Owners Reject Mansion Bid
After a devastating January fire destroyed its interior, the Metz Mansion seemed unlikely to avoid demolition. But when another Metz made an 11th-hour offer to purchase and renovate the remaining shell of the 106-year-old edifice, there was renewed hope among neighbors and preservationists.
Restoration Exchange Omaha was there to assist John Metz, who runs a bed-and-breakfast and an engineering company in Crescent, Iowa. REO shared the original drawings of the Arthur Metz home and provided high quality scans to Metz at no cost. REO Board member Rhonda Stuberg, who is also president of the Blackstone Neighborhood Association, tried to convince the property owners to accept the bid.
Mansion Flats LLC purchased the building in May for $170,000. Metz offered more than $200,000, but his offer was rejected. The mansion was demolished on August 18 by workers from Peitzmeier Demolition.
Omaha Will Host 2017 Neighborhoods Conference
Neighborhoods, USA selected Omaha as the 2017 convention site for their 42nd annual conference.
The group is a grass roots national organization that provides guidance, encouragement, and educational tools to help community advocates and civic leaders organize neighborhood groups and effectively bring them into local decision-making processes.
“Strong neighborhoods build a strong city,” said Mayor Jean Stothert. “One of the things that makes Omaha so unique is our network of neighborhood associations and alliances working throughout our city. The NUSA Conference will give our citizen leaders the opportunity to share best practices and learn from each other. It is a great honor to be selected as the host city.”
The conference will be held May 24-27, 2017 and will bring over 1,000 neighborhood leaders to Omaha. Restoration Exchange Omaha will work with local neighborhood associations and ONE Omaha to organize tours highlighting Omaha’s unique neighborhoods and small commercial districts to visitors coming from all over the country.
IN the Neighborhood Conference at Metro
The Iowa/Nebraska “IN” the Neighborhood Conference will be held Saturday, October 3, from 8:30 to 4:30 at Metro Community College’s South Omaha campus.
Sessions will address green communities, health and safety, economic growth and development, empowering neighborhood initiatives, community partnerships and issues pertaining to the Latino community.
The cost of the conference is $35. For more information go to www.intheneighborhood.org