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Friday's game between Lincoln Northwest and Ralston is seen through temporary fencing at Union Bank Stadium. It was the inaugural game at the stadium.
Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne speaks during a LPS Foundation fundraising event supporting new athletic facilities before Friday's high school football game between Lincoln Northwest and Ralston at Union Bank Stadium.
A full buildout of the shared athletic complexes planned for Lincoln's two new high schools would give students more opportunities to compete and perform, spur economic growth and provide scheduling flexibility, officials say.
But first, Lincoln Public Schools needs to raise the remaining half of the $32.4 million required to complete the facilities, which will be shared by city schools and will alleviate scheduling headaches for varsity teams.
The Fielding Dreams campaign — which kicked off Friday with a tailgate and formal announcement before Lincoln Northwest's first football game — will aim to do just that over the next two years.
A shared-use soccer complex is planned at Standing Bear High School, where private funds will be used to build out a stadium with 1,000 seats, artificial turf and press box.
The Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools' fundraising initiative would bring facilities up to championship level — high-quality fields that can host varsity competitions for all of the city's public high schools — and pay for additional fields, seating, concessions and restrooms not paid for through the district's most recent $290 million bond issue.
The most notable items targeted in the fundraising effort are a fieldhouse at Northwest — similar to the Copple Center at Seacrest Field — with space for locker rooms, training areas, restrooms and concessions, as well as a centerpiece soccer stadium and softball complex at Standing Bear High School.
During the planning process for the 2020 bond issue, an advisory committee identified additional space for athletics and activities as a key need for the district, especially for football, soccer, tennis, baseball and softball, and activities such as marching band.
With full buildout of the high school sites and other district classroom needs included, LPS landed on a $450 million price tag. But in order not to raise the tax levy, officials whittled that figure down to a $290 million bond issue, with only $15.4 million set aside for the athletic complexes, or roughly 50% of what was needed.
Now, the foundation is tasked with raising the rest of the money.
"This is the first time that the district and the foundation have ever done anything like this," LPS Foundation President Wendy Van said. "The school board had to make those tough decisions ... and they wanted to keep the bond money as close to the classroom as they possibly could."
Funds from the Fielding Dream campaign would be used to complete a four-field softball complex at Standing Bear to be shared by the city's high schools. One of the fields would have artificial turf.
The original designs for shared athletic complexes at both sites have remained relatively unchanged — the number of fields and courts will stay the same — but work will be completed in phases.
Plans called for all LPS schools to use the football/track stadium and baseball field at Northwest, and soccer, softball and tennis teams to play at the shared complex at Standing Bear.
Northwest, located at Northwest 48th and West Holdrege streets, opened earlier this year, while Standing Bear will open next August at 70th Street and Saltillo Road.
"We believe that the original vision was pretty solid, and we stuck to it," LPS Director of Operations Scott Wieskamp said of the athletic complex plans. "We made cosmetic adjustments just based on things you learn as you get into the site, but for the most part they're the same."
The bond funding paid for the "bare bones" at both sites, Wieskamp said. Cheever Construction netted a bid for the first $15.4 million in projects at both sites in May 2021.
At Northwest, bond funds have already paid for the football/track stadium that can seat about 2,800 spectators, a baseball field, and three tennis courts, football, soccer and softball practice fields for use by Falcon teams.
The capital campaign funds would allow LPS to increase capacity at the stadium to 5,000, build the fieldhouse to the north of the field, and bring the baseball field up to a championship level by adding artificial turf, lighting and seating for up to 700.
It would also pay for an additional varsity-level grass baseball field that will have lights. Fan amenities, such as restrooms and concessions for the other venues outside the football stadium, also need to be funded.
At Standing Bear, bond funding was set aside for a shared-use soccer complex with six varsity fields, with one that can be built out to a championship level with lighting, turf, a grandstand that can seat 1,000 and a press box with campaign funds.
Union Bank & Trust gave an initial boost to Fielding Dreams, a fundraising campaign to complete planned shared athletic complexes at the city's two new high schools. At Union Bank Stadium, officials hope to raise funds to build locker rooms and increase capacity.
The bond also funded a shared-use softball complex with two fields, as well as three tennis courts and practice fields for football and baseball.
Money still needs to be raised, however, to bring one of the softball fields up to a championship level with artificial turf and to add two more softball fields and lighting. Standing Bear will also eventually be home to a shared-use tennis center with six courts if funding is acquired.
Capital campaign funds would also pay for concessions and restroom facilities.
