Civic Nebraska Update 2025

Jamie Bright Author

05/14/2025 Added

2 Plays

Description

Allen Chlopek gives an update on Civic Nebraska's rural civic health programs. Recorded May 14, 2025.

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[00:00:00.000]Thank you.
[00:00:29.980]Good morning, Alan. How are you?
[00:00:42.720]Good, good. How's the weather out that way?
[00:00:45.420]Kind of windy today. A little cooler than it has been.
[00:00:49.620]Dang. The sun is coming out bright and hot here.
[00:00:53.640]It was, I think, about 90 yesterday.
[00:00:58.300]So it kind of feels like it's been a while.
[00:00:59.960]It feels good today.
[00:01:00.520]Oh, yeah. Yeah. There's something about that.
[00:01:03.640]Those first, like, few 90-degree days.
[00:01:05.540]It's like, how did we survive last summer?
[00:01:07.620]Yes.
[00:01:08.540]Well, you got any plans for the weekend?
[00:01:14.060]We might go up and see my grandma near Rushville.
[00:01:18.820]But that's it. How about you?
[00:01:21.880]Oh, nothing too big.
[00:01:23.840]I think we're going to a, like, a craft show slash,
[00:01:29.940]like, vendor market in Lincoln on Sunday.
[00:01:32.100]Nice.
[00:01:33.080]Yeah, it'll be fun. Get out of town for a little bit.
[00:01:35.640]Yeah.
[00:01:36.300]I am just on my laptop today, so I'm used to having multiple screens,
[00:01:45.340]and it drives me crazy when I don't.
[00:01:47.580]But tell me your title, then, so I can have it written down.
[00:01:51.980]Rural Civic Health Program Manager.
[00:01:55.580]It is a mouthful.
[00:01:59.920]And make sure I'm pronouncing your last name right.
[00:02:04.140]Chlopek?
[00:02:05.100]Clo.
[00:02:06.740]I always tell people Clo.
[00:02:07.860]Okay.
[00:02:08.940]Yeah.
[00:02:09.440]Okay.
[00:02:13.320]How are you enjoying your role so far?
[00:02:18.780]Good.
[00:02:20.040]It feels kind of like it was made for me a little bit.
[00:02:23.140]I have a geography background,
[00:02:26.540]and I'm starting to access some more of that in a way I haven't before.
[00:02:29.900]And specifically, like GIS or like mapping,
[00:02:33.420]if you're familiar with that.
[00:02:34.460]Yeah, yeah.
[00:02:36.600]It's something like I've always wanted to do,
[00:02:38.360]but have never really careerly had the opportunity to push into too much.
[00:02:41.940]So, yeah.
[00:02:43.920]I took a GIS class in my master's degree,
[00:02:48.060]and it was fun,
[00:02:49.100]but I shouldn't have taken it over the summer
[00:02:51.680]because I felt like it was just on my computer all the time.
[00:02:55.000]Yeah, especially early on, it's a lot.
[00:02:59.880]Yeah, I enjoy it now,
[00:03:04.840]but those first few classes
[00:03:06.620]where it's like getting the basics down,
[00:03:08.100]it's like, this is so much.
[00:03:09.680]So where'd you get your master's through,
[00:03:13.620]or what was that program about?
[00:03:15.260]It was an online program through UNL
[00:03:18.400]and the Great Plains Idea Consortium.
[00:03:22.920]It was in community development,
[00:03:27.260]but a lot of the classes were for
[00:03:29.860]from other schools,
[00:03:31.500]South Dakota State, Iowa State, Kansas State.
[00:03:35.340]Crazy.
[00:03:36.740]Yeah.
[00:03:37.600]I only had, I think, two classes,
[00:03:39.540]actually, through DeBrett.
[00:03:40.700]Dang.
[00:03:42.460]That's pretty cool, though.
[00:03:43.500]That's a unique program.
[00:03:45.240]And there were people from all over the country
[00:03:48.340]taking classes at the same time,
[00:03:50.840]so it was neat to see different issues
[00:03:53.320]in different parts of the country,
[00:03:54.940]though especially of towns of similar
[00:03:59.840]sizes, they were the same no matter where people were.
[00:04:02.960]Yeah, I know.
[00:04:04.500]I had the chance to talk with somebody from Maine
[00:04:06.200]who's like a rural advocate.
[00:04:08.520]It's just a very unique experience.
[00:04:11.200]Not a ton of us out there.
[00:04:12.920]Okay, I'm going to start letting people in.
[00:04:20.100]We have just a couple.
[00:04:20.900]Sounds good.
[00:04:29.820]Hi.
[00:04:43.380]Good morning.
[00:04:47.600]And most of us knew Daniel pretty well, Alan.
[00:04:57.240]He went to a lot of special events.
[00:04:59.800]He was mostly in the panhandle,
[00:05:00.680]but I think people around the state knew him pretty well.
[00:05:03.420]Yeah, he seemed to be pretty active in the panhandle.
[00:05:07.060]It would be good to get you introduced to everyone.
[00:05:11.880]And I was going to add you to our list,
[00:05:15.440]and I didn't get that done yet.
[00:05:17.580]No worries.
[00:05:19.360]Thank you for doing that, though.
[00:05:29.780]Thank you.
[00:05:59.760]Thank you.
[00:06:29.740]Let's go ahead and start introductions,
[00:06:44.760]and we'll see who else jumps on.
[00:06:47.380]Good morning, everyone.
[00:06:49.840]I know all of you, but I am Jamie Bright.
[00:06:54.080]I'm the Royal Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator
[00:06:56.900]in the Southern Panhandle.
[00:06:59.720]And today we will hear from Alan Klopek with Civic Nebraska.
[00:07:04.120]He's the new Rural Civic Health Program Manager.
[00:07:06.960]He took over the position that Daniel Bennett had before.
[00:07:13.080]And we will start going around the room to do introductions.
[00:07:18.620]Shauna, you're first on my screen.
[00:07:21.260]I am Shauna Mashik with Chapel Nebraska Community Development,
[00:07:27.800]and I also do training.
[00:07:29.700]Chapel Chamber.
[00:07:30.420]Thank you, Shauna.
[00:07:32.720]Hannah?
[00:07:34.180]Hi, I'm Hannah Robinson with Fox Butte Development Corporation.
[00:07:40.080]Thanks, Hannah.
[00:07:41.780]Rob?
[00:07:43.360]Rob Eyerk.
[00:07:46.180]I'm with the University of Nebraska Extinction here in the Panhandle.
[00:07:49.020]Thanks, Rob.
[00:07:50.760]Rob, I'm in Scotts Bluff today, just down the hall.
[00:07:53.740]Bala?
[00:07:57.360]Good morning.
