OMAHA — A $2 million state grant originally slated to rehab a YMCA community center helped spark “Project Game On” — a campus featuring a new YMCA as well as a football and soccer stadium for Omaha North High School.

Officials did not provide a price tag Friday when announcing the broader development that one official described as a “defining moment” for North Omaha.

They said the remainder of the venture would be funded by local, private foundations.

Currently, officials said, the Vikings of North High are the only high school in the Omaha Public Schools without a competitive home stadium for football and soccer. On game day, athletes, band members and fans travel to a different school to play.

Gene Haynes, a longtime North High principal and an OPS administrator for more than 40 years, was among speakers at a media event that included world champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford, students, alumni, community members, city leaders and school administrators.

Haynes recalled more than a decade ago when a group of students came to him with a stadium proposal they called “Leveling the playing field.”

When he learned just recently that a stadium was to become a reality, without having to raze any homes, Haynes said he was “tickled pink.”

“We are going to continue to build this community,” he said.

Change Of Plans

A rendering unveiled during the announcement at the Butler-Gast YMCA shows the campus rising along Ames Avenue, just east of North High and on YMCA land.

The current 30-year-old Butler-Gast building will close for demolition this fall. A new structure with the same legacy name — honoring John Butler and Carol Gast, who were pivotal in creating opportunities for Black youths — will rise on the corner of North 34th and Ames Avenues, with a gym, pool, exercise and community rooms.

The Vikings stadium and a parking lot is to be built between the new YMCA structure and North High School.

Rebecca Deterding, CEO and president of the YMCA of Greater Omaha, said the idea for Project Game On came as YMCA leaders were moving forward with a planned renovation of the Butler-Gast building.

For that, it was using a $2 million award from the North and South Omaha Recovery Grant program administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

State officials in January 2024 had announced nearly $235 million in awards to about 130 groups and businesses in North and South Omaha, including the YMCA. That pool of funds was part of the Economic Recovery Act money state lawmakers had allocated to help bring “transformational” change to historically disinvested areas.

The YMCA’s game plan changed, Deterding said, when the Lozier Foundation asked the nonprofit to consider a bigger project. She said the YMCA is providing the land for the overall project.

Lozier wanted to move swiftly so the DED grant, which is subject to a deadline, could be used as part of Project Game On, Deterding said.

The Sherwood Foundation also committed funding, officials said. Among other collaborators listed on a new website, projectgameon.org, include NewStreet Properties, Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, The City of Omaha, OPS, YMCA and Emspace + Lovgren.

‘Game-Changer’

Deterding called the project “a defining moment for North Omaha” that is about “transforming lives.” She said it was a testament to possibilities when public school districts and nonprofits come together with a shared vision.

“Through innovative partnerships like this, we are not only creating a new facility but also driving long-lasting community change — ensuring that families have access to the health, wellness and youth development opportunities they deserve for generations to come,” Deterding said.

Construction on the North High stadium is to begin later this year also. It will include a new press box, concessions, restrooms, team rooms and equipment storage. Stadium capacity will be similar to other Omaha public high school stadiums, such as Northwest High, where the Vikings currently play home games.

The current practice field at North High will remain as a practice field and home to the school’s track and field team, said Matthew Ray, OPS superintendent, who called the newly announced project site a “game-changer” for the community.

Other speakers included Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and Nebraska’s State Poet Jewel Rodgers, who introduced her former principal, Haynes.

Said Stothert: “Together these facilities will create an environment for excellence in competition, sportsmanship and teamwork, access to fitness, recreation and wellness programs and a community space where Viking fans will gather to celebrate victories of years past and future.”

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/04/state-funds-spark-larger-project...