Omaha Forums

skinzfan23 wrote:

Coyote wrote:4 tickets per family? That is ridiculous.

Sorry grandma and grandpa....you can't attend.

On Friday, OPS officials made the decision to move all of its 2015 high school graduation ceremonies to the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

According to OPS, the venue seats 7,000 people, which is a capacity similar to that of the Civic.

With this space, that means the familiar six per family ticket allowance is back on, with additional tickets available for $3 each.

The Iowa West Foundation has purchased what is sometimes called the “spine” or the buildings in the center’s plaza, IWF President and CEO Pete Tulipana said Wednesday.
The purchase totaled $1.9 million. The intent is to seek entertainment-oriented businesses there, Tulipana said.
The buildings purchased offer 71,478 square feet of leasable space, he said.
Of that amount, 53,901 square feet is currently available.

Efforts to breathe new life into the buildings have just started, Tulipana said, but already “a couple of inquiries” are being looked into.

“Our calendar is stacked up through 2015,” said Mark Vacanti, general manager. “We have only a few open weekends left. In fact, we have only one open weekend between now and July 1. It’s a great story.”
In January, the MAC hosted 16 events, plus smaller meetings, that brought in a total of 43,379 people. Among the events were a model train show, a gymnastics event, a hunting and fishing expo and a bridal fair.
Today through Sunday, the MAC is home to the Tangier Shrine Circus, to be followed by an annual home improvement show and the Arenacross.
The MAC will host numerous Omaha high school graduations this spring, besides those of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln high school in Council Bluffs, Vacanti said.
A bridge tournament is set for the summer, he added.

“Over 130 events are booked between now and 2017, and many more are pending,” Vacanti said. “We have a lot of momentum.”

An announcement might come next month about new development proposals in the Mid-America Center area.
The Iowa West Foundation committed $2 million to the renovation of that business district on Tuesday.
“Our goal is to serve as a catalyst to bring in added economic development to that area,” said the foundation’s president and CEO Pete Tulipana. “The original intent was for that area to be an entertainment center – things to do, places to go.”
Instead, that area, including the buildings in the center’s plaza – sometimes called the “spine” – are now under-utilized. Those buildings offer 71,478 square feet of leasable space. At last report, more than 50,000 square feet was available.
The foundation and a community task force has been “working hard” to identify best uses for the MAC area, Tulipana said.

Pending City Council approval, construction is expected to begin next year on a sports recreation complex featuring eight hard courts as well as a full-service hotel near the MAC.

The total cost of the development is more than $30 million, with the Iowa West Foundation to serve as the master developer.

The total cost of the development is more than $30 million, with the Iowa West Foundation to serve as the master developer.

The proposal, unveiled at a press conference at the MAC this morning, calls for construction of a FieldhouseUSA indoor recreational facility featuring eight volleyball and basketball courts along with construction of a 130-room full-service Courtyard by Marriott hotel that will feature an in-house restaurant and bar. It will also be connected to the Mid-America Center.

The projected total construction cost for FieldhouseUSA is $13.7 million, while the projected total construction cost for the full-service Courtyard by Marriott hotel is $17.5 million. Tulipana said he anticipates an expansion of convention business as well as subsequent development in the surrounding area.

“These developments will serve as a stimulus for a currently underutilized but high-potential area in Council Bluffs,” he said.

The hotel will be approximately five acres in size and constructed in two phases, with 130 rooms initially and a goal of 250 to 300 rooms upon full completion. Each Fieldhouse USA tournament typically drives 375 hotel stays.

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Omababe wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Just look at the license plates in the casino parking lots! Quite a bit of revenue flowing across the river!

MTO wrote:

Omababe wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Just look at the license plates in the casino parking lots! Quite a bit of revenue flowing across the river!

I completely agree with your premis but let's account for the population discrepancy. There are about 900,000 on the Nebraska side and 60,000 on the Iowa side.

NovakOmaha wrote:

MTO wrote:

Omababe wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Just look at the license plates in the casino parking lots! Quite a bit of revenue flowing across the river!

I completely agree with your premis but let's account for the population discrepancy. There are about 900,000 on the Nebraska side and 60,000 on the Iowa side.

Which is why the casinos in CB couldn't get any closer to Nebraska. I'm amazed that there was never one built in Carter Lake.

nebugeater wrote:

NovakOmaha wrote:

MTO wrote:

Omababe wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Just look at the license plates in the casino parking lots! Quite a bit of revenue flowing across the river!

I completely agree with your premis but let's account for the population discrepancy. There are about 900,000 on the Nebraska side and 60,000 on the Iowa side.

Which is why the casinos in CB couldn't get any closer to Nebraska. I'm amazed that there was never one built in Carter Lake.

They started as being as close to Nebraska as possible because they had to be Riverboats at the start. Correct me if I am wrong.

NovakOmaha wrote:

MTO wrote:

Omababe wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:The arguments against legalizing gambling are the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Just look at the license plates in the casino parking lots! Quite a bit of revenue flowing across the river!

I completely agree with your premis but let's account for the population discrepancy. There are about 900,000 on the Nebraska side and 60,000 on the Iowa side.

Which is why the casinos in CB couldn't get any closer to Nebraska. I'm amazed that there was never one built in Carter Lake.

Garrett wrote:Don't remember a few years back when a Native American tribe tried to?

Which is why the casinos in CB couldn't get any closer to Nebraska. I'm amazed that there was never one built in Carter Lake.

Omababe wrote:68% sounds about right. I'll do a quick count tonight if I remember.

Stargazer wrote:

Which is why the casinos in CB couldn't get any closer to Nebraska. I'm amazed that there was never one built in Carter Lake.

Pat Loontjer's head would explode (and then we could get on with the business of establishing a casino in Omaha).

A public hearing on a development agreement between the city and the Iowa West Foundation, the master developer for the project, is set for the next City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 22, City Attorney Richard Wade said. Also on that agenda, the council will be asked to approve a replat of the general area dividing one large lot, which includes the MAC, into several smaller one for future purchase.

Several months ago, the Iowa West Foundation presented plans for an indoor recreational facility featuring 12 volleyball and eight basketball courts, along with construction of a 130-room full-service Courtyard by Marriott hotel that would feature room service, an in-house restaurant and a bar. The hotel will be connected to the Mid-America Center.

The Iowa West Foundation will invest approximately $7 million in construction of a building in the parking area northwest of the Mid-America Center’s arena that will be leased to Texas-based FieldhouseUSA.

With council approval of the agreement, MAC Ventures is expected to purchase the fieldhouse and hotel grounds quickly.