[00:07:59.680]My name is Paula Abbott, and I'm the Sydney Campus Director for Western Nebraska Community
[00:08:04.700]College based here in Sydney.
[00:08:06.200]Thanks, Bala.
[00:08:07.900]Denise.
[00:08:11.420]Denise Wilkinson, six regions, one Nebraska, and I'm in the Northeast region.
[00:08:18.020]Thanks, Denise.
[00:08:19.740]Misty?
[00:08:23.680]I need to switch my screen.
[00:08:29.660]Good morning, Misty Curtis, Western Nebraska Community College Alliance Campus Director.
[00:08:34.720]Thanks, Misty.
[00:08:36.480]Sally.
[00:08:39.880]Hi, I'm Sally Saad, and I'm the Director of Business Services at Phelps County Development Corporation in Holdridge.
[00:08:52.040]Thank you, Sally.
[00:08:53.820]Stacey?
[00:08:56.380]Hi, I'm Stacey.
[00:08:59.640]I'm Stacey Pafford, and I'm the Director of Administrative Services at Phelps County Development Corporation in Holdridge.
[00:09:04.540]Thank you, Stacey.
[00:09:06.420]Sean?
[00:09:07.380]Hi, I'm Sean Kasky, and on the road today, I have Jamie's position of a Rural Prosperity Educator for eight counties in central Nebraska.
[00:09:17.700]Thank you, Sean.
[00:09:19.680]Did I miss anyone?
[00:09:22.260]Okay.
[00:09:25.540]We will go ahead and get started.
[00:09:28.100]Alan, I forgot to ask you.
[00:09:29.620]Did you have a PowerPoint you wanted to share or just talk to everyone?
[00:09:33.080]I have a PowerPoint I'll share if that's okay.
[00:09:38.100]Yep, that is great.
[00:09:39.760]All right.
[00:09:46.120]How's everybody doing this morning?
[00:09:47.360]Good, hopefully.
[00:09:59.600]All right, that look good on everybody's screen?
[00:10:01.380]We good to go?
[00:10:02.040]Perfect.
[00:10:03.740]Thank you.
[00:10:04.520]So as Jamie mentioned, my name is Alan Klopek,
[00:10:07.980]and I'm the Rural Civic Health Program Manager for Civic Nebraska.
[00:10:11.200]And previously mentioned, you may have met or worked with my predecessor, Daniel Bennett.
[00:10:15.920]While I'm not quite as panhandle-based as Daniel, my wife is from Gearing,
[00:10:20.820]and we make several trips out of here.
[00:10:22.740]And over those trips, I've grown quite fond of the panhandle.
[00:10:25.720]I am currently based out of Fullerton, which is a town of 1,400.
[00:10:29.580]Located midway between Grand Island and Columbus.
[00:10:32.100]And why you should listen to me today, or maybe pay attention,
[00:10:36.540]is I've had a variety of civic and rural life experiences.
[00:10:40.720]I'm a former city administrator who started my journey
[00:10:43.480]in community involvement through a park board.
[00:10:45.160]I've run a successful write-in campaign to join my city council.
[00:10:48.400]My wife and I have refurbished and abandoned Carnegie Library
[00:10:51.480]using USDA rural development dollars.
[00:10:53.540]I have also helped found and am currently the vice president
[00:10:57.260]of a nonprofit daycare and preschool.
[00:11:00.080]So I have a wide variety of rural community development experiences,
[00:11:04.080]and I'm happy to talk about any of those at another time.
[00:11:06.620]But today we'll be talking about Civic Nebraska
[00:11:09.660]and maybe how we can help you and work with you in the future
[00:11:13.140]and your communities.
[00:11:13.900]So real quick, going into what is Civic Nebraska
[00:11:18.040]and Collective Impact Lincoln.
[00:11:19.360]Civic Nebraska, our mission is to build a more modern
[00:11:25.520]and robust democracy for all Nebraskans.
[00:11:27.240]We support people to be connected, informed, and engaged
[00:11:29.540]in their communities and state because when we are more
[00:11:32.060]connected to one another, we are better positioned
[00:11:34.880]to solve local problems.
[00:11:36.320]Collective Impact Lincoln is a partnership
[00:11:38.840]between Civic Nebraska and Nebraska Appleseed
[00:11:41.080]that supports resident-led investment in positive change
[00:11:44.800]in the city's core neighborhoods.
[00:11:46.160]Some of those are listed below, Belmont, Clinton,
[00:11:48.760]University Place, et cetera.
[00:11:50.820]But Civic Nebraska, our mission is tied together
[00:11:53.620]by our three main program areas, youth civic leadership,
[00:11:56.900]civic health, and voting rights.
[00:11:59.520]Our focus on youth voting rights and community building
[00:12:02.500]all work towards strengthening civic health across Nebraska.
[00:12:05.640]So briefly, I'm going to go into what some
[00:12:08.540]of that youth civic leadership is before getting
[00:12:11.500]into some more of the civic health
[00:12:12.980]and what we can do for your communities.
[00:12:14.600]So youth civic leadership.
[00:12:18.200]Introducing youth to civic engagement allows them
[00:12:21.080]to develop critical thinking skills, civic leadership,
[00:12:23.420]and civil discourse skills.
[00:12:24.860]Engaged, informed citizens must be able
[00:12:27.460]to evaluate situations and act
[00:12:29.500]for positive change.
[00:12:30.600]Students who can think critically about
[00:12:32.440]and make meaning of societal issues are much better able
[00:12:36.640]to navigate their individual environments
[00:12:38.440]and succeed in them.
[00:12:39.400]I think we're all seeing this in the current world where that lack
[00:12:43.040]of engagement kids had during COVID and how much
[00:12:45.440]that has stunted their growth in the community.
[00:12:47.640]But some of those examples are at Lewis and Clark Elementary,
[00:12:53.120]Lothrop Magnet Community Learning Center
[00:12:55.560]and Sherman Community Learning Center.
[00:12:56.940]We offer a variety of expanded learning opportunities
[00:12:59.480]and community-focused programming.
[00:13:01.480]Our goal is to use these local schools as learning centers
[00:13:04.080]and hubs to provide homes for services
[00:13:06.420]and community organizing.
[00:13:07.620]Through that, the mission of our CLC is to provide support
[00:13:13.200]and services or opportunities which lead to successful kids,
[00:13:16.580]thriving families, and stronger neighborhoods.
[00:13:18.960]One of our more exciting things happening right now
[00:13:22.240]is Kid Governor, we just announced that last week,
[00:13:25.200]as well as our Capital Experience Days.
[00:13:27.400]I'm gonna go more into Kid Governor now
[00:13:29.460]and talk a little bit about what that is.
[00:13:31.460]It's a groundbreaking approach to civic education.
