Group prepares new Rosenblatt plan

Group prepares new Rosenblatt plan

	Published : Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:04 By : Agencies Print this Story

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Members of a group trying to keep the College World Series at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium said Monday they are working on a new plan that would renovate the ballpark instead of building a new one.

Omaha City Councilman Garry Gernandt said the group is working on a plan with a local architect that he hopes will be ready for the NCAA within 35 days. Gernandt wouldn't say who the architect is.

The group believes renovating Rosenblatt is a better option than a new ballpark north of downtown Omaha -- a plan Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey backs.

'What it will do is eliminate tradition associated with that stadium on the hill -- Rosenblatt -- and make Omaha vulnerable to competition from other cities, who will always be able to tempt the NCAA with the latest and greatest once that tradition is trounced,' Gernandt said. 'We are here to make sure that that doesn't happen.'

A decision about the venerable south Omaha stadium's future is expected by the end of the year as the NCAA considers its contract with the city for the summer series.

Rosenblatt has been home to NCAA Division I baseball's national championship for more than 50 years.

The city has already submitted two plans to the NCAA -- one for renovation and the other for a new ballpark -- but Fahey backed a proposal for a 25,000- to 30,000-seat stadium in meeting with NCAA officials in late August.

Before committing to either plan, the city wants the NCAA to agree to keep the College World Series in Omaha through at least 2020. The current contract ends after 2010.

If Rosenblatt were renovated, the stadium would require structural upgrading and amenities such as new clubhouses and interactive areas with activities for fans. The renovation plans call for a new village setting outside the stadium where vendors could operate and fans could congregate.

The city has spent $35 million the last 15 years to upgrade the stadium with, among other things, new seats, a video board, a sound system and concession stands.

But CWS Inc., the local organizing body, determined two years ago that to make the event the best it can be, at least $25 million in more improvements would be needed. The NCAA suggested that if Omaha were to consider spending that much to renovate Rosenblatt, maybe the city should think about a new stadium.

Rosenblatt was built in 1948 and opened as Municipal Stadium. It was renamed in 1964 in honor of Johnny Rosenblatt, Omaha's mayor from 1954 to 1961. The stadium, which originally seated 10,000, now has a capacity of 23,145.

NCAA officials want the College World Series to be able to continue growing. The last event attracted a total of 300,702 people to games over a 10-day span in June.