City of Lincoln proposes new $16 million youth volleyball facility
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The City of Lincoln on Thursday announced the construction of a new youth volleyball facility.
The proposed facility comes from a partnership between the city and Nebraska for Volleyball, or N4VB, and would be built at 30th Street and Folkways Boulevard.
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said this facility would grow Lincoln’s economy, create more playing opportunities for recreational volleyball players in the community and boost Lincoln’s status as a youth sport destination.
“Any parent that’s shepherded a child to another community for a sporting event knows it’s really nice not to have to leave your city limits,” she said. “We’re really glad to have people come visit Lincoln than the opposite.”
The city and the nonprofit plan to offer free and low-cost volleyball programming at the facility.
Scholarships will help athletes from underserved communities take part in what project leaders called a “hub of excellence.”
“We believe the next generation of championship teams and recruits are already here in our community,” said Diane Mendenhall, N4VB board member and president of the Omaha Supernovas. “Now they’ll have a home court advantage.”
Gaylor Baird said the city has agreed to be a co-applicant with N4VB to use the Sports Facilities Financing Act to fund construction of the new $16 million facility.
The funding process would allow the portion of state sales tax collected from the neighborhood to be “turned back” and invested into the facility’s construction, according to officials.
Officials said this would not be a new or increased tax, but a dedicated allocation of state sales tax revenue collected within 600 yards of the proposed facility.
The City of Lincoln does not assume any financial liability by agreeing to be a partner in this project.
N4VB estimates it will be able to fund about $12 million of the $16 million total construction cost with the turnback tax.
The process for use of the turnback tax first requires approval from Gov. Jim Pillen and then approval by Lincoln voters in an election, which is anticipated to take place in 2026.
The other $4 million will come from private donors, which organizers will start collecting now, even though there’s no timeline set for construction.
If approved, the facility would feature eight courts with the capacity to expand to 12.
“We intend to create a world-class training facility for Nebraska’s homegrown talent – without the world-class price of admission,” Mendenhall said. “And in the process, we’re setting a new standard for what’s possible in the sport of volleyball, just as Nebraska has always done.”
Andrew Lerner, a partner at the Lerner Company, thanked all the partners for their work on the youth volleyball center project, a place he said that would “bring people together.”
“Today marks an exciting milestone – not just for this development, but for the entire Lincoln community,” Lerner said in a press release. “This facility is more than just volleyball courts. It’s a place where young athletes will grow, families will gather, and community will thrive.”
