OMAHA, NE — At the corner of 192nd and West Dodge, several large construction projects are underway.
The huge "Avenue One" mixed-use development is still mostly open land, but another developer has already put up its first building. The Waterford Building has been completed as part of the Fountain Ridge office park by Des Moines based R&R Realty. The building itself is a show stopper, but the thing most people are talking about is the huge fountain that can be seen by thousands driving past it on West Dodge.
"We've always liked to have water features as part of our business parks," said Mike Homa, the Nebraska Division President of R&R Realty Group. "Normally we tend to put our water features inside of a park, but, being new to Omaha, we really wanted to do something to give back to the Omaha community."
The company decided to put the fountain out where the 30 to 40 thousand people who drive past it each day can enjoy it. And it has quickly become an iconic landmark, where people don't just pass by it, but also stop to take pictures in front of it.
The fountain is 34 feet in diameter, 16 feet tall, and has about 7,500 gallons of water in it. The water is recycled and is circulated with 4 large pumps inside the fountain.
At night the fountain and building are turned into an artistic light show. A few other buildings along Dodge also light up at night.
Homa says all of this is not only to impress people, but to create a work environment where employees want to stick around.
"The thought process behind the design, companies are working hard to attract and retain employees," Homa said. "Having visually appealing, very inviting spaces for companies to locate in is certainly a big help in their recruitment of new talent."
R&R Realty plans to put up a total of six office buildings in the Fountain Ridge office park. Over the next few years, other developers plan to build office buildings, residential housing and retail centers in the area.
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