December 17, 2025 • 29 mins
Here's just one Omaha downtown/midtown business owner optimistic about the future with the streetcar ... if they can survive through this construction to get there.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Scott Vordie's when we're talking about business owners in downtown
to midtown Blackstone, it's so hard to drive around anywhere,
to get anywhere, you're stuck in construction, You're forced down
different streets. Everyone's kind of going down these one way streets,
(00:21):
construction barrels all over the place. I know, I went
probably the wrong way a few weeks ago through a
construction zone because I didn't nowhere else to go. And
now you got the business owners who are dealing with
all of this, and I imagine excited about what's to
come with the potential for a streetcar, but dealing with
(00:42):
the reality of how long it takes and how awful
it is trying to get there. We welcome one of
those business owners on here now. He runs the smoke
and oak wood fired pizza and tap room there in
the Blackstone district. Dan Jacksich is with us here on
News eleven ten kfab Dan, good morning.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Good morning, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Pardon my ignorance, but when did you start smoking oak
there at Blackstone?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, no worries. We started smoking up five years ago
in the middle of COVID, So I guess we like turmoil. Yeah,
And then we also have Gray's Craze, which is a
shark cougery and carrying business right next.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Door to it.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Yeah, Gray Gray's Craze too.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
So Gray's crazy. Yeah. So two, that's two years old.
Smoking Oak was is five years old.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
So there five years ago when you started this up.
You saw Blackstone as when you looked at that district,
what'd you think?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, I saw an opportunity. Obviously, tremendous property, extremely busy.
Blackstone is we're actually in Midtown. We got up to
back to Blackstone, but you know, both areas are just
vibrant parts of the city. Uh, it's an exciting opportunity
for us to move to part that's growing extremely busy
(02:03):
and you know, put our flag down and hope for
the best.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
When did you start hearing about the streetcar and when
did you start hearing about the reality of what trying
to lay down the infrastructure and deal what the street
car was going to look like and the impact it
would have to your and other businesses in that area.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, in twenty twenty three we started they started getting
i believe information out, having some informational type meetings about
what was to come. You know, someone unfortunately you know,
so much has changed even since then in terms of
the amount of construction, the length of construction up and
(02:46):
down Farnham in the Assumed Capital district as well. But
twenty twenty three is you know, was kind of when
we started talking to actually early late twenty twenty two,
and then twenty twenty three started wrapping up. So it's
been a spent about two full years.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I would say, roughly, what were you told on the
inconvenience that it would be to your area, to your
businesses when they were doing the work for the street car, Yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Were We were told that, you know, roughly this is
a three year project. One year would be pretty rough
and of construction where they're doing all the utilities turning
up the street. We would be limited to one lane
and that would kind of move from one part of
(03:37):
Fearnham to the next, so it wouldn't necessarily be the
entire year. We run an impression that you know before
or five months of kind of limited access to smoken Oak,
but then it would start to improve and they would
Blackstone do that work and then in twenty twenty six
(03:57):
they would start beginning of this year would be limited
construction laying tracks and getting ready for the streetcar to
to get put in in twenty twenty seven of source
that got changed.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, where are we now in the reality of that
progress and when you look out there and you see
what's out there in the streets or not out there
in the streets compared to where we should be and
where we think we might be next in this progress,
Where are we in this timeline from your viewpoint.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, Ultimately the entire project got pushed in an entire
another year, so we added twelve months of construction to
the process. I think utilities have something to do with that.
We don't have parking correctly right now. If you get
a Blackstone, which is just two blocks up from us,
it's basically been a war zone for the last six months,
(04:53):
right You can't park, you can't drive through there, barely,
almost completely constricted access. So they're full twelve months behind
starting you know two weeks from now. Uh, they're going
to tear the street up again in front of thirty
second Farnum where we're at, and that's going to minimally
(05:18):
take six months, which in obviously construction world needs you know,
eight or nine months. And that's going to continue to
get pushed up Farnham as well, So Blackstone Midtown is
going to start in Midtown and move up to Blackstone.
So for all twenty twenty six, we're going to see
significant construction limitations to even they're getting close access east
(05:42):
and westbound access to Farnham. The way I understand it,
you can only get to Farner Street through thirty third Street.
So it's going to we're bracing for what's going to
be hopefully not hopefully, it's going to be a devastating
year for the businesses up and the Farm Street. You know,
hopefully we can find ways to survive this, but it's
(06:04):
not what you get.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
So you're a restaurant owner, I'm a radio blowhard. Neither
of us, unless I'm unfamiliar with the background, are you know,
engineers or experts in city engineering. But when I look
at that reality around where you are, thirty first Ish
and Farnham, as we're talking with Dan Yaxich of the
Smoke and Oak and Gray's Craze restaurant areas there from
(06:28):
Blackstown down to Midtown, I look at that area and
then I also look at downtown and there's so many
different pockets of downtown, especially along Tenth Street and then
up towards you know, twelfth and thirteenth Street. There's so
much construction around there as well, And I look at
this and go was it necessary to tear all of
(06:50):
it up at the same time? Why not just work
in patches to minismize the disruption for those who are
employed down there, who are running businesses down there, those
who are trying to get it out from events to
hotels and so forth. It just looks like a hodgepodge
of a disaster.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
It's more than a hotspot. It's a complete disaster. I
don't it really couldn't be any worse. To be honest
with you, Scott, I don't. Once again, I'm not an
engineer or a planner either. Obviously, things you've done for reasons.