[00:13:34.460]It immerses students in a real election
[00:13:36.460]for their state's Kid Governor,
[00:13:38.460]so a fifth grader who will represent them
[00:13:41.460]during a one-year term of active leadership.
[00:13:43.460]All fifth grade classes and homeschool programs
[00:13:45.460]are welcome to participate.
[00:13:47.460]The program is more than just a contest,
[00:13:49.460]and it's not just about the position of governor.
[00:13:51.460]Students will learn important lessons
[00:13:53.460]about state government, voting, elections,
[00:13:55.460]and civic participation.
[00:13:57.460]Time to coincide with the November election.
[00:13:59.440]This annual program will provide fifth graders
[00:14:01.440]with experiences of nominating a student
[00:14:03.440]candidate from their school and voting
[00:14:05.440]in an authentic statewide election.
[00:14:07.440]Classes can vote in the election,
[00:14:09.440]nominate a fellow
[00:14:11.440]student to run for office.
[00:14:13.440]It is a free, innovative, and state-specific
[00:14:17.440]lesson plan and
[00:14:19.440]digital resource that guides teachers through
[00:14:21.440]the program to help students explore
[00:14:23.440]state government and active participation
[00:14:25.440]in civic life.
[00:14:27.440]Participants will identify issues affecting
[00:14:29.420]the community and state, research solutions,
[00:14:31.420]and create platforms to address those issues.
[00:14:33.420]They will then make campaign videos
[00:14:35.420]which will be distributed to all of the
[00:14:37.420]student or all of the elementaries participating
[00:14:39.420]in the program. Schools will then
[00:14:41.420]run primaries to select a nominee where
[00:14:43.420]each school's winner will advance to the state level.
[00:14:45.420]So in November,
[00:14:47.420]fifth graders will watch and evaluate the campaigns
[00:14:49.420]of what will be the state's
[00:14:51.420]finalists, seven finalists,
[00:14:53.420]and then participate in a real election
[00:14:55.420]casting their votes for the student
[00:14:57.420]governor and the platform they support.
[00:14:59.400]The student who receives the most votes will
[00:15:01.400]be appointed kid governor and the six
[00:15:03.400]finalists will become their elected cabinet.
[00:15:05.400]So that's kind of a new
[00:15:07.400]innovative program, gets kids something to
[00:15:09.400]look forward to and kind of like a real
[00:15:11.400]civic experience, going through a
[00:15:13.400]campaign, things like that.
[00:15:15.400]One of the cooler experiences
[00:15:17.400]we offer at Civic Nebraska is our
[00:15:19.400]Cap Days experience.
[00:15:21.400]So our capital day experiences are tailored
[00:15:23.400]to each participating group and immerse them
[00:15:25.400]in our state's unique government.
[00:15:27.400]It's a day-long session that includes Q&A
[00:15:29.380]sessions with our elected officials where
[00:15:31.380]they can observe floor debates, public
[00:15:33.380]hearings, work on their advocacy skills,
[00:15:35.380]and get behind-the-scenes tours as well
[00:15:37.380]as do mock committee hearings in which
[00:15:39.380]participants literally put themselves in
[00:15:41.380]the senators chairs on the unicameral floor.
[00:15:44.380]Cap Day experiences gives Nebraskans the
[00:15:47.380]tools and confidence to engage with our
[00:15:49.380]state's institutions and people with whom
[00:15:51.380]they are entrusted to elect.
[00:15:53.380]Audrey Nance is our capital day experience
[00:15:55.380]coordinator and her contact information
[00:15:57.380]will be on the very last slide.
[00:15:59.360]She works with teachers to develop
[00:16:01.360]related lesson plans that meet state local
[00:16:03.360]social studies, English, and reading standards
[00:16:07.360]in order to help us make the day for your
[00:16:09.360]students the most productive.
[00:16:11.360]That way they get a real bang for their buck
[00:16:14.360]as far as time to the capital.
[00:16:16.360]I understand a lot of you are further out west,
[00:16:18.360]so I want you to know this is an experience
[00:16:20.360]we also offer virtually.
[00:16:22.360]While I think an in-person visit to the capital
[00:16:24.360]is invaluable, just being able to see it is
[00:16:29.340]a lot of fun.
[00:16:31.340]This next slide is an example of what the agenda
[00:16:34.340]kind of looks like.
[00:16:37.340]Nothing too crazy.
[00:16:39.340]They go through a few of those different modules.
[00:16:41.340]You'll see at like 10:00 listening to a speaker,
[00:16:43.340]10:30 going through a mock committee hearing.
[00:16:46.340]Those are examples of things that we can shift out
[00:16:48.340]for, you know, maybe you have the student's right
[00:16:51.340]of senator, maybe it's a younger student's class,
[00:16:53.340]like fourth graders, and we work with them about
[00:16:56.340]what our state's elected official system is.
[00:16:59.320]One common remark we get from teachers is how much
[00:17:02.320]more serious students take themselves after this experience.
[00:17:05.320]I think it helps demystify local and state government
[00:17:10.320]in a way that you can only get via a hands-on experience.
[00:17:16.320]All right.
[00:17:18.320]Doing it on time here.
[00:17:20.320]Okay, so we're about halfway through the slides,
[00:17:22.320]but these next ones are going to get a little bit longer.
[00:17:25.320]So I'm sorry if I'm just throwing a word bubble or word mouth at you.
[00:17:29.300]But we'll go a little bit here.
[00:17:31.300]So here is our Civic Health Index overview.
[00:17:35.300]So things we're working on with our Civic Health team.
[00:17:38.300]Our Civic Health Index.
[00:17:41.300]So we released this in 2015 and 2020.
[00:17:44.300]It focused on four key indicators: social connectedness, confidence in institutions,
[00:17:49.300]community engagement, and political involvement.
[00:17:51.300]This index really helps us evaluate how people are interacting with their communities in Nebraska.
[00:17:56.300]Are they donating?
[00:17:58.280]Are they participating?
[00:17:59.280]Are they participating in local elections?
[00:18:01.280]Are they communicating with family members about elections?
[00:18:04.280]But we use those four pillars that I mentioned previously: confidence in institutions, social
[00:18:09.280]connectedness, community engagement, and political involvement to understand how we connect with our communities.
[00:18:14.280]While these original pillars remain central, our new 2025 index will take a more detailed and nuanced approach.
[00:18:20.280]Readers familiar with our past editions will notice an expanded focus on areas within each category, and these updates will reflect the evolving ways
[00:18:29.260]in which people are engaging with their communities and institutions.
[00:18:32.240]So if you remember our 2015 and 2020, there was a lot to do with community insights and specifically how COVID affected us.
[00:18:40.240]And I think this next one shows how we're bouncing out of COVID.
[00:18:45.240]But this report has been years in the making, and we're going to kind of going to engage with the content for a while to see.
