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Record of Proceedings

Grand Island City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026: Woodsonia Veterans Village Proposal

City Council — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyGrand Island, Nebraska
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:37:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

That was fun.

0:04

Oh, yeah.

1:08

Welcome to our meeting.

1:10

The date is June 2, 2026.

1:14

The time is 6 p.m.

1:17

This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council.

1:21

The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act in conducting business.

1:26

A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state law.

1:33

Now I ask that you stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:08

Councilmember Shear.

2:09

Present.

2:10

Council Member Stelk.

2:11

Chair.

2:11

Councilman Connolly.

2:13

Present.

2:14

Councilmember Nickerson.

2:15

Present.

2:16

Councilmember Brown.

2:17

Present.

2:18

Councilmember Hossee.

2:19

Present.

2:20

Councilmember Mendoza.

2:21

Present.

2:22

Council President O'Neill.

2:23

Present.

2:24

Councilmember Pollock will be absent.

2:26

Councilmember Lanfear.

2:28

Present.

2:29

And Mayor Steele.

2:30

Present.

2:32

Also present are Sonia Cisneros, the deputy city clerk.

2:38

Patrick Brown, the city administrator.

2:41

Chelsea Steinke, the finance director, Kerry Fisk, the city attorney, and Matthew Boyle, the assistant city attorney.

2:55

A sign-up sheet was available in the lobby for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items.

3:05

If you did not sign up to speak on an agenda item, please come forward, state your name, and the agenda topic on which you will be speaking.

3:41

No one else has come forward, so we shall continue.

3:45

Agenda item 5A.

3:49

Presentation by Woodsonia Real Estate, Inc.

3:52

of items identified as non-negotiable or deal breaker items to City Council as authorized by the council motion on May 12th, 2026.

4:07

Please come forward if you're presenting on this.

4:14

Good evening.

4:35

But I have Drew asked me to come and watch and see where I was seeing challenges.

4:42

And the I'm just going to speak from a public-private point of view.

5:00

And I got to work with President Nixon's chief of staff, H.R.

5:06

Halderman, who had just come out of prison for Watergate.

5:10

So I got to help him and Mr.

5:12

Murdoch in that first public-private partnership, which was a big one for the city of Lincoln.

5:19

Three years later, I had the privilege to work on another very important public-private partnership, this time in Grand Island called the ANSI Hotel and Parking Facility.

5:44

So at the beginning, now at the end, I I get to work again with the wonderful city of Grand Island.

5:53

Some of the other projects, I've gotten to work on about a hundred public-private partnerships over the 44 years.

6:02

And some of the bigger ones was the State Fair Reorganization Plan and in Nebraska Innovation Campus, which then caused the state fair to come out to your wonderful city.

6:12

So that was a big one.

6:14

We got to work on the West Haymarket, Pinnacle Bank Arena, which some of you maybe have enjoyed in Lincoln, the Annalob Valley project.

6:23

And a couple years ago, we were back out here in the Grand Island Conestoga Marketplace, a 221 million dollar redevelopment project that I think is so far going very well, that Wusonia was involved in today.

6:48

And I'd like to just take some introductory remarks tonight to tell you how we can make it work, because we think that's what everybody's striving for to go forward.

7:00

These larger scale catalytic projects have to go way beyond the traditional redevelopment projects that you deal with.

7:10

They have to deal with many more complex, and thank gosh, the state legislature's given us some recent tools to do what I call these innovative transformative type projects that have been authorized, and it embodies and emboldens the strategies of the public sector, the nonprofit, and the private sector to all work together on these bigger projects.

7:36

And that's what we have to be doing and want to focus on tonight with you to create you know the new tourism, the sports facilities, the aquatic facility, new jobs and things that are very important to you.

7:52

And you know, the prior negotiations I don't think have been successful.

