City of Lincoln approves $4.5 million for new youth sports complex
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska) – Lincoln is getting close to having a new youth sports complex.
The city council on Monday gave final approval to use up to $4.5 million in federal COVID-19 aid for the project.
The Lincoln Youth Complex will be constructed on the southeast side of North First Street and Cornhusker Highway, north of Oak Lake Park.
“It’s something we don’t have; many communities around us have these kinds of facilities. I think it will draw people to the city of Lincoln across the Midwest,” said Dwight Merilatt, athletic director of Nebraska Wesleyan University and a member of the complex’s board of trustees.
The 2015 Visioning Group is the non-profit organization behind the operation of the Lincoln Youth Complex.
It is the same non-profit organization that developed the Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The developers say the project will help Lincoln move forward and attract and retain families.
“It will be a game changer for Lincoln in terms of the economic development it will bring to the community,” Merilatt said.
The complex will also host the Nebraska Wesleyan baseball and softball programs.
Merilatt says it will be one of the best sports venues in our area.
“It will be one of the best baseball and softball facilities in the country for us,” he said. “It will be just another way Lincoln can show his pride point across the Midwest.”
Wesleyan will also develop a program for working with underprivileged youth in Lincoln.
The complex will host two championship camps, five youth camps and an additional camp for Homer’s Heroes, a special needs baseball program.
The new complex will cost $27 million, with funding coming from the public and private sectors.
Construction is expected to begin this spring, with completion expected in late fall 2024.
Tags: City of Lincoln, Downtown Lincoln, Haymarket, Lancaster County, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln City Council, Lincoln Development, Lincoln Youth Complex, Lincoln Youth Sports Complex, Nebraskan Wesleyan University, Oak Lake Park, Sports Complex, Youth Sports Complex
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