[00:18:53.240]So one of those ways is webinar series. We'll be hosting a virtual webinar series from August to January.
[00:18:59.240]Where we explore different topics in the Civic Health Index.
[00:19:03.240]We're also going to be holding community conversations, taking our report on the road to really try and talk with the state and see what, you know, does this match what you guys are seeing in your communities?
[00:19:14.240]How do you feel about this? You know, what can we take away? Is there something we're missing that we should be looking for in these reports?
[00:19:21.240]We're also going to be doing supplemental reports based off of this. We'll be working with partners and communities to dive deeper into the data and analyze
[00:19:29.220]how accurate it is. And probably the most exciting thing I have to announce is we'll be hosting our civic health conference. So please save the date.
[00:19:38.220]May 19th, 2026 in Lincoln. We'll really be going over, you know, what civic health looks like in Nebraska, what communities are succeeding, what we can do to build a better, better Nebraska for all Nebraskans.
[00:19:54.220]Well, and for the community conversations, have you already selected which communities
[00:19:59.200]you're visiting?
[00:20:00.200]Not yet. So we are we are we are open to and actually, if you would love to have
[00:20:05.560]us there, we'd love to be there. So we're, you know, the more I can get going out west,
[00:20:11.260]the better I can, you know, make my time worth it out there. All right. Another one of these
[00:20:17.460]ways we're kind of taking a newer approach to civic health is this idea of America Fellowship.
[00:20:25.140]So we invite leaders from across the state and across the political spectrum to come
[00:20:29.180]together to build our understanding of skills and skills of small D democratic leadership.
[00:20:34.180]We discuss fundamental ideas, choices, and values of government and civic life in the
[00:20:38.720]United States. Our participants are coming across better equipped to serve for elected
[00:20:44.140]leadership in Nebraska. It's kind of a newer thing we're trying, but how it works is we
[00:20:49.180]have a cohort of anywhere from eight to 12 local leaders who either currently serve or
[00:20:55.540]are interested in serving in local leadership positions.
[00:20:59.160]So, these cohorts get to know each other over the course of two to three gatherings, usually
[00:21:04.700]about two to three days each, during which they participate in discussions around famous
[00:21:13.280]speeches and foundational texts that help us to understand and analyze the core American
[00:21:17.780]ideals and arguments that we continue to have today. It provides more of a neutral ground
[00:21:22.880]or a place to be open and honest without judgment. There's no out-of-pocket cost to the
[00:21:29.140]participation. The only thing we're asking is a willingness to participate and proceed
[00:21:33.120]and a willingness to engage, I should say. We've done two cohorts so far. One was actually
[00:21:38.360]panhandle-based. Our last one was northeast Nebraska-based. We had a council member, two
[00:21:45.500]former city administrators, a youth coach, and a chaplain that all went through to the
[00:21:51.220]final retreat.
[00:21:53.260]And it's interesting. We have a lot of people who are seeking alumni engagement and asking
[00:21:59.120]better to participate in their communities after this. It really asks a lot of questions
[00:22:03.800]about leadership and what it means to be a leader and thinking of your community in leading.
[00:22:13.300]Another way is the Fair Housing for All, Collective Impact Lincoln, again a partnership between
[00:22:18.380]Civic Nebraska and Nebraska Appleseed. Collective Impact Lincoln supports resident-led investment
[00:22:23.440]positive change in Lincoln's core neighborhoods. They canvass, host community events, and do
[00:22:29.100]community building workshops where they help neighbors examine their community strengths
[00:22:32.520]and identify new ways to improve. Asset mapping, we can help you guys do that as well. But
[00:22:40.420]something I wanted to share is that a recent win by Collective Impact Lincoln is the Fair
[00:22:44.140]Housing Initiative. It helps end the source of income discrimination. Source of income
[00:22:49.580]discrimination is the refusal to rent because of a prospective tenant's lawful source of
[00:22:54.520]income. It keeps Lincoln renters from the housing they need, resulting in housing instability
[00:22:59.080]and unaffordability, unsafe and inaccessible housing or homelessness. Assistance programs
[00:23:05.000]like Section 8 housing vouchers, Social Security, disability, and veteran benefits are legitimate
[00:23:09.880]forms of income, and many Lincolnites were being denied housing because of that. Nearly
[00:23:15.100]one in three housing voucher recipients in Lincoln had to return their vouchers because
[00:23:19.760]they were unable to find a landlord who was willing to accept it. Think of how much stability
[00:23:24.540]means to a person. Think of how much stability allows a person to participate in their community.
[00:23:29.060]This just ensures more Lincolnites have safe and stable housing. And this was voted into
[00:23:34.780]effect by the people of Lincoln on May 6th. So no advocacy, just wanted to share a win.
[00:23:43.760]So here are the things I think you guys will be more interested in. These are our kind
[00:23:47.680]of community conversations and kind of the things I would like to come to your community
[00:23:52.820]or talk to you about, ways we can build and work together. So it's these conversations
[00:23:59.040]in the boardroom and around the dinner table that move the work forward in Nebraska towns.
[00:24:04.300]Our rural civic health programs are here to provide strategic support to current and aspiring
[00:24:08.040]leaders, citizen journalists, and small groups leading tough conversations. We partner with
[00:24:13.360]towns and rural areas throughout our state to fortify civic health, civic leadership,
[00:24:17.180]advance civil discourse, and bolster local media. So now I'll go over some of those ways
[00:24:23.560]and we can talk about it. If there's any questions, I guess maybe try to hold
[00:24:29.020]off until the end. I will say I can get you in contact with any of these resources.
[00:24:33.600]Just please reach out. So civil discourse.
[00:24:38.560]Let's see here. Civil discourse. It's a partnership we do with Civity. It's just a
[00:24:47.120]program we work through. Basically, we host a workshop for you, but it's about media capacity,
[00:24:52.780]understanding how you bridge across political ideology. It really,
[00:24:59.000]it works if you have a community that has an issue that they really need to solve,
[00:25:02.680]but are not able to come together on a solution for. Another way we're working on civil discourse
[00:25:08.800]is we're helping start a Braver Angels Alliance, and we're looking for members with that.
[00:25:13.380]What that is, is it's a kind of a webinar series group alliance conversation starter. The goal is
[00:25:23.940]to kind of smooth out the conversations around the dinner table. They talk a lot about red versus
[00:25:28.980]blue politics, but it really facilitates conversations, is what it does, in a way that
[00:25:36.400]doesn't hurt people, doesn't harm people. But another thing we're starting is Documenters.
[00:25:44.280]It's a partnership between us and the Nebraska Journalism Trust. Documenters Nebraska fills a
[00:25:49.080]vital need for reporting and accountability in our rural news deserts. The project trains and
[00:25:53.600]pays citizen reporters to report on public meeting as well as to publish their notes.