7:57

That's why you've taken over this responsibility directly yourself.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████████████████39%
Public Engagement███████████████████████23%
Parks and Recreation█████████9%
Procedural█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Event Center Management████4%
Risk Management███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Grand Island City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026

The Grand Island City Council met on June 2, 2026, at 6 p.m. to receive a presentation from Woodsonia Real Estate, Inc. on items identified as non-negotiable or deal breakers for the Veterans Village redevelopment project, as authorized by council motion on May 12, 2026. The meeting focused on an updated memorandum of understanding (MOU) featuring significant changes aimed at simplifying the public-private partnership, including private ownership of the sports complex and a land purchase. Council members expressed general support for the framework, with many citing they had reached an 80% agreement level. The mayor directed staff to finalize agreements by the end of June 2026 to secure state funding and avoid legislative changes.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gary (resident): Expressed full support for the project, emphasizing the need for youth facilities. He stated the current high school swim team uses an embarrassing small pool and that Grand Island, as one of Nebraska's largest cities, should have a sports complex. He urged council to get the project done so children can be proud of the city.
  • Jerry Ginolevich (YMCA board member): Expressed excitement about the YMCA's potential partnership with the city to develop a new swimming pool in the Good Life District. He noted a feasibility study is underway and expressed confidence in Chief Industries' fundraising ability.
  • Chuck (citizen): Spoke in favor of the project, calling it comprehensive and visionary. He highlighted the pros outweighing the cons, noting the land is inherited from the veterans home site and that voters approved the Good Life District for redevelopment. He supported the sports complex as a revenue generator and the aquatic center as a win, and asked council to move forward on what is doable.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation by Kent Seacrest (Woodsonia): He outlined six guiding principles for the project, emphasizing the need for a long-term commitment, use of legislative tools (TIF, Good Life District, Community Improvement Act), and acceptance of risk. He noted that Veterans Village has site limitations, including a Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor with 42 trains per day (average 4.5 minutes each, causing over 3 hours of blockage). He urged council to agree on the big principles (80%) to avoid getting stuck in details.
  • Presentation by Drew (Woodsonia): He presented the updated MOU, highlighting five critical project components: (1) acquisition of 191.53 acres for $3 million, (2) phase one site work (grading, lake expansion, utilities, trails, amphitheater, pedestrian bridge), (3) sports complex (165,000 sq ft with 16 volleyball courts, 8 basketball courts, 8 pickleball courts, 25,000 sq ft indoor turf, outdoor artificial turf, batting cages), (4) YMCA-aquatics facility ($22 million from phase 1A bonds, with a 12-month period for YMCA/Chief to design and fundraise; if unsuccessful, city can proceed with an RFP for a minimum aquatic facility), and (5) conveyance of an improved school site to Grand Island Public Schools for $1. He stated that no Good Life funds would be used for private improvements until these five critical components are completed.
  • Funding details: Phase 1A bonds projected at $82 million ($75 million bonds + $7 million cash on hand), with $60 million for sports complex and $22 million for YMCA-aquatics. Phase 1B bonds (based on new sales from Conestoga Marketplace and other developments) estimated at $27.65 million. A total promissory note of $120 million from Good Life funding was requested, capped at maximum term through 2054. Additional financing tools included a Community Improvement District (CID) with a 1.5% property tax levy (150 basis points) on all private improvements except the sports complex, and an Economic Development Area (EEA) occupation tax of 2% on sales within Veterans Village for sports complex maintenance. TIF of $62 million was also requested.
  • Councilmember Hossey: Supported the project, noting the funding structure is reasonable and not a general obligation of the city. He flagged management and the CID as minor issues but not showstoppers. He emphasized the project delivers what was promised to voters.
  • Councilmember Sheard: Asked detailed questions about the promissory note, minimum viable financing, timeline, and public access to the sports complex. He stressed the need for protections if Woodsonia sells the complex, such as a right of first refusal. He suggested a committee for oversight, but Woodsonia preferred not to add complexity.
  • Councilmember Nickerson: Requested input from bond counsel and city administration before making a final decision. He noted that many details (e.g., YMCA contract, CID impact on homebuyers) need further analysis.
  • Councilmember O'Neill: Emphasized the need to protect the public and limit long-term taxpayer exposure. He supported private ownership if it includes public scheduling commitments. He questioned the YMCA partnership and the legal mechanism for conveying land to the YMCA for $1.
  • Councilmember Brown: Stated he reached 80% agreement and supported moving forward with immediate negotiations.
  • Councilmember Stelk: Initially at 50% but after listening, he reached 80% support. He asked about a timeline for full project completion (Woodsonia estimated critical components within 36-48 months after bond issuance). He asked for a contract with the YMCA to be available for review.
  • Mike Rogers (bond counsel): Explained that Good Life District funds can be used for private development costs, including the sports complex and YMCA facility. He recommended separating the land sale from the Good Life funding to simplify legal compliance.
  • Kerry Fisk (city attorney): Noted that a straightforward private ownership model would be much simpler to negotiate than a public-private hybrid. She said a land sale ordinance could be brought back to council by the end of June, but publication timelines would require a later meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Council members indicated general agreement at the 80% level with the framework presented, allowing staff and Woodsonia to proceed with detailed negotiations.
  • Mayor Steele directed that final agreements be presented to council by the end of June 2026, citing the need to secure Good Life District funding before potential legislative changes or state budget recissions.
  • Bond counsel advised that the land sale and Good Life funding should be treated as separate transactions, with the land sale subject to policy decisions on price, restrictions, and clawbacks.
  • Woodsonia agreed to a timeline: phase 1A bond issuance anticipated by September 1, 2026, with site work starting 30 days later, sports complex construction in 2027–2028, and critical components complete within 36–48 months.
  • The YMCA-aquatics component will have a 12-month window for design and fundraising; if not secured, the city may proceed with an alternate plan.
  • No formal vote was taken. Council agreed to continue public discussions at a future meeting, with the next meeting expected to review a finalized MOU or land sale agreement.

