December 2022 Meeting Minutes
At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday December 13, 2022 12 people attended the Bemis Park Neighborhood Association meeting at Augustana Lutheran Church. This was the first meeting since October. November's meeting was canceled due to a lack of agenda items and wanting people to have more time to vote.
Here were the main topics of discussion:
Small, sustained acts of caring for the community over decades equals dramatic improvements for Bemis Park.
The highlight of December’s meeting was neighbor Mel Beckman at the request of neighbor Mary Minturn taking attendees through the last four decades of his work building up Bemis Park to the gem it is today.
The neighborhood looks so pretty, safe and quiet these days, that the place he was describing seemed totally foreign to anyone who wasn’t here back then. It included too many yards overgrown with weeds and deserted homes. Bit-by-bit over not weeks and months but years and decades, Beckman described working with neighbors to transform it to a place where homes now are snapped up and people speak of living here as a point of pride.
Beckman organized the BPNA in 1972, with the goal of cleaning up vacant lots, yards and sprucing things up. Neighbors got the city to switch the zoning to single-family, so homes couldn’t be transformed into multi-units, thereby making the neighborhood more appealing to families who wanted to live here over the long haul and care about their properties.
In 1976 he organized the Bemis Park Improvement Corporation, which neighbors helped fund and loaned money into. Coupled with some community development loans, the group along with board members from Loew Avenue Church, managed to purchase and rehab 3221 and 3611 Hamilton Street, along with 1214 N. 33rd. St. The group also paid for the razing of 3223 Hamilton Street and 3615 Hamilton Street.
By the late 1980s the focus shifted to attracting more buyers to consider Bemis Park. In 1990 Old Omaha Midtowne was formed to encourage home buyers to come to the area and buy properties, not only in Bemis Park, but Orchard Hill, Prospect Hill, Walnut Hill, Radial Hills and Montclair.
They even tried marketing the homes in the area in a pre-internet era through slide shows, flyers, public open houses and walking tours.
The effort also caused the creation of the Augustana Cornerstone Foundation, which provided three new homes and rehabbed 11 others for those in need.
Community pot luck and election of new board members coming January 10
The club will host a community pot-luck event during the election meeting on Jan. 10 – always the second Tuesday of January. The club is paying for chicken and drinks from Family Fare. Everyone else is encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert.
Those who want to help set up should show up at the basement of Augustana Lutheran Church, at 3647 Lafayette Ave, at 5:30 p.m., with the meal being served at 6 p.m. Normally around 40 people showed up for this event, so please make plans to join us. Everyone is invited!
During the meeting everyone is also asked to pay for 2023 dues as well.
Nearly everyone agreed to remain on the board for another year, if elected at the meeting.
Club members will be voting on the slate for President, Vice-President, Secretary, & Treasurer & three members at large positions.
Taxing issues
Some neighbors briefly discussed having a meeting to exchange thoughts about property taxes. Several members after seeing their property tax bill for this year mentioned that it was 50% or more higher than last year. Nothing definitive was planned on having the meeting.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Dave Brown reported our budget stands at a little over $5,000.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m.
List of attendees:
● Mark Peters
● Fred Brich
● Ashley Crnkovich
● Arlene Cosgrove
● Dave Brown
● Jim Bechtel
● Mark Zimmerman
● Mel and Mary Ann Beckman
● Patty French
● Mary Minturn
● Patrick Garmoe
