paid for? The Fahey administration has not offered any projected costs or detailed plans for either tearing down and rebuilding Rosenblatt (another option that has been considered) or building a new ballpark downtown. He did say he was exploring funding options beyond property taxes. 

The mayor announced one of those options just today - He is proposing a 2% entertainment tax. This would apply to entertainment such as bowling or golf as well as to prepared food and beverages.

There is also the issue of $13 million in unpaid bonds for improvements that have already been made to Rosenblatt. The hope is that someone will purchase the Rosenblatt site and help offset the cites financial obligation. There has been no interest in this property to date.

The mayor has acknowledged that he wants to avoid a vote on this issue because he says it would

	More than $35 million in improvements have been made to Rosenblatt stadium since 1989.

be divisive, time-consuming and expensive. A newly created 'Save Rosenblatt Committee' has already produced a petition with over 14,000 signatures from people who want to save the old stadium and has presented that to the NCAA, CWS Inc. and city leaders. They have also hired their own architect to develop a plan to improve Rosenblatt.

If the Fahey administration opts to finance the new stadium with general obligation bonds that rely on property taxes, an election would automatically be triggered. Voters did approve a $198 million bond in 2000 to build the Qwest Center but are they willing to see an increase in their property taxes again to finance a structure that will obviously add to the downtown - riverfront development? That is undoubtedly up for debate.

The decision remains - do we the people of Omaha want a new polished looking state-of-the-art stadium that will enhance the downtown area and add to the skyline view of the riverfront or should the Road to Omaha continue to lead into the historical field in which so many dreams have come true for 57 years?

The 'Road to Omaha' statue was created by John Lajba of Omaha and has been in front of Rosenblatt Stadium since 1998.