Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

Horace Cleveland would approve of the project under way at the northwest corner of 192nd and Dodge.

Approximately 175 acres of farmland are being shaped into a green space that’s grand in both scale and intent, a nod to early 19th century city park making brought to the forefront by Cleveland, the father of Omaha’s boulevard system, and his celebrated colleagues of the day.

“It’s not often that you’re given the opportunity to alter the natural landscape to achieve a vision, one created by the public for the public,” said Larry Foster, administrator for the City of Omaha’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property.

That’s exactly the case with Youngman Lake, born from the city’s master plan for a suburban park system and realized, in part, through the generosity of an Omaha family.

Several years back, the parks department surveyed suburbanites via phone and focus group to tap into their vision for public green spaces in emerging areas of the city. Near the top of the list was the desire for a “Memorial Park West,” a large open park with commanding views and the capacity to host major events.

In 2001, the city purchased 77 acres of the park site – hilly farmland with a creek running through it – for $2 million. The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District purchased the remaining 98 acres and constructed a dam to create the 60-acre lake.

In late 2007, the project’s implementation was buoyed by a $500,000 gift from Judy Wigton in honor of her father, Lawrence Youngman, who passed away in 2003. An Omaha World-Herald correspondent who dispatched stories and photos of Nebraska and Iowa troops from the battlefields of France during World War II, Youngman later founded Travel and Transport Inc. He was a staunch supporter of physical improvements to the city, from the predecessor to the Omaha Airport Authority to Lauritzen Gardens.

Youngman Lake is a converse mirror image of Memorial Park. It slopes up to meet West Dodge Street, blocking out the sounds of the city to create an immediate immersion into nature. The guiding principle for the park’s development is the lake itself, the focal point of the surrounding green space.

More than 200,000 cubic yards of dirt was removed from the lake bed and reused to create the park’s highest ridge adjacent to West Dodge Road. Access to the boat ramp, constructed in 2007 when the lake was still filling, should be available in late fall of 2008. The lake will be open to boat traffic of all sizes, but a no-wake boating rule will be in effect.

Those who canoe and kayak will be able to enjoy the newly-created waters, as will local fishing enthusiasts. Foster said the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has stocked the lake with fish, and deep pockets have been carved into the lake bed to provide quality fish habitat. A floating fishing peer will give users access to the deeper portions of the lake.

Grading work on the site began in the fall of 2007. Foster said the crews have been back at it this spring for six weeks, and the grading should be completed in two to three weeks. City crews will then begin seeding the site in August.

Work on the access road will begin this summer – a boulevard style split entrance with a planted strip of green space in the center. The creation of a playground area, a natural amphitheater and parking with ample room for boat trailers rounds out Phase I of the project.

Other amenities will be added as additional funds are secured, including the construction of a trail encircling the lake, trails to nearby Elkhorn High School and Metropolitan Community College, and an indoor pavilion of architectural significance. “Creating Youngman Lake is a bit like creating a painting – it’s a canvas that you fill over a long period of time,” Foster said.

For more information about Youngman Lake, contact Foster at lfoster@ci.omaha.ne.us.