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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1998)
i m By Josh Funk Senior staff writer In the last of a series of meetings, community leaders vented concerns last night about development projects The city contracted the Lincoln/Lancaster County Mediation Center to identify concerns about and propose solutions for the future of Wilderness Park. “Our job is to ensure that people have a voice in this process,” said Betsy Kosier, one of the mediators. About 20 people attended Monday night’s meeting ready to discuss issues of development and preservation of the park that serves as one of the city’s main flood plains in addition to preserving natural beauty. Monday’s meeting was the last of about 80 the mediation center has spon sored in the last month to identify issues. The next step is the creation of a working study group of community leaders, city officials and developers to consider the issues and fmd solutions over the next nine months. The group’s first meeting is Nov. 16. “It seems like the cart is outrunning the horse here,” South Salt Creek neigh borhood representative R C. Meza said. Early in the meeting, community leaders had a chance to question city planning and parks departments repre sentatives. “I don’t know” was a common answer to many concerns that seem to need further clarification. ^ “There were a lot of questions raised (in earlier meetings) we didn’t have the answer to ” said Mike DeKalb, city planning representative. Many people questioned the effec tiveness of the mediation, saying it should be coordinated with other stud ies the city has already conducted. “The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” said Mike Hutchinson, state vice president of Pheasants Forever. “We are developing while we are studying.” DeKalb said that this process is designed “to look at what die park is, what it was and what it could be.” City officials also reminded people that expansion of the park, along with development bordering it, is another issue for the study group. Community leaders voiced concern about the procedures for developing land bordering the park. Several people felt as though com munity support had been overruled by developers and their money in the past. Wilderness Park’s role as a city flopdjfdy was al^o questioned by many e^ecialty^o^ing in flood ^>lain neighborhoods. * - They said they wanted to know where the water will go when non-per Election to determine future of land By Sara Hossaini Staff writer The controversy that erupted last year over the developing of kind near Wilderness Park is once again stirring debate as voters cast their ballots today on part of the land’s future. Two proposals on today’s ballot would fund tike city’s efforts to build a community park and a library at Col. Densmore Park near Wilderness Park. The Parks and Recreation Bond would fund six lighted baseball fields along with recreational facilities equipped with parking and re<Khrjs for a total cost of more than ^nil lion. Another proposed bond wbuld use taxpayer funds to build a branch of the Lincoln Public Library. Also being built on the land near Wilderness Park is a privately funded YMCA. The development of the area near 14th Street and Mockingbird Lane, known as Col. Densmore Park, is drawing cnucism irom residents near by, who argue that die need for more sports fields has been met and that the location is less than desirable for everyone. “We are fighting this for a number of reasons,” said Terri Jo Dahlquist, a resident of the area. “The. Lincoln Optimist Club is taking care of the need (for recreational facilities) with 12 ball diamonds being built a couple of miles from here. Ibis would be a big mistake for the wildlife of Wilderness Park.” Dahlquist said certain animals would be negatively affected by the bright lights of die baseball diamonds. The Optimist Club is building the 12 baseball diamonds north' of Highway 77 and south of Old Cheney Road. Lynn Johnson, Lincoln Parks and Recreation spokeswoman, said the new Col. Densmore Park would be neighbor-friendly. “We understand the neighbors’ concerns, and we will try to work with them,” she said. we are aeiiniteiy going 10 iook at landscaping in the fiiture to help with the light and act as a buffer to Wilderness (Park).” tion is not thermost idea^hoice for development because of the hilly grassland aifif the more than 100-year old flood plain that covers the area. But Lincoln city officials said grading the area would cost less than purchasing land elsewhere. Parks and Recreation officials also said they were working with engi neers to ensure proper water drainage. But some neighbors are still uneasy. “They want to flatten the land, which will increase the flooding prob lem that already exists,” Dahlquist said. “Parks and Rec says it will han dle it, but they give us no exact num bers, no real solutions at all.” Whether Lincoln voters approve the construction bonds or