Not only will the facilities be an attractive site for tournaments, but they'll also enable more Friday and weekend contests and allow LPS to move away from football doubleheaders at Seacrest Field, officials say. The facilities also allow for more competition space for junior varsity and other lower-level squads and outside organizations.
The shared athletic complex at Lincoln Northwest High School is centered on a football/track stadium and baseball field.
When complete, the athletic complex at Standing Bear High School will included shared-use facilities for LPS softball, soccer and tennis teams.
There are academic benefits to reap, too, because new fields will drive up participation in extracurricular activities, which has a positive impact in the classroom, Van said.
A feasibility study conducted by LPS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln showed that the complexes would also infuse $3 million annually into the local economy through tournaments and other events and drive further development in areas surrounding the new schools.
The Fielding Dreams campaign has been in the "quiet" fundraising phase for about six months, Van said, and has already raised $2.2 million toward its goal of $17 million. The bulk of that came from a deal LPS struck with Union Bank & Trust to sell the naming rights to the Northwest stadium for $1.5 million.
Similar deals are in the works, Van said.
"We have requests out to I would say 10 or 15 other organizations who are considering significant gifts," she said.
The foundation kicked off the campaign Friday at Northwest ahead of the Falcons' first football game at Union Bank Stadium.
Former Husker men's basketball player Jake Muhleisen — now an executive at Union Bank — and wife Britta will co-chair the campaign alongside Whitehead Oil President Mark Whitehead and wife Chris. Tom and Nancy Osborne and Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine are honorary co-chairs.
An eight-person cabinet — which includes former Superintendent Steve Joel — and a four-member coaches council will advise the campaign.
The timeline for raising the money will depend on the state of the economy, Van said, but is estimated to take 18 to 24 months, with a completion date tentatively set for 2025.
Evans Francis, behavioral interventionist and boys soccer head coach, talks with students at Lincoln Northwest High School on Monday.
Lincoln Northwest High School psychologist Micheale Marcus directs freshmen during a school tour Monday.
The library area at Lincoln Northwest High School is filled with students Monday.
Lincoln Northwest High School students, including Noah Foreman (from right), Brohdy Ferguson and Delaney Ahl check out the cafeteria area Monday.
Union Bank & Trust Stadium at Lincoln Northwest High School is seen under construction Monday.
The cafeteria area at Lincoln Northwest High School.
Lincoln Northwest High School freshmen (from left) James Rodney, James King and Austen Mykhaylyshyn gather at the "learning stairs" Monday.
A locker area at Lincoln Northwest High School is seen Monday.
Lincoln Northwest High School students wait to enter the building Monday.
Union Bank & Trust Stadium at Lincoln Northwest High School is seen under construction Monday.
A classroom at Lincoln Northwest High School.
The parking lot at Union Bank & Trust Stadium at Lincoln Northwest High School is seen under construction Monday.
Lincoln Northwest High School freshmen Maria Manriquez (from left), Kylah Veah, Jurissa Cutshall and Delanie Hulit gather at the "learning stairs" Monday.
Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS
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Zach Hammack, a 2018 UNL graduate, has always called Lincoln home. He previously worked as a copy editor at the Journal Star and was a reporting intern in 2017. Now, he covers students, teachers and schools as the newspaper’s K-12 reporter.
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Monday was the first day of school for freshmen at Lincoln Northwest, the city's seventh high school and the first to open in nearly two decades.
Funds from the Fielding Dream campaign would be used to complete a four-field softball complex at Standing Bear to be shared by the city's high schools. One of the fields would have artificial turf.
Union Bank & Trust gave an initial boost to Fielding Dreams, a fundraising campaign to complete planned shared athletic complexes at the city's two new high schools. At Union Bank Stadium, officials hope to raise funds to build locker rooms and increase capacity.
A shared-use soccer complex is planned at Standing Bear High School, where private funds will be used to build out a stadium with 1,000 seats, artificial turf and press box.
The shared athletic complex at Lincoln Northwest High School is centered on a football/track stadium and baseball field.
When complete, the athletic complex at Standing Bear High School will included shared-use facilities for LPS softball, soccer and tennis teams.
Friday's game between Lincoln Northwest and Ralston is seen through temporary fencing at Union Bank Stadium. It was the inaugural game at the stadium.
Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne speaks during a LPS Foundation fundraising event supporting new athletic facilities before Friday's high school football game between Lincoln Northwest and Ralston at Union Bank Stadium.
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