Steve Jensen (center), director of planning for the City of Omaha, was presented with Omaha by Design’s 2007 Laurels Award by Mayor Mike Fahey and Pete Festersen, chair of the city’s planning board, at Omaha by Design’s inaugural awards luncheon Jan. 28.
Omaha Planning Director Honored
with Laurels Award
Steve Jensen, director of planning for the City of Omaha, is the 2007 recipient of Omaha by Design’s Laurels Award. The award, Omaha by Design’s highest honor, is presented to an individual, organization or business that has made significant contributions to the creation of great public spaces in the metro. Mayor Mike Fahey presented Jensen with the award Jan. 28 at Omaha by Design’s inaugural awards luncheon. “It is a pleasure to work with Steve, whether it’s on the Urban Design Element, the North Omaha Redevelopment Project or Midtown Crossing at Turner Park,” Fahey said. “He has the best interest of our community at heart and is well deserving of this honor.” Jensen, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, joined the staff of the City of Omaha Planning Department in 1973. He served as interim director of the department upon the retirement of Bob Peters and was appointed director in June 2005. Del Weber, chancellor emeritus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and co-chair – along with Jensen – of Omaha by Design’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG), called Jensen “the consummate professional, both in his behavior toward others and the skills he demonstrates in his work.” The TAG was formed in January 2006 to help draft implementation measures for the city’s Urban Design Element. The awards luncheon also recognized the 2007 recipients of Omaha by Design’s new trio of awards – the Green Leaf, Civic Leaf and Neighborhood Leaf. The Green Leaf - which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s natural setting and public park system – was awarded to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. The board was selected for its visionary efforts in adopting a comprehensive development plan and zoning regulations that champion conservation design and low impact development. The Civic Leaf – which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to define and improve the metropolitan area’s civic places and public image – was awarded to First National Bank for its commission of two sculpture parks in downtown Omaha. It is one of the largest installments of bronze sculptures in the world. The Neighborhood Leaf – which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s residential neighborhoods – was awarded to Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, pastor of Dietz United Methodist Church. She was selected for her commitment to fostering systemic change that allows neighborhood residents to improve their lives, including the establishment of the Big Garden. For more information about the Omaha by Design Awards Program, contact Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.
The public will be able to view the results of the Maple Street Design Charrette Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge #290, 5903 Maple St. All those interested in the future of Benson are welcome to attend.
Public Viewing of Maple Street Design Charrette Results Feb. 19
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. At an open forum held in Benson in early February, locals were asked to share their thoughts on what Maple Street should look and feel like in the future. On Feb. 18-19, these thoughts will be transformed into concept drawings at a design charrette sponsored by the Benson-Ames Alliance. The event is the next step in the development of the Maple Street Corridor Project, a partnership of Omaha by Design, the Benson-Ames Alliance, the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association and the City of Omaha Departments of Planning and Public Works. The project seeks to revitalize Maple Street from Northwest Radial Highway to 64th Street and also focuses on Military Avenue from Maple Street to Northwest Radial Highway. It has two components – a streetscape element 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. The public will be able to view the results of the design charrette Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge #290, 5903 Maple St. RDG Planning and Design will present a series of concept drawings for initial feedback. Features such as public art, public space and the sustainability of design will factor into the concept drawings, said Troy Arthur, chair of the Benson-Ames Alliance’s Business Affairs Committee. “We encourage everyone with an interest in Benson to attend the Feb. 19 evening presentation and participate in the process,” Arthur said. “Input from Benson businesses, residents and civic organizations is vital to the success of this project.” For more information about the Maple Street Corridor Project, contact Arthur at troy.arthur@bankofthewest.com.
Mayor Mike Fahey has appointed eight individuals and two alternates to serve on the City of Omaha's new Design Review Board. The board will provide the city planning director and the development community with a mechanism for determining how the city's urban design goals and regulations as outlined in the code are met in practice. The members are: Larry Ferguson, Omaha Public Art Commission; Dave Ciaccio, Olsson Associates; Kathie Jeffries, ex-officio, Omaha Planning Board; Mike McMeekin, Lamp, Rynearson & Associates; Bob Peters, the Robert Peters Company; Tim Holland, Holland Basham Architects; Jerry Torczon, BHI Development; and Jay Noddle, Noddle Companies. Larry Jobeun, Fullenkamp, Doyle & Jobeun, and Matt Tondl, HDR Inc., will serve as the alternates. The appointments are subject to approval by the Omaha City Council. The creation of the board is called for in the city's Urban Design Element (UDE), approved by the Omaha City Council and adopted as part of the city's master plan in December 2004. The UDE outlines a strategy for improving the quality of development in Omaha while protecting and enhancing the city's natural environment. The inaugural Design Review Board members were selected from the volunteer Technical Advisory Group formed by Omaha by Design to help write revisions and additions to the city's code that will implement the UDE's recommendations. The TAG, comprised of development and design professionals as well as others representing civic interests, worked alongside the city's planning staff, city officials, Omaha by Design and the project's nationally renowned urban design consultants. While other municipalities have similar boards for specific districts, Omaha's Design Review Board will have jurisdiction over the entire city. It will have the responsibility to review any project from a public entity or financed substantially with public funds. It also will act largely as an appeal and consultation mechanism for developers. "It's not intended as another layer of government approval," said Steve Jensen, planning director for the City of Omaha. "The board will get involved when a project does not conform to urban design standards by recommending alternative solutions to help meet those standards. Their input will occur during the standard review and approval process, so it won't add time to the existing process." Members will serve three-year terms. An initial meeting of the board will be organized in the coming weeks.
