MEETING MINUTES— 4.9.2015
Location: The Pizza Ranch – 84th & Lexington
Present: Members: Amy Fish, Bill Neeman, Carl Tesch, Nga Vu, Capt Anthony Butler, Tim Kirkpatrick, Jon Borton, Sherri Recker, Fred Knight, Steve Maly, Larry Gudeken, Patty Gerlach, Peggy Green, Julie Robinson, Karla Dean, Ben Peterson, Dr Patestas, Tony Lawhorne, Shannon Meysenburg, Mindy Lubeck, Joanne Bartels, Sydney Stanard, Kevin Harrington, Angela Caldwell
Guests: Sam Breske, Jessica Eden, Scott DeWitt
Introductions/ Member Announcements:
- Amy called the meeting to order. Joanne & Nga approved the March minutes.
- All members and guests introduced themselves.
Police/Fire Update:.
- Capt Butler told us about an active shooter exercise in which the department will participate that involves a realistic shooter drill with non-lethal weapons. They also have a DUI project set up for April and preparation for Uncle Sam Jam is underway.
Recent cases include arson at the Holiday Inn Express where a man set a fire as a result of hallucinations he experienced while under the influence of meth. Police also discovered a large sum of cash – investigation continues. Another investigation is in progress for a vehicle stolen by a group of 13 15 year old juveniles. The anticipate this will lead to a list of larceny’s because one of the suspects told police they were involved in hundreds of auto thefts.
Capt Butler reminded us to make sure that we are locking vehicles, even when gone for a short period of time, since the weather is now warmer it brings more people outside, including thieves.
Social Chair Update:
- Sherri reminded us about the bowling event taking place tomorrow from 4-6pm at Sun Valley Lanes – get your RSVP in today!
- ELBA has invited all NLBA members to their social event taking place on Thursday, May 7th from 5-7pm at Gateway Vista. Food and beverage provided – please plan to attend if you’re able.
Treasurer’s Report:
- We currently have just over $3,000 in the checking account and another $3,000 in CD’s
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Featured Speaker:
HARVEY PEARLMAN – UNL Chancellor
Harvey’s presentation centered around Innovation Campus. Almost 5 years ago UNL acquired the land that was previously State Fair Park. This marks the first time that East Campus and the Main Campus have been linked geographically. The idea behind Innovation Campus (IC) is that businesses would locate there to in order to have attract student involvement.
The theme for IC is Food / Fuel / Water. The entire footprint is 250 acres of which 110 acres can be built upon. The 25 year plan calls for 2.2 million square feet of buildings.
Con-Agra is the main tenant of the Food Innovation Center. The plan was set in motion 5 years ago to build a 178,000 square foot building during which time there were many Con-Agra employees who earned their PHD from UNL. In July the entire Food Service Department at UNL will move to Food Innovation Center (with the exception of the dairy store which will stay on East Campus), and they will add a sanitation arm since that plays such a large role in food service. IC will work in conjunction with a group called the National Advance Food Service Sanitation Allianace. This group has the backing of many large companies like Pepsi and Hershey’s.
Another division of IC is the Greenhouse Innovation Center and is only the second of it’s kind in the country. Plants will be grown and monitored on a conveyer belt system which distributes water, light and food to the plants in optimal amounts. An imaging system will measure the health of the plants.
IC will also house the Nebraska Innovation Studio which will work in cooperation with the UNL Maker Club. This department will be equipped with machinery and technology designed to help people build and invent. There are currently 750 students in the Maker Club. The studio is open every Wednesday night and there are plans to make it available to the public at a minimal cost.
The final leg of IC is the Centralized Renewable Energy System. The existing water treatment plant is a part of this. Future plans call for the waste water to be used the heat buildings on campus where before the water was simply being dumped in to Salt Creek.
***** Q & A *****
Tim asked about UNL’s affiliation with Technology Park in northwest Lincoln. Harvey said it was originally started as a cooperative effort between UNL and businesses, but has primarily turned in to a call center area. He said businesses will only be allowed on IC if they can prove the payback to UNL and the student population.
Jessica asked if IC will seek interns from UNL. They answer is yes.
Steve asked about the “Pearls of Knowledge” that gained much popularity in the social media arena. Harvey said it began with an initiative to grow the student population from 25,00 to 30,000 students. The Pearls of Knowledge was the brainchild of Archrival who advised UNL and Harvey to get on Twitter, Facebook and other social media with the hopes of finding something that would go viral in an attempt to reach young people.
Amy asked if Harvey planned to help with IC after retirement. Harvey said if he were asked he would definitely consider it. Amy also asked if there was a “Faux Pearlman” on Facebook. Harvey said not to his knowledge.
Peggy asked about the sports complex being built at 14th & Cornhusker. Harvey said this is an indoor / outdoor facility for tennis and soccer. The parcel of land allowed just enough room for the indoor portion to be above the flood plain while the outdoor fields could be below the flood plain. This facility will allow the soccer team to vacate Abbott and also be within the same geographical footprint as most all of the UNL sports.
Mindy asked if there would be any public spaces or use of this new sports complex. The answer is no.
Tim asked about UNL’s transition from Big 8, Big 12 and now Big 10. Harvey stated the main reason was academic. UNL had tried to recruit students from the east for years, but in many cases they were not allowed. As a member of the Big 10 it has opened many more doors for academic recruitment. Harvey added that UNL has attracted a much higher caliber of teachers as a result too.
Angela asked if there were plans for more pilot plants at IC, or will it just be the one Con-Agra has started. Harvey said there are plans for many more areas including another one under the Con-Agra umbrella featuring fruits and vegetables.
Sherri asked about the future plans for East Campus. Harvey said there are plans in the making to re-energize that campus with activities to attract more students. Dorms will be built next to the Student Union, the library is being remodeled and modern classrooms and a recreation center are in the plans.
NLBA Meetings:
- The next Association meeting is Thursday, May 14th
- THE PIZZA RANCH – 84th & Lexington | 11:30am – 1:00pm
- Speaker: Dave Mlnarik, Executive Director, Nebraska Sports Council
- The next Board meeting is Wednesday, April 22nd
Meeting Adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Fred Knight
NLBA Secretary
www.NorthviewLincolnBusiness.com
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