I think there's several parties at play. I think one
of the problems that we're dealing with was the way
I understand it is, the utilities. The utilities were going
(07:35):
to move some things. I don't know if this is
MUD or PD moved some stuff last year, and they did,
and that was supposed to be the end of it.
And somehow they decided that they were going to now
replace underground systems, maybe gas lines, and so they're going
basically start from scrats. They're going to tear the entire
(07:55):
street up again, all the way up and down apartment
from now we're talking about two years are ing up
the same piece of street that really have very little
to do with the streetcar at this point. So yeah,
it's could have be done more efficiently. It was supposed
to be done more efficiently a year earlier, was supposed
to be worst case scenario. Now we're talking about a
four year, four year project to put in rail and
(08:19):
of course the Farnum Street bridge is going to be
torn down in two weeks as well, So now all
of the Westernmaha or interstate four year traffic's going to
be cut off to Farnum Street as well. So it's
not just the street, it's also the bridge is going.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
To be torn out. It extremely difficult.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Don't you think that at this point we could still
end this project and not lose money and still benefit
from the work that they've already done.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I think the utilities would probably agree with some of that.
I don't know what hasn't been done exactly. Obviously, from
a business standpoint, I have to say yes, because ultimately,
and this is not an exaggeration, based on the businesses
that have already gone under and the businesses that will
go under, based on the people I'm talking to, we're
(09:12):
gonna lose. Would I would conservatively guess we're gonna lose
seventy five percent of the restaurant on Farnam Street because
of this. That's what we're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, that's that's the reality here, Dan, is that there
will be people who look at this and say, hey,
you guys are the ones who stand to benefit the
most when this street cars up and running. You're gonna
have so many people down there you might have to
start building up. You got to go vertical here just
to accommodate all the customers. Look, I don't know if
that's going to be true or not, but in the meantime,
(09:43):
you just started to describe here, and I want you
to really let us know what it's like here in
terms of the loss of customers. You've been dealing with,
what you're expected to continue to deal with here in
the months ahead, and can you survive it?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Other week can survive? I mean, we've been a very
successful restaurant up to this point, up to the point
where they started construction, we still had a decent you know,
we struggled through the year, lost money. We were done
about twenty percent twenty five based on the construction that's
going to start here in a couple of weeks. I
(10:20):
don't think even a twenty percent reduction in business is possible.
So family survive it, I don't. I just don't know
the answer to that. Like I said, we were maybe
the busiest restaurant on Barnum Street and that down that
stretch for the last few years. But we yeah, we're
(10:41):
really struggling, losing money every month, and I can tell
you most of my neighbors are are absolutely not going
to make it, and so you know, it's it's going
to devastate the Neighborhood's been devastate Blackstone. I don't think
there's a clean way out of this. There's not an
option here. Just restrict access to people's businesses restaurants, which
(11:02):
is already a very competitive industry, right, It's not like
everyone's rolling in cash. And this came along Omaha's, you know,
a heavy restaurant town, so uh and so no one's
we have the situation where a twenty percent reduction. I know,
I think it was Crescent Moon or Cunningham's was on
a couple of weeks ago. They were down sixty percent
(11:25):
this year from the construction sixty percent. Obviously, like you said,
I'm hearing the same thing. You know, four years from
now or three years from now, you guys are going
to be rolling Out'm like, no one's going to be
here in three years, you know. I like the you know,
I'm glad for whoever happens to be in the building
in three years is going to cash in hopefully, and
(11:49):
and it'll be a great spot for people. But with
the reality of the situation, no restaurant can take that
to that many hits.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
What about the that long what about the pedestrian traffic
from those who live in the area and you and
MC nearby.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, I mean it's I think it's frustrated for everybody,
right and the retail that I think is the most effective,
but yeah, getting up and down. It started January. They
may not even realize it's coming, but obviously there's only
only thirty third Street access is going to be to
Farnham starting January. So yeah, no, it's it's like like
you had mentioned early on getting around down there. Even listen,
(12:29):
I work down there every day, and many days I
get confused where I have to turn to even get
to work because there's so much construction, and it's just
it's everywhere. It's just it looks like a war zone
and it's not going away anytime soon. Well in that area,
twenty seven is going to start using up.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
In a lot of these areas, you can't even walk
around some of that construction, you know, now you're in
the street. So last last question for you, Dan, because
there are a lot of business owners who they're right
there with you commiserating on how difficult it is to
open a business, run a business, especially a restaurant.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
And it's the answer to this next.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Question that kind of determines really what you should have
to deal with, both as a business owner and as
a taxpayer around here. Do you think the city should
compensate you for your inconvenience and loss of business that
you didn't request, You didn't ask for that they're imposing
on you and the other businesses that are affected by
(13:31):
all this.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, I'll answer it this way. If they want
us to survive, then they have to compensate in some way.
So yeah, this isn't a regular street paving or road improvement.
This is a massive project which is disaffecting literally hundreds
of businesses. So yeah, I think there's absolutely an obligation.
(13:57):
I don't know if legal, but moralm to say, yes,
we're going to take care of the people that and
these businesses that are being destroyed by this project. We've
had talks with them for the last year. I've been
meeting with the mayor's office for a year. They've all
been very kind, It's very helpful in so many ways.
