Hanscom Park

[Vince Furlong]

Last nite I attended the Ford Birthsite neighbors meeting. One of the topics covered was Hanscom Park. Larry Foster updated us on the park:

1. This park has very heavy usage which is good.
2. Improvements are being made to the NE corner currently (clearing brush and fixing up the paths) and further improvements will be made along the Park Ave. side of the park this summer.

A few people in the group had suggestions and Larry seemed to put them all down for one reason or another. Just wondering what the forum feels about these:

a. open the greenhouse for public viewing (Larry said too costly)
b. stock the lagoon periodically with fish (Larry said this had been done in the past but discontinued)
c. freeze the lagoon for ice skating in winter (Larry said few skate anymore and those that do go to Tranquility or Benson)
d. have a small area for skateboarding (Larry said neighbors would complain and the park is too small)

Hanscom is Omaha's oldest park. This place is a real beauty!
A great urban park that can be even better....

Vince Furlong
OMAHA MAIN STREETS

[OhioStreetKid]

I really like "C" I think a lot of people would skate there if the ice was safely frozen. It has to beat skating at sterile Benson or Tranquility. Also, Benson and Tranquility are far away. The SE part of town would have better access to ice skating.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Hey, Vince! It's great to hear from you here.

I LOVE HANSCOM PARK!!!

I'd say that the idea I like the most is the one pertaining to the greenhouse.

Other than that, that park is already fabulous. As long as it's kept up, and attention is paid to the paths, benches, and landscaping, I say it's good to go.

Actually, I guess i'd have one suggestion, and this goes for all public spaces, I'd love to see more public art, statues and Sculptures.

[Brad]

I remember a few years back before they remodeled the lake a guy caught a big catfish in the lake on a hotdog. It made the news and everything.

There is no way that stocking the lake even once a year with panfish, bass, or even catfish could be all that expensive, besides the city, game and parks, and the papio NRD could all go in and it wouldn't cost that much. That would help the limited fishing areas in town, especially the SE part of town.

[Swift]

If people knew that the lake was safely frozen and that it would stay frozen (how would they do this anyway?), then they would definitely skate there. People don't skate there because they are worried they will fall through the ice.

[Coyote]

Hanscom Park is made for ice skating - that would be awesome if that could happen.

[eomaha]

Thanks for the report Vince!

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I don't see fishing as a good thing to have in a city park. Rednecks can stay in the country for that. Why give them a reason to come into the city? ;)

[Brad]

I don't see fishing as a good thing to have in a city park. Rednecks can stay in the country for that. Why give them a reason to come into the city?

Does the picture of the #8 car in my signature lump me in with the rednecks.

Besides people in all income brackets like fishing.

[mchine73]

I personally love to fish, but wouldn't fish in hanscom park. I picture people who fish in parks as a dad showing his kids the ropes and old men with a cooler and a lawn chair. Not a problem with me; I just prefer to get away when I fish.

[POTUS]

Omaha's Parks, The Underrated Contributions From The City

Omaha, NE - The City of Omaha acts on behalf of its citizens under the agreement that it collect and lay taxes where they are needed the most. In the past, the city had build parks and some transportation infrastructure. Now the city builds mostly transportation infrastructure and occasionally a convention center/ arena. Is this what the people want? Do the people want their money to fund more suburban expansion, more roads (including the boondoggle that is Dodge Expressway)? What ever happened to spending the coffers on decent parks and schools?

A hundred years ago, Omaha enjoyed its parks. Miller, Hanscom, Fontenelle, Spring Lake, Hitchcock, Benson, and Elmwood Parks, each complete with trails, trees, and a pond. People went to the park.

Now, it seems the citizens of Omaha are content with the movie plexes and malls. The aforementioned parks are going down hill.

You'll notice these parks are all east of 72nd Street; if there is any chance for an urban environment to exist within the city, it is on this side of town. Anything west of 72nd Street is suburban. The time has come where the citizens of all major cities are looking to move back towards the center city. The time has come for urban infill. Fortunately the city planners of Omaha's past had insight enough to reserve these wonderful spaces for public enjoyment.

