OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha voters gave their approval for the
construction of a convention center here.
Sixty-three percent of voters supported a $198 million bond
issue for the bulk of the project's funding.
They also voted to amend the city charter to create an
independent authority to develop and operate the facility.
Following the favorable ballot, the city's Metropolitan
Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) will be made into a
permanent authority.
MECA said it expected ground to be broken for the center in
January and the facility to open in fall 2003.
The Omaha Convention Center will be built on a 422-acre site
north of downtown. Formerly a Union Pacific railroad yard, the site
has been purchased by the city and is being cleaned.
The total cost of the center is $281 million. The city has
raised $75 million in donations to supplement the bond issue,
leaving it to raise the remaining $8 million.
The city will begin the project shortly with a request for
proposals for the demolition of the Abbott Drive southbound
viaduct.
The center will include 195,000 square feet of exhibition space,
a 30,000-square-foot ballroom, additional meetings rooms totaling
40,000 square feet and an arena with seating for more than 17,000.
The center and the arena will be connected by an area that can
provide additional usable space for both facilities.
It will have a main concourse with concessions and food
courts.
According to MECA, several major hotel companies have announced
plans to build near the location, and a search is under way for an
anchor hotel to be built on the site.
"Omahans want their city to be one of the premiere entertainment
and meetings centers of the central U.S., and we're prepared to
make an investment in that goal," said Richard Berry, MECA's
executive director.
He said the strong voter turnout is an indication that the city
is eager to host larger regional and national conventions, sports
events and concerts.