Posted in Letters on 12/10/2010 02:09 pm by admin
We received $3000 in funding for a project to replace damaged signs in the park. The project will take the signs and move them to a higher visibility area within the park and hopefully provide citizens of Omaha the chance to read them while enjoying one the nine Great Walks in Omaha.
Stay tuned for more information but in the meantime you can take time to review our application and the plan here.
Posted in Documents and information, Events, Letters on 10/01/2010 09:39 am by admin
submitted by John Williams
The group working to establish a midtown dog park met with Melinda Pearson, Omaha Director of Parks, Recreation, and Public Property, on Friday, September 24th. The meeting helped outline some of the expectations the Parks and Recreation Department has for creating a successful dog park within Hanscom Park. Some of the things looked for include; (1) off-street parking near dog park, (2) dog park not close to bodies of water, (3) dog park not directly adjacent to a neighborhood, (4) air-lock entrance into park, (5) fencing around existing trees so they are not destroyed by urine. Ms Pearson went on to describe the roles and responsibilities shared by The City and the community with the Hefflinger Park. For example, the city will collect trash, mow, and maintain fencing and water lines (once implemented). The responsibilities of providing bags for dog waste, signage, and funding for fencing fall within the realm of the community. The Omaha Dog Park Advocates currently manage these responsibilities at the Hefflinger Dog Park.
After reviewing the some of the criteria and roles/responsibilities, the north-central section of Hanscom Park (Area 4 on the map) has the best potential space for a dog park. The Parks and Recreations Department staff indicated potential funding could be available in the budget to increase off-street parking by adding additional 90 degree parking along the road directly east of the greenhouse. The parking lots directly north and south of the greenhouse could also act as appropriate off-street parking to accommodate dog park visitors. Additionally, an abandoned asphalt path runs through the area. As part of a potential long-term plan, the old path could be improved and appropriated for use by dog park visitors who are walking to/from the street into the park. The space was large enough to accommodate an all dog area and a small dog area. The space is far enough inside the park and sits below street level to not distract neighboring homes.
Our next step will be to meet with leadership from Omaha Dog Park Advocates to determine if we join their group to build and maintain our dog park or if we need to create our own group through our neighborhood associations. Once we have made that decision, we can begin planning the design of the dog park with the Parks and Recreation Department, start grant writing, and initiate fundraising.
Click to view map of Hanscom Park and potential sites
Click Here for Dog Park Detailed Notes
If you are interested in being part of the continued discussion please email John Williams jwilli84@cox.net or Mike Battershell mike@bergmanincentives.com