These ideas and many more like them have been posted to www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event sponsored by Environment Omaha. The site is seeking ideas from the public on how to create a greener city in five topic areas. Since the site launched July 15, thoughtful ideas on the first topic – preserving and enhancing the city’s natural environment – have been submitted. Now it’s time to vote on those ideas.

To review all the ideas submitted, go to www.passthepotatoes.com and click on the “Natural Environment” topic. You must have an account to participate in the voting process. If you’re new to the site and haven’t yet created an account, which is free, go to “sign up” and fill out the form.

Votes can be cast in one of four categories:

• Love it! (+3 points)
• Like it. (+2 points)
• Okay. (+1 points)
• Don’t like it. (-1 point)

All those who submit ideas to www.passthepotatoes.com are awarded community points based on the votes their idea gets. The top 50 point recipients will be publicly recognized this fall.

Then, a panel of local experts convened by Omaha by Design and the city will review the top ideas generated in each of the five topic areas for potential implementation. Pending available funding, the goal is to be able to implement one citizen-inspired project in Omaha within the next calendar year, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design.

The voting period for the Natural Environment topic runs from July 30 to Aug. 6.

Also on July 30, the idea submission period for the next topic – urban form and transportation – opens and runs through Aug. 13. “This topic is all about generating ideas on improving how we move around the city and what shape its future growth should take,” Spellman said. The voting period for this topic will begin Aug. 13.

For more information about www.passthepotatoes.com, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.

Environment Omaha – a partnership of the City of Omaha, the community and Omaha by Design – is a policy development initiative under way that’s creating a new environmental vision for the city. Omaha by Design serves as the project manager. For more information, visit www.environmentomaha.com.

As I write this, I’m watching the boys on the two wheelers powering through the Alps in the Tour de France. The high definition images of the race and the French countryside are nothing less than spectacular.

The roads wind and turn, often revealing a gorgeous view. Many of the routes were built hundreds of years ago and used the path of least resistance out of necessity, but in so doing, respected the terrain.

In this country we have been a bit more likely to ask nature to yield to our will by way of the Jeffersonian grid. In the Land Ordinance of 1785, Thomas Jefferson reacted to what he believed to be a confusing land survey system and suggested a new rectangular scheme, the grid. The grid divided land into plots one mile square.

Henry David Thoreau was about nine years old when Thomas Jefferson died and while they may have agreed on the role of government, I suspect they would not have seen eye to eye on the grid.

Had Thoreau’s profound respect for nature held sway it would likely have made our cities very different places and probably reduced the clashes between parks, traffic, businesses and residences that we all experience at their well defined rectangular intersections. And so, Thoreau and Jefferson continue their debate.

So too, in the history of Omaha, the debate has played out with Jefferson winning more often than not. While the grid makes finding an address fairly simple, it sort of barges through the natural terrain.

If you are like me, walk or bike time is also think time. While you may damn the pain of lactic acid building in your legs as you struggle up Omaha’s hills, you also recover that childhood thrill of speeding effortlessly down the other side. It makes you consider the balance of things.

We need to take that balance into account as we plan for the city’s future. How can we take best advantage of our unique topology?

First, let’s consider the aesthetics of the vista. Hills conceal, then reveal. The reward for reaching the top is often the view from above. Anyone who has “Walked the Bob” knows the beauty of surveying the natural and built environment from high above the middle of the Missouri.

There is a small overlook in Heartland Park with a good view of the river and lowlands that’s also worth a visit. The new Downtown 2030 plan includes a couple of lookouts that deserve our support. One is the Riverview Overlook that will provide views of the river from the OPPD Jones Street Station redevelopment. Another is the Pierce Commons Overlook that will include a viewing tower along the riverfront south of the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge.

Second, let’s encourage our planners to find ways to integrate walking and bicycling with new mass transportation. MAT buses now have bike racks to do this. Any new form of people mover should do the same.

As the population ages, those hills will become more daunting, so maybe we can find a way to ride the bus or train up, and walk or cycle down – perhaps a pass that permits several boardings and route changes during the day.

Finally, as redevelopment proceeds in the Dodge Street corridor west of the Crossroads, let’s find ways to get back to the Papio as we have gotten back to the Missouri. Since the creek doesn’t carry any commercial traffic, it can certainly be used for more than drainage. Seems like a great place to canoe or kayak.

We have successfully embraced the river once again as an essential feature of the city’s terrain and reversed the tendency to hide it. Let’s keep up the momentum and build our future in harmony with the lay of the land.

