OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — From how long the cars will be to the capability of it being off wire, many specifics are still up for discussion. Jay Noddle, president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority, said there is a lot to be done before any of the recommendations the board discussed, Monday, become official.
"I feel good about where we are. I think everyone has to keep in mind that those are preliminary recommendations. I think we will be much more well-informed after the vehicle days," Noddle said.
One agenda item did move forward, the selection committee appointed by Mayor Jean Stothert made their selection for a construction company.
"The selection committee recommends that the board enter into negotiations with Kiewit Construction to perform the construction of the streetcar system," said Steve Jensen, deputy chief of staff for economic development, Mayors office.
Now the process moves to negotiating a contract with Kiewit.
3 News Now Reporter Molly Hudson asked Noddle how it feels to be at this point, "It feels really good when I look back over the last 6 or 12 months. We have made a tremendous amount of progress. We've got an awful lot done," Noddle said.
But Noddle said a lot weighs on an agreement with the city, as the supplier of the money.
"The agreement between the city and the Streetcar Authority has to be put in place before a contract for services can be put in place," Noddle said.
In the coming weeks, HDR, the engineering team behind the project is meeting with businesses, tenants and others along the recommended path, whose daily operations may be impacted.
Those meetings are planned for Tuesday, February 21 through Thursday, as well as Tuesday through Thursday the following week, in the Blackstone District.
"We want to invite those property owners in because we understand that it's a nice courtesy to be able to see that there might be a streetcar stop in front of your property before the general public does," said Stephanie Rittershaus with HDR.
On March 7, there will be a public open house in Midtown Crossing at the Empire Room, to see the proposed stop locations, and route alignment.
Communication was also a key topic.
"So far we have had 51 questions asked, we have a 98% reply rate to those questions. Much of what people are asking is actually on the site so we are able to redirect them to the page where the information can be found," said Elizebeth Murphy with Emspace & Lovgren.
Progress, Noddle was glad to hear.
"This is our chance to really get the information out there in a very broad way, make sure it's accurate, make sure it's timely, make sure it's updated," Noddle said.
In January, the Streetcar Authority launched Omahastreetcar.org, a website to help answer questions and keep the community updated on the project. On February 20, they plan to launch a Facebook and Instagram accounts dedicated to the project.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
