Meeting Minutes for July 2023
Meeting Minutes from the Bemis Park Neighborhood Association meeting for July 11, 2023 Attendees at tonight’s meeting, which began at 6:30 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church. A total of 17 people attended: Rumbling trucks traversing local roads, shaking old pipes The July 3, 2023 home explosion due to a gas leak at 3027 Lincoln Blvd. was a good reminder that if you smell gas leave the area and call 402.554.7777 or 911. After a discussion about the explosion, Montclair resident Vicki P, who lived about seven homes down from 3026, talked of her own home’s issue 20 years ago which led to having to pay $5,000 to get someone out to fix it immediately or the city was going to shut down her utilities in the middle of winter. She encouraged the club to consider demanding the Omaha City Council create a database of old pipes in Montclair, Bemis Park and other old neighborhoods in the city, because the many trucks nearby can shake some old lines in the neighborhood, leading to future problems. Is the extra peace of mind worth it? While Mark Z, the club’s vice president, agreed to look into that issue, that likelihood of having a line rupture related to your property and having to pay $10,000 or more – to get it fixed, had some club members discussing the value of the monthly insurance programs regularly offered by Omaha Public Power District and Metropolitan Utilities District. Some people liked the peace of mind of having it just in case. Others lamented that you really only discover how good the insurance is once you have to make a claim. And that’s a big theme online if you research information about Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA), also known as Homserve, a home repair service that partners with OPPD and the MUD to provide insurance water and electrical line repairs. SLWA has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and has been recognized as America’s largest and most trusted source of utility line plans endorsed by the National League of Cities (NLC). But dig into some of these forums, and while you’ll see many people saying they were very pleased, you see others who were complaining about terribly poor treatment by the company. Based on the reviews, this is another example where your experience can vary dramatically depending on who you happen to speak with from the company. Here are some of the links if you’re thinking about purchasing the insurance. 1. www.slwofa.com/ 2. www.homewarrantyreviews.com/companies/service-line-warranties-slw/ 3. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-finances/reviews/homeserve#:~:text=We%20rated %20HomeServe%204.2%20out,service%20fee%20for%20systems%20plans 4. https://www.marketwatch.com/guides/home-warranty/service-line-warranties-of-americareview/ 5. https://www.homewarrantyreviews.com/companies/service-line-warranties-slw/ 6. https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/pa/canonsburg/service-line-warranties-of-america-r eviews-7599238.htm Hitting homers at the Walnut Hill Reservoir baseball diamond: Because Mary M’s grant application efforts were more successful than anticipated – she managed to be awarded $24,000 total for the baseball field from the College World Series, Mayor’s Neighborhood Grant, Midtown Neighborhood Alliance and Omaha Community Foundation – the club also purchased and is waiting for new bleachers that fit current codes, and donating the current one to a Benson Little League field that doesn’t have bleachers. Mary lamented Tuesday that every time the area gets a good drenching right field temporarily turns into swamp land. But on the whole club members are seeing the baseball cleanup efforts paying off. Several club members said they’d noticed the baseball field is being heavily used for practice by area clubs. A greener garden, thanks to Joe: Club President Joe P personally paid another $1,600 for additional lawn care at the area around the stairs on the northwest corner of Bemis Park. In the Spring Joe personally paid $1,300 for Whelans lawn care to spray the plants, so the hemlock and poison ivy does not return. Though the club had previous discussed a workday project for the club, Joe made the case that this year he was happy to pay to get the area in great shape, and beginning next year the club could focus on maintaining it. To that end, Vicki P suggested perhaps next year a grant could go toward training neighborhood kids to keep the plants trimmed up appropriately. Hawthorne happenings: The club had the pleasure of welcoming new Hawthorne Avenue resident Sam and his dog Fluffy to our meeting. He just moved into the duplex on Hawthorne Ave from California. His daughter moved into the other home in the duplex. His nearby neighbors at 3506 Hawthorne Ave, are still seeking city approval to add a building with an indoor pool, creating a six-car garage and additional rooms. Living a mostly (lead-free) life Representatives from the Douglas County Health Department and City of Omaha came to remind residents about how unhealthy lead is for kids, as well as how to find out if your home or soil might have lead. This is particularly relevant to residents of Bemis Park, as the neighborhood is in an Environmental Protection Area calls a Superfund site. That means many residents qualify for the group’s services for free. Often lead is found in large old porches and old windows. These were common spots for lead, and if someone is currently pregnant or has small children in the home regularly, she advised having their organization come out for free to test. They also talked about some imported spices and candy, keys, toys and toy jewelry also having lead. ● For the city’s comprehensive website related to lead issues, visit https://www.gotlead.org/ ● To check if your home’s lawn has ever been analyzed for lead and remediated, visit https://lead-registry.cityofomaha-ne.gov/en-US/ ● For additional information visit https://www.douglascountyhealth.com/lead-poisoning-prevention or call 402.444.7825 Meeting notes submitted by BPNA Secretary Patrick Garmoe