Film Screening Tonight

Film Streams – in partnership with Live Well Omaha Kids, Omaha by Design, Environment Omaha and the City of Omaha Planning Department – will host a screening of Beyond the Motor City Wednesday, July 14, at 7:00pm. The PBS documentary explores the country’s historic decisions to invest in highways and automotive infrastructure and the resulting effects in many cities on accessible metro transit systems, safe walking and biking, sustainable development, urban vitality and socially equitable communities. Following the screening, Aaron Woolf – the film’s director – will moderate a discussion with the audience. The screening and discussion are free and open to the public as space allows. For admission information, contact Casey Logan at 402.933.0259.

Bike Valet Parking

You may have seen them at this year’s Shakespeare on the Green festival, and you’ll be seeing more of them at other community events in the future. Omaha Bikes has begun providing free bike valet parking at community events. The group wants to encourage people to ride their bikes to events by providing a convenient, safe and secure place to park their rides, said Julie Harris, outreach coordinator for Activate Omaha. Omaha Bikes is a community organization that promotes and advocates for improved transportation, utility and recreational bicycling infrastructure, opportunities and experiences for the people of Omaha and the surrounding area. You can follow the group on http://bikeomaha.blogspot.com.

Energy Efficiency Workshops

OPPD and the Neighborhood Center are offering a series of free workshops to help residents manage their energy costs as well as protect their home equipment and internal electrical lines. The four remaining workshops will be held at the Neighborhood Center, 115 S. 49^th Ave., from 5:30 to 7:00pm. The next workshop, “Home Energy Audits for Existing Homes & ENERGY STAR for New Homes,” will be held Monday, Aug. 9. To register for any of the remaining workshops, call 402.561.7569. For more information about the workshops, call 402.636.3541.

Tree Planting Funds

The Nebraska Forest Service, in collaboration with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, has announced that grant funding and technical assistance are now available for tree-planting projects across the state through the Trees for Nebraska Towns (TNT) program, part of the ReTree Nebraska initiative. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 1 for projects to be completed in 2011. Application materials can be downloaded from
http://www.nfs.unl.edu/documents/retreenebraska/2010%20TNT%20funding%20application.pdf. For more information, contact Justin Evertson at 402.4725045 or jevertson1@unl.edu. TNT is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET), a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery. NET has now provided more than $1.2 million to the initiative since 2006.

Stormwater Management Tour

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Stormwater Work Group is sponsoring a Green Infrastructure Tour Friday, Aug. 6, in Omaha. Registration begins at 8:30am at the Douglas/Sarpy County Extension Office, 8015 W. Center Road, and the tour runs from 9:00am to 4:00pm. A variety of stops are planned that will provide specific information on stormwater management projects in Omaha, including a stop at The Cole Creek Project site in Orchard Park. The cost is $15 per person and includes a chartered bus, a box lunch, drinks and handouts. The registration deadline is July 31. For more information, contact Katie Pekarek at 402.643.2981 or kpekarek2@unl.edu.

Some went patriotic. Others opted for themes from nature or focused on geometric shapes.

A group of residents from the Clairmont Heights Neighborhood Association gathered at the Holy Name Fieldhouse July 11 to build and decorate rain barrels, which are designed to collect rain water for use in watering lawns and gardens. The project was funded by a 2009 mini-grant from The Cole Creek Project, a $1.6 million urban stream restoration initiative in the Benson-Ames Alliance (B-AA). Schools, neighborhood associations, churches and civic groups located within the B-AA were eligible to apply for funding for projects that addressed stormwater management or water conservation.

The Clairmont Heights neighborhood, which sits on the eastern edge of the B-AA, is home to 271 residences, 80 percent of which are owner occupied. Bisected by Fontenelle Boulevard, it dates back to the early 1900s and enjoys a rich history, including serving as the site of the first airplane flight in Nebraska.

Prior to the workshop, the neighborhood association conducted an informational meeting to explain the rain barrel project to its members, promote water conservation and identify 25 residents who were interested in having a rain barrel on their property. Each participant contributed $20 toward the total cost for each barrel.

Following the workshop, the neighborhood association plans to conduct follow-up visits to each rain barrel household and answer questions or troubleshoot if issues arise. The group also intends to photograph each barrel and post the photos on its web site.

For more information about the Clairmont Heights Neighborhood Association, visit http://clairmontheights.wordpress.com.

The Cole Creek Project, a stormwater demonstration initiative, is the first to follow the City of Omaha’s Urban Design Element recommendation that calls for transforming the Papio Creek waterways into a citywide public park and recreation system. It’s a partnership of the City of Omaha Departments of Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Public Property; Roncalli Catholic High School; Douglas County; Omaha by Design; the Benson-Ames Alliance; Big Muddy Workshop; Hayes Environmental L.L.C.; Lamp, Rynearson & Associates and Olsson Associates. The project is funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. For more information, visit www.colecreek.org.

