General

OPPD’s Arboretum turns 20

OPPD retiree Jerry Hakenholz recalls trying to paint a picture for customers of what types of trees they could plant around power lines on their properties.

This was in the 1970s and 1980s, before the internet and smartphones entered the scene.

“People weren’t getting it, and tree-trimming had become the topic of a lot of complaints we were getting, especially following storms,” said Hakenholz, then supervisor of Maintenance Management in Transmission & Distribution. Planting the right tree in the right place and keeping trees trimmed around power lines are key to maintaining reliable electric service for any utility.

“I began making notes of where I saw good tree-planting examples, and I started sending customers out to neighborhoods to see the trees for themselves,” said Hakenholz.

That’s when the idea for a viewing area started to take shape.

Hakenholz talked to Bruce Hayden, then-manager of Transmission & Distribution Operations, about the need to better educate customers about trees. Their first attempt included a planting area at the old Omaha Center on Saddle Creek Road.

“When the service center was being built in the 1980s, I asked if I could select some trees for the landscape,” said Hakenholz. “It wasn’t a formal arboretum, but it was a first attempt at an educational plot.”

As the utility celebrates the 20th anniversary of the arboretum this month, we asked Hakenholz and others to share their stories of bringing this beautiful, educational site to life.

Shooting for the stars

Hakenholz and Hayden formally pitched the arboretum idea to then-OPPD President Fred Petersen and the senior management team.

“He gave us the green light and we put together preliminary plans,” said Hakenholz, retired since 2008 and now living in Greeley, Colorado. Hayden retired in 1994; Petersen retired in 2004.

The 108^th & Blondo location, one of three sites originally considered, stood out for several reasons: its central location, vast property size, rolling hills and a fully built substation. Plus, alfalfa covered much of the property back then, so Hakenholz and the site selection team knew the land was nice and fertile.

It would accommodate what they wanted to install, with room for future features.

Before finalizing the deal, the team met with personnel from several OPPD departments, state and city roads departments, state foresters, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and others.

“We touched base with everyone we could think of, and everybody was supportive of what we wanted to do,” Hakenholz said. This included securing a 100-year lease from the Nebraska Department of Roads for the natural woods on the east side of the Arboretum, which had been right-of-way for the nearby I-680 interstate.

Growing in stages

Following siting, OPPD worked with a local landscape design firm, Big Muddy Workshop, on a phased design plan. Dave Walsh, then an OPPD utility forester, was named its curator.

“Dave put a lot of time and effort into it,” said Hakenholz. “I depended on him quite a bit. He was very sharp and knew his tree species. As on-site supervisor, he made sure trees were planted right.”

The first shovel went in the ground in 1989, according to Hakenholz. Over the next 15 years, he budgeted for specific projects. The budget ran hot and cold, depending on what else was going on at the utility.

“The infrastructure (retaining walls, gazebo and trails) went in first, along with the demonstration area of trees that could be placed near power lines,” Hakenholz said.

“Some years I got more money than others,” he said. “We didn’t want to open it before it was done. Tom Larsen (then a manager in T&D Operations) came to me one day and asked what I needed to get it to the finish line. By the dedication in 2004, some of the trees there were already 20 years old.”

A utility first

Today, the OPPD Arboretum includes an array of mature plantings, with signage and plant markers to guide visitors around the site. It provides spectacular color, texture and fragrance that change with the seasons.

The arboretum includes the following features:

• Formal garden
• Pollinator garden
• Conifer collection
• Lowland tree collection
• Native Nebraska prairie collection
• Windbreak plantings
• Wildlife habitat plantings
• Backyard orchard
• Energy conservation area
• Electric safety area
• Transmission line plantings
• Substation overlook
• Paved trail and woodchip trail
• Outdoor classroom
• Pond and gazebo

The foresight of these leaders set OPPD apart from others in the industry, as OPPD was the first utility to have a fully sanctioned arboretum. Its opening came at a time when many medium- to large-size utilities were developing tree programs. The arboretum contains more than a thousand trees and shrubs of various species, including Kentucky Coffee tree, Blackjack Oak and Money Jupiter and Miss Kim Lilac.

The arboretum also features a few historical trees along the winding walkway on the northwest end of the site. Walsh worked with the American  Forestry Association to secure the collection. Among these are a George Washington Carver Green Ash, grown from a seed handpicked from Carver’s Missouri home, and an Elvis Presley Sycamore, grown from a seed from the star’s Graceland estate in Tennessee.

Outdoor classroom

Tens of thousands have visited the arboretum. Some come to learn about the plantings. Some enjoy the two miles of walking paths. Others seek a peaceful getaway. Others come to photograph the scenic beauty or to capture prom, wedding or family photos.

“Working at the arboretum was always enjoyable,” said Walsh, who retired in 2016. “I loved the educational aspect. We had Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Eagle Scout projects, horticulture groups and others.

“A lot of times I’d show up out there and I’d find a Metro Community College class looking around there,” Walsh added.

The arboretum also has been a great backdrop for numerous media stories and training sessions, according to Mike Norris, senior utility forester.

“We’ve done interviews there on planting the right tree in the right place, tree-trimming tips, and the emerald ash borer, to name a few,” Norris said. “Every year, as part of our Tree Line USA designation, we have tree contractors out there for tree-trimming demos.”

Dedicated caretakers

It has taken a dedicated crew of OPPD employees and contractors to maintain the 26-acre arboretum.

Along with Hakenholz, Walsh and Norris, Donnie Norwood, Chris Vrtiska, Rich Wilson and Scott Buchholz are other employees who have spent a lot of time at the arboretum.

Norwood, a part-timer who fell in love with the site, planted many specimens during its development. During his tenure, Vrtiska, who retired in 2023, added sustainability features, such as the native Nebraska plantings. Wilson, who retired in 2022, was another who spent countless hours keeping the arboretum beautiful and safe. Buchholz, Operations & Maintenance working crew leader, continues to look for ways to improve the site. One money-saving tactic he and Norris have pushed includes working with tree contractors to provide wood chips from storm-damaged trees or trees trimmed around transmission lines for use on the mulch trails.

“Regulars at the arboretum say it’s the best the place has ever looked,” said Buchholz, who currently oversees its maintenance. Buchholz talks to the regulars there as he checks in on the site almost daily.

“We definitely had neighborhood regulars, and we got to know them,” Walsh said. “Being curator was the best part of my job, by far.”

“I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I do,” Buchholz said. “With 70,000 square feet of space, there’s always something to do there.”

Contractors spend about 40 hours a week mowing and doing other maintenance at the arboretum. They also edge gardens and walkways, remove small limbs and spread mulch. Every spring, about 1,500 square yards of chocolate brown mulch get spread atop the beds.

Open from dawn to dusk, the arboretum continues to fulfill its purpose and so much more.