A 1,400-space parking lot being built for the new Pinnacle Bank Arena on the west side of Lincoln will serve double duty as space for city festivals and other large outdoor events
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A 1,400-space parking lot being built for the new Pinnacle Bank Arena on the west side of Lincoln will serve double duty as space for city festivals and other large outdoor events.
Arena coordinator Dan Marvin told the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/Ukkilp ) that the space will cost about $5.1 million. It is designed to accommodate a stage on the southern edge of the lot. The stage would face north to a natural amphitheater that could hold 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Marvin said there has been a shortage of space for big festivals in Lincoln. The city has been closing off downtown streets for major events, but converting the parking lot into festival space will allow it to keep the roads open.
Among events that could use the space are Ribfest, Celebrate Lincoln and some car shows. Tailgaters also are expected to use the area before University of Nebraska football games.
The parking lot will have permanent transformers to provide electricity for small events. Bands will be required to bring in generators for large concerts.
Landscaping devices known as bioswales also will be used along the southern perimeter to filter water as it moves from the north, said Dennis Scheer, a senior principal with part of the arena design team, Clark Enersen Partners. Bioswales are commonly built around parking lots to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water.
Overflow water will move from pipes into existing wetlands on the south and west ends of the parking lot.
The bioswales are included in a $323,540 landscaping contract with Nebraska Nursery that covers the festival space and the pedestrian bridge from the parking area to the arena.
The final beam for the arena itself was lifted into place two weeks ago. The arena will house the University of Nebraska basketball program when it opens next fall.
---
Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(image courtesy of stock.xchng)
