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Plaza planters add beauty and security
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In March 2003 Place Game teams made up of the Public Building Commission, city and county employees and employees from surrounding businesses suggested that the Harney Plaza of Omaha’s Civic Center could benefit from “color in the plaza with greenery, flowers, banners, canopies and murals.”
In addition to ideas about how the Omaha/Douglas Building Commission could improve the plazas, the workshop participants also suggested that improving the Lower Harney Street Plaza should be given priority. |
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The Harney Plaza with “Jersey” barricades |
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The Lower Harney Plaza was seen as unattractive and underutilized largely because of the plastic jersey barricades installed after 9/11. Due to security concerns, the Omaha Douglas Building Commission recently renovated the parking garage and guard shack adjoining the plaza. You can read more about that Place Game at http://www.livelyomaha.org/whatsnew/civic_center/index.htm.
Lively Omaha took on the task of implementing the Place Game recommendations consistent with the need for security at important civic buildings and decided that planters would be a great complement to the security renovations and bring color and greenery to the plaza.
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Lively Omaha applied to the Affiliated Family Foundations for a grant to make improvements to the Lower Harney Plaza.
The Parker Family Foundation funded the project and through a cooperative effort with the Omaha/Douglas Building Commission, Omaha Parks and Recreation Department, County Extension, Douglas County Environmental Services, Lauritzen Gardens and volunteer landscape architects, horticulturalists and master gardeners, Lively Omaha developed a planter design plan for plaza improvements that balances the need for security and building access with need for a comfortable and attractive public place.
(Read more about the combinations of plants in the planters)
Plantings you can use
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The plan includes the placement of 20 planters filled with perennial native and prairie flowers and plants.
The selection was made to help ensure survival of the plants with minimum maintenance. All plants are drought resistant and can withstand extreme temperatures.
Civic Center employees have volunteered to perform on-going maintenance so the planters continue to beautify the plaza for many seasons to come.
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The Harney Plaza with new planters
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This Lower Harney Plaza project is intended to serve as a model for planter selection, soil mixture and native perennial plants. Lively Omaha greatly appreciates the time and talent of those who helped make Place Game ideas a reality:
Ron Buboltz, Omaha/Douglas Public Building Commission
Kathleen Cue, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Office
Pat Herzog, Omaha/Douglas Public Building Commission
Kent Holm, Douglas County Environmental Services
Ann Hosford, Master Gardner
Jimmi Lossing, Big Muddy Workshop
Jim Mack, Lauritzen Botanical Gardens
Walt Mertz, Omaha Parks and Recreation
Pat Slaven, Omaha Parks and Recreation
Cindy Smilley, Keep Omaha Beautiful
Nancy Taylor, Walnut Hill Neighborhood Association
David Werner, Big Muddy Workshop
Nancy Williams, City Sprouts
BACK TO MAIN PAGE
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OMAHA DOUGLAS PUBLIC BUILDING COMMISSION RESOLUTION
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