The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities wants to take its turn at trying to save Pershing Center from the wrecking ball.
The Omaha-based organization has submitted a proposal to the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority to conduct a study examining the possibility of establishing a cooperative food network in Lincoln. The institute also plans to consider studying whether Pershing could be renovated and used as a marketplace for that food cooperative.
Cecil Steward, president of the institute and a member of the Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission, told fellow commissioners Thursday that NIFA is considering whether state and federal New Markets Tax Credits could help fund a renovation of Pershing.
“There is potentially a healthy sum of money from that program that could come to this project,†he said.
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NIFA Executive Director Tim Kenny could not be reached for comment.
Steward said the Joslyn Institute will study creating a food hub, which he described as an organization that works to connect agricultural producers and consumers and promote local agricultural production. Food hubs are typically multicounty operations.
If a food hub was established, Pershing could serve as the organization’s primary marketplace, Steward said. He also suggested using Pershing as a site for an indoor farming operation that could transform the center’s bleachers into tiered planting beds.
The food hub probably would seek to establish cooperative agreements with buyers such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes and farmers. Those stakeholders would work collectively to oversee the marketplace, in this case, Pershing, he said.
If Pershing were established as a food hub marketplace, it probably would remain open most of the week rather than just on weekends like other farmers’ markets in Lincoln, he said.
“The idea is to create a sizable and constant market for producers, to stimulate (the) production level of local foods,†he said.
He said the institute also would consider whether Pershing could provide space for a city library, something proposed in 2012 as one of three possible future uses for Pershing.
Mayor Chris Beutler rejected all three earlier proposals, saying they required too much city funding. The city has looked into tearing down the building to help with redevelopment of the site.
Pershing is set to close at the end of August.
Steward said the institute would take about four months to complete the study. He said he’s already begun hosting stakeholder meetings with organizations, such as Community Crops and the University of Nebraska Rural Futures Institute, that may be interested in participating in a food hub.
“We’re very excited about being involved in the study,†he said.
He said the institute will work to develop graphics that can show potential uses for Pershing.
“Without the study and without the graphics, it’s very difficult for people in the community to see anything in that building other than what has happened in the building,†Steward said.
Karen Nalow, Capitol Environs Commission member, said Pershing’s docks and freight elevators would offer useful infrastructure for a food marketplace.
State Capitol Administrator Bob Ripley said he appreciated that efforts are being made to save Pershing.
“If we tear it down, I don’t think we’ll replace it with a comparable quality material,†he said.