Our landlord has been wonderful, which is mutual. We've had
(14:22):
so many good relationships through this process. At the end
of the day, there's been no compensation, no money, and
without money, this you know, it's just going to devastate
the area.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
That's the reality of what Dan and others from the
Old Market and downtown area up along Farnham Harney, when
you get to that midtown area into Blackstone, It's.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
It's a mess.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
It's as Dan said, there couldn't possibly be any worse.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Right now, Dan.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Jax it's smoking oak. That's a wood fire pizza taperam
tap room, as well as Gray's Craze Charcooterie. Dan, good
luck and keep us posted. And I really appreciate you
coming on here and talking about all this.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I appreciate you time. Scott.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Thanks, it's you bet.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Right here on news radio eleven ten KFAB. It just
breaks your heart. You know, you think about what these
guys are dealing. You know, they how many different movies,
TV shows or friends, or maybe you've been in the
situation where you see someone like I'm going to open
a restaurant. This is my dream come true, and it
(15:33):
doesn't all. I mean, sometimes that dream turns into a nightmare.
And for the commuters, for the people who live there,
the people who work there, those who would stand to
lose their jobs, not just in them, but also the
vendors who provide everything from you know, napkins and other
things and food for these businesses. This is a major
impact for our community. And they say there's an end
(15:56):
in sight, but it just keeps stretching out and getting
longer and longer.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Scott Gooriez, NewsRadio eleven ten KFAB.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Douglas County Board meeting yesterday. This was a conversation about
a group called the where is this Oh here we
go the General Assistance Fund, directed by a woman named
Melissa Seewick. She's talking here with Douglas County board member
(16:29):
Roger Garcia about this group General Assistance. This means that, hey,
you need a little extra help now. This is an
addition snap benefits. And whether it's like disability or anything else,
this is just hey, sorry, you're falling on hard times.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Remember our last conversation here in this hour is with
a business owner who is trying to employ people, provide
a fun place, a tax for the community, both from
customers and employees and all their vendors. He's got two
businesses there along like thirty first Ish and Farnham, which
(17:11):
is right now just bombed by streetcar traffic again and
for the very foreseeable future with I don't know when
the end is in sight. He's trying to stay alive
as a business owner there. And he says, yes, I
think if the city wants I like the way he
phrased that. He's not saying, hey, give me, he says,
(17:32):
if the city wants us to survive, these business owners,
He's not just talking about him. We need help. So
with that in mind, there is a Douglas County General
Assistance Fund available for people who just need a little
extra help. Okay, nice to have Melissa Sewick is here
(17:55):
talking about managing the fund and some of the what
are described just outliers who are beneficiaries of the fund.
And then you'll hear Roger Garcia, Douglas County Board member,
also talk with here the General Assistance Director for Douglas County,
Melissa Seawick.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
And there isn't a timeline on that because we recognize
that sometimes it goes quickly and sometimes it can take years.
We see that all the time, and so that's where
we also help our clients and remind them to appeal.
We connect them with legal aid as well to help
with those applications if they don't already have aware. But
that again, that could be years that they are still
(18:38):
on our program while they're going through that process.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
In the fact that there's no limit on that still
even with the proposed rules, I think is very generous.
We know a lot of nonprofit programs even might have
a cut off at one month or three months or
six months. For us, as long as they can still
verifying that they're in the process of their appeal, or
trying to get that solid security of it. We will
continue assisting them. Is that the case.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yes, okay, So here we have people who are just
show us that you're trying. And he acknowledges very generous
that this is obviously not the Mary Anne Borgson bikini
car wash where they get these funds. This is through
your taxpayer dollars, your property taxes here in Douglas County
(19:25):
providing this general assistance fund. And Roger Garcia said, a
lot of people have been on this for a long time.
It's very very generous what the board is doing, what
the county is doing. But here we get something referred
to as an outlier, with no details on how many
(19:47):
of these types of people beneficiaries there are in Douglas County.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Even under the proposals. Yes, okay, and so we know
there's not an abundance of outliers under the next question
I'm going to ask you, but under the current rules,
there are some individuals that have been on the program
for like ten plus years, receiving like rental assistance and
stuff like that. Yes, and some of them have been
(20:13):
what is categorized as like able bodied or able to
work and whatnot. Yes, okay, and so we're trying to
provide a little bit of parameter there. Obviously, even for
people who are able bodied, we all go through fluxus
in budgets and job changes and sometimes we need assistance
in life, and so that's totally fine. We're just trying
to put a little bit of parameter around that so
it doesn't become an outlier of ten plus years for
(20:36):
somebody who is able to work, but rather the assistance
is there when you need it, when you're in transition,
and it's going to continue to be there even under
the proposed rules.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
So wait a second.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
We're talking about putting a little bit of parameters on
there so that someone who is able body that means
you can work to support yourself can't be on getting
your taxpayer dollars in Douglas County for ten years or more.
(21:09):
That's when it starts getting a little bit generous. I
don't mean to be that guy, but let me describe
to you how these parameters might be able to work.
My son, who was sixteen years old, had had a
little food with me the other night. I made him
some food. He ate the food, and then he went
(21:32):
to hang out with his friends. About an hour later,
he says, Hey, Dad, if I spend five bucks to
get some Mick McDonald's with Joey, will you reimburse me.
