Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Project in Deer Park

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Grant Project in Deer Park/Bancroft Elementary Neighborhood

Hey everyone, more exciting things going on in our neighborhood. This post is to update you on a traffic safety project that is being conducted in our neighborhood. 

Deer Park is one of three lucky neighborhoods that will have this study done and we are most grateful for this opportunity.

1. Speed Studies will be conducted by Camilo Torres and Donnie Butler - UNO Transportation Engineering Students - between the dates of May 10-12. Sites for data collection include:

• -Bancroft between 11^th and 12^th Streets
• -13^th and Martha - in front of Castelar Elementary
• -16^th between Vinton and B

2. Kick-off educational event will be in conjunction with Bancroft Spring Festival May 13th. KKAD25 will provide trash can decals and key chains to pass out at event (and pencils if available). Volunteers are needed to staff this table. PLEASE NOTE - For the sake of continuity and to help support a clean study on the effects of efforts, Deer Park will be designated as a "Trash Can Decal" zone in getting the KKAD25 message out on as many residential cans as possible that go curbside for pick-up. We can also talk about other ways to supplement the message.


3. Deer Park NA can decide how they would like to engage other partners as part of ongoing educational/community engagement efforts throughout the summer - businesses, faith communities, other civic organizations. Any business that is interested in co-branding resources to pass out to the public - trash can decals, key chains, etc - should contact Tom, directly - 402-334-1391.


4. Once educational efforts are underway, UNO engineering students will return to do immediate follow-up studies to see if initial efforts have made a difference in lowering average speeds.


5. Going in to the school year, we will want to ramp up educational efforts once again. We can meet during the summer to talk about how the association and school would like to do this.


6. In September a final data collection will take place before putting together a final report on the project.


If you have any questions about this project and want to know how you can help, call....


Tom Everson
Executive Director
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®- A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization
402-334-1391
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org 


See you at our neighborhood meeting...


7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 11 
Sheet Metal Workers' Union Hall 
3333 South 24th Street Omaha, NE 68108

June 2011 Deer Park Meeting Moving Location &Time

June DPNA Meeting Location/Time have Moved!

Photo From MCC Website

Hey Neighbors, on Wednesday, June 8, the Deer Park Neighborhood Association meeting will take place at the ITC Building at Metro Community College (MCC). The meeting is not cancelled, the location has just been moved. The South Omaha Development Project is hosting the first annual community meeting on June 8 at 6:00pm. This meeting will follow a different format than traditional DPNA meetings. Booths will be set up by South Omaha organizations doing positive things in our community. Of course Deer Park and Habitat for Humanity are two of these organizations. Our partnership Block by Block housing program is being showcased as an ongoing success in South O.  If you have not come to a meeting before or haven’t come in a while, this is a fun and important meeting to attend.  Join us in learning of the great things going on in South O, and come spread our Deer Park Pride. See you there!

The South Omaha Development Project - First Annual Community Meeting 

6:00 pm, Wednesday June 8, 2011

ITC Building , Metro Community College

South 27th Street & Q Street Omaha, NE 68107

View SODP - 1st Annual CommunityMeeting in a larger map

Cinco de Mayo

In grade school, we would do a Mexican hat dance and eat tacos on Cinco de Mayo.  I was proud I could say a few Spanish words but my vocabulary was very limited.  Little did I know, only 50 miles away from my hometown rested one of the biggest Cinco de Mayo festivals in the Midwest.
While Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is actually more of an American holiday than a Mexican holiday.  Cinco de Mayo celebrations are believed to be started in California by Mexicans and Latinos wanting to bridge the gap between Mexico and America in the 1950’s.  It steadily became popular throughout the states and hit Omaha in the 1980’s.

South Omaha’s rich culture has embraced Cinco de Mayo with its festive activities this week.  While some may see it as just a big celebration, Cinco de Mayo is extremely beneficial to our community.  First National Bank and South Omaha Business Association have created a celebration that draws crowds not only from the Omaha Metro but from a 200 mile radius from South Dakota to Missouri.  The Omaha World Herald reported that $40,00 was given back to non-profit organizations from the Cinco De Mayo proceeds.

Looking through the pictures from past years at www.cincodemayoomaha.com, I can’t wait for this year’s celebration.  There will be a Mudo de Ninos (Kids section) on N Street from 23^rd to 24^th Streets and the carnival opens Friday at 5:30 on 25^th Street from O to M.

The famous Grupo Control (http://www.myspace.com/grupocontrol1)will be shaking up South Omaha with their danceable music on Friday at 7 p.m.  Music by Grupo Control and local artists will be free and located at the Plaza on 24^th and N Streets.

There is no other place to be in Omaha than the parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Experience one of Omaha’s biggest parades while Mexican heritage is celebrated by all.  After the parade, the fiesta includes food, a carnival and booths with over 80 shops and restaurants open to the public.

Join in the unique fellowship of the Mariachi Mass on Plaza de la Raza (25^th and N) on Sunday, May 8^th.  Bring the whole family participate  in the fun of the carnival with food, booths and entertainment from noon – 10 p.m. on the plaza.

Nos vemos en la plaza! (See you at the plaza!)