George and Sarah Joslyn’s historic Palm House was destroyed in Omaha’s 1913 tornado. Its loss so devastated the couple that it was never rebuilt.
Support Sought for Reconstruction
of Joslyn Castle Palm House
Editor’s Note: This is the third 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 2007 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. Picture yourself at a business meeting, social gathering or wedding reception in a re-creation of George and Sarah Joslyn’s historic Palm House. The original greenhouse-style structure, which housed Sarah’s rare orchid collection and seldom-seen tropical plants, was destroyed in Omaha’s 1913 tornado. Its loss so devastated the Joslyns that the Palm House was never rebuilt. The Friends of Joslyn Castle plan to reconstruct the Palm House in its original edge-of-downtown location and make it available to the community for social and business gatherings of all sizes. This one-of-a-kind glass structure also will house a catering kitchen, technology for business meetings and seminars, and restroom facilities accessible from indoors and by those strolling the picturesque castle grounds. It also will serve as a showplace for magnificent floral displays. The Joslyns, early residents of Omaha’s Gold Coast neighborhood, were philanthropic leaders at a time when the city was emerging from its frontier days to embrace fine architecture and culture. They were proud of their Scottish baronial castle-mansion and of their spectacularly beautiful grounds. Their Palm House demonstrated their love of nature, plants and flowers, and their story is incomplete without it. Re-building of the Joslyn Palm House will create a wonderful event space in midtown Omaha that will generate revenue for the restoration and further community enjoyment of this magnificent home. Omahans can take pride in having preserved and enhanced one of the nation’s top historic properties, attracting residents and tourists to a setting in which they can experience the lifestyle that Omaha’s Gold Coast neighbors established in the early 1900s. The total estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million. Naming rights are available.
A planned student plaza at the University of Nebraska Medical Center will serve as a central outdoor area for student and campus activities during the warmer months and will convert into a mechanically frozen ice rink during the winter months.
UNMC Student Plaza to Embody
Urban Design Philosophy
A generous expanse of green space. An outdoor gathering spot with architectural and artistic flair. An opportunity for people to connect, relax and reflect. Thanks to the generosity of Ruth and Bill Scott, this trio of urban design principles will be showcased on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in the form of a new student plaza, an ice rink and an architectural/artistic feature. The plaza will be constructed as part of a greenway on the east side of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, located on the northeast corner of 42nd and Emile streets. It will serve as a central outdoor area for student and campus activities during the warmer months and will convert into a mechanically frozen ice rink during the winter months. The plaza will help enhance campus life and develop a clear sense of academic place by creating a common space to be shared by the colleges of nursing, pharmacy, medicine and public health as well as the School of Allied Health Professions, said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. The space also will link to the UNMC Student Life Center. “For years I have envisioned having a plaza and skating rink where students and employees can enjoy our campus atmosphere,” Dr. Maurer said. “Thanks to Ruth and Bill Scott, it is going to become a reality. I think it will be one of the most exciting projects ever on the UNMC campus, as it will give us the green space and college campus ‘feel’ we have sorely needed.” An architectural/artistic feature, similar in concept to the Henningson Memorial Campanile at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and other sculptural features at the university’s other campuses, will be located on the east end of the campus greenway. Preliminary plans call for the feature to have a health care theme. This latest project marks the fifth major gift the Scotts have made to UNMC in the past five years. Bill Scott is a former vice president of Berkshire Hathaway. Ruth Scott is a bridge instructor and founder of the Omaha Bridge Studio. The student plaza, ice rink and greenway extension will be designed by HDR Architecture, Inc., one of the architects for the Sorrell Center. A designer for the proposed campus identification monument will be chosen through a national competition.
