New Y on Q

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:17 am

Omaha World Herald wrote:The YMCA hopes to start construction late this year on its ninth full-service center in the metro area, this one near 168th and Q Streets. The branch will be called the Armbrust Family YMCA for Dolores and Willis Armbrust, who donated the land.

The new branch would go on about eight acres at 5404 S. 168th St. Among other features, it would include exercise equipment, weights and weight machines, a swimming pool, meeting areas, a large gymnasium, a smaller gym and a small sports field.

lonnie · Post by **lonnie** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 1:02 pm

It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:07 pm

There's been a sign in front of that lot advertising this Y as "coming soon" for about a year and a half now. I posted a thread asking about it on April 18 of 2005 So....it's about time....:

http://www.eomaha.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... light=ymca

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:03 pm

lonnie wrote:It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie

Not quite sure how this compares. The funding sources are entirely different. I do not negate the fact that a library would be a great thing but it is not like they sat down with a bucket of $$$ and went about deciding library vs. YMCA. The set out on a capital campaign to gather funding to build the Y and achieved enough of the goal to proceed.

lonnie · Post by **lonnie** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:23 pm

nebugeater wrote:
lonnie wrote:It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie
Not quite sure how this compares. The funding sources are entirely different. I do not negate the fact that a library would be a great thing but it is not like they sat down with a bucket of $$$ and went about deciding library vs. YMCA. The set out on a capital campaign to gather funding to build the Y and achieved enough of the goal to proceed.

Yes, I understand the exact money buckets are different, but people are choosing to give $6.5 million to the YMCA and not to a library. The donors are making the choice. It's a sign of what people value today.

Maybe if the government was out of the library business the situation would be better... of course it would be better!

Lonnie

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:39 pm

I agree with you guys. I graduated from Creighton and then St. John's and have some doctoral work at another University that all had great libraries and really appreciate what they can bring to the community. Then I walk into our community libraries and just have to wonder. We have a nice one here in La Vista - a part of the MCC. However - when it then becomes funded by the state - we have financial problems like Swanson Library had a few years ago - the threat of shutting down the 'West Omaha' library. I don't know where that stands now - but besides the improvements to the Millard Library on 132nd - what word has been heard or even hint of another site?

lonnie · Post by **lonnie** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:56 pm

Coyote wrote:I agree with you guys. I graduated from Creighton and then St. John's and have some doctoral work at another University that all had great libraries and really appreciate what they can bring to the community. Then I walk into our community libraries and just have to wonder. We have a nice one here in La Vista - a part of the MCC. However - when it then becomes funded by the state - we have financial problems like Swanson Library had a few years ago - the threat of shutting down the 'West Omaha' library. I don't know where that stands now - but besides the improvements to the Millard Library on 132nd - what word has been heard or even hint of another site?

I know Cormac has offered land for a library in Legacy (172nd and Center) and I recall a homebuilder has offered land off 180th north of Pacific Street. But it seems that unless you can come up with the land AND the building, the library bureaucracy just spits in your face.

It is truly a sad situation.

Lonnie

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:49 pm

Thanks Lonnie - I had not heard of these two offers.
Both would seem to be so perfect. But - funding....

Raraavis · Post by **Raraavis** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:29 am

lonnie wrote:It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie

If only they would spend the money on horse drawn buggy store or a telegram office. Public libraries are a realic of the pre-Internet age. Every book in the world will be available on the internet in less than 10 years.

Instead people can get off their fat |expletive| and workout or play a sport at the YMCA.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:17 am

Every book in the world will be available on the internet in less than 10 years

That might be but there will still be a demand for hard copy books, because not everyone likes to read a book on a screen. I work on computers a lot but I read my books by turning the pages.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:47 am

Raraavis wrote:
lonnie wrote:It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie
If only they would spend the money on horse drawn buggy store or a telegram office. Public libraries are a realic of the pre-Internet age. Every book in the world will be available on the internet in less than 10 years.

Instead people can get off their fat |expletive| and workout or play a sport at the YMCA.

Checking out fiction books to take home and read might be passe, but the public library will always have a place, if not the same function. Even if all of those books ARE available on the internet, you'll still need some place for those without available/affordable access. What about storage and archiving of historical records?

Libraries aren't going anywhere. We just need to rethink what they are for.

-Big E

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:06 am

Grading work is well under way for this new YMCA. Some of the foundation might be in too. I don't remember.

Post by **nebugeater** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:02 am

Uffda wrote:
Every book in the world will be available on the internet in less than 10 years
That might be but there will still be a demand for hard copy books, because not everyone likes to read a book on a screen. I work on computers a lot but I read my books by turning the pages.

.... and I "read" a lot of books on my Ipod!

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:05 am

I drove by this today. It looks like it's a few treadmills and a medicine ball away from being opened. Not a bad looking building either.

EDIT: Man, exactly 5 days short of being a year since the last thing was said on here.

TechnicalDisaster · Post by **TechnicalDisaster** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:39 am

I believe they are opening on January 11th. I just got a postcard in the mail inviting me to the grand opening. I'll be moving to that one from the 132nd and center location.

NDizona · Post by **NDizona** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:40 pm

It is a shame that the $6.5 million could not have been used for a library. A library is sorely needed in that area.

I guess our culture does not value academics like it did in the past. Sigh...

Lonnie

I am a Masters Degree graduate that only went to the library to study with friends. Libraries are a thing of the past - Once you have access to the university scholar site and Google Scholar...its pretty much pointless to sit at the library.

I graduated with a 3.7 GPA - and I valued academics - just not wasting gas driving to the library. Honestly, when I started college (1996) I would have agreed with you - but as I started grad school while working full time - I found that it was almost pointless to waste time driving to the library when I had access to everything at my home computer. UNO should make their scholarly site available to everyone - its not like we don't pay for it...