Behind the headlines, the Benson Business Improvement District (BID) is doing its part to help improve the physical setting for this event and others like it as well as the future success of the community. For the past 10 months, the Benson BID has been working with the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association, the Benson-Ames Alliance, Omaha by Design and the City of Omaha to jumpstart the revitalization of downtown Benson.

A rendering of the east gateway to the Benson Business District.

In January 2010, the Omaha City Council approved the creation of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District in downtown Benson to incentivize commercial and industrial development. During the next five years, the city proposes to invest nearly $1.4 million in Benson by constructing east and west gateway entrances to the business district, which marks the official start of the Maple Street Corridor Project implementation.

The Benson BID, established by the City of Omaha in 1977, is backing up these efforts by seeking to expand its current boundaries and finance a new strategic work plan that will help improve the look and feel of downtown Benson. “It’s been more than 30 years since the district was established, and we’ve changed a lot since then,” said Greg Bourne, owner of Burke’s Pub on Maple Street and one of five Benson BID board members. “The time has come to take a more active role in the revitalization of our community.”

The proposed Benson BID boundaries are similar to the boundaries of the new TIF District. The group is also seeking to expand its board from five to seven members and change its assessment formula to fund its proposed strategic work plan, which focuses on cleaning and maintenance, lighting and security, signage and landscaping.

During the past three months, the Benson BID planning group has reached out to individual property owners affected by the proposed changes. In addition, a public meeting was held May 20 at Benson Baptist Church to discuss the process and answer questions. The proposed changes will be considered by the Omaha Planning Board later this summer.

“I believe in Benson and its business potential,” Bourne said. “As individual property owners, we all need to get on board and do collectively what we can’t do alone. Our future depends on our willingness to fund improvements that are necessary to our success. As a BID, we need to do more than remove snow.”

For more information about the group’s plans, visit www.benson-ames.org and click on the Benson Business Improvement District link.

How can the metro tap into opportunities created by this partnership? A new livability roundtable convened by Omaha by Design is beginning to map out the answer to this question.

In late 2009, the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities asked the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to facilitate feedback from stakeholders across the country about the new effort, including nonprofits and government agencies. Omaha by Design was subsequently asked by PPS to coordinate a feedback session in Omaha, one of three U.S. cities invited to participate.

Omaha by Design Director Connie Spellman said the regional group convened for the feedback session included representatives of the Mayor’s Office, Omaha’s planning and public works departments, the planning department in Council Bluffs, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the Young Professionals Council, the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, Metropolitan Community College, Environment Omaha, the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, RDG Planning and Design, Metro Area Transit, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Omaha Housing Association and the Nebraska Department of Roads.

Since the initial feedback session was held, the group continues to meet regularly under the facilitation of Omaha by Design to coordinate local efforts and explore funding opportunities for implementation projects that mirror the goals of the federal partnership:

• Providing more transportation choices;
• Promoting equitable, affordable housing;
• Increasing economic competitiveness;
• Supporting existing communities;
• Leveraging federal investment; and
• Valuing communities and neighborhoods.

“We’re still in the process of discovering which organization is doing what in terms of livability efforts and where our interests overlap as a region,” Spellman said. “We’re also starting to identify resources and technical assistance that could help create better access to affordable housing, more transportation options and lower transportation costs for our region of the country.”

A June 8 meeting of the livability roundtable was attended by regional representatives of the three federal partners. Updates on the group’s plans for the future will be provided as the information becomes available.

Work on the community health section of Environment Omaha, a new policy development initiative that’s creating a comprehensive environmental section for the city’s master plan, is nearing completion. Environment Omaha covers five areas – the natural environment, urban form and transportation, building construction, resource conservation and community health.

The community health document has been developed by the Environment Omaha Community Health Advisory Committee, which is chaired by Mikki Frost, administrative director for healthier communities at Alegent Health. The committee, a group of 32 volunteers representing a diversity of professions and perspectives, included suggestions from the public in developing the content.

The draft – broken down into active, safe and healthy living components – calls for engaging the community to support policies, establish partnerships with community leaders and prioritize resources that support and sustain community health, such as:

• Neighborhoods with mixed uses and connectivity to destinations
• Parks, open spaces and recreational facilities
• Access to and availability of healthy foods
• Access to health services and economic opportunities
• Walking, biking and public transit
• High quality, healthy and affordable housing
• Safe and healthy neighborhoods and public spaces
• Environmental quality

The draft document will be reviewed by the Environment Omaha Core Committee later this month. The final community health draft will be posted on www.environmentomaha.com in early August, and feedback will be sought at that time, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design.

Funding for Environment Omaha, which is receiving significant city staff and resource support, is provided by grants from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and the City of Omaha’s Stormwater Management Plan Program Grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Omaha by Design serves as the project manager. For more information, call 402.554.4010 or email info@omahabydesign.org.