[00:25:58.960]I'm sure plenty of you have been to a public meeting where the minutes have just been recorded
[00:26:03.300]by one person and gone in the wind. I think it's important that people see what is going on in
[00:26:10.200]their communities. This helps train locals to understand and take notes and report on what's
[00:26:16.400]what's happening at local board meetings. And hopefully soon we'll be announcing Panhandle
[00:26:21.420]Documenters. That'll be a new initiative just for the Panhandle.
[00:26:28.940]So Civic Readiness Quiz is a quiz that's designed to help you assess your civic readiness of your
[00:26:34.540]small groups. It can help your community make progress on a particular subject or project.
[00:26:40.440]We also have a library of action ideas. Basically, we try to help you build on your strengths,
[00:26:46.920]identify your weaknesses, but it's a good first or second step. You know, if you have three or
[00:26:52.380]four people in an issue, do you have everything you need to actually solve the issue? What are
[00:26:57.720]some of the next steps you should take?
[00:26:58.920]It helps you slow down and be more logical about the issue.
[00:27:02.720]Another thing I wanted to mention is we're always looking to fill in any missing gaps
[00:27:08.920]of what your community might need in regards to civic participation. So if you have any thoughts
[00:27:13.940]or comments on what might help or programs that you would like to see brought to your community,
[00:27:18.320]including if it's just a small group and you want to do a quick idea of American Fellowship,
[00:27:23.760]you know, or discuss some political thought, you know, we're always looking for
[00:27:28.900]ways to interact and grow our presence out west.
[00:27:31.480]One thing that I'm excited to share that I've worked hard on is Trove.
[00:27:37.140]It was initially launched in 2023 and it featured Nebraska's 2022 midterm results.
[00:27:42.020]Trove, or Turnout Research and Outreach Visualization Engine, is a
[00:27:48.770]Basically, it's an interactive map that allows you to feature voting data at a very granular level right down to the census tract.
[00:27:57.230]So this is a quick screenshot of one of the maps on it.
[00:28:00.650]The really cool feature of this is you can overlay multiple maps.
[00:28:04.750]So what I have on here is just voting turnout, the difference between 20 and 2024.
[00:28:10.310]You can overlay that with demographics data at a county level or a census tract level.
[00:28:15.870]We also have trends from 20 to 24, specific voting data from our midterms in 2022 voting.
[00:28:22.110]The voting outreach in 2020 and how successful that was, it's a good way to see where our community is going as far as are people voting, are people participating?
[00:28:34.090]What does that look like at our local level?
[00:28:36.130]But it's data from the Nebraska State of Secretary's Office.
[00:28:41.510]It's available via census tract, zip code, and county level.
[00:28:44.090]And again, we just wrote it down.
[00:28:45.850]We just rolled out the updates from the 2022-2024 elections.
[00:28:50.110]So this is brand new this week.
[00:28:52.470]And again, I think it's a good way to get some insight into your community.
[00:28:56.930]What's happening at the county level?
[00:28:58.570]Are people participating?
[00:29:00.350]Are they not?
[00:29:00.890]Another recent success we had was LB3, or you might be more familiar with the split electoral college vote.
[00:29:12.790]It's a nonpartisan issue.
[00:29:15.250]LB3 would have advanced a bill that would have dismantled our state's unique split electoral college system that we share with Maine.
[00:29:22.450]One thing that has made Nebraska more relevant, more competitive, and more reflective of its voters during recent presidential elections.
[00:29:29.570]In earlier April this year, I think it was April 9th, there was a vote to invoke cloture on LB3, this year's winner-take-all bill.
[00:29:36.970]It failed by a vote of 31 to 18, meaning it was two votes shy of the threshold to pass.
[00:29:42.470]So, barring a surprise.
[00:29:45.230]We will continue to have a split Electoral College vote over 2025, however, LR24CA is likely to come up next year, and that would add a winner-take-all to the state constitution via a ballot initiative, similar to how medical marijuana was tried to pass this year.
[00:30:05.230]So, just wanted to mention that was a very close thing.
[00:30:10.250]We had a lot of work to do in helping Omaha keep their blue dot.
[00:30:13.450]I think it's important that all Nebraskans have a say, and it really brings a lot of attention politically to Nebraska
[00:30:20.950]and a lot of advertising dollars to the state that we wouldn't have access to otherwise.
[00:30:24.470]So, in closing, here is all of the information and contact information.
[00:30:31.050]So, if you want to get in touch with me about programs we can bring to you, whether that be civil discourse, civic readiness,
[00:30:37.310]or just having conversations about what it takes to start a nonprofit daycare in your community,
[00:30:42.910]that is my phone number, my contact information. Please don't hesitate to reach out.
[00:30:47.690]If you are looking to schedule a capital day experience, virtual or otherwise, please reach out to Audrey Nance.
[00:30:53.330]She does a great job. It's such an exciting program.
[00:30:55.690]The kids have been there for so many important parts of Nebraska's state history just by being present in the building on a special day.
[00:31:01.850]And if we have any, if there's any questions on the Civic Health Index or how we might bring some of that programming to your area,
[00:31:07.910]I would encourage you to contact Lily Shigru. She's our Civic Health Programs Manager.
[00:31:12.370]And with that, I will ask if there's any questions.
[00:31:15.810]Do you ever open yourself up to speaking about your experience and how you became involved in leadership roles?
[00:31:28.850]Yeah, I would say that's more just being present in the room when conversations are happening.
[00:31:35.510]I don't know. I didn't plan on moving back to my community originally.
[00:31:41.830]It just kind of happened because I heard of a position with the county.
[00:31:45.030]You know, I had a degree and I thought the job title would look really good.
[00:31:48.190]And then I ended up putting down roots, you know.
[00:31:50.410]Well, one of our projects for leadership are for six regions, one Nebraska is leadership and how we get people involved and engaged and how they know about it.
[00:32:00.710]So is that something Civic Nebraska could help with teaching or giving help to?
[00:32:08.830]Yeah, absolutely. Leadership is a.
[00:32:11.790]A key issue in our state, and I think we all have heard the discussions going on with brain drain.
[00:32:16.830]So if we're not continuing to develop our leaders and building our capacity for leadership and leadership training, you know, we're we're just going to keep sticking it up.
[00:32:31.110]Hey, on along those lines, I see in a couple of slides in regards to the I think is like the fifth grade.
[00:32:41.750]You governor, do you have anything I'm sure what programs do you have maybe at the middle school or high school level?
[00:32:50.470]So that would be more of our kind of civic engagement classes or civil discourse classes.
[00:32:57.770]I wish we had the capacity to have educators at every school across Nebraska doing these after school programs like we do for some of our more Omaha and Lincoln based schools.
[00:33:11.710]But unfortunately, we don't have the capacity to do that at this point.