Work on the student plaza and greenway is expected to get under way this spring. The project has a tentative completion date of November 2008. The timeline for completion of the campus identification monument is 2010. For more information about UNMC, visit www.unmc.edu.
Was your home or business built before the 1950s? Do you live in an older neighborhood? Are you interested in learning about historic restoration and preservation? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then plan on attending Restore Omaha 2008. The conference, exhibition and tour will be held Feb. 29-March 2 at the South Omaha campus of Metropolitan Community College. The 2008 keynote speaker will be Jim Lindberg, director of preservation initiatives at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He will discuss how to “tame the teardown trend” in historic neighborhoods. The conference opens Feb. 29 with a reception at Prouty Place Dos, a multi-use residential/commercial facility in the heart of South Omaha. March 1 activities include the keynote address, a series of breakout sessions and an exhibitor area that features Ask-An-Expert stations, a bookstore, hands-on demonstrations and exhibit booths. The March 2 agenda includes South Omaha neighborhood tours organized by Landmarks Inc. For more information, visit www.restoreomaha.com.
[top of the page] Save the Date: Watershed Management Conference June 5
Douglas County and the City of Omaha will join forces to sponsor a watershed management conference June 5 at the Scott Conference Center. Sessions will include smart growth in the heartland, the impact of development on aquatic systems, new urbanism and waterways, low impact development and sustainable stormwater management, and green infrastructure and watershed planning. Funding is provided in part by the Stormwater Management Plan Grant Program. Registration materials will be available in March. For more information, contact Julie Olson at jolson@assocoffice.net or 402.476.3852.
[top of the page] Get Green, Omaha: Green Your Cleaning Editor’s Note: This is the first in a continuing series of articles written or compiled by Daniel Lawse, energy outreach coordinator with the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha. Lawse also co-chairs the Green Omaha Coalition’s Green Neighborhood Council. The Green Omaha Coalition is dedicated to promoting a healthy, sustainable community through partnerships, policy and smart solutions. Omaha by Design is a founding partner of the Green Omaha Coalition. For those who would like more information on the topic below, plan to attend a free “Green Your Cleaning” workshop Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon at Word Made Flesh, 1013 Leavenworth St. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to make their own green cleaners. Those planning to attend should R.S.V.P. to Lawse at livesimply93@gmail.com. Green Homes: “How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit”
by Annie B. Bond, author of Clean & Green (Ceres Press, 1994) Most modern synthetic cleaning products are based on age-old formulas using natural ingredients that were passed down through the generations because the chemistry was right. Going back to the original naturally derived ingredients is a way to make cleaning products that work, don't pollute and save you money. Most are found in your kitchen cupboards. Mix and match with well-chosen and environmentally friendly green cleaning products found in health food stores, and you can easily and simply transform your home into a non-toxic and healthy haven. Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing that your family's health is protected and that your home is a place for your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm. Making your own nontoxic cleaning kit will take you no time at all with these simple, straightforward directions. With this kit, you’ll be supplied with enough cleaning products for months of cleaning. As an added bonus, ounce for ounce, homemade cleaning formulas cost about 1/10th the price of their commercial counterparts - and that includes costly, but worthwhile essential oils and concentrated, all-purpose detergents for homemade recipes. Make sure to label all your homemade cleaning products, and keep them away from pets and children. Supplies: Baking soda Washing soda White distilled vinegar A good liquid soap or detergent Tea tree oil 6 clean spray bottles 2 glass jars Creamy Soft Scrubber Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit. (Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar to keep the product moist. Otherwise, just make as much as you need at a time.) Window Cleaner 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups water Spray bottle Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past. All-Purpose Spray Cleaner 1/2 teaspoon washing soda Dab of liquid soap 2 cups hot tap water Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle, and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.
Oven Cleaner 1 cup or more baking soda Water A squirt or two of liquid detergent Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda so that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn't work for you, it is probably because you didn't use enough baking soda and/or water. Furniture Polish 1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba - a liquid wax) 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution, and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar, and store indefinitely. Vinegar Deodorizer Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night and don't even rinse it, allowing it to set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on, and wipe off. Tea Tree Treasure Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I've used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, a musty bureau, a musty rug and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days. 2 teaspoons tea tree oil 2 cups water Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups. Vinegar Spray Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours. [top of the page] obddesignline, Omaha by Design’s e-newsletter, is published the second Wednesday of each month. To remove your name from our mailing list,please click hereand write"unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you have questions, comments or ideas for people and places to feature in future articles, please send them to teresa@omahabydesign.org or call 402.342.3458. VISIT THE OMAHA BY DESIGN WEB SITE
