The West Haymarket Joint Public Agency (JPA) is the governmental agency responsible for issuing bonds, collecting revenue and making bond payments over the course of the West Haymarket Redevelopment Project. The JPA meets regularly to discuss various issues related to the project, and the content of these meetings are available to the public here.
Created in February 2010 by the Lincoln City Council and the NU Board of Regents, the JPA is scheduled to remain in existence as long as debt is outstanding on the project, which current projections indicate will last up to 35 years. The term length for a JPA member is four years, provided that the term of any member will cease upon the end of their current public office term. Members are not compensated for their role but are entitled to reimbursements for personal expenses they may have incurred while performing official JPA duties.
The JPA is comprised of three members and two associates. Current members include Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, Lincoln City Councilwoman Jayne Snyder (the Board Chair) and NU Regent Tim Clare. The current associates are Dan Marvin, who serves as Board Secretary, and Don Herz who serves as Board Treasurer.
While the JPA is responsible for the financing and general oversight of the West Haymarket Redevelopment Project, the responsibility of managing day-to-day operations lies with JPA associate Dan Marvin. As JPA Project Manager, Dan is officially responsible for managing and coordinating the different entities involved in the redevelopment project. A former member of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Commission and Lincoln City Council, Dan began his involvement with the West Haymarket project in June 2009 assisting with project planning. Following this initial assistance, the city contracted Dan to remain on staff serving in project management. Dan’s passion for the project is markedly obvious.
“The word that comes to mind when I think of this project is ‘opportunity,’" Dan said. "This project is a great opportunity to build relationships and create partnerships… it's about different entities coming together and maximizing efficiency for the betterment of the community.”
In speaking of the new arena, Dan equated it to a “welcome mat” for the city of Lincoln. “We want to create an engaging building that speaks to the people of the state. We want it to connect with them. When they are driving back home, we want them to be thinking about how great of a community Lincoln is. We want them to say, ‘I had a great time and I want to come back.’”
As the West Haymarket project continues to move forward, the West Haymarket JPA will evolve its role as well. From its current position as project manager to its eventual function as operations supervisor, the West Haymarket JPA’s primary focus will continue to be providing the City of Lincoln and the state of Nebraska a destination spot every Nebraskan can be proud of.
