Park fundraising is ray of sunshine

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The economy is in recession. The national mood is tinged with anxiety. In some communities, residents are turning inward, disengaging from civic involvement.

News that fundraising for Lincoln’s new Antelope Valley park is nearly complete blazes like a bolt of sunlight through the gathering gloom.

Spotlighted is a six-acre tract just east of downtown where workers not many months from now will be creating a spot of beauty for future generations.

Fundraising for Union Plaza by the Lincoln Parks Foundation has reached 95 percent of the goal of $4.6 million, campaign organizer Susan Rodenburg announced this week.

Thanks to members of 2015 Vision, who committed to raising $3.1 million toward the park’s $7.6 million price tag.

Thanks to Union Bank, which contributed $1.5 million — the largest donation in the city’s history — of the 2015 Vision commitment.

Thanks to all the approximately 300 donors who chipped in amounts as small as $1 to make the park a reality.

And thanks to the keno players. They will be chipping in $3.3 million that represents City Hall’s share of the project.

The six acres of Union Plaza will be an oasis of green space crisscrossed with walking paths that lead to water fountains, waterfalls, an outdoor amphitheater, a pond plaza and a children’s plaza.

In the midst of the green space will be Antelope Creek, flowing again in the sunshine, featuring small pools created by “check dams.”

The park will be maintained with the help of a $1.5 million endowment that was included in the fundraising goal.

Creation of the new park puts Lincoln squarely in the midst of an encouraging trend. As the Wall Street Journal reported last year, “public green spaces are proliferating” on a scale not seen since the “City Beautiful” movement of the late 19th century.

Success of the Union Plaza fundraising means that Lincoln is retaining forward momentum against economic headwinds.

Earlier this year, Assurity Life Insurance Co. announced plans to build a $32 million headquarters in the Antelope Valley, bringing 450 employees to the heart of the city.

The park will be there to welcome them and the rest of the community. Work is scheduled to begin in January 2010. The park is slated to open in spring of 2011.

Sure, there is still a 5 percent funding gap. But fundraising is ahead of schedule. The finish line is in sight. The vision of a park in a formerly drab urban landscape becomes real. Optimism surges.