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Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As we begin reviewing all of the grants we prepare for our annual Ferguson House Holiday Open House in a couple of weeks. The year has raced by and our 25th anniversary year is coming to a close. Recently we had a Mega Millions drawing for over $1.6 billion dollars and a Powerball over $800 million, so the 4th quarter proceeds will be impressive.
I am always amazed with the variety of grants we receive and great things that are taking place across Nebraska. It is very gratifying to be involved with these projects and see them come to fruition.
The Huskers Volleyball team (22-6) is currently ranked 6th in the country and beat then #6 Illinois, #7 Penn State, #15 Michigan and #12 Purdue in the past few weeks and has just two games left before the NCAA Tournament begins. The Big 10 is definitely the toughest volleyball conference in the country and I like Nebraska’s chances in the tournament.
How about the Huskers Football team? They maybe 4-7, but I can guarantee that most teams in the country would not want to play them right now. I attended the last two home games and as they say, they were both played in “football weather”. Their next game against Iowa will be a bit warmer, but it is an away game and I think it is going to be a knockdown, drag out game. We are seeing the return of the traditional Huskers, led by Coach Frost.
Have a great holiday season and Go Big Red!
Mark A. Brohman
Executive Director
 The HIstorical Ferguson House
Ferguson House Opens For Holiday Tours
The Nebraska Environmental Trust will host a holiday open house at the historic Ferguson House on Sunday, December 9th. Also open is the Thomas P. Kennard House located on the east side of the Ferguson House. The public is invited to visit and tour the 107 year-old Renaissance Revival Ferguson House from 1 to 5 p.m. There is no charge to tour the Ferguson House or the Kennard House on that day. There is limited parking behind the Ferguson House, but street parking is available along 16th and H streets.
The Ferguson House was constructed by the Cleveland architectural firm of Searles, Hirsh & Gavin as a private residence for William Henry and Myrtle Ferguson between 1909 and 1911. It is one of the finest examples of Second Renaissance Revival architecture and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Made from brick, concrete and I-beams, the house cost an estimated $30,000 and featured advanced technology such as a central vacuum system, indoor plumbing and gas and electric power.
Mr. Ferguson helped introduce winter wheat and alfalfa to Nebraska and was co-owner of Yankee Hill Brick and Capital Beach Amusement Park, President of Beatrice Foods and owner of Woodlawn Dairy. Myrtle Ferguson resided in the house until her death in 1972. The state of Nebraska took possession of the property from the Ferguson family then and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house is a well-known landmark in Lincoln located across from the Nebraska State Capitol. The staff of the Nebraska Environmental Trust currently occupies the second floor of the Ferguson House. The first floor living and dining rooms are available to rent for meetings and events.
The Ferguson House is located at 700 S 16th Street in downtown Lincoln. For more information, call 402-471-5417 or e-mail: allison.laduke@nebraska.gov
 Lincoln's Hazardous Waste Center Collects 25 tons of Waste In First Year
Mayor Chris Beutler announced recently that 50,000 pounds of toxic materials were collected during the first year of operation of Lincoln’s Hazardous Waste Center. The facility at 5101 N. 48th Street is operated by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) and serves Lincoln and Lancaster County residents at no charge as well as qualifying small businesses for a fee. Mayor Beutler also helped kick off the new “HazToGo” campaign to increase awareness of the facility. Information is available at haztogo.com
“Residents are becoming more aware that unwanted hazardous materials do not belong in our homes, our businesses or our landfill,” Mayor Beutler said. “Having a permanent facility is helping us to reach our goal of diverting at least 100,000 pounds of toxic material from the landfill annually. And as people see the HazToGo slogan on billboards and in social media, they will be reminded that all of us need to do our part to make sure toxic materials are disposed of properly.”
Construction of the facility was funded by the City with support from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The Center has served 736 residents since it opened. In addition to the waste collected at the center, nearly 38,000 pounds of hazardous waste was collected during the year at mobile collection events. That brings the total to about 88,000 pounds, 13,000 more pounds than the previous year.
Shavonna Lausterer, LLCHD Health Director, said an NDEQ grant provided funding to rebrand and promote the center. “Our mission is to protect and to promote the public’s health,” she said. “That is exactly what Lincoln’s Hazardous Waste Center is all about -- getting toxic and hazardous chemicals out of people’s homes, acreages and garages, reducing the risk of poisonings, injuries, fires and spills.”
The Center accepts household hazardous waste by appointment only on the first Wednesday and the third Saturday of each month. The Center accepts the same waste items collected at the mobile events, such as pesticides, old gasoline, cleaning products, aerosol containers and items containing mercury. For appointments and a full list of accepted and non-accepted items, visit haztogo.com or call 402-441-8021.
 HazToGo Facility Northeast of Lincoln
Upcoming Events
Grants Committee Meeting - Monday, December 3, 2018, Ferguson House, Lincoln NE. (9:30 am)
Christmas Open House - Sunday, December 9, 2018, Ferguson House, Lincoln NE. (1:00 pm - 5:00 pm)
Grants Committee Meeting - Thursday, December 13, 2018, Ferguson House, Lincoln NE. (2:00 pm)
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