My son is able bodied. As we're now at the
start of basketball season. It takes up every single night
(21:54):
and most all day on Saturdays, sometimes on Sundays. We're
trying to find some place that he can go work.
He needs, he needs to have a job. I give
him plenty of stuff to do. Recently we went and
shoveled driveway of a coworker here and he mows the
(22:17):
lawn and I make him do stuff around the house.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
But he needs a job.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
So he sent me that text, Hey Dad, you flow
me five bucks as I can get a little bit deep.
He just ate and we have food at home. So
here's what parameters look like, I responded, No, I know,
I'm the worst father that's ever been. So when they're
(22:44):
kind of like tiptoeing around it, well, I mean, probably
gotta have some parameters so that you know, someone who's
described as able body otherwise known as able bodied, someone
who's categorized able bodied, you mean able bodied? Why do
some of these people have so many problems with English?
(23:06):
Someone who's described as male. You mean a guy. I mean,
why we don't understand words anymore. Someone who might be
categorized able bodied. You mean someone who should be working
and maybe should have found a job. And look, there
are a lot of able bodied people out there not working.
They're not where they want to be, and they're working
(23:28):
to get back where they want to be. I'm glad
that there are various levels of assistance to be able
to provide for people who are trying to take care
of themselves and their family. They never thought they'd be
in that situation. I'm not heartless, not every day, not
all day every day. I'm glad that there are situations
available to help some people. But the people who now
(23:50):
are in that situation never thought they'd be there, need
that help. They can't get it. Why because apparently there
are a number of we don't know how many outliers,
those who have been getting this very generous taxpayer donation
for ten years or more. You can't find a job
(24:10):
in ten years because you're not looking. Why should you?
Because you text the county and go, hey, can I
get five bucks to go get something to eat? And
the county just goes, hey, here's ten.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
That just covers. I mean, that's not going to make
you rich.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Right, No, I don't think anyone here is rich. Well,
but there are a lot of working, poor people who
are working. They would never they might take some assistance
if they absolutely had to to survive, but they would
never dream of getting it from the taxpayers for ten months,
let alone ten years.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
And now they're talking about.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Maybe we should set up some per im. We want
to be generous, we want to make sure we're helping people.
You just need to maybe kind of sort of put
up some parameter. Here's the parameter. No, here's the parameter.
Six months. I don't know how long does it take
an able bodied person to either find a job and look,
it might not be the job you want. Not everyone
(25:17):
can be Lucy Chapman's fluffer. I don't even know what
that means. It might not be the job you want,
but sometimes you gotta go work like Lucy does with me.
Do you think she wants to be here? She does not,
but she suffers through it. She comes in here, she
gets paid somewhere well below the poverty level to do this.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Well, the first thing you got right this.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Morning, Yeah, we recognize what you have to deal with here.
But these are you gotta find a job, and sometimes
you go to where the job is. It's it's astounding
(26:04):
that they won't realize the reality, like, look, we don't
have the money. There are some people who are taking
advantage of it. What say we cut them off? When
I now and I guess part of this conversation from
the county board meeting yesterday was them saying, we need
more money for this fund. Here's where you get it.
(26:27):
Cut it off from the people who don't deserve it.
Scott Voice that was at the county board meeting yesterday.
At the city council meeting, I just love this story
because it actually sounds like a fun place. But to
have someone who comes from the world of radio go
down there and tell city council members and this is
(26:50):
coming from me, who is in the world of radio. Right,
this is people are listening to well, this is being
broadca people can listen to it. They don't, but they could,
so I'm in the world of radio. She goes down
there and tells city council that she wants to buy
this bar, even though she has no experience running a
(27:13):
bar restaurant. She's never had a liquor license before, and
that's fine. Dream starts somewhere, and so she goes down
there and she says, I want to start this bar,
and let me tell you what we want to do there.
We have a lot of parties and we want to
have free alcohol shot night, and we want to have
celebrity DJs come in there to either you know, DJ
(27:34):
or just be hanging out and you can get your
picture taken with them. And they're like, well, how are
you going to bring in the celebrities DJs? And she said,
because she and her husband are. They run a community
radio station, rather small community radio station here in Omaha,
eighty seven point nine, and it's a it's a hip
(27:56):
hop station. And she said, and I quote, since we
are a radio station, we have access to all celebrities
in the pop rock genre. We actually hire them to
come into town and either do a performance or just
a presence unquote. Maybe you don't know how this works
(28:16):
when you are when you work in radio, you have
access to all celebrities. All you gotta do is say
hey Lorenzo Lamas, Hey Bronson Pinchot, what are you doing
on Friday? Like where do you need me? To be,
tell me where to be at what time and what
to wear. Larry, you can bring the actor who played
(28:41):
Balki Bartakamus. I don't know what celebrities she's talking about. Hey,
hol Lyndon, what are you doing on Saturday? That's right,
the guy who played Barney Miller might come in as
a celebrity DJ, unless he died.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
I don't so she's.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Hey, Pagoda is going to be there, Jack, Sue.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
They're all going, it's a Barney Miller reunion and it's
going to be to night at this bar with free
alcohol shots and a council member, Amy Melton had to
be the one to break a tour saying, look, if
you want to run a bar and get a liquor license,
touting free alcohol shot night is not the way to
go about it. That is, in fact the wrong thing,
and so the council voted it down. Hey try again,
(29:24):
it sounds like sounds like a fun place.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Scott Boys Mornings nine to eleven, Our News Radio eleven
ten KFAB
Scott Vordie's when we're talking about business owners in downtown
to midtown Blackstone, it's so hard to drive around anywhere,
to get anywhere, you're stuck in construction, You're forced down
different streets. Everyone's kind of going down these one way streets,
(00:21):
construction barrels all over the place. I know, I went
probably the wrong way a few weeks ago through a
construction zone because I didn't nowhere else to go. And
now you got the business owners who are dealing with
all of this, and I imagine excited about what's to
come with the potential for a streetcar, but dealing with
(00:42):
the reality of how long it takes and how awful
it is trying to get there. We welcome one of
those business owners on here now. He runs the smoke
and oak wood fired pizza and tap room there in
the Blackstone district. Dan Jacksich is with us here on
News eleven ten kfab Dan, good morning.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Good morning, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Pardon my ignorance, but when did you start smoking oak
there at Blackstone?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, no worries. We started smoking up five years ago
in the middle of COVID, So I guess we like turmoil. Yeah,
And then we also have Gray's Craze, which is a
shark cougery and carrying business right next.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Door to it.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Yeah, Gray Gray's Craze too.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
So Gray's crazy. Yeah. So two, that's two years old.
