River's Edge Development (Playland Park)

[omahahawk]

thank you

[thenewguy]

my brother-in-law works for the city, and they are expecting a good turnout for the opening of the aerial park this weekend

[omahahawk]

I checked this place out today and learned two things about it: (1) it is everything as advertised and more, (2) the best skyline shot is ironically not at the top, but from the bottom on the tree top walk. There is a section on the west side of the walk that has that ubiquitous Golden Gate/Brooklyn Bridge take where your looking up through the bridge pylons and cables to the expanse of everything behind. I think you might have mentioned this shot in an earlier post Brad but I think this is now my personal favorite. On a side note, I am glad I went today. Not sure if it was the weather or if they were really trying to have a soft opening but the crowds were not overwhelming at all. There were a good number of people there but all in all it was really chill. Staff was really cool and place had a great vibe. Check it out.

[nativeomahan]

Some photos I took this afternoon. Sorry the weather wasn’t the best. BTW it’s about a 3/4 mile walk from the west entrance of the Kerry bridge to the top of the tower. (And over 250 steps to climb to the top of the tower. There is also an elevator.)

[Brad]

Nice! I can't wait to get over there and shoot some sunset or sunrise photos. Just need some better weather...

[Renovator2559]

Nice pictures nativeomahan! Thanks for sharing such nice well taken pictures, I still need to get there one of these days.

[Brad]

I tried to go up the Mid-American Tower last night but it was closed. Had a construction fence across the entrance. Anyone know when its going to re-open?

[orangeboots]

Looks like they are on some kind of reduced hours. Fri 5 to 9 Sat and Sun 10 to 6. Website says more hours coming.

[Brad]

Looks like they are on some kind of reduced hours. Fri 5 to 9 Sat and Sun 10 to 6. Website says more hours coming.

But the observation deck was planned to be 24-7 so hopefully the hours will just apply to the activities.

[Brad]

So here are the hours listed on Google:

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday 5–9 PM
Saturday 10 AM–6 PM
Sunday 10 AM–6 PM

However we had family go over there on Saturday and got there at 5pm and they were told they stop letting people up to the top at 5pm and they close at 6pm, so really they close at 5pm.

Not sure how/why they went from 24/7 to only open 20 hours/3 Days a week.

I was also told it takes about 2 weeks to get a reservation to do the roller glide ride.

[InTheRoom]

Council Bluffs gonna Council Bluffs... that town can't get out of its own way, and hasn't been able to for decades. Should be a viable cross-river complement for Omaha and it remains mired by incompetence.

[omahahawk]

When I was there I got the impression the staff was mostly people from the Omaha Rock Climbing gym and they were most likely pretty close to volunteering. Honestly though, it may not be entirely bad that the tower is not accessible 24 x 7. I am all about personal freedoms. However, it just feels different than the Kerry bridge in terms of safety and security. The bridge is open and offers no hiding spaces for would be criminals. The tower is the exact opposite. I can see the potential for a lot of vandalism and worse if the general public is allowed access at unstaffed times. Hopefully staffing improves. Time will tell though and I am not necessarily sure that is a priority for the current CB city government. Hope I'm wrong. Was the tree top trail at least open?

[ita]

Time will tell though and I am not necessarily sure that is a priority for the current CB city government. Hope I'm wrong.

The current mayor once said in a council meeting that she was against the tower to begin with, so very likely not, when it should be. So, outside of those hours, you can't just walk up to the observation deck?

[EastCB]

From my understanding, the tower is open and the treetop walk . The hours for the rest will be determined as needed. And yes, our Mayor has no clue what she is doing.

[Brad]

From my understanding, the tower is open and the treetop walk . The hours for the rest will be determined as needed. And yes, our Mayor has no clue what she is doing.

As of last Saturday, the tower was not open in the evening, only the treetop walk.

[thenewguy]

From my understanding, the tower is open and the treetop walk . The hours for the rest will be determined as needed. And yes, our Mayor has no clue what she is doing.

I feel like she was elected only due to her stance on homelessness, right, wrong or indifferent. The fact that she cannot see that this is a draw and is very underutilized is a shame. My fear is that we are not capitalizing on the potential at all and it's going to fizzle out and sit there, underutilized and undermaintained, and will be a stain on the riverfront, rather than a gem.

[EastCB]

From my understanding, the tower is open and the treetop walk . The hours for the rest will be determined as needed. And yes, our Mayor has no clue what she is doing.

I feel like she was elected only due to her stance on homelessness, right, wrong or indifferent. The fact that she cannot see that this is a draw and is very underutilized is a shame. My fear is that we are not capitalizing on the potential at all and it's going to fizzle out and sit there, underutilized and undermaintained, and will be a stain on the riverfront, rather than a gem.

True. She just has an agenda and it is not pro development.