What fun to have one of our own presenting to us! 
We were fortunate to be educated about our public buildings by the honorable Brigadier General Paul G. Cohen. Paul is the administrator of the Omaha Douglas Public Building Commission, managing the over 1 million square feet of space comprising the Omaha Douglas Civic Center, the Hall of Justice and the parking garage adjacent to the facility.  He previously held senior executive positions in the communications and utilities damage prevention industry and consumer goods distribution.  He was in retail, advertising, radio, commercial voice talent, information hotlines and a public address announcer for the Omaha Royals/Storm Chasers Team.  That is a lot of stuff, not to mention the 32-year involvement with Downtown Rotary.  Whew!

Paul gave us some background information and mentioned the Omaha Douglas Public Building Commission succeeded the Civic Center Corporation in 1971.  The legislature decided a building commission would be in order to manage a joint city/council building appropriately as a separate government entity.  The building was first occupied in 1975 and remodeled in 1976.  The county owns the courthouse and in 1977 the connector building was completed that adjoined the two facilities.  In 2012 a technology center was built 3 levels down to accommodate the .com technology. They currently manage 5 structures, the Douglas County occupies 70%, and City of Omaha owns 30% as well as the MUD property that will be developed into the Juvenile Justice center in the near future.  There is a 5-member board of commissioners, 18 full time staff and 5 part time as well as the Douglas County Sheriff. In 2002 a central security station was built in conjunction with the parking garage.  With 440 cameras and a 3-block area they have a big responsibility.  All of this is paid for through tax dollars.  The revenue comes from parking fees and some vendor leases and any interest income.  
 

In dealing with the covid19 and the need to continue to operate there were goals established.  Protect the public, protect the staff, maintain the building, and service the public.  They met the objectives by first mobilizing the executive staff, deploying the security force in new ways, ramping up cleaning services, operating engineering facilities to effectively protect the occupants of the building, and manage the tenant relations between all the buildings along with maintaining relationships with the community. With “The Grand Compromise” decisions were made.  The buildings would stay open but with new restrictions, including virtual hearings, operating remotely and accessing online opportunities.   Statutory meetings were required by law and were conducted with social distancing.  Success came with division of staff, different assignments, creative hours, and keeping only certain entrances available. On May 17^th the courts are expected to open as usual. Lessons learned were; be sure to take care of your people, expect change daily, plans will need modification, and patience is essential.
 

Thank you Paul!        

Reminder: 

On Sunday May 17^th at 1:00 Tim Cavanaugh and I will be meeting with John Knicely at Memorial Park to film a Knicely Done episode for our Honor Roll recipients. 

Come on out!