The stench was bad. So was visibility.
But in the stuffy confines of Sheri’s Show Club, about two dozen hardy individuals recently volunteered their time to rip out old shag carpet, rotting floorboards, metal lockers, a stage, catwalks and other debris. Boots and gloves were not optional.
The work, transforming the former strip club at 2909 Leavenworth St. into a community center for the Park Avenue neighborhood, is an InCommon Community Development project. The organization had wanted to create a Park Avenue Community Center for some time but hadn’t found a location.
In stepped Kohll’s Pharmacy & Homecare, which operates out of the building next door. It purchased Sheri’s with an eye to expanding the business, but plans haven’t been finalized and the strip-club building was sitting empty, a temptation to looters and squatters.
Kohll’s offered the building to InCommon to use for a temporary community center for at least 12 months. The agreement gives InCommon a place to work with the community and more time to raise funds for a permanent center, said Christian Gray, executive director.
But first, InCommon has to make the place habitable. Fundraising for the permanent center doesn’t leave a huge amount of extra money for setting up in temporary quarters, Gray said, so InCommon is depending on volunteer help.
Calvin Smothers, who will be the community center’s director, said there are three floors to clear out and clean. .
A big chunk of the initial cleaning work has been completed by volunteers, mostly from Coram Deo Church. They took advantage of a “free dumping day” that was part of the Keep Omaha Beautiful and citywide cleanups. One of the dump sites was only a block away, making it easy to haul away junk. Volunteers with pickups made several trips.
Sherry McCartney, owner of Pugsley Construction, was there with her son, Trent, and another member of her demolition crew to volunteer their expertise. “We wanted to help. I think it will be a great thing for the community,” McCartney said.
Suzy Connelly, who lives in California but spends a lot of time in Omaha to be with her son and his wife, picked through rubbish on the floor. Mixed in with the broken glass and rusty nails were a few dollars in change.
She was happy to volunteer for the community center “mission.” She saw it as part of her Christian duty. “I want to live the Word,” she said.
Another volunteer from the church, Dan Bundrick, said he was “putting words into action.” He laughed as he quoted the Rev. Bob Thune, the Coram Deo minister: “When strip clubs become community centers, you know the Kingdom of Heaven is arriving.”
Emma Swanson, 12, and her brother Jack, 9, were the youngest members of the volunteer crew. They were helping rip out old carpeting with their father, Trey Swanson.
“The work has some fun parts and some not-fun parts,” Emma said. Their next chore was one of the not-fun ones: emptying out a cage that once held a guard dog.
Smothers, who lives in the neighborhood, said the response from neighbors and passers-by has been good. Most are thankful to see the area cleaned up and happy about the coming center. He’s hoping that as the project progresses, neighbors will be moved to volunteer.
Help already has come from unexpected places. The offer from Pugsley Construction, for example, came out of the blue. And when Smothers was explaining the project and describing the nasty smell of the place to his mail carrier, the man offered to bring over a machine to help clear the air.
There still is a tremendous amount of work to be done, Smothers said. A lot of the place was painted black, so everything needs a fresh coat of paint. Flooring has to be replaced. A false entry and facade will need to be removed. Some of the wiring may need to be updated. The main floor has no windows, so some need to be installed.
But Smothers said that if all goes well, InCommon hopes to open the Park Avenue Community Center within two months.
The center will offer emergency and prevention services, a job center and personal development activities. It will be a collaborative space for neighborhood groups.
“We want to give people in the neighborhood the tools for success,” Gray said.
“Everyone will feel welcome,” Smothers added. “We’ll have something for everyone.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1067, carol.bicak@owh.com
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