KEARNEY, Neb. - Kearney dignitaries from past and present made their way to the new Kearney SportsPlex on Thursday.
 
“It’s a wow experience," State Sen. Stan Clouse said. "It meets and exceeds what our dreams could have been, I think.”

Clouse, the former Kearney mayor, shared how he told people who ask about the brand-new facility after the ribbon cutting Thursday night that Kearney was once trying to make a decision between a sports complex and a potential casino.
 
“Kearney could have been a gambling town, but really just double down that caters to youth, recreation, events, tourism, conventions," Mayor Jonathan Nikkila said. "We want people to come here, we want families to enjoy Kearney, to thrive here, and that’s really what this building represents.”
 
 
“I think it kind of comes down to each community," Sportsplex Director Lauren Brandt said. "I think for our community, I hope I can speak and say that this is the direction we chose to go.”
 
Clouse was part of the original decision making process, and used his experiences growing up in North Platte as a barometer.

“When I was a high school kid, that’s when they opened up the activities center in North Platte," Clouse said. "I know the value it brought to high school kids, young people with their intramurals, so this will do the same type of thing for Kearney and central Nebraska.”
 
City leaders believe the value of the Sportsplex lasts for decades and they’re already seeing the promise of what it can do for the area.
 
“We haven’t even cracked the surface a little bit. It’s kind of like an onion," Brandt said. "We’re starting to peel it back and layer by layer, we know what we can handle in this facility, and now the fun begins.
 
“We actually have contract holders that we have that are out for over 5 years, so we have a plethora of events."
 
“Those people don’t just come here and drive out here," Nikkila said. “They’re staying in town, they’re going shopping, they’re eating.
 
“I’m just fired up.”