Safety issues arise with talk of expanding Railyard for Husker Homecoming
Posted By: Bayley Bischof
bbischof@klkntv.com
On Husker game days The Railyard sees thousands of fans, and things can get a bit crowded.
Brian Krajewski, with The Railyard, is hoping to give fans more room for the September 29th homecoming game.
They’ve put in a request to expand their liquor license into Canopy St.
‘September 29th, which is Homecoming, and it’s an afternoon game so it’s the perfect time to shut down the street and show that we can pull it off with a football game,” Krajewski said.
Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said not so fast.
"Our concerns are this, the seven home game days are a tremendous stressor on the resources, our officers and dispatchers,” Bliemeister said. “And we want to be able to provide a safe and secure environment."
During Husker games two officers assist The Railyard’s 13 security guards in keeping the peace.
Bliemeister said if the party is expanded into Canopy Street, they’ll need more officers.
"We’re going to have to prioritize, ultimately if the City Council decides we want to do this, then we’re going to have to maybe take away resources from other things,” Bliemeister said.
He said it could take officers away from controlling traffic and patrolling Memorial Stadium.
Not to mention responding to their every day calls, which increase by about 25% on Husker game days.
Krajewski, with The Railyard said they wouldn’t suggest something that’d be a danger to customers.
"Safety is our number one priority,” he said. “And when it comes to added security for game days, when we do the expansion there’s actually fewer entrances into the Railyard so it’s easier to monitor the perimeter and when you don’t have people so tightly packed in it’s easier to monitor and get around."
The decision will come from a city council vote on Monday.
