Text Box: Jason Smith to speak at ICE Annual Banquet Thursday, October 2, 2008 5:30pm Spaghetti Works in the Old Market (11th & Howard) By Clyde Anderson Several Omaha neighborhoods like Dundee and Benson owe their early development to streetcar lines that were built west into farmland with the hope of attracting new residents by providing fast, affordable transportation. A few years ago Dundee recognized its streetcar heritage with the erection of a streetcar monument near Happy Hollow Boulevard and Underwood Ave. After World War II, streetcar service declined in Omaha, coming to an end in 1955. New residential development was oriented to the automobile. This shift was not kind to Omaha’s older streetcar neighborhoods. Between 1970 and 2000, population declined in many census tracts east of 72nd Street. Several cities like Portland and New Orleans have revitalized many of their older neighborhoods by reintroducing streetcars. The clean, quiet, electric-powered cars not only provide fast, efficient public transit to local residents, but they give the neighborhoods stability, enhance streetscapes, and promote pedestrian access. Experience has shown Text Box: that streetcars, unlike cars and buses, stimulate neighborhood businesses, especially restaurants and local services. Jason Smith enthusiastically supports reintroduction of streetcars in Omaha. “Our great city is destined for streetcars and streetcars are destined for one of Omaha’s great corridors. The area between Downtown and the Henry Doorly Zoo, known as (continued on page 2) Text Box: September 2008 Text Box: Streetcars: A tool for revitalizing Omaha’s Inner-city Neighborhoods Text Box: Volume 5, Issue 1 Text Box: On the web at: www.omahaice.org Text Box: Information exchange Text Box: Omaha's Inner-city Coalition on the Environment Text Box: Rain Gardens - For Low-Impact Stormwater Management By Kathleen Cue Text Box: If you’ve been attuned to everything that is “going green” these days, then you are well aware of rain gardens and the important role they play in stormwater management. If, however, you are a novice to the concept of rain gardens, here is a primer about this important ecological tool. In looking at the history of the landscape, long before the advent of concrete, asphalt and steel, over 95% of water coming down as precipitation percolated into the Text Box: ground, re-charging aquifers. Approximately 5% was runoff, accumulating in creeks, streams and rivers. The quality of the water was high and flooding was a rarity. What human activity and impervious surfaces have done is reverse these percentages, with 95% of precipitation going towards runoff and 5% allowed to percolate into soils. The

Rain Barrels

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Master Gardener Scholarships

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Lake Cunningham

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Trails Construction

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M.A.T. Bike & Ride

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Banquet Order Form

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The Dundee Neighborhood honored its streetcar heritage by constructing this memorial on the southwest corner of Underwood Ave. and Happy Hollow Blvd.

Our Vision: We envision a community in which human, material and environmental resources are valued and conserved as an ethical priority to sustain a high quality of life for Omaha’s inner-city residents