23 projects pitched + more
If you worry about the health and safety of Omaha neighborhoods, the recent IN the Neighborhood Conference should give you hope for the future. The annual event, hosted by the City of Omaha, was attended by more than 130 people from across the metro.
“It was a huge success,” said ONE Omaha Program Manager Julie Smith. “The interactive format encouraged a lot of important dialogue and interaction, and I want to personally thank all those who volunteered their services to help make the conference happen.”
Among the highlights:
Five members of the Omaha City Council – Garry Gernandt, Ben Gray, Chris Jerram, Aimee Melton and Rich Pahls – sat in on community-led district visioning sessions. In each session, participants were asked what they hope to see in place in their community in three to five years. The input gathered during these sessions will be discussed at individual neighborhood alliance meetings and the next meeting of the ONE Omaha Advisory Board. “We hope to develop programming and create opportunities for shared advocacy based on what attendees envision for their city council districts,” Smith said.
Twenty-three projects were pitched by neighborhood attendees, all of them designed to bring neighbors together and enhance neighborhoods. Among the ideas presented: painted crosswalks, stimulating the local economy with jobs for youth, reusing tires in garden beds and hosting a “pirate party” to celebrate the work of block captains.
Participants in the “civic speed dating” session discussed community assets and neighborhood ideals, then received resource and referral information based on their individual aspirations.
For more information on how to gain access to the information shared at the conference, contact Smith at julie.smith@oneomaha.org or402.547.7473.
Pictured above: Lamar, age 2 and the grandson of Patsy Stewart, took a turn running the ONE Omaha table. Below: some of the notes from the city council district visioning sessions.