Smoking Oak was is five years old.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
So there five years ago when you started this up.
You saw Blackstone as when you looked at that district,
what'd you think?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, I saw an opportunity. Obviously, tremendous property, extremely busy.
Blackstone is we're actually in Midtown. We got up to
back to Blackstone, but you know, both areas are just
vibrant parts of the city. Uh, it's an exciting opportunity
for us to move to part that's growing extremely busy
(02:03):
and you know, put our flag down and hope for
the best.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
When did you start hearing about the streetcar and when
did you start hearing about the reality of what trying
to lay down the infrastructure and deal what the street
car was going to look like and the impact it
would have to your and other businesses in that area.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, in twenty twenty three we started they started getting
i believe information out, having some informational type meetings about
what was to come. You know, someone unfortunately you know,
so much has changed even since then in terms of
the amount of construction, the length of construction up and
(02:46):
down Farnham in the Assumed Capital district as well. But
twenty twenty three is you know, was kind of when
we started talking to actually early late twenty twenty two,
and then twenty twenty three started wrapping up. So it's
been a spent about two full years.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I would say, roughly, what were you told on the
inconvenience that it would be to your area, to your
businesses when they were doing the work for the street car, Yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Were We were told that, you know, roughly this is
a three year project. One year would be pretty rough
and of construction where they're doing all the utilities turning
up the street. We would be limited to one lane
and that would kind of move from one part of
(03:37):
Fearnham to the next, so it wouldn't necessarily be the
entire year. We run an impression that you know before
or five months of kind of limited access to smoken Oak,
but then it would start to improve and they would
Blackstone do that work and then in twenty twenty six
(03:57):
they would start beginning of this year would be limited
construction laying tracks and getting ready for the streetcar to
to get put in in twenty twenty seven of source
that got changed.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, where are we now in the reality of that
progress and when you look out there and you see
what's out there in the streets or not out there
in the streets compared to where we should be and
where we think we might be next in this progress,
Where are we in this timeline from your viewpoint.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, Ultimately the entire project got pushed in an entire
another year, so we added twelve months of construction to
the process. I think utilities have something to do with that.
We don't have parking correctly right now. If you get
a Blackstone, which is just two blocks up from us,
it's basically been a war zone for the last six months,
(04:53):
right You can't park, you can't drive through there, barely,
almost completely constricted access. So they're full twelve months behind
starting you know two weeks from now. Uh, they're going
to tear the street up again in front of thirty
second Farnum where we're at, and that's going to minimally
(05:18):
take six months, which in obviously construction world needs you know,
eight or nine months. And that's going to continue to
get pushed up Farnham as well, So Blackstone Midtown is
going to start in Midtown and move up to Blackstone.
So for all twenty twenty six, we're going to see
significant construction limitations to even they're getting close access east
(05:42):
and westbound access to Farnham. The way I understand it,
you can only get to Farner Street through thirty third Street.
So it's going to we're bracing for what's going to
be hopefully not hopefully, it's going to be a devastating
year for the businesses up and the Farm Street. You know,
hopefully we can find ways to survive this, but it's
(06:04):
not what you get.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
So you're a restaurant owner, I'm a radio blowhard. Neither
of us, unless I'm unfamiliar with the background, are you know,
engineers or experts in city engineering. But when I look
at that reality around where you are, thirty first Ish
and Farnham, as we're talking with Dan Yaxich of the
Smoke and Oak and Gray's Craze restaurant areas there from
(06:28):
Blackstown down to Midtown, I look at that area and
then I also look at downtown and there's so many
different pockets of downtown, especially along Tenth Street and then
up towards you know, twelfth and thirteenth Street. There's so
much construction around there as well, And I look at
this and go was it necessary to tear all of
(06:50):
it up at the same time? Why not just work
in patches to minismize the disruption for those who are
employed down there, who are running businesses down there, those
who are trying to get it out from events to
hotels and so forth. It just looks like a hodgepodge
of a disaster.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
It's more than a hotspot. It's a complete disaster. I
don't it really couldn't be any worse. To be honest
with you, Scott, I don't. Once again, I'm not an
engineer or a planner either. Obviously, things you've done for reasons.