Once again, the citizens of Omaha should ask its city representatives to shift the city's spending away from the transportation infrastructure of the west half of the city, and put it back towards quality of life infrastructure in the east half. Rebuild the parks. Repair old roads. Reinstall the light rail. Renovate the schools.

The City of Omaha is on the front edge of a movement that the world over will be experiencing soon. Welcome back to Omaha, the real Omaha. Now don't bother me, I'm going to stroll through Miller Park, near where I live.

[POTUS]

Man, can I kill a thread or what? Really, it has been 4 days since I posted my article you see above ^^^, and no one has anything to comment. I noticed there are about 100 new page views since I posted it. I know someone read it. I know some are holding back their opinions. Don't be scared people, you'll notice I'm not bashful.

[Brad]

You'll notice these parks are all east of 72nd Street; if there is any chance for an urban environment to exist within the city, it is on this side of town. Anything west of 72nd Street is suburban. The time has come where the citizens of all major cities are looking to move back towards the center city. The time has come for urban infill. Fortunately the city planners of Omaha's past had insight enough to reserve these wonderful spaces for public enjoyment.

Along with the Blvd system that connects the parks.

[Finn]

It is a shame that there were years where the parks did not keep up with growth (too may small tract neighborhood parks). However, I think the City of Omaha has been doing a good job, including renovating older parks. There are plans for the Memorial Park West, the parkland and greenspace around lake Zorinsky is beautiful, the trail system is impressive and the Fahey Administration has done an excellent job coordinating improvements through grants with neighborhood organizations.

[WT]

I don't see fishing as a good thing to have in a city park. Rednecks can stay in the country for that. Why give them a reason to come into the city? ;)

I agree with that Streets. I feel the same way about public smoking too!

[projectman]

Yes it would be nice to keep out the smokers as well. I think overall the Omaha park system is doing well in keeping up the parks. As the city grows it will be more challenging to keep them all clean and maintained. Unfortunately people in this city don't like to go to outside much and opt for the television and computers. That's why 50 % of us are overweight or obese.

Hopefully that will change and people will get off their |expletive| and move around. The parks are a wonderful place to get started.

[Brad]

I agree with that Streets. I feel the same way about public smoking too!

How do you connect fishing and smoking.

[Coyote]

How do you connect fishing and smoking.

Smoked Salmon

[Brad]

Smoked Salmon

Thats funny, I just got back from mothers day lunch at Teds and I had ceader smoked salmon.

[Coyote]

shooting at hanscom park


Take a look at this historic Hanscom Park home


Hanscom Park Neighborhood, Omaha, Nebraska

[Coyote]

Fire at Hanscom Park destroys gazebo
Omaha Fire investigators are working to determine who started the fire that destroyed the gazebo at Hanscom Park.

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Omaha Fire investigators are working to determine who started the fire that destroyed the gazebo at Hanscom Park. The fire happened around 6:00 a.m. and a video shows a pile of burned/blackened remnants. The gazebo is decades old and the scene of many wedding and graduation photos. It was set to get a new floor this fall. Now it needs to be completely rebuilt. Firefighters also put out a fire that had been intentionally set on a nearby brush pile and tall grasses were also set on fire and set up to look like torches. There’s no description of the arsonist at this time.


Courtesy: WOWT Channel 6

[Coyote]

'I was kind of gutted': Hanscom Park gazebo burned in suspected arson, neighbors upset
A gazebo that once stood in Hanscom Park is now a pile of rubble. Omaha police say someone set fire to the structure early Monday morning.

A gazebo that once stood in Hanscom Park is now a pile of rubble. Omaha police say someone set fire to the structure early Monday morning. KETV NewsWatch 7 spoke with disappointed parkgoers. A charred pile of wood sits in Hanscom Park as people who live nearby remember what it was. "I've come here ever since I was a little kid. To the park, to the gazebo specifically," Patricia Coate said. Patricia Coate has lived in the area for 40 years. She says she saw pictures of the fire from another neighbor soon after she woke up Monday morning. "So to find out that it burned last night. I was kind of gutted," Coate said.

[Coyote]

Hanscom park gazebo burned in suspected arson, neighbors upset

KETV NewsWatch 7
Hanscom park gazebo burned in suspected arson, neighbors upset