Two years after planning started for a new nature center at Mandan Park in south Omaha, construction is nearing completion, just in time for summer camp. We met up with Matt Kalcevich, the director of Omaha Parks and Recreation to get an update.
The nature center building will serve as a hub for a new set of Omaha's popular summer camps. The building has restrooms, office space for staff, and plenty of indoor space to host camp when the weather isn't nice enough outside. The main room has large windows to look out at the surrounding forest and nearby Missouri River. There is also a storm shelter downstairs in case severe weather strikes.
Construction should be finished in the middle of May, which will give camp staff just enough time to move in and get ready for the first campers the first week of June.
Just outside the nature center, there are 9 outdoor shelters also being built, which will be where the 8 weekly camp groups spend a lot of their time. The outdoor adventure camps will be similar to the camps at Adams, Hummel, and Zorinsky.
Kalcevich says Mandan Park was under utilized and under programmed, making this the perfect spot for the upgrades. A couple years ago, half a dozen trails were added to the park for walkers and mountain bikers.
The nature center can also be rented out for private events.
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