Learn to Share
By: Mr. Wilson on
November 15, 2007
I want to support the idea of the University of Nebraska and the State Fair sharing the same land. It sounds like a fine idea. Compromise, yay!
Sometimes compromise is great, but more often than not, compromise creates as many problems as it solves. This may be one of those cases. In the short term, a land sharing agreement would be fine. Sure there would be some problems with parking and transportation during the Fair, but those issues could be resolved. In the long term -- say, 15+ years out -- there's no way a successful Fair and a world class research park can commingle. If we're going to put resources into both the Fair and the research park, eventually the two will butt heads. And then what?
If UNL is going to create a research park at State Fair Park, eventually the Fair has to leave. Not today, and not necessarily five or ten years from now. But that time will come, and it will come sooner than we might think. That doesn't make the land sharing idea a bad one in the short term, but let's not forget that a compromise today is only putting off the inevitable.