BEATRICE – Gage County officials have approved two more visitor improvement grants, funded by lodging tax revenue.


One is a project of the 18th class of Leadership Beatrice, to make use of a vacant space in downtown Beatrice, where a dilapidated building was demolished.
The $20,000 allocation will aid in developing what’s called Pioneer Place…in the empty space along the south side of the street, in the 400-block of Court.


"We wanted something fun, outdoors that families, people of all ages could utllize and something that was not just a typical park. The City of Beatrice has wonderful parks as do the communities throughout Gage County. We wanted to do something a little bit different, tying into our heritage in the area with the Homestead. We decided to call this Pioneer Place. It is, of sorts...a pocket park", said Rachel Kreikemeier, a Leadership Beatrice class member. The feature would include two shuffleboard courts affixed to a concrete floor…along with related fixtures.


"Softening the space to make it fun, inviting and attractive...having picnic tables, benches, things like that...a water fountain, one where people can fill their water bottles. We anticipate that this is going to really impact people coming and staying in the community....grabbing lunch, eating outside especially in the nicer months of the year."


Kreikemeier says about two-thirds of the project’s cost has been raised…including some in-kind help from the City of Beatrice, individual and business donors. The project was approved by supervisors, on a 6-0 vote.

Demoition of condemned buildling left gap in the downtown
Demoition of condemned buildling left gap in the downtown  

A second project is a request for $25,000 to help build out a community learning center for Food 4 Hope….a nonprofit food security and self-sufficiency organization near Ellis, operated by Terri Sue and Ron Mazza.

Sue Mazza said, "We're building a community learning center to compliment our commercial kitchen that we have. We are renovating a pole barn of about sixteen-hundred square feet. Now we want to add the learning center to expand the scope and capacity of what we can do. We do interactive workshops, kind of old fashioned stuff where we teach sourdough bread making, cheese making, sauerkraut, cast-iron cooking, pie-making. We do all kinds of things and it brings in people from all over."


Food 4 Hope workshops have been attended by people from Nebraska and Kansas. County Board member Gary Lytle says it’s a good application of visitor improvement funds.  "A neat, nice little twist on what we can do with our tourism funds....and if successful, I think it will be a good addition to our community."


The $25,000 allocation was approved by the county board, on a 6-0 vote. The overall project is estimated at around $210,000. County Board Chairman Erich Tiemann says the organization helps solve a disconnect about where food comes from.