RALSTON, Neb. (AP) - Leaders of the Omaha suburb of Ralston have announced a $7.5 million gift from the estate of an area piano teacher that will go toward revitalizing an area near the Ralston Arena downtown.
The donation from LaDonna Johnson, who died in 2016, will go to the Hinge project, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The project’s master plan, approved by the City Council last month, includes filling empty retail spaces and adding green spaces and urban housing options.
Johnson’s gift has already funded the project’s master plan and several studies related to it and will allow the city to do things like complete infrastructure improvements, acquire property and conduct streetscape work, Ralston Mayor Don Groesser said.
Ralston City Administrator Rick Hoppe said Johnson specified the money be used to further the Hinge project, so it cannot go to other city priorities, such as paying off the Ralston Arena’s debt.
The funds are being managed by the Ralston Community Foundation Fund, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Bill Haas, a Ralston businessman who sits on the committee that will manage Johnson’s gift, said Johnson’s legacy will live on through her donation.
“I think this is a real game-changer for the Hinge project,” he said.
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