I think there's several parties at play. I think one
of the problems that we're dealing with was the way
I understand it is, the utilities. The utilities were going
(07:35):
to move some things. I don't know if this is
MUD or PD moved some stuff last year, and they did,
and that was supposed to be the end of it.
And somehow they decided that they were going to now
replace underground systems, maybe gas lines, and so they're going
basically start from scrats. They're going to tear the entire
(07:55):
street up again, all the way up and down apartment
from now we're talking about two years are ing up
the same piece of street that really have very little
to do with the streetcar at this point. So yeah,
it's could have be done more efficiently. It was supposed
to be done more efficiently a year earlier, was supposed
to be worst case scenario. Now we're talking about a
four year, four year project to put in rail and
(08:19):
of course the Farnum Street bridge is going to be
torn down in two weeks as well, So now all
of the Westernmaha or interstate four year traffic's going to
be cut off to Farnum Street as well. So it's
not just the street, it's also the bridge is going.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
To be torn out. It extremely difficult.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Don't you think that at this point we could still
end this project and not lose money and still benefit
from the work that they've already done.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I think the utilities would probably agree with some of that.
I don't know what hasn't been done exactly. Obviously, from
a business standpoint, I have to say yes, because ultimately,
and this is not an exaggeration, based on the businesses
that have already gone under and the businesses that will
go under, based on the people I'm talking to, we're
(09:12):
gonna lose. Would I would conservatively guess we're gonna lose
seventy five percent of the restaurant on Farnam Street because
of this. That's what we're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, that's that's the reality here, Dan, is that there
will be people who look at this and say, hey,
you guys are the ones who stand to benefit the
most when this street cars up and running. You're gonna
have so many people down there you might have to
start building up. You got to go vertical here just
to accommodate all the customers. Look, I don't know if
that's going to be true or not, but in the meantime,
(09:43):
you just started to describe here, and I want you
to really let us know what it's like here in
terms of the loss of customers. You've been dealing with,
what you're expected to continue to deal with here in
the months ahead, and can you survive it?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Other week can survive? I mean, we've been a very
successful restaurant up to this point, up to the point
where they started construction, we still had a decent you know,
we struggled through the year, lost money. We were done
about twenty percent twenty five based on the construction that's
going to start here in a couple of weeks. I
(10:20):
don't think even a twenty percent reduction in business is possible.
So family survive it, I don't. I just don't know
the answer to that. Like I said, we were maybe
the busiest restaurant on Barnum Street and that down that
stretch for the last few years. But we yeah, we're
(10:41):
really struggling, losing money every month, and I can tell
you most of my neighbors are are absolutely not going
to make it, and so you know, it's it's going
to devastate the Neighborhood's been devastate Blackstone. I don't think
there's a clean way out of this. There's not an
option here. Just restrict access to people's businesses restaurants, which
(11:02):
is already a very competitive industry, right, It's not like
everyone's rolling in cash. And this came along Omaha's, you know,
a heavy restaurant town, so uh and so no one's
we have the situation where a twenty percent reduction. I know,
I think it was Crescent Moon or Cunningham's was on
a couple of weeks ago. They were down sixty percent
(11:25):
this year from the construction sixty percent. Obviously, like you said,
I'm hearing the same thing. You know, four years from
now or three years from now, you guys are going
to be rolling Out'm like, no one's going to be
here in three years, you know. I like the you know,
I'm glad for whoever happens to be in the building
in three years is going to cash in hopefully, and
(11:49):
and it'll be a great spot for people. But with
the reality of the situation, no restaurant can take that
to that many hits.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
What about the that long what about the pedestrian traffic
from those who live in the area and you and
MC nearby.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, I mean it's I think it's frustrated for everybody,
right and the retail that I think is the most effective,
but yeah, getting up and down. It started January. They
may not even realize it's coming, but obviously there's only
only thirty third Street access is going to be to
Farnham starting January. So yeah, no, it's it's like like
you had mentioned early on getting around down there. Even listen,
(12:29):
I work down there every day, and many days I
get confused where I have to turn to even get
to work because there's so much construction, and it's just
it's everywhere. It's just it looks like a war zone
and it's not going away anytime soon. Well in that area,
twenty seven is going to start using up.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
In a lot of these areas, you can't even walk
around some of that construction, you know, now you're in
the street. So last last question for you, Dan, because
there are a lot of business owners who they're right
there with you commiserating on how difficult it is to
open a business, run a business, especially a restaurant.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
And it's the answer to this next.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Question that kind of determines really what you should have
to deal with, both as a business owner and as
a taxpayer around here. Do you think the city should
compensate you for your inconvenience and loss of business that
you didn't request, You didn't ask for that they're imposing
on you and the other businesses that are affected by
(13:31):
all this.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, I'll answer it this way. If they want
us to survive, then they have to compensate in some way.
So yeah, this isn't a regular street paving or road improvement.
This is a massive project which is disaffecting literally hundreds
of businesses. So yeah, I think there's absolutely an obligation.
(13:57):
I don't know if legal, but moralm to say, yes,
we're going to take care of the people that and
these businesses that are being destroyed by this project. We've
had talks with them for the last year. I've been
meeting with the mayor's office for a year. They've all
been very kind, It's very helpful in so many ways.
