What's Happening: Sarpy highlights future

Community leaders called for cooperation between cities at the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce's “State of the County” breakfast presentation this morning.

Approximately 150 business and community leaders, including Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, attended the event.

Speakers included La Vista Mayor Doug Kindig, Sarpy Administrator Mark Wayne and Sarpy County Planning Director Rebecca Horner.

Topics included the new stadium project, landfill issues, future infrastructure improvements and economic development initiatives (“of which there are many,” Kindig said).

Sarpy “still remains one of the fastest-growing counties in Nebraska,” Horner said.

Kindig took the opportunity to call for cooperation between cities.

“We need to keep that communication open,” he said. “What happens in Papillion, Gretna, Springfield, Bellevue, can be a positive for the City of La Vista,” he said.

Jane Nielsen, president of the chamber, said the state of the county is good.

“We're very fortunate we aren't suffering quite as bad from a down economy,” she said. “There's a lot of optimism in Nebraska and in Sarpy County. The business sector is fairly strong, and there is this renewed sense of regionalism that I think will be very important going forward . . .It's all about the region.”

Suttle, who has attended Sarpy Chamber events before, said he was at the breakfast to listen and learn. He echoed Kindig's call for inter-city cooperation.

“I believe in regional cooperation, and there's a lot that we have to help each other get better and better to serve our citizens,” Suttle said.