(KMTV) OMAHA. Neb
- Neighbors have widespread opinion of changes
- Video shows rendering of how center will look like
- Construction begins in spring
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Major changes are coming to a South Omaha park
The City of Omaha plans to build a nature center in in the area along 13th street to help build more space to host summer camps in the area.
It's almost a 4 million dollar project. Neighbors have a widespread opinion about the changes.
Stephen Bolgar is a leader in the Mandan park Neighborhood Association. He says he's been working alongside Friends of Mandan Park for years to clean up the park and make it better for everyone who lives in this part of South Omaha. According to Bolgar one of the major issues at Mandan park is illegal dumping. "They closed our road to stop dumping, almost every dead end street a road closed in this entire area has dumping or has had major issues because of lack of access, so you need to maintain access its just how you do it," says Bolgar.
The neighborhood association took photos of a pile if tires dumped in Mandan in 2020, it was up to people like Stephen to remove them. "Well the tires we pulled out several hundred tires, and we really believe that it reduced the mosquito population, but none of these things should've happened,” says Bolgar.
The city is also aware of the issues in Mandan Park. This month the city council approved spending nearly 4 million dollars to clean up the entire park and build a nature preserve on the south end of the park.
The ultimate goal is to attract more people here and host a summer camp for kids. Park goers of all ages are intrigued. Nick Rice who lives nearby and likes to run the park's trails says he's happy to see any improvement. "So I'll take it, yeah, I'm not gonna complain about it," he says.
“As long as the park is kept more primitive, i think everyone will be able to enjoy the park,” says Bolgar.
The city plans to start construction in the spring after planning it for two years. They hope the project will be of some convenience.
