Ice enthusiasts plug Haymarket arena
Lincoln Journal Star
April 30, 2010
By Deena Winter
Members of the Lincoln Ice Hockey Association and Star City Figure Skating Club urged a "yes" vote on the arena May 11, saying the city needs the additional ice sheets the Breslow Ice Center would bring.
They were part of a Friday press conference organized by the pro-arena Citizens for Jobs and the Lincoln Haymarket Arena.
If voters agree to the arena project, the Breslow Ice Center -- an indoor skating complex -- would have two sheets of ice and be built south of the arena, just north of the Harris Overpass. If the vote fails, the center would likely be built elsewhere.
Parks Director Lynn Johnson said city and university officials looked at several other locations in a "siting study."
Those locations include First and Cornhusker streets (near Oak Lake), Fleming Fields at 33rd and Leighton, south of the Harris Overpass and a couple of locations in the Haymarket area.
But the spot near the proposed arena is preferred due to its proximity to downtown dining and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Johnson said.
It's also the preferred location of John Breslow, who is donating $7 million toward the ice center, which Johnson said could cost up to $18 million.
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Griffin Gale, a member of the Lincoln Ice Hockey Association board, said during hockey season Lincoln families and college students often leave Lincoln to play in tournaments in cities such as Des Moines, Chicago and Kansas City.
He'd like teams in those towns to travel to Lincoln, too.
"The Ice Box is booked solid during hockey season," he said. "There is no ice time to accommodate any significant increase in skaters or to offer more or different programs for Lincoln's youth and adults."
Cynthia Woods, a board member of the Star City Figure Skating Club, often drives her 7-year-old figure skater to Omaha for practice and tournaments.
"When we go to Omaha multiple times a week, we're using entertainment and dining-out money in Omaha," Woods said.
