StarTran has added 11 new compressed natural gas-fueled buses to routes in Lincoln, which means three-quarters of the bus fleet now uses renewable fuel.
Compressed natural gas, a sustainable renewable fuel source, is more environmentally friendly than diesel fuel.
Of StarTran’s 67 buses, 39 of them, plus two trolleys, run on CNG. Another 10 are electric buses, and 16 buses run on diesel fuel.
The city used more than $6.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act money — part of the $46 million it got as part of the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package. Each of the buses cost $587,609.76.
"The new buses offer smooth, quiet rides for our passengers and lower maintenance costs,â€Â said Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott.
They also move the city toward its Climate Action Plan goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a net 80% by 2050 and contribute to converting the city’s vehicle fleet to 100% electric or alternative fuel vehicles by 2040, Elliott said.
From liquor sales to axe throwing
Back in 2009, N Street Drive In — the liquor store located for years at 19th and N streets — got pushed off its namesake street by the city’s Antelope Valley redevelopment project.
The city bought the building, parking lot and land (and paid for relocation costs for the liquor store) for nearly $800,000.
The liquor store relocated about a block away, at the old Kirk Motors site at 18th and O streets, where it’s still selling all manner of adult beverages. The city demolished the old building and parking lot and used some of the land for three lanes of the new roadway.
The city retained ownership of the remaining swath of land, which is still vacant.
Now, the East Downtown Development Corp. — EaDo for short — wants to buy it for $67,000.
Kent Seacrest, the attorney representing EaDo, told the City Council the land will be used for expanded parking by an axe-throwing business located just to the west.
There’s no access to the land from either N Street or Antelope Valley Parkway, but EaDo’s decision to buy the land means they’re looking forward.
The development of the Telegraph District and expansion of the downtown area means development of the area where the land is located — on the southwest corner of Antelope Valley Parkway and N Street — is likely to happen, Seacrest said.
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EaDo — a partnership between Nelnet and Speedway Properties — was formed to develop the Telegraph District. They've partnered on a number of other projects, most recently on a $47.5 million commercial, residential and retail building to anchor the South Haymarket and planned city park.
The council will vote Monday on the property sale.
Gambling no longer indecent
Relax, gamblers, you’re no longer at risk of being ticketed for public indecency.
A few weeks ago, the City Council approved a number of updates to city codes, including one that removed gambling as an offense against public decency. The updates were largely “clean-up†measures, something the city attorney’s office does routinely.
This time, they axed the whole “gambling is an offense against public decency†thing.
There had already been a number of exemptions to the code, things the state already regulated, like lottery sales and horse racing.
Then voters approved initiatives to add casino gambling to the state’s horse racing tracks in 2020, and WarHorse Lincoln, Nebraska’s first state-licensed casino, opened in Lincoln last year, and the municipal code seemed, well, outdated.
There are still plenty of public decency offenses that are, generally, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, but gambling isn’t one of them.
But take heed: You can still get ticketed for, among other things, urinating in public, streaking down O Street and spitting on the sidewalk.Â
More on city elections
The post-election number-crunching has begun, which both parties are likely delving into now, but from a 30,000-foot view, independents — and probably some moderate Republicans — made a big difference in the outcome in last week's city election.
Here’s what a first glimpse illustrates: More Republicans than Democrats voted, but Leirion Gaylor Baird — a Democrat — still won by a nearly 10 percentage point vote margin.Â
That likely means a good chunk of the 13,262 registered independents who voted — 31.7% went to the polls — chose the Democratic incumbent.
A StarTran bus powered by compressed natural gas (right) waits next to a bus powered by diesel at the bus stop at South 11th and N streets in September 2021.