Lincoln's McBean Stadium receives upgrade and improvement donations

If you've attended a Lincoln Potters game this summer, you might have noticed new stadium seats, brighter field lights, and other arena upgrades and enhancements. McBean Stadium recently received a complete makeover, thanks to donations by the United Auburn Indian Community and donations from the Lincoln Potters. McBean Stadium is at 61 McBean Park Drive, Lincoln at McBean Park. McBean Stadium is home to the community's beloved baseball team, the Lincoln Potters, and nearby William Jessup University's men's baseball team. The United Auburn Indian Community donated $450,000 for stadium improvements, according to a July 6 press release from Lincoln City Manager Sean Scully.. These improvements include new batting cages, dugouts, turf and grass, irrigation, fencing, seating and an updated exterior lighting system for the baseball field. Scully emphasized the importance of the stadiums' need for improvements during a Lincoln City Council meeting on Feb. 22. Scully described the previous quality of the lights and fencing as "ancient." The stadium lights fell last year, Scully said, due to high wind speed and harmed the field. Lincoln Mayor Holly Andreatta also expressed her concerns about the field during that February meeting. Andreatta described the old stadium lights as "scary" and "dangerous." Since early March, the city of Lincoln's maintenance department has coordinated the renovations, according to Scully. Musco Lighting Company was responsible for improving the stadium lights. The renovations were officially complete around May 27, just as the Lincoln Potters were beginning their season. "On behalf of the United Auburn Indian Community, we are pleased to support the city of Lincoln through enhancements to McBean Stadium," said Tribal Chairman Gene Whitehouse in the July 6 press release. "We hope that the new lighting and other upgrades will make summer nights at the stadium even more enjoyable for the community." The McBean Stadium Lighting project "would have been challenging and potentially infeasible without the tribe's generosity and commitment to the Lincoln community," said Mayor Holly Andreatta about the monetary donations made by the United Auburn Indian Community. The Lincoln Potters also provided funds to help improve McBean Stadium. McBean Stadium was built by a group of Gladding, McBean factory workers in 1925. "The Potters have a long history with McBean Stadium, so we are happy to help contribute toward these wonderful refurbishments," said Lincoln Potters owner Clifton Taylor. "The new lights shining upward to the sky are used to illuminate the bottom of the ball when it goes above the lighting curtain, allowing the outfielder to keep the ball in their sight and improving our players' experience." As of now, there are less than 10 home games left in the Lincoln Potters summer season. Tickets and the game schedule can be found at lincolnpotters.com.