Photos courtesy of www.cincodemayoomaha.com

13th Street Resurfacing

Greetings Neighbors!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter weekend.

If you live on 13th street, or if you use it to go towards downtown this message is for you.

Starting May 9, 13th street, I-80 to Leavenworth, will undergo some major repairs.  I was informed the project will only last around 7 to 10 business days, depending on the predictable Nebraska weather of course.  Everyone that lives or operates off 13th will be notified by mail soon.

There will be some minor traffic congestion, but the good news is that the street will not be shut down. The plan is to alternate work on the north and south bound lanes. If you are worried about the loud sounds of construction keeping you up at night, no worries, where homes are present the work will be done during the day.

If you are like me, and have a driveway you have to use on 13th, park on the cross street so you don't get blocked in during the day they are working on your portion of the street.

I was told that the process goes quickly and that once the new pavement is poured it can be driven on after 8 hours. A good tip, I recommend not turning in your driveway right after the new pavement is poured. If you do, your tires will make an indention in the new pavement. The streets will look fabulous and you will be left with a reminder of how you forgot about this tip or couldn’t wait. I am just going to park on the side street till my section is done and it has had adequate time to dry and cure. If you need more info shoot me an email.

Take Care and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Deer Park Neighborhood Cleanup - May 21

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are getting ready for some beautiful weather. I have used these last few cold days to clean my garage and storage areas.  Why so soon? Our neighborhood Spring Clean up is coming up.

The Neighborhood Clean-Up Program is a partnership between the City of Omaha and Keep Omaha Beautiful (KOB). Neighborhood groups begin cleanups tomorrow, April 17^th. At the neighborhood cleanup kick off I heard that 101 neighborhood groups will participate in 2011’s Neighborhood Clean-Up program.

This is a great program that thousands of neighbors utilize every year, so don’t forget to thank the City and KOB for this program and especially extend thanks to those community volunteers, your neighbors, who will man these sites.

Deer Park Cleanup Info

When: Deer Park Spring Cleanup is scheduled Saturday, May 21. 
           Dump sites are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Bancroft Elementary School south parking lot (2700 s 6^th St.) 
            The map below shows where you will find us moving out dumpsters all day long.

View The Deer Park Spring Clean Event in a larger map

What: All smaller to mid sized items are welcome at our local Deer Park Cleanup Site.

Rules: No hazardous materials, large bulky items, or large loads will be accepted at the

            local site.

Full railroad ties will not be accepted at any Clean-Up locations.

Spring Clean-Up does offer the opportunity to dispose of large limbs and brush not eligible for the City’s weekly yard waste collection and/or our local cleanup sites. Take large loads of brush or tree limbs to …

River City Recycling

60th Street between Harrison and Q streets.

Residents can pick up a voucher at our cleanup site to pay for one load.

Disposal opportunities for bulky items or difficult to dispose of items such as chairs, couches, appliances and tires will be available at one designated site each Clean-Up Saturday. These locations can be obtained by calling the Clean-Up hotline at 444-4636, or you can use the interactive map below. 

View Spring Cleanup Sites in a larger map

If you don’t live in Deer Park and want to know when your neighborhood Cleanup is,

Call (402) 444-4636. If you are one of those ambitious community advocates, we still need volunteers to help with the cleanup. Please email Oscar Duran, to sign up.

We are a little more than one month away, so get ready. 

Orchid Show Blooms at Lauritzen Gardens

Omaha's Orchid Society hosted yet another great Orchid show last month.  With over 20,000 species of orchids, the show displayed quite a variety including around 6 species found right here in the Omaha metro.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Habitat Omaha Launches Project Demolition!

On March 21, 2011 Habitat for Humanity of Omaha kicked off its new program, Project Demolition, a partnership with the City of Omaha. With more than 443 single resident homes on the city's demolition list, Project Demolition is an effort to eliminate run down houses making way for new construction in distressed areas of the community. The goal for the project this year is to demolish 40 homes in North and South Omaha. Habitat Omaha often get calls from people who have a distressed house they want to donate.

Some of these homes have been on the city's condemned list for years, and the owner has nowhere to turn. Habitat Omaha can now address the problem through Project Demolition. It's a win for the owner who donated the house, the neighborhood, the City of Omaha and for a deserving family who will purchase the new Habitat Omaha home that will be built.

The first demolition took place near 17th and Manderson Streets. Two homes were torn down to make way for seven new Habitat Omaha homes. The seven new homes will be built during the week of Habitat Omaha's 2011 Builder's Blitz.

For more pictures click here.

Story Provided by Habitat For Humanity Omaha (HFHO)

This exciting project will assist neighborhoods rid their blighted structures and make way for new homes and families to come in. As read above, HFHO is also launching this project in South Omaha. As a resident, I know Deer Park has a few vacant homes that are considered "uninhabitable", and I am compiling a list of them. If you know of any properties near your home, please submit the address to me by either phone or email. This will not guarantee the property will make the Habitat Demolition Program, but regardless we need to know where these properties are and, TOGETHER, decide how we can mend these struggling blocks in our neighborhood. If you want to learn more about this program, please come to our next Neighborhood Association meeting.

Thanks for being such a great neighbor, See you at the next meeting!

Oscar Duran: Deer Park President