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NEWbraska Partners
1901 Howard Street Suite 325 Omaha NE 68102
PO Box 43 Omaha NE 68101
NEWbraska.com
LinkedIn: Lee-myers-omaha, growthdynamixconsulting, lukeaarmstrong
Lee Myers
Founding Partner
Lee@newbraska.com
+1 (402) 598-4131
Yes
Principal partners include Lee Myers, Lynn Hinderaker, Luke Armstrong, NEWbraska Partners, RENMIND, NEWbraska CommonSense, NEWbraska UrbaNatural, WOWbiz, Emergent Architecture with Patrick Leahy, CaliCommons, NCS International with Jim Beatty, Feysel Rahmeto, Omaha Star with Terri Sanders, and El Perico with John Heaston. Other partners we look forward to working with include Culxr House, Hot Shops, Benson Theatre, Union for Contemporary Art, Bluebarn Theatre, 1M Cups, ModeShift Omaha, Manne Cook, Omaha by Design, MAPA, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Aksarben Foundation, Knight Moves of Des Moines, Modus Coworking Omaha
This new team does not have an org chart.
Major projects: NEWbraska with UrbaNatural, NEWbraska CommonSense, NEWbraska Transportation
Build a Powerful NEWbraska Public Transportation for Anyone going Anywhere at Anytime that can be scheduled in advance.
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1630000.0
Combination of capital project and service/program
How do we do three contrary ideas at once: 1. create jobs 2. attract talent 3. innovate existing products/services It’s simplistic to say that one group will get jobs and another group will create jobs and another will attract talent and another will innovate. To serve all these groups, we first must have a public transportation system that is necessary for all these efforts for new jobs, for new talented workers and for innovation. Without a robust and complete public transportation system, those fundamental and transformative efforts cannot get started. Our NEWbraska team will provide what the late Peter Senge called ‘Concept Leadership.’ This provides a clear emphasis on vision and scenarios that will weave together: 1) North Omaha residents and activists 2) Omaha’s businesses who want to attract ‘top tier’ workers There are many aspects to all the LB1024 projects, but none more important than Concept Leadership for Public Transportation. Our job will be to answer these questions, “Where are we now? What is the next step? Are we focused on the right things? What is waiting for us?” Our city has good pieces of the puzzle, but we don’t have the “first mile” and “last mile” figured out in South and North Omaha – and those are the hardest pieces of the puzzle. A basic concept we’ll use: ‘open forum’ sense-making conversations using modern technologies. NEWbraska Public Transportation Omaha proposes to work with the LB1024 applicant NEWbraska Common Sense to gather data on Where, What, How for the first mile and last mile gaps in Public Transportation. There is much jargon in Public Transportation and the jargon gets in the way of finding solutions. Terms like “micro-transit,” “demand/response dial-a-ride,” and “on demand deviated fixed routes” can mean overlapping services or contrary services. The basic missing piece in North Omaha and South Omaha is coordination of efforts. Non-profits across Omaha spend more than $20 million yearly on vans and rides with over 150 publicly funded vans sitting mostly idle. More rides from the same resources can be managed with central call centers and central dispatch coordinated by Concept Leadership.
