DECEMBER2007
IN THIS ISSUE

Skate through the Season

Schedule Set for MSCP Streetscape Component

Support Sought for Historic Jazz District Project

Stream Asset Inventory Project Open House Dec. 13

Omaha Featured in New Book on Smart Growth

Omaha on the Map at 2008 APA Conference

Kudos to KOB


A father and daughter take to the ice on the ConAgra Foods campus in downtown Omaha. The rink is open through Dec. 16.
Skate through the Season

The Dundee Memorial Park Association has a Secret Santa. The gift is something all who love a crisp winter afternoon can enjoy – as soon as the weather dips into single digits for a few nights in a row.

For the second consecutive year, locals in search of outdoor activity will be able to try their hand at ice skating on a temporary rink in “the sunks” off Happy Hollow Boulevard near its intersection with Underwood Avenue.

At close to 70 by 90 feet, the rink is a bit larger than last year’s effort, said Jeff Royal, president of Dundee Bank and treasurer of the Dundee Memorial Park Association. A neighborhood benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous funded the project.

Dundee’s sunken gardens, located along Happy Hollow Boulevard from Izard Street to Underwood Avenue, were designed by renowned landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland, who developed a boulevard system linking Omaha’s major central city parks. According to Dundee, Neb., A Pictorial History, the original gardens were formal with a small lake at the north end. The flower beds were tended by employees of the Works Progress Administration. The formal gardens eventually gave way to neighborhood need for a more open space to run and play.

“People ice skated in the gardens during the early 1900s, so we wanted to reintroduce this activity to the neighborhood,” said Royal, who also co-chairs the Dundee Merchants Association with Pat Goebel. The association supports the rink as an extension of its activity calendar, which includes a Spring Fling celebration and Dundee Days in the fall. 

Last winter’s frigid temperatures kept the rink’s ice in good shape for close to two months of skating, said Marty Myers, president of the Dundee Memorial Park Association. One of the highlights was an afternoon visit from the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Mike Kemp and several members of the Maverick hockey team.

The rink’s exterior boards were set up Dec. 5. The liner will be laid and water will be poured as soon as the temperature cooperates, Royal said. 

ConAgra Foods Ice Rink
Elsewhere in Omaha, downtown shoppers can lace up and skate on the ConAgra campus through Dec. 16.

In conjunction with the 2007-08 Holiday Lights Festival and its campaign to “Shine the Light on Hunger,” ConAgra Foods has constructed a temporary 50-foot by 140-foot ice skating rink on its campus. Skaters are encouraged to bring donations of non-perishable food items and household goods to the rink, which can be dropped off in collection bins. The Food Bank will distribute the items to families in need. 

The ConAgra Foods Ice Rink will remain open through Sunday, Dec. 16. Rink hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Admission is $5 per person and includes skate rental. All proceeds from the skating rink will be donated to The Food Bank.

For more information about the festival, visit www.holidaylightsfestival.org.

Indoor Ice Arenas
If indoor skating is more your speed, try one of Omaha’s three public ice arenas. Motto McLean Ice Arena, located in Hitchcock Park at 45th and P, is open to the public year round. The facility is named after E.H. Motto McLean, the founder of youth hockey in the Omaha area. The Moylan Ice Plex, located in Tranquility Park at 124th and Maple, operates year round. The Benson Park Ice Arena, located on the shore of Benson Park Lagoon at 69th and Military, is open from October through March.

For more information on this trio of facilities, visit http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/parks/ and click on the “Ice Arenas” link in the left-hand column.

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A snapshot of holidays past on Maple Street – erecting the Benson Lions Club’s Christmas tree.(Photo courtesy of the Benson Historical Society Collection, Douglas County Historical Society.)
Schedule Set for MSCP
Streetscape Component

Editor’s Note: The Benson-Ames Alliance was formed in September 2005 to plan for and implement the revitalization of the Benson-Ames area. It is bordered by Western Avenue on the south, Sorensen Parkway on the north, Saddle Creek Road/Fontenelle Boulevard on the east and 72nd Street on the west. The Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council has identified the Maple Street Corridor as its first priority area. For more information, visit www.benson-ames.org.

During the 1940s, shoppers searching for holiday finds in downtown Benson were greeted by an atmosphere reminiscent of George Bailey’s Bedford Falls in “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Today, that same corridor is the subject of a project that will determine its atmosphere in the months and years ahead.

