We want to share new updates with you about Aksarben Curling’s efforts to build a dedicated curling community center in the Omaha metro.
‘Office Hours’ this weekend with Aksarben Curling President Nic Swiercek
First, I want to share that I’ll be on hand at Baxter Arena this Saturday, March 14 during and between Saturday leagues (2pm-6:45pm) and Sunday leagues on March 15 (11:45am-7pm) to visit with members and share more about our vision for the project and our process thus far. Look for me off ice and around the bleachers. I’m happy to visit with folks, hear your ideas, and answer your questions. Read more:
Background
Last fall, we shifted our focus away from building a new building to finding a space in the metro to retrofit and lease. We’ve secured updated ice making equipment costs, refined our projected operating budget for a lease model, and have been evaluating prospective properties and the total associated costs (equipment, buildout, labor and fees, reserve funds, etc).
Potential Property
As you may recall from our January 2026 update, we identified and toured a former volleyball center at 8930 S 137th Cir that could accommodate 5 or 6 sheets in a 24,000sf space. The lease rate was in budget, but our initial litmus test costs totaled $2.7M (including construction, ice making equipment, and reserve fund goals). Our goal is to keep a retrofit/lease approach to a range of $1.5M to $1.75M. In early-February, our team was able to value engineer the project to an estimated $1.58M and be in line with our budget. Unfortunately, the building space we were looking at has been leased to a different tenant and is no longer available.
Fortunately, we found an alternative property in Douglas County near I-680 and the Irvington / Blair exit. The space could accommodate 5 or 6 sheets within a smaller but far more efficient footprint (18,577sf) at a similar lease rate that fits well within our budget. The warehouse is new construction and will be online in August. Moreover, the space has the 480V 3-phase power that we need for our ice making equipment, which the volleyball facility did not have and would have necessitated a $160,000 upgrade.
Next steps
This week, we learned that the owner of the property is supportive of the space being used for curling. We are now confirming technical questions about the space and construction to inform a possible commercial lease letter of intent. Our hope is that we can submit a letter of intent soon and begin a capital campaign among our membership and prospective external supporters to secure the remaining funds needed for this project. Our goal would be to build out the space this summer and fall and have the facility ready to go by the winter of 2027.
If this space were to work for Aksarben Curling, we would have:
- Five or six sheets of high quality curling-only ice.
- Capacity to double our membership, host multiple leagues each weeknight and weekend, expand our offerings of league types (youth, women’s, mixed
- doubles, wheelchair, and casual/pickup).
- Regular practice times and skills clinics.
- The ability to host youth, regional, and some national tournaments.
- Fulfill the many requests for private events and community/nonprofit partnerships that we have to turn down every month.
Today, we’re in a critical moment where Aksarben Curling. We have our largest membership ever (317 members and still growing) and a ton of interest in the Omaha metro with people trying curling amid the 2026 Olympics (we’ve taught over 700 people so far this season!). Unfortunately, we don’t have a ton of room to accommodate everyone at Baxter Arena.
How Members Can Help
We are asking members to help in a few different ways:
1) Contribute or pledge to contribute
We are encouraging all members to consider what you could personally contribute as a special contribution in support of this project. Many of you have pledged and some have already contributed early—thank you so much!
If you’re in a position to contribute now—amazing! If you can share a firm pledge to give later, great! And if you’re not sure or can only share a soft range, that’s ok, too!
The more that we raise between contributions, commitments, and information from members like you enables Aksarben Curling to be in a better position to move forward on a prospective property.
If you have not yet pledged, please consider doing so.We encourage members to fill out this commitment form and share it with us.
How can you give?
- You can contribute online
- Mail a check: payable to Aksarben Curling, PO Box 24458, Omaha, NE 68124
- Through a donor-advised fund.
- Gifts of appreciated stock.
Feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 402-659-1420 with questions or to discuss charitable giving and pledges.
2) Help connect us with potential funders, companies, and connected folks
We’re asking our members to help share the connections you have outside of the membership with people in the community.
This could be people at local companies that could contribute, provide in-kind services, or sponsor our efforts. It could also include people at local foundations or folks who could help open doors to helpful networks.
Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 402-659-1420 to share your ideas about people, companies, or organizations who could help us get further in our endeavors.
As always, if you have any questions about our efforts, or ideas, skills, or expertise you can lend, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Contact me atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or pull me aside at league, broomstacking, or one of our member events!
Thank you for being part of the Aksarben Curling community. And thank you to the members who have participated on or helped advise our Dedicated Ice Committee:
Aaron Adams
Brian Akert
Liz Akert
Mike Carstens
Stacy Feit
Andy Koszewski
Chris Maras
JoEllen Maras
Sean Morrison
Eric Rodawig
Chad Roza
Ralph Roza
Nate Wendel
Owen Wilhelms
Nic Swiercek
President & Dedicated Ice Committee Chair
Aksarben Curling
