NSAA to build new HQ

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

The Nebraska School Activities Association announced plans Thursday to build a new 20,000-square-foot headquarters north of Haymarket Park.

The Nebraska Coaches Association and Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame museum will also be housed in the new building north of the Saltdogs stadium on a vacant lot along Charleston Street. Construction could begin later this year or early next year.

Admission prices to subdistrict, district, playoff and state activities will increase by $1 in the fall to help pay for the new building, which will cost an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million, according to NSAA Executive Director Jim Tenopir.

[+]Enlarge

(Courtesy Photo)

(Courtesy Photo)

The six-acre site is owned by the city and subleased by the company that owns the Saltdogs baseball team. The City Council will be asked to approve a new sublease and lease agreement to include the NSAA through the year 2070.

Practice fields were originally planned for the area, until it became clear that home run hits could crack windshields on the interstate.

The NSAA and its 13 staffers have outgrown a 6,000-square-foot building at 8230 Beechwood Drive and they’ve been planning to move for several years. They began looking at other buildings and land in January.

The group governs high school activities and has 313 high school members statewide. It could put its headquarters anywhere, and considered other communities, including Omaha, Grand Island and Kearney.

Tenopir said the association preferred to stay in Lincoln, because it’s home to many state tournaments, the State Capitol, other educational associations and groups with similar missions.

“Our presence in Lincoln means a lot to us,” he said.

However, nobody should take their decision to mean all state tournaments will now be held in Lincoln, Tenopir said. The tourney sites will continue to be allocated through a bidding process.

The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame was founded about 13 years ago, director Dick Beechner said, and has since inducted more than 240 athletes, coaches and others.

The group has dreamed of showcasing athletic memorabilia and history in a museum, and even passed a board resolution a few years ago stating its desire to locate near the Devaney Sports Center. Its board of directors must approve a move.

“Our dream is over,” Beechner said. “We have to get to work” raising funds for a museum.

Currently the hall of fame exists only in Beechner’s basement.

“We’re kind of a traveling road show,” he said, setting up displays at tournaments and coaches clinics around the state. But even after the museum finds a home, Beechner will likely continue to take his show on the road.

He admits the collection is small, so he invites “anyone cleaning out the attic” who finds significant high school athletic memorabilia — such as photos, jerseys, track uniforms or Olympic medals, for example — to consider donating it to the museum.

“Certainly fame is fleeting and this will give us an opportunity to remember the past,” he said. He said Nebraska’s may be the only hall of fame devoted exclusively to high school athletes, which was done to prevent them from being “swallowed up” by other athletic recognition beyond high school.

The Nebraska Coaches Association has been headquartered in Lincoln for more than 55 years, and holds coaches clinics and all-star games in Lincoln.

Steve Johnsen, the association’s executive director, said the group will benefit from co-locating with the NSAA since they do many joint projects.

Mayor Coleen Seng announced the venture at a Thursday press conference, saying the building will fit into the new Downtown Master Plan and possible plans for an arena and convention center in the west Haymarket District area.

“This is a winning combination for the sports community and the city of Lincoln,” she said.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.

Proposed headquarters

What: 20,000-square-foot building to house Nebraska School Activities Association, Nebraska Coaches Association and Nebraska High School Hall of Fame museum.

Where: North of the Saltdogs stadium on a vacant lot along Charleston Street.

When: Construction on the $3.5 million to $4 million building could begin later this year or early next year.

Who will pay?: Admission prices to subdistrict, district, playoff and state activities will increase by $1 in the fall to help pay for the new building. Donations may also be sought.