a. Year 1 i. Interviews will all existing public transportation providers in Omaha ii. Partnership engagements with those providers wishing to coordinate rides iii. Contracts with existing transportation call and dispatch centers that wish to coordinate iv. Citizen engagement through CommonSense Omaha into neighborhoods v. Begin coordinated rides with willing participants b. Year 2 i. More partnership engagements with those providers wishing to coordinate rides ii. More contracts with existing transportation call and dispatch centers that wish to coordinate iii. Continuing citizen engagement into neighborhoods iv. Expanded coordinated rides with willing participants c. Year 3 i. More partnerships ii. More contracts iii. More neighborhood engagement iv. Possible coordination with Omaha Public Schools student transportation – the largest rides provider in Omaha v. Citizen surveys and narratives plotted over time
1.0
Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Multimodal Transportation (i.e., enable connectivity through driving, biking, taking transit, walking, and rolling) Policy (i.e., develop or improve context-sensitive education, finance, health, training, zoning, etc.) Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
Goals a. Transformational: With anyone able to get to any job site, workforce development will be open to everyone b. Fundamental: With everyone able to get to healthcare, jobs, education and skills training, the city will be fundamentally improved. c. Long-lasting Economic Growth: With every gainfully employed citizen able to participate in all aspects of community activities and commerce, the city will be poised to maintain year-over-year growth. Community Needs a. Sustainable: If the public transportation resources already being spent by Omaha non-profit organizations ($20 million plus); Metro Transit ($28 million plus); and Omaha Public Schools ($50 million plus), Omaha should have a complete and robust public transportation system. A new coordinated system would be able to get more rides for the same money – an achievable and sustainable goal. b. Multi-modal Transportation: by providing space and support for a public transportation coordination center for first-mile and last-mile demand/response rides, Omaha will have a true system for scheduled trips from anywhere to anyplace at any time for anyone. c. Other infrastructure: By allowing citizens to get to all public health, education and social services, the social infrastructure of the whole city will be improved. d. Quality of Life: With NEWbraska Public Transportation Concept Leadership providing coaching, training and organizational support, Public Transportation can develop the finance, health, city services and infrastructure that the citizens see as priorities. Proposal impact a. Description: i. Public Transportation in North and South Omaha needs more coordination of existing resources than it needs new resources. Mostly Public Transportation organizations exist in silos of efforts and funds that don’t benefit from the efficiencies and synergies of coordinated efforts. NEWbraska Public Transportation will be that whole town coordinated effort working for common transportation rather than single vehicle rides. ii. Federal funds for public transportation over the coming years will increasingly be aimed at coordinated and partnership efforts. With this NEWbraska effort, Omaha will be better positioned to receive federal funds – making the Omaha system more sustainable. iii. Besides the newly coordinated rides, citizens will be engaged with new neighborhood surveys, healthcare appointments, education, training and new retail possibilities. b. Coordinated transportation will find those activities that can be sustained in the community and will support them. By using the CommonSense activation tracked over months and years, sustainability will be a monthly focus. i. Multimodal transportation will grow out of the coordination within NEWbraska that will start and demonstrate how “first mile” and “last mile” rides can extend the public transportation system to a system that can arrange rides for anyone, to anywhere at anytime in Omaha. ii. Quality of life issues will be supported by the new transportation system, more rides allowing more participation by citizens. iii. Civic policy issues will be cross-supported in the new transportation system. These civic issues will be supported by Public Transportation and by CommonSense activation. The Metropolitan Area Planning Authority (MAPA) has a committee dealing with that portion of public transportation that this project addresses. MAPA's periodic report with no action taken is attached. These coordinated plans identify the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes, provide strategies for meeting these needs, and prioritize transportation services for funding and implementation.
NEWbraska Public Transportation would begin community wide fundamental changes in citizen engagement, neighborhoods, and civic communications (with Partner RENMIND). ii. Combining new Public Transportation with community-wide activation of new communication tools, survey tools and rides would transform South and North Omaha by offering many points of new interaction and new connections among the citizens. iii. NEWbraska Public Transportation would be long-lasting as it would not depend on one, large, complicated effort, but would combine many smaller rides. This new effort would be sustainable for general business, industries, offices and civic/cultural organizations as the new transportation rides would provide new ways to connect citizen to citizen.
This NEWbraska Public Transportation initiative aligns with the strategic priorities of fundamental change, transformational efforts and long-lasting economic benefits because it includes elements of new services, community activation, communications and new public friendships, as well as all the soft skills of new activities and personal development spread across both North and South Omaha.
The permanent and temporary jobs created by this project cannot be counted at this time. The engagement and activation period will create both permanent and temporary jobs. The call center operation and dispatch of rides will create both permanent and temporary jobs.
Unknown at this stage
Unknown at this stage
Union scale for transportation work. Others at competitive Omaha wage scales.
By using NEWbraska CommonSense to find workers in the Qualified Census Tracts
The major community benefit from this project will be the targeted rides for anyone to anywhere that will bring diversity to the neighborhoods and to the economy -- thereby increasing the livability in the North and South communities.