Our landlord has been wonderful, which is mutual. We've had
(14:22):
so many good relationships through this process. At the end
of the day, there's been no compensation, no money, and
without money, this you know, it's just going to devastate
the area.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
That's the reality of what Dan and others from the
Old Market and downtown area up along Farnham Harney, when
you get to that midtown area into Blackstone, It's.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
It's a mess.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
It's as Dan said, there couldn't possibly be any worse.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Right now, Dan.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Jax it's smoking oak. That's a wood fire pizza taperam
tap room, as well as Gray's Craze Charcooterie. Dan, good
luck and keep us posted. And I really appreciate you
coming on here and talking about all this.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I appreciate you time. Scott.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Thanks, it's you bet.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Right here on news radio eleven ten KFAB. It just
breaks your heart. You know, you think about what these
guys are dealing. You know, they how many different movies,
TV shows or friends, or maybe you've been in the
situation where you see someone like I'm going to open
a restaurant. This is my dream come true, and it
(15:33):
doesn't all. I mean, sometimes that dream turns into a nightmare.
And for the commuters, for the people who live there,
the people who work there, those who would stand to
lose their jobs, not just in them, but also the
vendors who provide everything from you know, napkins and other
things and food for these businesses. This is a major
impact for our community. And they say there's an end
(15:56):
in sight, but it just keeps stretching out and getting
longer and longer.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Scott Gooriez, NewsRadio eleven ten KFAB.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Douglas County Board meeting yesterday. This was a conversation about
a group called the where is this Oh here we
go the General Assistance Fund, directed by a woman named
Melissa Seewick. She's talking here with Douglas County board member
(16:29):
Roger Garcia about this group General Assistance. This means that, hey,
you need a little extra help now. This is an
addition snap benefits. And whether it's like disability or anything else,
this is just hey, sorry, you're falling on hard times.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Remember our last conversation here in this hour is with
a business owner who is trying to employ people, provide
a fun place, a tax for the community, both from
customers and employees and all their vendors. He's got two
businesses there along like thirty first Ish and Farnham, which
(17:11):
is right now just bombed by streetcar traffic again and
for the very foreseeable future with I don't know when
the end is in sight. He's trying to stay alive
as a business owner there. And he says, yes, I
think if the city wants I like the way he
phrased that. He's not saying, hey, give me, he says,
(17:32):
if the city wants us to survive, these business owners,
He's not just talking about him. We need help. So
with that in mind, there is a Douglas County General
Assistance Fund available for people who just need a little
extra help. Okay, nice to have Melissa Sewick is here
(17:55):
talking about managing the fund and some of the what
are described just outliers who are beneficiaries of the fund.
And then you'll hear Roger Garcia, Douglas County Board member,
also talk with here the General Assistance Director for Douglas County,
Melissa Seawick.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
And there isn't a timeline on that because we recognize
that sometimes it goes quickly and sometimes it can take years.
We see that all the time, and so that's where
we also help our clients and remind them to appeal.
We connect them with legal aid as well to help
with those applications if they don't already have aware. But
that again, that could be years that they are still
(18:38):
on our program while they're going through that process.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
In the fact that there's no limit on that still
even with the proposed rules, I think is very generous.
We know a lot of nonprofit programs even might have
a cut off at one month or three months or
six months. For us, as long as they can still
verifying that they're in the process of their appeal, or
trying to get that solid security of it. We will
continue assisting them. Is that the case.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yes, okay, So here we have people who are just
show us that you're trying. And he acknowledges very generous
that this is obviously not the Mary Anne Borgson bikini
car wash where they get these funds. This is through
your taxpayer dollars, your property taxes here in Douglas County
(19:25):
providing this general assistance fund. And Roger Garcia said, a
lot of people have been on this for a long time.
It's very very generous what the board is doing, what
the county is doing. But here we get something referred
to as an outlier, with no details on how many
(19:47):
of these types of people beneficiaries there are in Douglas County.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Even under the proposals. Yes, okay, and so we know
there's not an abundance of outliers under the next question
I'm going to ask you, but under the current rules,
there are some individuals that have been on the program
for like ten plus years, receiving like rental assistance and
stuff like that. Yes, and some of them have been
(20:13):
what is categorized as like able bodied or able to
work and whatnot. Yes, okay, and so we're trying to
provide a little bit of parameter there. Obviously, even for
people who are able bodied, we all go through fluxus
in budgets and job changes and sometimes we need assistance
in life, and so that's totally fine. We're just trying
to put a little bit of parameter around that so
it doesn't become an outlier of ten plus years for
(20:36):
somebody who is able to work, but rather the assistance
is there when you need it, when you're in transition,
and it's going to continue to be there even under
the proposed rules.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
So wait a second.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
We're talking about putting a little bit of parameters on
there so that someone who is able body that means
you can work to support yourself can't be on getting
your taxpayer dollars in Douglas County for ten years or more.
(21:09):
That's when it starts getting a little bit generous. I
don't mean to be that guy, but let me describe
to you how these parameters might be able to work.
My son, who was sixteen years old, had had a
little food with me the other night. I made him
some food. He ate the food, and then he went
(21:32):
to hang out with his friends. About an hour later,
he says, Hey, Dad, if I spend five bucks to
get some Mick McDonald's with Joey, will you reimburse me.
My son is able bodied. As we're now at the
start of basketball season. It takes up every single night
(21:54):
and most all day on Saturdays, sometimes on Sundays. We're
trying to find some place that he can go work.
