After 18 months of delays and rising costs, Omaha's ambitious sports complex at Tranquility Park is finally moving forward, with construction potentially starting before Thanksgiving.
"The project will roughly start earthwork this fall is the hope, and then summer of 2027 completion," said Kyle Linden.
When asked about the timeline, Linden confirmed construction could begin within 30 days.
"Yes, ma'am, in the next 30 days," Linden said.
Funding Shortfall Forces Project Changes
The delays came after rising costs and a lack of funding. The current estimated cost sits at $52 million, but the city only has $45 million in funding secured, leaving a $6 to 7 million dollar funding gap.
Because of this shortfall, the city will now have to cut back on the number of fields at the park.
"The $52 million includes the completion of 12 fields plus the grading for the additional 4," Linden said. "And the thought there was, even though we didn't maybe have the full amount that we needed, we could make it pretty efficient by getting the groundwork and the grading done now so it's prepared."
Engineering firm Kiewit will handle the construction work. Though only 12 fields will be added initially, they'll complete the grading for the additional 4 fields, so if extra revenue comes in, they'll be ready for construction.
Council member Brinker Harding expressed concerns about the scaled-back approach.
"I would think to build it at 12 when ideally it should be 16, we should do that from day one, especially if we have the evidence or the statistics or data to support those revenues coming in for those 4," Harding said.
Economic Development Hopes
The city hopes the soccer fields can be used for national tournaments.
"I'm hoping that once we actually start this project, it shows that we're serious, we're now moving forward, so it's gonna give anybody that has development that's already invested quite a bit into this area that it's going to give them the assurance that their investment's going to pay off," said council member Aimee Melton.
The project's scale compares to other Midwest facilities. Creve Coeur Park in Saint Louis features 13 all-weather turf fields and one bluemuda super pitch, while Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City has 9 soccer fields.
The capacity to host large events has attracted investor interest. The city says a developer is looking to build a hotel nearby once the project gets rolling.
To finish the final 4 fields, the city's finance director says the city could seek philanthropy or include funding in the Capital Improvement Program.
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