Uncle Sam Jam — Lincoln's annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks display — will be a BYOF (bring your own food) affair this year.
The annual celebration at Oak Lake Park at North First and Charleston streets typically includes seven or eight food vendors, but this year it won’t, and city officials are encouraging residents to bring their own food (and to, please, clean up after themselves).
The reason, according to city officials: They want it to be a more “fireworks-focused event†this year.
But to be clear, they’re not snubbing the food trucks (or other food vendors in trailers), which the city has worked hard to promote with new rules, new places for them to set up and various events.Â
As it turns out, there was some uncertainty about whether the city would be able to hold the event at Oak Lake this year, said Jon Taylor, city public information specialist and Uncle Sam Jam organizer.
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Just to the north, construction of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex is underway and city officials thought they might have to find a new location if the new turf was installed, Taylor said.
If that happened, city officials didn’t want to put the highly-touted, $27 million softball and baseball complex being built at First Street and Cornhusker Highway at risk of being hit with fireworks debris.
So, the city kept Oak Lake on the table but also looked at other options, Taylor said.
“We wanted to streamline the event because we didn’t know where we wanted to go, so we decided to focus on fireworks and music,†he said.
As it turns out, they could hold this year's July 3 event at Oak Lake, although one field does have turf on it, he said.
It will be protected by the city’s new brush truck, which can get to areas without paved roads, just in case.
In the future, it’s possible the city may need to find a new location for its annual celebration, but Taylor stressed that’s not been decided. It’s also possible officials will determine the turf isn’t at risk.
But this year, residents might consider stopping at a local restaurant to pick up some food, or throw together some chicken salad sandwiches (inside a nice, cold cooler, please). And remember, no BYOB. Just non-alcoholic beverages.
One other change: There’s no rain date because there’s a baseball game and an event at Pinnacle Bank Arena on July 5. So pray to the weather gods for a nice, warm, windless July 3.
Laying a broadband foundation
Lancaster County has finished installing 164 miles of broadband conduit across rural Lancaster County, a big step in its effort to bring the county’s 12 incorporated towns and 10 unincorporated villages and areas in-between better internet access.
Two and a half years ago, the county earmarked $10 million of the $62 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to improve the broadband infrastructure in areas outside of Lincoln.
Now that the county has laid the conduit, it allows private broadband providers to install fiber for commercial and residential broadband service.
The county entered a 25-year lease agreement with Allo Fiber to extend service to unserved and underserved households and businesses in the county and as of May 9, Allo had installed fiber to 42 miles of conduit in the southwest part of the county, according to county officials. The rest should be installed by sometime in 2026.
The county was inspired by the 871 miles of city-owned conduit, and the county’s network hooks up to the city’s at several points, creating a better ability to reroute the cable if, say, a portion is damaged by construction, said Abby Eccher, chief information officer for the city and county.
It’s fairly unusual for cities and counties — especially counties — to invest in such broadband infrastructure, Eccher said.
“This future-proofing infrastructure will not only enhance quality of life for our rural residents but also foster economic growth and enhance educational opportunities throughout our community,†Lancaster County Board Chairman Sean Flowerday said in a prepared statement.
There has been a push nationally to improve broadband access since the pandemic illustrated its limitations.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission’s Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program — paid for with American Rescue Plan Act dollars — provided $3.18 million to Charter Communications to provide access to more than 400 homes in Northwest Lancaster County. Allo got a $1 million grant to bring service to more than 150 customers in Hallam and Kramer, and Windstream got a $32 million grant to hook up 178 customers near Denton.
Eccher said those companies could lease the county’s system or provide access in other ways.
Increasing childcare access
The city is tweaking its codes to make it easier for childcare facilities, private schools and urban gardens to operate out of churches in certain residential areas.
Many churches have childcare programs, but they typically are affiliated with the church, said Planning Director David Cary.
In the more dense residential districts, churches can let unaffiliated childcare businesses operate from their church, but that wasn’t allowed in several of the less dense residential zones.
The change will allow places of religious assembly in all residential neighborhoods to lease their space to childcare programs, private schools or urban gardens.
The city has had a couple of requests from churches to allow childcare programs to use some of their space, but the zoning regulations prohibited it, and the change will help increase access to early childhood care, Cary said.
“It’s one way on the zoning side of things we can make sure the code is as flexible as it could be for early childhood care,†he said.
Churches and child care, or private schools, are good “companion uses,†he said, and it's likely more affordable for childcare providers to lease space in a church as opposed to a commercial building.
The change will also allow parking requirements to be set by the largest and main use, typically the church functions, which draw larger numbers a couple times a week. That means the childcare provider won’t have to add more parking, he said.
Kudos for rehab program
The city’s rental rehabilitation program in the South of Downton area got some recognition at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Kansas City.
Leirion Gaylor Baird was among 13 mayors honored for their leadership in combating climate change. Lincoln’s mayor got an honorable mention in the Mayor’s Climate Protection Award program, which recognizes mayors for innovative practices that increase energy efficiency, expand renewable energy, and/or reduce carbon emissions.
Launched in January 2023, the rehabilitation program offers up to $15,000 per house or apartment to improve the quality of affordable rental housing for upgrades such as energy efficient windows and doors, additional insulation, roofing and foundation repairs.
The improvements are paid with tax-increment financing generated by improvements in the South of Downtown District.
Tax-increment financing — often used by developers — in this case allows the South of Downtown district to use future property taxes generated by redevelopment projects or improvements to pay for the program.