[00:33:14.950]Gotcha.
[00:33:16.810]Hope things are going out good out west Anthony.
[00:33:23.350]Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been a while I popped on and I seen you here. I was like, hey, I know him.
[00:33:29.950]It's such a small world sometimes.
[00:33:33.550]Speaking of that, while we're talking about small world stuff, Daniel Bennett, my predecessor, his grandmother was actually the
[00:33:41.670]librarian at my house.
[00:33:42.810]Oh, wow.
[00:33:44.750]Yeah, yeah.
[00:33:46.050]What a small world.
[00:33:49.430]You can always find connections in Nebraska.
[00:33:54.170]Absolutely.
[00:33:57.270]I had a quick question.
[00:33:59.470]When it comes to your SIPDI program, can you give us a specific example of when that was you, possibly?
[00:34:07.750]Yeah.
[00:34:09.090]It's a little tough.
[00:34:11.650]For me, I'm only about four months into the position, to be completely honest with you.
[00:34:15.130]So I've only been a part of one SIPDI workshop.
[00:34:17.590]But it really teaches a prairie grass kind of method, which it sounds kind of silly.
[00:34:26.970]But there might be a surface-level issue, but you really need people who are willing to go really deep and really wide to solve an issue.
[00:34:35.190]You have to have somebody that's got to be a taproot.
[00:34:37.750]So it helps people come to figure out.
[00:34:40.750]It helps people figure out what their taproot issue is or what brings us all together.
[00:34:44.510]I think it's just good for bridging a divide among small groups is what I would say.
[00:34:50.110]And I remember Daniel talking about a project in Gordon that they were working on with Civity.
[00:35:01.010]But I think it was something with the school and people upset about certain curriculum, maybe.
[00:35:09.990]I don't remember the details.
[00:35:12.750]Very likely, yeah.
[00:35:15.250]I was just curious because I love the concept, but I'm like, I don't know really what we would use it for.
[00:35:26.250]But I'm sure there's, I feel like people can always work together better.
[00:35:30.050]Yes, so we're kind of trying to develop our own based off of Civity a little bit.
[00:35:36.670]There's really only one step.
[00:35:39.970]One step in the Civity program, and it's one of those things that could use, well, what does this look like after, and how do you continue to build?
[00:35:46.030]So once we have something to announce, I'd love to come back and talk about that.
[00:35:52.350]One example, I don't think I have any of the Keith County folks on today.
[00:35:59.330]Do you think the casino project would be an appropriate topic for something like that?
[00:36:07.990]Where, again, the...
[00:36:09.950]The casino is probably the surface level issue, but there are some other things underlying that.
[00:36:14.830]Oh, yeah.
[00:36:17.590]I think anything where it's got two groups with an obvious split in the middle.
[00:36:25.090]I think that's kind of...
[00:36:27.950]That is an interesting one.
[00:36:29.390]You said that was Keith County Casino?
[00:36:30.710]Yeah.
[00:36:31.410]The one they're building in Ogallala.
[00:36:33.670]I know.
[00:36:34.170]I see a lot of chatter on social media with people with different viewpoints.
[00:36:39.710]I know there was some kind of pushback on that
[00:36:43.350]with the horse track racing this year or previously.
[00:36:45.710]All right.
[00:36:52.510]Well, barring anything else, I'll go ahead and stop sharing.
[00:36:55.330]Other questions for Alan?
[00:37:01.090]Have any of you done Civic Nebraska projects in the past?
[00:37:09.090]Alan, do you know if anyone at the university
[00:37:19.970]has talked to you all about Trove
[00:37:22.790]to maybe share that data with our All Things Nebraska group
[00:37:28.590]where they have maps of state data?
[00:37:32.090]No, we have not talked about that yet.
[00:37:35.970]That sounds right.
[00:37:39.070]We'd love to pull in that data and share that for you.
[00:37:43.810]Yeah, yeah.
[00:37:45.370]Would you mind if I showed Trove a little bit real quick?
[00:37:49.390]Yeah, please do.
[00:37:50.670]All right, one second here.
[00:37:53.050]I know we worry a lot about apathy.
[00:38:04.310]People sometimes complain about issues,
[00:38:07.410]but then don't go.
[00:38:08.410]Go vote and try to create change.
[00:38:11.330]But then sometimes if there is a really contentious issue,
[00:38:15.190]people do turn out pretty well.
[00:38:16.750]It varies.
[00:38:18.110]It can be a difficult thing
[00:38:26.010]because it feels like it swells with how,
[00:38:28.710]I don't know, how smooth things are going.
[00:38:31.110]You know?
[00:38:31.590]You know?
[00:39:01.570]You know?
[00:39:28.570]All right.
[00:39:28.730]Sorry about that.
[00:39:29.570]So,
[00:39:31.350]this is Map of All Nebraska Census Tracks.
[00:39:35.170]You can zoom in.
[00:39:36.090]It'll give you a little more detailed information here.
[00:39:39.930]Sorry, I usually do this on a mouse and not a trackpad.
[00:39:44.510]But, like, here we have just voter turnout by census tract.
[00:39:48.250]So, I'm going to come over here.
[00:39:50.430]Let's just change that to turnout difference by 2024.
[00:39:56.650]I'll go county difference.
[00:39:58.330]And then let's compare this.
[00:40:01.330]Let's do median household income.
[00:40:13.910]Easy demographic to see.
[00:40:15.310]So, we can kind of zoom in here a little bit.
[00:40:19.150]Go a little further west.
[00:40:22.510]So, on the left, you would see the voter turnout difference.
[00:40:27.550]So, it would be basically how the turnout has changed from 2020
[00:40:31.270]to 2021.
[00:40:31.310]And then we would see on the right side of the map, the median household income per county.
[00:40:36.810]Some of that information is not going to be available for some counties, but it is
[00:40:42.470]interesting to see what counties are, kind of what the average income is, and if those
[00:40:48.630]are participating.
[00:40:49.990]Good way to view different data and how it affects us.
[00:40:57.730]So, we could add another one.
[00:41:02.870]Let's do...
[00:41:09.730]So, we'll do on the left here, homes with people over 60, voter turnout by county.
[00:41:19.990]Yeah.
[00:41:24.370]Nothing too crazy, but we can take this and we can do it.
[00:41:27.710]We can take this down to the census tract level.
[00:41:28.890]I just think the county level is probably a little easier for you guys to understand and visualize.
[00:41:32.850]But it's a good tool to see what's happening across the state, too.
[00:41:38.670]In a weird way, it kind of helps us track population and where that's going.
[00:41:44.290]But anything that helps us give insight to our communities and how they're changing.
[00:41:49.630]A couple of counties with very low voter turnout.
[00:41:57.690]Yeah, 58, 56.