Environment Omaha – a partnership of the City of Omaha, the community and Omaha by Design – is partnering with Community ReDesigned to launch www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event that invites anyone interested in Omaha to submit practical, creative and resourceful ideas for improving the sustainability of the city.

“A lot of issues get discussed at the family dinner table while people are passing the potatoes,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “Environment Omaha is all about creating an environmental vision for the future of our city, and we want to take this discussion to dinner tables across Omaha – in homes, at restaurants and wherever people gather for a meal and conversation.”

The virtual town hall event is powered by mindmixer, an innovative web platform developed by Community ReDesigned and designed by What Cheer that allows the public to generate ideas, help others evolve their ideas and ultimately vote and prioritize the best ideas. “It’s a great way to involve greater numbers of citizens in any community planning process at their convenience, from their own home,” said Nick Bowden, partner with Community ReDesigned. “The outcome is no longer tied to the number of people who physically show up at a public meeting.”

www.passthepotatoes.com is seeking project ideas in five areas:

• Preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment
• Improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take
• Improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings
• Conserving natural resources
• Improving Omaha’s overall health

The site will go live Thursday, July 15. Users can submit as many ideas as they like and encourage others to support or build on their ideas. The five topic areas will be presented one at a time. Ultimately, the community will identify the best ideas through an online vote. You must be age 14 or older to submit a project idea. The topic schedule for idea submission and voting is as follows:

Preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment
- Submit ideas from July 15 to July 29
- Vote on ideas from July 30 to Aug. 6

Improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take
- Submit ideas from July 30 to Aug. 12
- Vote on ideas from Aug. 13 to Aug. 20

Improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings
- Submit ideas from Aug. 13 to Aug. 26
- Vote on ideas from Aug. 27 to Sept. 3

Conserving natural resources
- Submit ideas from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9
- Vote on ideas from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17

Improving Omaha’s overall health
- Submit ideas from Sept. 10 to Sept. 23
- Vote on ideas from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1

All those who submit ideas to www.passthepotatoes.com will be recognized with community points. The top 50 point recipients will be publicly recognized this fall. A panel of local experts convened by Omaha by Design and the city will review the top ideas generated in each of the five areas for potential implementation. “Pending available funding, the goal is to be able to implement one citizen-inspired project in Omaha within the next calendar year,” Spellman said.

For more information about www.passthepotatoes.com, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or Community ReDesigned at 402.553.5485. For more information about mindmixer, visit www.mindmixer.com.

Mayor Jim Suttle – in partnership with Live Well Omaha, Omaha by Design and the Omaha Marathon – is hosting a series of guided neighborhood walks throughout the city this summer and fall. It’s an opportunity for residents to become more active and learn about the neighborhoods that make up Omaha. Each walk features a guide with knowledge of the area.

The July 11 walk took participants through the historic streets of Florence (see photos above). Florence advocate Linda Meigs, owner of the Florence Mill, served as the tour guide.

The walks are free and open to the public. The remainder of the 2010 schedule is below.

Saturday, Aug. 14

Standing Bear Lake
10:00am
Guide: TBD

Saturday, Sept. 18

Old Market Walk
10:00am
Guide: TBD

Saturday, Oct. 16

Zorinsky Lake
10:00am
Guide: Steve Oltmans

Saturday, Nov. 13

Elkhorn
10:00am
Guide: Barbi Hayes

For more information about the walks, call 402.444.5000 or visit www.cityofomaha.org/mayor.

Being a slacker is one of my best things. Hanging out, watching, listening and taking in the spring air is something we are all entitled to after such a brutal winter.

So, camera in hand, I set out on a recent Saturday to see how my fellow citizens were having fun and relaxing in public spaces.

Teams of three biked, ran, climbed and paddled around Omaha during Urban Omaha, the Ultimate Adventure Race. They started and finished in Turner Park at Midtown Crossing.

Plant-a-Wish, a public awareness project aiming to inspire the restoration of native habitats around Omaha, made a stop at the Malcolm X Birthplace on the first leg of their tour to plant native trees in all 50 states.

The Nebraska Children's Home Society Foundation's Sand in the City brought together 350 tons of sand, 17 local corporate teams, architects and professional sand sculptors to build some incredible stuff near the Qwest Center. Of course, if you were under five, you only needed about a ton to make some big fun if you were willing to dig in.

UNO's Mobile Phone Orchestra performs original compositions for iPhones and iPod Touches connected to custom-made speaker gloves in the Bow Truss Gallery as part of the KANEKO Summer Saturdays. Every Saturday in June from 10:00am to noon, KANEKO will open its doors for tours, exhibits and events in the restored historic space.

You can't make this stuff up, folks. No Photoshop here, I swear. Without warning, one of the new Leahy Mall benches spontaneously "color coordinated" with the corner of 14th and Douglas.