The Maple Street Corridor Project – a partnership of Omaha by Design, the Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council, the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association and the City of Omaha Departments of Planning and Public Works – seeks to reinvigorate this historic stretch of roadway from Northwest Radial Highway west to 64th Street. The effort is also focused on Military Avenue from Maple Street north to Northwest Radial Highway.

Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, said the project has two components – a streetscape portion that focuses on function and aesthetics, and a housing and retail market analysis that will be used to augment the entrepreneurial growth under way in downtown Benson. Houseal Lavigne Associates of Naperville, Ill., is conducting the market analysis.

The streetscape component, launched earlier this fall, is led by RDG Planning and Design in conjunction with the Robert Peters Company and Ehrhardt Griffin & Associates. A number of street variables are being considered, including widened sidewalks, the construction of nodes at the intersections, replacing traffic signals with 4-way stops and adding a left turn lane, said Dolores Silkworth, project manager and a landscape architect with RDG. “We want to use the 60 feet of space we have most effectively,” she added.

During November and December, the streetscape team has focused on the discovery phase of the project, including conducting a topographic survey, reviewing construction plans, and scheduling utility coordination meetings with the Omaha Public Power District, Metro Area Transit, the Metropolitan Utilities District, the Nebraska Department of Roads and the City of Omaha Department of Public Works. 

In January, the team will host a Virtual Great Streets Tour in downtown Benson.  The open workshop will allow participants to view examples of “great streets” across the United States and then brainstorm ways to incorporate the features that make them great into the Maple Street Corridor.

In February, the team will host a two-day, on-site charrette during which concept drawings will be presented for initial feedback. Features such as public art, public space and the sustainability of the design will factor into the concept drawings, Silkworth said. “Input from Benson businesses and residents is vital to the success of the project, and we look forward to working with the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association and the Benson-Ames Alliance in the new year,” she noted.

Partial funding for the Maple Street Corridor Project is made possible by Mayor Mike Fahey and the City of Omaha. The project is also the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Adah and Leon Millard Foundation and a $15,000 grant from the Gifford Foundation Inc.

For more information about the project, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.

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Funding is sought for a series of historic icon markers that will inform visitors of North 24th Street’s jazz legacy. This project is one of 22 featured in the first Omaha Catalogue of Urban Design Philanthropy.
Support Sought for Historic Jazz District Project

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a continuing series of entries from the first Omaha Catalogue of Urban Design Philanthropy, a compendium of strategic giving opportunities that focus on the city’s natural and built environments. The Omaha Catalogue was published in December by Omaha by Design and the Omaha Community Foundation. For more information, contact Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, or Sara Boyd, vice president of the Omaha Community Foundation, at 402.342.3458.

The historic center of Omaha’s African-American community is North 24th Street. During the first half of the 20th century, the area was home to a thriving mix of business and civic activity. Music lovers from throughout the region flocked to the street’s entertainment venues to experience a scene that showcased the best of local and national jazz, blues and swing performers. The storied Dreamland Ballroom on the corner of 24th and Grant hosted Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Louis Armstrong, and local legend Preston Love cut his jazz teeth there.

After decades of vitality, the turbulence of the 1960s took its toll on the once bustling thoroughfare. Families moved, businesses closed, and an oppressive decline set in.

Today, the public and private sectors are working to revitalize North 24th Street. The North Omaha Development Project, launched in the fall of 2006 to make strategic investments in North Omaha, seeks to create a self-supporting private market and a neighborhood setting rewarding to its citizens and businesses.

The City of Omaha is complementing this effort with the North 24th Street Historic Jazz District Project. Running from Ohio Street to Cuming Street, the district will foster an atmosphere that welcomes people, business and investment. Its design and the first two phases of construction were funded by nearly $2 million in city and federal grants. The total estimated cost of the project is $3.5 million to $4.5 million.

The city is seeking private funding for a series of historic icon markers that will inform visitors of North 24th Street’s jazz legacy. The first marker has been installed at 24th and Lake. Additional markers are planned for the intersections of 24th and Cuming, and 24th and Hamilton. The estimated cost of each marker is $50,000, which includes fabrication, installation, electric service, and sidewalk and landscaping improvements. The designs for the markers have been completed. Installation can proceed once funding is available.

For more information about this project, contact James R. Thele, assistant director, City of Omaha Department of Planning, at jthele@ci.omaha.ne.us.

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Cole Creek, pictured above, and other Douglas County streams are being studied in conjunction with Phase I of the county’s Stream Asset Inventory Project.
Stream Asset Inventory Project
Open House Dec. 13

What can Douglas County residents do to protect and improve their streams?