[00:42:07.130]That's a little over half.
[00:42:11.130]Any questions on Trove, or does anybody want to see anything specific?
[00:42:16.590]Other questions for Alan?
[00:42:27.670]Alan, what all topics will be included in the webinar series about the report?
[00:42:37.770]So those will go over more specific topics.
[00:42:42.270]Like, we have a section based off of just, like, rural issues or, like, what's going on in rural America as far as the trends go.
[00:42:52.110]Interestingly enough, how people are donating, things like that.
[00:42:57.650]Other ones will be, like, civic health pillars.
[00:43:01.490]So how much people are participating, how much people are sharing information with their family.
[00:43:05.710]And by participation, I should say, like, volunteering with organizations, being a part of boards and community activity groups, things like that.
[00:43:15.830]So it will break down more of, like, the civic health pillars into six webinars leading up to the final civic health webinar.
[00:43:27.630]I guess party program, release party, whatever you want to call it.
[00:43:31.150]I hope you get good turnout for those.
[00:43:39.750]We've been doing webinars both with RuralPoll and some leadership data that the Rural Prosperity Nebraska team has collected.
[00:43:49.470]And a few of them we've had good attendance and good conversation, but it's just hard to find a time.
[00:43:57.610]And I think it works well for everyone.
[00:43:58.950]Yeah, I think we're going to try and stick around the noon time.
[00:44:02.730]So hopefully 1 p.m. Mountain Time works for you guys.
[00:44:06.210]Maybe, hopefully, we'll see.
[00:44:09.870]Maybe it'll have to be earlier than that.
[00:44:11.330]Thank you.
[00:44:13.110]You said you haven't chosen the locations yet for the community conversations.
[00:44:22.850]Do you have an idea of how many you'd like to do?
[00:44:25.650]Or like you said, when you're...
[00:44:27.590]When you're out West, you'd like to do as many as possible just to...
[00:44:30.570]Yeah, like eight or nine communities at least.
[00:44:32.810]I guess we're always looking for communities to reach out to.
[00:44:35.910]You know, if you have a story to tell, we'd love to help you tell it.
[00:44:38.630]A lot of times I like to say nobody's going to come and tell our stories for us.
[00:44:43.650]Sometimes you have to do your own advocating.
[00:44:45.790]So if we can help you, if we can be your megaphone, if we can tell, you know,
[00:44:50.450]hey, you know, things in Sydney are so much better than they were a couple years ago.
[00:44:55.410]If we can help you tell that story, let us help you.
[00:44:57.570]Tell that story.
[00:44:58.190]Something worth.
[00:45:02.430]Go ahead.
[00:45:03.790]Well, I think that's an important thing with documentaries, too, is, you know,
[00:45:08.550]it helps us tell a story of what else is happening in Nebraska, good and bad.
[00:45:12.270]You know, if a board isn't listening to committee members or they're acting out of open meetings, hearings, things like that.
[00:45:19.030]I think we have some really interesting, innovative things happening in some of our small communities that just aren't getting shared.
[00:45:27.550]Broadly, so people don't know that they're going on.
[00:45:31.330]Well, like anybody in a rural community knows, you have to be resilient and wear a lot of different hats.
[00:45:36.110]That means there's going to be a lot of different solutions to different problems.
[00:45:39.290]You know, again, I'm living in an old library because the city was going to tear it down, right?
[00:45:46.790]That's a unique solution to a problem.
[00:45:49.130]I think there's a lot of communities that solve their own problems that way.
[00:45:57.530]And that's something I'd like to highlight more on Rural Rendezvous.
[00:46:01.950]I'm going to have Shauna talk about some of the things they are doing in Chapel coming up later this summer.
[00:46:08.230]And we have a few others lined up.
[00:46:12.370]But if any of you would like to share something you know about or that's happening in your community, please let me know.
[00:46:17.970]Alan, we still have some time.
[00:46:22.910]Do you want to talk a little bit about your daycare?
[00:46:24.730]Childcare has been a hot topic for most of us.
[00:46:27.510]Lately.
[00:46:27.950]Yes, it was a project four years in the making.
[00:46:32.350]I didn't think it was ever going to happen.
[00:46:33.930]Long story short.
[00:46:36.410]So it started out about 2020.
[00:46:40.610]A couple of my friends started to talk about having kids and how hard it was to find any child care.
[00:46:46.130]Everybody was booked out.
[00:46:47.510]A lot of people in our community were making family planning decisions around whether or not there would be somebody to watch their children so they could continue to work at their jobs.
[00:46:57.490]So we started to ask other communities, you know, what are you guys doing?
[00:47:00.050]What's successful?
[00:47:00.830]If there's anything that's going on.
[00:47:02.990]And realistically, the only thing we saw we thought possible would be a nonprofit.
[00:47:08.430]Our senior center had recently closed.
[00:47:11.170]So we had talked with the city about using that space and they gave it to us for a very low cost.
[00:47:16.270]We basically split the utilities on the building.
[00:47:18.570]So working with the city was huge for us.
[00:47:22.970]We also went to our local economic development groups.
[00:47:27.470]We had a fundraising campaign that's, again, lasted four years.
[00:47:30.810]It took us a while to get it going.
[00:47:32.250]But we held multiple galas, so many fundraising events like Egg in Your Yard.
[00:47:37.910]We had this silly little ostrich that had basically a barometer with how close we were to our goal on Main Street for the better part of three years, just slowly inching up.
[00:47:50.350]Because we run at a loss every year.
[00:47:54.870]It's a very expensive program.
[00:47:57.450]But I guess some of the things I can talk about real quick are like cost.
[00:48:04.030]Our main focus with cost was to not outprice our in-home providers.
[00:48:07.910]So we are the most expensive in our area, but it is also the least expensive daycare center in our area.
[00:48:14.590]That was a very conscious decision by us.
[00:48:18.610]But that also means we have to keep fundraising.
[00:48:20.930]So our LBA 40 program helped with that.
[00:48:23.890]Our local economic development group has been huge in helping.
[00:48:27.530]A lot of other community organizations have donated to us.
[00:48:31.390]So one of my favorites is we have Fullerton Community Church.
[00:48:35.850]Their child education, their little program,
[00:48:40.230]they did a cookie walk and had a bake sale and raised money for us.
[00:48:44.430]So I mean, kids raising money for a daycare is just a really funny, cute little thought.
[00:48:50.750]But it took a variety of income streams, too.
[00:48:53.550]We also have a local group that smashes cans
[00:48:57.410]and recycles that can money for donations.
[00:48:59.910]They donated to us a few times.
[00:49:02.410]But a lot of...
[00:49:05.550]And again, I was also the city administrator while a lot of this was happening.
[00:49:11.250]So we helped use city equipment to lower the cost where we could.
