Parks Director Brook Bench told the City Council last week that he plans no cuts to park maintenance, no cuts to recreation staff and no cuts to camps or programs for young people.

The biggest change people might see in Omaha’s parks, besides the usual rehabilitation projects planned for Brown Park, Walnut Grove Park and more, may be the loss of some mature trees.

The city has decided it is no longer cost-effective to keep treating the city’s 13,280 ash trees with chemicals to protect them from the emerald ash borer. The Parks Department is now cutting down about 26 trees a week to prevent the risk of a tree or limb falling on people or property.

The Parks Department plants a new tree for any tree it cuts down.

Libraries

One of the biggest new capital expenditures planned for 2020 is $15 million toward a new southwest Omaha branch library near 210th and Q Streets.

Renovations at other library branches in 2020 will depend on donor interest, said Laura Marlane, the libraries’ executive director.

The library system also wants to get all 12 of its libraries open at least six days a week. Today, half are still open five days a week, officials say.