The public is invited to learn more about the subject at an event scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 13. Douglas County Environmental Services will host an open house showcasing its Stream Asset Inventory Project from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The project is the first phase of Douglas County’s commitment to protecting and enhancing the county’s streams, said Kent Holm, director of Douglas County Environmental Services. Phase I involves a review of existing data, an evaluation of stream condition, and recommendations for future studies, evaluations and policy changes.

The open house will feature poster displays on a number of topics, including the existing condition of the county’s streams, the steps Douglas County is taking to protect and improve them, how land use can impact streams and what the public can do to help protect streams for future generations. Staff will be available to answer questions, and comments and suggestions will be taken.

The offices of Douglas County Environmental Services are located at 3015 Menke Circle one block north and one block west of 93rd and Maple streets. For more information, contact Holm at 402.444.3959 or Emily Holtzclaw, project manager, at 402.341.0851.

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Omaha Featured in New Book on Smart Growth

Omaha’s development of design guidelines for the entire city is featured in a new book published by the APA Planner Press.

Smart Growth in a Changing World, edited by respected planner and urban designer Jonathan Barnett, documents a hidden crisis of energy consumption and environmental degradation in the United States, and shows how balanced transportation and natural resources preservation can make new urban development sustainable, more efficient and more equitable.

Barnett, a professor of practice in city and regional planning and director of the Urban Design Program at the University of Pennsylvania, practices urban design with Wallace Roberts and Todd LLC in Philadelphia. He is one of the architects of the City of Omaha’s Urban Design Element, which was adopted by the Omaha City Council as a component of the city’s master plan in December 2004.

Chapter 8, written by Barnett, recounts the process that led to the creation of the Urban Design Element. He concludes the chapter with the following paragraph:

“A city in harmony with its green landscaped setting, and with walkable neighborhoods, civic places, and mixed use districts that are suitable destinations for public transit is part of the smart growth spectrum, which starts at transportation for the entire multi-city region and the preservation of regional open space.”

Smart Growth in a Changing World also contains chapters by F. Kaid Benfield, W. Paul Farmer, Shelley Poticha, Robert D. Yaro and Armando Carbonel. For more information, visit here.

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Omaha’s image as a green city will get a boost at the 2008 American Planning Association Conference in Las Vegas this spring.

Omaha on the Map at 2008 APA Conference

Those who attend the American Planning Association’s national conference in Las Vegas this spring will have an opportunity to learn about a pair of Omaha projects.

In one session, a group of panelists will discuss how the city, with the help of Omaha by Design, created a comprehensive package of amendments to the city’s existing code structure that pave the way for the implementation of the Urban Design Element’s 73 recommendations. The package was unanimously approved by the Omaha City Council in August.

The featured panelists will be Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design; Steve Jensen, director of planning for the City of Omaha; consultant Jonathan Barnett, Wallace Roberts & Todd LLC; and consultant Brian Blaesser, Robinson & Cole LLP.

In another session, representatives from RDG Planning and Design will discuss “Green Streets for Omaha,” a new master plan that defines a proposed Green Streets system for the city, establishes design and landscape standards, addresses maintenance concepts and standards, and lays out a process to help identify priorities for implementation.

Sponsored by the City of Omaha and Mayor Mike Fahey in conjunction with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property, the plan is the work of a diverse task force comprised of representatives from the city’s public works and planning departments, Omaha by Design, the Omaha Public Power District, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Mulhall’s Nursery and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. RDG Planning and Design served as the project consultant.

For more information about the conference, visit http://www.planning.org/2008conference/.

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Kudos to KOB

Keep Omaha Beautiful Inc. is doing its part to conserve the state’s soil and water resources.

The organization is the recipient of a 2007 Master Conservationist award in the community category. The Master Conservationist program was established by the Omaha World-Herald in 1983 to recognize those who have excelled in soil and water conservation. The program has expanded from production agriculture to residential, community and youth categories. 

In addition to five production agriculture awards, the program bestows five residential, community and youth awards each year. These statewide awards are presented to individuals or groups who have excelled in taking a holistic approach to making wise use of soil and water resources while maintaining and enhancing the environment.

Award recipients are selected by a committee of judges representing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
 
Keep Omaha Beautiful Inc. was recognized for its “World O! Water Festival” held in September. Between 3,000 and 4,000 participants learned about water quality and water pollution via a series of events. Cindy Smilley serves as the organization’s executive director.

For more information about Keep Omaha Beautiful Inc., visit www.keepomahabeautiful.org/.

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