He needs, he needs to have a job. I give
him plenty of stuff to do. Recently we went and
shoveled driveway of a coworker here and he mows the
(22:17):
lawn and I make him do stuff around the house.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
But he needs a job.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
So he sent me that text, Hey Dad, you flow
me five bucks as I can get a little bit deep.
He just ate and we have food at home. So
here's what parameters look like, I responded, No, I know,
I'm the worst father that's ever been. So when they're
(22:44):
kind of like tiptoeing around it, well, I mean, probably
gotta have some parameters so that you know, someone who's
described as able body otherwise known as able bodied, someone
who's categorized able bodied, you mean able bodied? Why do
some of these people have so many problems with English?
(23:06):
Someone who's described as male. You mean a guy. I mean,
why we don't understand words anymore. Someone who might be
categorized able bodied. You mean someone who should be working
and maybe should have found a job. And look, there
are a lot of able bodied people out there not working.
They're not where they want to be, and they're working
(23:28):
to get back where they want to be. I'm glad
that there are various levels of assistance to be able
to provide for people who are trying to take care
of themselves and their family. They never thought they'd be
in that situation. I'm not heartless, not every day, not
all day every day. I'm glad that there are situations
available to help some people. But the people who now
(23:50):
are in that situation never thought they'd be there, need
that help. They can't get it. Why because apparently there
are a number of we don't know how many outliers,
those who have been getting this very generous taxpayer donation
for ten years or more. You can't find a job
(24:10):
in ten years because you're not looking. Why should you?
Because you text the county and go, hey, can I
get five bucks to go get something to eat? And
the county just goes, hey, here's ten.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
That just covers. I mean, that's not going to make
you rich.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Right, No, I don't think anyone here is rich. Well,
but there are a lot of working, poor people who
are working. They would never they might take some assistance
if they absolutely had to to survive, but they would
never dream of getting it from the taxpayers for ten months,
let alone ten years.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
And now they're talking about.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Maybe we should set up some per im. We want
to be generous, we want to make sure we're helping people.
You just need to maybe kind of sort of put
up some parameter. Here's the parameter. No, here's the parameter.
Six months. I don't know how long does it take
an able bodied person to either find a job and look,
it might not be the job you want. Not everyone
(25:17):
can be Lucy Chapman's fluffer. I don't even know what
that means. It might not be the job you want,
but sometimes you gotta go work like Lucy does with me.
Do you think she wants to be here? She does not,
but she suffers through it. She comes in here, she
gets paid somewhere well below the poverty level to do this.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Well, the first thing you got right this.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Morning, Yeah, we recognize what you have to deal with here.
But these are you gotta find a job, and sometimes
you go to where the job is. It's it's astounding
(26:04):
that they won't realize the reality, like, look, we don't
have the money. There are some people who are taking
advantage of it. What say we cut them off? When
I now and I guess part of this conversation from
the county board meeting yesterday was them saying, we need
more money for this fund. Here's where you get it.
(26:27):
Cut it off from the people who don't deserve it.
Scott Voice that was at the county board meeting yesterday.
At the city council meeting, I just love this story
because it actually sounds like a fun place. But to
have someone who comes from the world of radio go
down there and tell city council members and this is
(26:50):
coming from me, who is in the world of radio. Right,
this is people are listening to well, this is being
broadca people can listen to it. They don't, but they could,
so I'm in the world of radio. She goes down
there and tells city council that she wants to buy
this bar, even though she has no experience running a
(27:13):
bar restaurant. She's never had a liquor license before, and
that's fine. Dream starts somewhere, and so she goes down
there and she says, I want to start this bar,
and let me tell you what we want to do there.
We have a lot of parties and we want to
have free alcohol shot night, and we want to have
celebrity DJs come in there to either you know, DJ
(27:34):
or just be hanging out and you can get your
picture taken with them. And they're like, well, how are
you going to bring in the celebrities DJs? And she said,
because she and her husband are. They run a community
radio station, rather small community radio station here in Omaha,
eighty seven point nine, and it's a it's a hip
(27:56):
hop station. And she said, and I quote, since we
are a radio station, we have access to all celebrities
in the pop rock genre. We actually hire them to
come into town and either do a performance or just
a presence unquote. Maybe you don't know how this works
(28:16):
when you are when you work in radio, you have
access to all celebrities. All you gotta do is say
hey Lorenzo Lamas, Hey Bronson Pinchot, what are you doing
on Friday? Like where do you need me? To be,
tell me where to be at what time and what
to wear. Larry, you can bring the actor who played
(28:41):
Balki Bartakamus. I don't know what celebrities she's talking about. Hey,
hol Lyndon, what are you doing on Saturday? That's right,
the guy who played Barney Miller might come in as
a celebrity DJ, unless he died.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
I don't so she's.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Hey, Pagoda is going to be there, Jack, Sue.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
They're all going, it's a Barney Miller reunion and it's
going to be to night at this bar with free
alcohol shots and a council member, Amy Melton had to
be the one to break a tour saying, look, if
you want to run a bar and get a liquor license,
touting free alcohol shot night is not the way to
go about it. That is, in fact the wrong thing,
and so the council voted it down. Hey try again,
(29:24):
it sounds like sounds like a fun place.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Scott Boys Mornings nine to eleven, Our News Radio eleven
ten KFAB
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