[00:49:15.510]But yeah, we have capacity for five infants, five toddlers' age, and then...
[00:49:27.390]I can't remember what our other room capacity is, if it's six or seven.
[00:49:30.490]But then our preschool was just added on to like a year before opening.
[00:49:35.390]Basically, we had one preschool provider and she was retiring.
[00:49:39.310]So our Head Start only had the capacity for five kids.
[00:49:43.250]And outside of that, nobody had access to preschool.
[00:49:46.290]So we worked with the Catholic Church to rent out one of their facility spaces.
[00:49:52.390]And we have a rotating class there, just like a...
[00:49:57.370]morning to noon shift, and then at noon to like...
[00:50:00.510]I think 3 p.m. is when they get out.
[00:50:02.170]But yeah, we employ four people.
[00:50:05.430]It's been a crazy experience.
[00:50:08.510]And we'll have been open a year in September.
[00:50:11.210]Have you had trouble staffing it?
[00:50:15.210]Not necessarily.
[00:50:18.250]We've had difficulties, but not...
[00:50:21.670]We usually have a person waiting or two.
[00:50:23.890]Part of the reason...
[00:50:27.350]The reason is we pay a little bit more
[00:50:29.050]and we offer benefits.
[00:50:30.150]That is not common for a child care facility in Nebraska.
[00:50:33.030]But again, that is why we run at a loss.
[00:50:37.610]It's hard.
[00:50:40.350]I wish I could say the fundraising is easy,
[00:50:43.750]but I've fundraised for park equipment
[00:50:47.110]that's been easier than fundraising
[00:50:48.270]for the state care center.
[00:50:49.210]That's not to say there hasn't been
[00:50:51.930]a ton of community support.
[00:50:53.050]It's just these things are expensive.
[00:50:55.310]And when you have to install a sprinkler system,
[00:50:57.330]a fire suppression alarm,
[00:50:58.690]it gets expensive very fast.
[00:51:00.810]We recently visited with a hospital
[00:51:04.950]and a nursing home
[00:51:06.130]that have child care centers associated
[00:51:08.690]and they decided that loss
[00:51:11.370]is just a benefit for their employees.
[00:51:14.210]So the business is willing to take that on.
[00:51:17.210]Wow.
[00:51:18.370]Again, these are innovative small towns
[00:51:23.510]that their stories are not really being shared statewide.
[00:51:27.310]Yeah, and I mean, again, being on the rural side,
[00:51:29.750]if we're not willing to talk about some of these things,
[00:51:31.610]they're not going to leave our town.
[00:51:33.430]They're not going to hear about our successes.
[00:51:34.790]Any other questions for Alan?
[00:51:42.910]Anyone have announcements to share?
[00:51:48.490]Things going on in your community, your organization?
[00:51:57.290]Misty?
[00:52:02.250]Oh, I was just going to say,
[00:52:05.310]I think we are on track to maybe have driver's ed
[00:52:09.250]starting here in the fall.
[00:52:11.070]And so just trying to get safe drivers on the road.
[00:52:16.890]Finding an instructor has been a challenge,
[00:52:19.790]but I think we have a good lead.
[00:52:21.490]Good.
[00:52:22.910]Have you been having trouble finding an instructor?
[00:52:27.270]Do people use the CDL program in Sydney?
[00:52:30.890]Yeah, Sydney, they have it going
[00:52:36.270]and Stutz Bluff has it going.
[00:52:37.710]And we're fingers crossed.
[00:52:40.090]We've had a hard time finding a trainer as well,
[00:52:42.610]but fingers crossed we have a lead on
[00:52:44.510]maybe somebody that is going to be able to do that.
[00:52:47.050]So hopefully, I think that's the hardest part
[00:52:49.690]that I'm having is we have things ready to stand up
[00:52:52.810]and just finding the right people.
[00:52:54.330]And I don't want just...
[00:52:57.250]I don't want just anybody.
[00:52:57.890]I think it matters that you have the right people.
[00:53:01.410]So that's where we're at.
[00:53:06.730]But yeah, CDL has really taken off.
[00:53:08.710]Good.
[00:53:09.450]For those who are curious and haven't seen yet,
[00:53:15.450]they did make the announcement
[00:53:17.030]of who purchased the Cabela's office buildings.
[00:53:20.710]It's a local investment company.
[00:53:23.930]They've purchased several
[00:53:25.090]of the other old Cabela's buildings
[00:53:27.230]and have done some development in those.
[00:53:30.910]In the article, it said they don't yet have plans
[00:53:34.810]for the building and they're open to suggestions,
[00:53:37.070]but at least it is someone local
[00:53:40.410]who we know is willing to invest back in the community.
[00:53:43.630]That's really exciting news.
[00:53:52.710]I know it's been a hot topic for a while,
[00:53:56.150]so that's really exciting.
[00:53:57.570]Thanks for sharing.
[00:53:58.250]After CEC, I had convinced myself
[00:54:02.810]that it was going to be Amazon as a distribution center
[00:54:05.810]because we just heard one was going in North Platte
[00:54:08.070]and somewhere else.
[00:54:09.570]Oh, Gehring, right?
[00:54:10.610]I think Gehring.
[00:54:11.670]And I think Columbus is getting one too.
[00:54:13.930]Since we're on the topic of Sydney,
[00:54:18.670]I might as well say that we've been working
[00:54:21.730]on downtown revitalization.
[00:54:23.570]There was a couple snags in the program,
[00:54:25.390]but as far as Sydney goes,
[00:54:27.190]we have our first business underway going improvements.
[00:54:30.890]And second ones, we have applicants approved
[00:54:33.450]and we have construction ready to begin
[00:54:35.430]on our first business in Sydney, Spring Creek Cleaners.
[00:54:38.550]So we should see some facade improvements
[00:54:42.370]in Sydney there soon.
[00:54:44.010]Great.
[00:54:45.330]Okay, if there's nothing else,
[00:54:56.490]let me quickly...
[00:54:57.170]Let me quickly look up.
[00:54:57.790]I don't remember who is on next month.
[00:54:59.890]Next month, we are learning about
[00:55:02.890]the Good Neighbor Program with...
[00:55:05.170]I think it's University of Missouri Extension.
[00:55:10.290]Now I can't get it pulled up.
[00:55:12.990]Yeah, University of Missouri.
[00:55:14.910]So that's a program that'll give some tips
[00:55:19.510]on how you can create a more welcoming community
[00:55:22.110]for newcomers.
[00:55:23.070]And we can see what they're working on in Missouri.
[00:55:25.930]Thank you all for joining us today.
[00:55:29.350]Let me know if you have any questions.
[00:55:31.790]Thank you.
[00:55:34.550]Bye, everybody.
[00:55:35.290]Thanks, Jamie.

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Civic Nebraska Update 2025

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