Osmond Republican) OSMOND — One of the items addressed at the January city council center.
Clark Gansebom clarified for the Republican that the foundation had done surveys of what residents would like done in the community and one of them was a city center. The foundation board had a person approach them who is interested in getting fund-raising started with a substantial gift. It has not been finalized yet, however, it is easier to raise money if you have a project in mind, he said, and that’s why the group went to the city council to see if they would form a steering committee.
The foundation does not have a lot of money yet, he said.
“We tried getting it started,” he commented, "And then the flood [happened]. And then COVID hit, so the timing hasn’t been great, but we’re just trying to get things going again.”
There are several ways people can donate, he continued. These include: Cash, marketable securities, agricultural commodities, gifts of IRA, retirement assets, estate gift/will bequest, real estate, life insurance and closely held stock.
Any of the funds donated to the Osmond Community Foundation can go to any other non-profit organizations, he said. The foundation can’t give to an individual business, but it can give to a city or to a school. The Nebraska Community Foundation, which the Osmond foundation is affiliated with, is working on that, but they are limited to federal rules, he added.
Gansebom went on to say that the idea of having a community center is in the preliminary stages. When he spoke to the city council members, he told them that all options are on the table. The foundation doesn’t want to limit what they’re looking at, he said, but they do need a plan for the fund-raising.
As far as a steering committee, someone on the foundation could be on that committee, but as far as the foundation itself, its main function would be raising funds.
“What else you could put in it, that’s totally up in the air. The city offices could be in there. Atkinson has one where the Legion is in it,” he said. “Things are on the table. It would be a community gathering place for the whole community to use.”
It could take several years for the project to come to fruition.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “And right now, costs are through the roof and interest rates are high.
In the coming years there potentially could be a large transfer of wealth that could be utilized for the future of Osmond.
Gansebom said the foundation would like to reach out to alumni, but that’s looking down the road. “You’ve basically got to start at home first, and get the grassroots going.”
As far as having community meetings again, relating to the foundation, Gansebom said they probably will at some point, but the board needs to get organized again first.
He reiterated that this — the community center — isn’t going to happen overnight, “but you’ve got to start somewhere, and this was the beginning, when this person and family approached us about getting it started.”
The city council agreed to appoint a steering committee for the community center project at the February council meeting.
“That’s the way we left it,” Gansebom said. “We’re in the very early stages, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”
