The City of Omaha Parks, Recreation and Public Property Department announced today that it will receive $350,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Hummel Park Nature Camp Center” project. The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on April 1, 2010 in Lincoln. The project is one of the 88 projects receiving $14,970,328 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year.
The $350,000 funding from the Trust will be used to assist in construction of a new, multi-purpose facility at Hummel Park and for related site improvements. Currently, the camp contains three existing buildings which are in critical need of replacement in order for the program to continue. The buildings no longer meet current building codes or accessibility guidelines and are in very poor condition. The City of Omaha has allocated $1 million in Capital Improvement Program funding to construct a single multi-purpose building.
The City of Omaha Parks & Recreation Department has operated the Hummel Park Day Camp, a nature camp program, since 1948. The 200-acre Hummel Park is located in the Loess Hills on the northern edge of Omaha and is heavily wooded with native trees and vegetation. The nature camp serves 2,200 children each summer, providing opportunities for nature hikes, learning and participating in archery, arts and crafts, nature activities, outdoor cooking, camp singing and much more.
“This grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust will help support the construction of facilities that are needed to preserve the Hummel Park Day Camp,” said Mayor Jim Suttle. “I thank the Environmental Trust for their support of this important project for youth and our entire City.”
The project will require that the design incorporate sustainable, energy efficient technology. It will be required to be sensitive to the surrounding environment in terms of materials and scale. It will serve as an example of green technology not only to the children who attend the camp, but also to adults who will be encouraged to utilize the building for meetings, retreats and seminars.
The project will begin after the 2010 camp season ends in mid-August and construction is estimated to be completed in time for the June 2011 camp season.