not, Johnson said the privately funded YMCA still plans to grade its portion of the land. : - - . ‘Vn meable development moves in. Two large areas in the flood plair bordering the southeast side of the pari have been zoned as future residential areas and developers are already plan ning. Further north, Lincoln Public Schools will build a high school, and stores at die new shopping center at 27** Street and Pine Lake Road are starting to open. It is unclear how these projects will the park, Rosier said. And community leaders are ready to commit to this long mediation process. “At first in the process there is anger and a fear of dark powers-at work,” South Corridor neighborhood represen tative Jim Bishop said. “It’s hard to find a consensus in sucha divisive issue, but once you get past the fear and anger you can gk your voice heard.... “The park is beautiful, and it is up to the citizens to save it” Freshmen adjust to college life through involvement By SandiAls WAGER Staffwriter Going away to college, some fresh tkHU . UnP^PpS^* of _ ^ Lincoln tries to make its fteshmSen: at home, particularly through activities and programs in the residence halls, where nearly all freshmen live, some students said. “We ahyays have people who have trouble adjusting to this environment,” MiU. ,r. The stories of three UNL freshmen show the range of adjustments hun dreds typically face: Long way from home For Lori Henderson, adjusting to college life meant accumulating a _.* huge phone bill. Henderson said when it was time to move here from Vermilion, S.D., her mother, who is a college professor, had , already started teaching and could not ’s parents help them out, but I had to do everything by myself,” she said. Henderson said she made frequent _ii_ i__j_:_ VOllO llUilJV uiurng the first couple of days just to ask simple questions such as how to set up her television someone to talk , “My mom understands what I am going through because she is a college professor. If I got a bad grade, she would reassure me,” die said. Although Henderson did have her student assistant available for help, she decided she would rather consult her mom. * Although a tad homesick initially, Henderson said she is beginning to get used to her new life and thinks joining university activities helped a lot “I got.involved,” she said. “You rto go and flag#.. as joined the Abe,! Residence Association, which is the hall’s government, and Campus Red Cross. She helped organize die Abel Olympics and homecoming activities, she said. Such activities are what housing administrators have in place to help students like Henderson adjust. Abel Hall Student Assistant Jon Trombino said the first five weeks of the semester are a crucial time for f$:g$htnen to adjust and often deter mine whether or not a student will illrop out of college. “The thing that keeps them here is whether they get involved,” he said. Town-sized dorm Coming from a small Nebraska town, Casey Tyler, a pre-law major, was excited to dive into college culture headfirst. Tyler, who is from Emerson, which has a population of860, said he adjust ed and met new people right away. Tyler said he enjoys die social life 1 of UNL the most. | “There are so IS many things to do here,” he said. “When you come there , are a Tot more opportuni ties here. A Kal Vk o o Tyler twice the popula tion of my town,” he said. Tyler participates in intramural sports to meet new people, he said. Residence director Esters said not all students from small towns make the adjustment as easily as Tyler did, con sidering they come from communities of 200-500 people, with Abel being a building of 1,000. ' “The staff is available to talk with them and point them in the right direc tion,” Esters said. “I’ve talked with stu dents at 3 or 4 a.m. because they are having problems.” Out-of-state of flux Though David Nwangwu is from out of state, he did not hesitate to go out and meet people. Nwangwu, a freshman pre-medi cine major from Texas, said his circle of acquaintances grew just by meeting friends of other people he met. Despite all die activities set up fry residence halls, Esters said students must take an initiative to meet student^' themselves, as Nwangwu has done. Nwangwu said students should take advantage of the. opportunities the university offers; ' ? < r r_ “I made myself be open to people*’ and wasn’t shy at all,’’ he said. Nwangwu said he wanted to ven Iture out into the world and be on his own. He origi nally is from Sugarland, Texas, a Houston suburb. Although Nwangwu hasn’t joined any activi ties, he is concen trating on joining Mwanqwu ™e team as a walk-on play er in the spring. Nwangwu said there were not any out-of-state programs^imed specifi cally for him. He came to UNL to visit, he said, and the Big Red Welcome helped him to meet a lot of people. “You can’t be shy going into a new place,” he said. ! Ill I I l ' .11 j JB IHsH H I M !K ■ ' find th«M underwriters at our website: http://www.unl.Miu/DiiilyN6b/ _I