HistoricOmaha

Omaha World Herald
Published Tuesday November 15, 2005

BY RONALD G. ABDOUCH
The writer is executive director of the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha.

Don’t look now, but a new sociopolitical force that must be reckoned with is emerging in our community: metro Omaha’s neighborhoods.

From Dundee to Walnut Hill to downtown to the suburbs, a fresh neighborhood-centered vitality is heading into its adolescence. It’s as though the residents of identifiable sections of the city are saying: “If we don’t get it done, it won’t be done.”

And this positive change goes well beyond the basic, “not in my backyard” mentality. Consider:

• A neighborhood group fed up with alcohol abuse has pledged to take to the Nebraska Supreme Court their opposition to granting a liquor license to a convenience store - despite heavy legal and political clout favoring the award.
• Dundee, long ago a suburban village, has successfully secured rezoning of numerous pieces of property. Fresh condominiums are replacing aging apartments, and a community bank is moving in - all to the benefit of area residents and property owners not far from downtown.
• A southwest Omaha neighborhood came together to force one neighbor to repair a driveway.
• Benson High School students, as a class assignment, are photographing and documenting living conditions in the neighborhoods around their school. Only good things can come from such involved effort.
• Residents of La Vista finally had enough of a longtime retail business eyesore that was littered with wrecked cars, auto parts, drums, chemicals and whatnot. The property has been cleaned, and legal action has been taken.

Everywhere you look, neighborhood associations and similar groups are maturing from spectators into leaders of change. They’re replacing apathy with plain old “Let’s do it.”

The feverish pace is hard to miss. They publish newsletters and organize cleanups. They hold some neighbors’ feet to the fire for violations of covenants, and they report health violations. Citizen groups patrol streets and alleys at night and call police when they see anything out of the ordinary.

Neighborhood groups get out in front on many issues, including code violations, liquor licenses and zoning. They’re not always successful in their efforts, but they’re not standing by and letting things happen without input.

That, friends, is how things really get done in a vital, growing and self-sustaining community. Neighborhoods are taking matters into their own caring hands, and they’re flexing their muscles.

We asked Mayor Mike Fahey for his comments about positive neighborhood activism. He responded: “Solid neighborhood communities are critical. Working together, city government and neighborhood leaders continue to solve problems and address challenges unique to each neighborhood. The best solutions often come from the neighbors.”

The implications of this trend are great. Candidates and officeholders henceforth ignore neighborhoods at their own political peril. Planners, boards and councils should think twice - or maybe three times - before dismissing neighbors’ concerns or recommendations.

Positive, no-nonsense neighborhood activism is good for all of us.

Any reader wondering why his or her own neighborhood hasn’t joined the parade is welcome to contact the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha at (402) 561-7582. Help is eagerly available.

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