With the ongoing “NEWbraska CommonSense” surveys and data the project will be able to do more of what is working and do less of what is not working – which defines sustainability for both the economic action and cultural action.
This NEWbraska Public Transportation project demonstrates all of the best practices in public transportation, in civic engagement practices world-wide as well as demonstrating innovation in the American Midwest.
Measurements will come from NEWbraska CommonSense surveys and data from current civic engagement and citizen input meetings and online activities – both as counts for a slice in time and as ongoing trend lines.
Measurable rides and activities attended by citizens who previously could not attend health appointments, education sessions nor civic meetings. Measurable job openings filled from increased transportation options. Measurable healthcare appointments completed from increased transportation options.
If businesses and organization are able to hire workers from anywhere in Omaha, it raises co-investment and secondary investment in South Omaha and in North Omaha.
Yes
Principal partners include Lee Myers, Lynn Hinderaker, Luke Armstrong, NEWbraska Partners, RENMIND, NEWbraska CommonSense, NEWbraska UrbaNatural, WOWbiz, Emergent Architecture with Patrick Leahy, CaliCommons, NCS International with Jim Beatty, Feysel Rahmeto, Omaha Star with Terri Sanders, and El Perico with John Heaston. Other partners we look forward to working with include Culxr House, Hot Shops, Benson Theatre, Union for Contemporary Art, Bluebarn Theatre, 1M Cups, ModeShift Omaha, Manne Cook, Omaha by Design, MAPA, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Aksarben Foundation, Knight Moves of Des Moines, Modus Coworking Omaha
No MOUs pertaining to transportation have been signed -- yet.
No
To be determined in one of the Qualified Census Tracts
Within one or more QCTs
The office for this project should be located on an existing bus line with frequent service.
No
No
Experience as MAPA's coordinated transit manager.
No
Budget i. Three years of activation of a call center with ride dispatch beginning in 2023 and continuing through 2025 1. Budget = $300,000 per year 2. LB1024 = $233,000 per year ii. Ride payments to be contracted to ride providers in Omaha 1. Budget = $800,000 per year 2. LB1024 = $210,000 per year iii. Ride subsidies for 3 years for rides from or to South Omaha and North Omaha for which other funds cannot be found 1. Budget = $100,000 2. LB1024 = $100,000
$543,000 of grant funds for each year of 3 years will be used to support a central call center and dispatch center for rides needed in North Omaha and South Omaha. $233,000 for a call center; $210,000 for ride payments to vehicle providers; and $100,000 for South and North Omaha riders for which other funds cannot be found.
Yes
Public transportation efforts in Omaha are extremely siloed and separate from each other with no coordination for efficiencies nor commonalities. ii. A new project that is open to cooperation and coordination can have a positive effect quickly as the existing operations will not look upon the new effort (which has its own funds) as “stealing” funds now going to the existing silos. d. Grant funds usage i. LB1024 grant funds would jump-start this project by establishing a new and coordinated center that has long been talked about but not started – from lack of a new and separate funding source. ii. LB1024 affords a unique opportunity to jump-start public transportation cooperation at an opportune time.
For $543,000 of LB1024 funds for each of 3 years, this project can bring to Omaha -- and start on self-funding sustainability – a world-class public transportation system using all of the built infrastructure of transit, streetcar, streets and bikeways plus a solution for the “first-mile” and “last-mile” gap in North and South Omaha.
Other funding can be gathered for this project as it will be set up to receive other transportation funds from all the federal departments --- from the Dept of Commerce, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of HHHS, Dept of Defense, Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of HUD as well as the Dept of Transportation. Presently those funds are siloed away from each other and not coordinated. Each department has appropriations for local, public transportation and such funds are not used efficiently or not at all in Omaha.
Without some activation and operations funds for three years, the project could not get started.
This project can be undertaken in small steps by sequencing into the future some of the contracts and dispatching of rides and signing of clients.
If a smaller start would be wished, then a smaller client list from North and South Omaha and a smaller ride qualification requirement could allow a smaller call center and dispatch center to be started.
Partners in this project have committed $100,000 to the groundwork and will have spent more than that amount getting ready for this application. That money is already committed
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Data table of uses (breakdown of how the requested funds will be used for your proposal)