Meeting Transcript

That was fun. Oh, yeah. Welcome to our meeting. The date is June 2, 2026. The time is 6 p.m. This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council. The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act in conducting business. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state law. Now I ask that you stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilmember Shear. Present. Council Member Stelk. Chair. Councilman Connolly. Present. Councilmember Nickerson. Present. Councilmember Brown. Present. Councilmember Hossee. Present. Councilmember Mendoza. Present. Council President O'Neill. Present. Councilmember Pollock will be absent. Councilmember Lanfear. Present. And Mayor Steele. Present. Also present are Sonia Cisneros, the deputy city clerk. Patrick Brown, the city administrator. Chelsea Steinke, the finance director, Kerry Fisk, the city attorney, and Matthew Boyle, the assistant city attorney. A sign-up sheet was available in the lobby for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items. If you did not sign up to speak on an agenda item, please come forward, state your name, and the agenda topic on which you will be speaking. No one else has come forward, so we shall continue. Agenda item 5A. Presentation by Woodsonia Real Estate, Inc. of items identified as non-negotiable or deal breaker items to City Council as authorized by the council motion on May 12th, 2026. Please come forward if you're presenting on this. Good evening. But I have Drew asked me to come and watch and see where I was seeing challenges. And the I'm just going to speak from a public-private point of view. And I got to work with President Nixon's chief of staff, H.R. Halderman, who had just come out of prison for Watergate. So I got to help him and Mr. Murdoch in that first public-private partnership, which was a big one for the city of Lincoln. Three years later, I had the privilege to work on another very important public-private partnership, this time in Grand Island called the ANSI Hotel and Parking Facility. So at the beginning, now at the end, I I get to work again with the wonderful city of Grand Island. Some of the other projects, I've gotten to work on about a hundred public-private partnerships over the 44 years.

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