News Archives

December 22nd, 2006
On Tuesday, December 19 Omaha Streetcar held the Pro Streetcar Rally at the restored Paxton at 14th & Farnam. The event was held to cap off a productive and eventful year. Soft drinks were available, and tours were given. We had a good turn out and I enjoyed chatting with our members and supporters. On behalf of Omaha Streetcar, I'd like to thank Shamrock Development for letting Omaha Streetcar use their beautiful facility. A good time was had by all and we look forward to a productive 2007. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

- Gerald Kopiasz

August 30, 2006
Omaha Streetcar hosted a public forum at UNMC to discuss the benefits of streetcars. Special thanks to Gerald, Chris and Keith Jones for speaking, and to everyone who came to show their support and ask questions. Attendance was 75 and the public buzz was immeasurable. Something which I'm very excited about is the mention of streetcar routes by Paul Landow and Steve Jensen in the resulting Omaha World Herald article. Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting each area through a series of short video clips and interviews. For a complete recap of the evening's events, visit the wrap up page. A podcast of the event is also available at www.omahaculture.com.



- Adam Streur

June 30, 2006
On June 22nd, members of Omaha Streetcar took part in the College World Series festivities by bring attention to our cause. We met at 10th & Bancroft (pictured), moved to 13th Street and displayed signs and passed out brochures to the passing public. Many supporters were discovered as we received many words of encouragement. This event was considered a success given the amount of attention Omaha Streetcar recieved. We look forward to having more outside events such as this one to spread the word and bring on new members. Members are encouraged to particpate so look forward to announcements coming soon.

*Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

- Gerald Kopiasz

June 21, 2006
In an effort to get out and meet the public, members of Omaha Streetcar will have an outside event this Thursday (6/22) in lieu of our normal weekly meeting. We will meet at 10th and Bancroft at 5:30pm. Please feel free to attend or at least stop by and say hello. If you have any questions or would like to talk streetcars, we'll be there to chat.

May 19, 2006
Omaha Streetcar presented to QUAD at the Fieldclub clubhouse. QUAD Club was founded in 1924 and is one of the oldest service organizations in the community. QUAD stands for Quality in Advertising. The group began prior to the professional circulation auditing processes we have today and one of the early QUAD projects was to help track circulation of various media. Another was to provide an early sounding board for advertising, marketing and public relations professionals to present upcoming ad or public relations campaigns for member advice and comment. QUAD continues to serve this latter purpose, with many speakers presenting ideas and seeking advice pre-campaign or in the early stages of a campaign. Other speakers present information of general interest to the group. Many speakers see it as another opportunity to promote their particular organization.

May 13, 2006
Omaha Streetcar presented to ProRail Nebraska at their quarterly meeting. ProRail Nebraska is a grassroots rail advocacy group. Their focus is largely intercity rail such as Amtrak, commuter rail between Omaha and Lincoln, etc. Omaha Streetcar's objectives compliments ProRail's since streetcars could serve a role in serving rail passengers. Omaha Streetcars's presentation was followed by a positive question and answer period. We look forward to keeping in touch with ProRail Nebraska and wish them the best of luck in their endeavors.

April 30, 2006
Omaha Streetcar has released our discussion forums. We hope this will help foster ideas and discussion towards returning streetcars to Omaha. I encourage you to register and post freely. The Omaha Streetcar forum is only part of many new additions to the website we will be rolling out in the coming weeks. You may access the Omaha Streetcar Forums here: http://www.omahastreetcar.com/forums.html

April 20, 2006
Omaha Streetcar just launched the new look of our webpage! There are more changes on the horizon as we continue to update content and bring you more information. Our spring event is shaping up to be a great one and we will be releasing details on the website soon!

March 24, 2006
Omaha Streetcar talked today and another time recently with Curt Simon from Metro Area Transit (MAT) in Omaha. Responding to our effort to promote the idea of a streetcar in Omaha, Simon noted that the major determining issue for a streetcar in Omaha should be economic development in the area where the streetcar would run. Furthermore, Simon said that the Omaha community and the Mayor are the ones that need to take the lead in deciding whether or not a streetcar will happen in Omaha. Currently, MAT is taking a neutral position on plans for a streetcar.

March 22, 2006
Members of Omaha Streetcar met with Paul Landow, Mayor Fahey's Chief of Staff, to introduce the organization. The latest streetcar events were discussed. Details are few right now as specifics continue to be hammered out. The meeting was positive and we look forward to meeting with the Mayor's office regularly. Omaha Streetcar continues to support the Mayor as he pushes for the reintroduction of streetcars in Omaha.

March 18, 2006
Nine members of the Omaha Streetcar Commission took a field trip to Ida Grove, IA. Destination: the Gomaco Trolley Company. Gomaco, which has been building streetcars since 1982, is the only company in the U.S. manufacturing replicas of vintage streetcars that once ran on the streets of American towns and cities. The OSC went to take a look-see at two Birney cars--one of the most famous and familiar streetcar designs--which were having some finishing touches put on them. When completed, they will be loaded onto specially-built trailers (complete with tracks) to be trucked to Little Rock, AK where they will join other Gomaco-built cars already running there. The cars are part of Phase 2, an extension to the existing Little Rock streetcar line that has been operating successfully since 2004. That extension will include the Clinton Library. A third extension is already in the planning stages for Little Rock.

March 2, 2006
Gerald W. Kopiasz, President of Omaha Streetcar presented to Downtown Omaha Inc. (DOI) at their monthly meeting. DOI had invited Omaha Streetcar, whose invitation was graciously accepted. Due to popularity of the streetcar concept, there was a strong showing. Gerald gave a synopsis of Omaha Streetcar and its plans. The concept was also discussed and questions were fielded from DOI members. The response was positive and Omaha Streetcar thanks DOI for the opportunity to present and looks forward to updating them.