Housing Information

HOUSING

New Construction

Nine new homes were built in 2002. The average cost of homes is $200,000, and monthly rental of a home ranges from $350-550.

It is estimated that 90 percent of the single-unit homes in the community are owner-occupied.

Income Guide-Line Housing

North Park Homes, a 24-unit low-cost housing facility, was completed in 1978 and 12 additional units were completed in 1990. It contains two units for the handicapped, 34 subsidized units, a community room, and two laundry rooms.

Shannon Apartments, with 16 units, were built in 1992 for the low-income, elderly, or any handicapped individuals.

Eastwood Heights Apartments, with 16 low-income units, was built in 1982.

Kinkaid Village, 4th & Church St. Built in 2000

Assisted Living

Evergreen Assisted Living Residence, North Highway 281, 33 unit apartments, qualified staff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Built in 2001

REALTOR LISTING

Earley Real Estate
1010 E. Douglas
402-336-4005

Waldo Realty
W Hwy 20
402-336-4110

 Farmers National Company
423 E. Douglas
402-336-3500

CHURCHES
 
 

HOSPITAL

The 25-bed Avera St. Anthony's Hospital in O'Neill was built in 1952 with additions in 1976 and 1995. Facilities include an intensive care unit, surgery, cardiac care, physical therapy, respiratory therapy and swing beds. Specialists who commute to O'Neill on a regular basis serve a clinic, located in the hospital.

Avera St.Anthony's Hospital is sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, South Dakota and the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, South Dakota. The two religious communities sponsor Avera Health which is the umbrella organization for all their sponsored hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in a five state region.  For more information www.avera-sta.org

For additional information contact, Ron Cork, President/CEO at (402) 336-2611.

RESCUE SQUAD

The rescue squad is comprised of 35 Emergency Medical Technicians who operate the three ambulances owned by the city.

REHABILITATION CENTER

Valley Hope, a 65-bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, was opened in August 1977. This private, nonprofit organization is governed by a board of directors. All services (24-hour nursing care, psychological, spiritual, and vocational) are individually tailored.

For more information contact Teri ByBerk, Acting Program Director,  at (402) 336-3747

NURSING HOMES

The O'Neill Nursing Center was built in 1963 with an addition in 1993. Twenty-four hour professional nursing coverage is provided in this skilled care facility approved for Medicare and licensed for 80 beds by the Nebraska Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Social Services. Therapeutic diet management; physical therapy and rehabilitation; social services consultation; speech and occupational therapy; outpatient therapy; and recreational activities are provided in-house. Telephone reassurance calls, Alzheimers group meetings, congregate meals, Over 60's monthly birthday parties, and many other events are provided for the senior citizens in the community by the O'Neill Nursing Center.

For more information contact Candace Hoke, Administrator at (402) 336-2384.

Evergreen Assisted Living Residence, North Highway 281, 33 unit apartments, qualified staff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Built in 2001.  Contact Dee Fritz, Manager at (402) 336-4100.

DENTAL

Family Dentistry & Dental Hygiene P.C.
Dr. Jerry Brockman
Dr. Marche Scholte
Therese Sullivan, RDH
P.O. Box 812
5th & Clay (Location)
(402) 336-4812

Dr. M. J. Kersenbrock
421 East Douglas
(402) 336-4211

Dr. Ron Bloy
632 North 8th
(402) 336-1702

Dr. Elizabeth Johnson
415 East John
(402) 336-3666

MEDICAL

O’Neill Family Practice P.C.
Dr. Barbara Gutshall
Dr. Jay Allison
Janet Fletcher, PA 
Sharon Spencer, FNP
Shelly Herrington, FNP
403 East Hynes
(402) 336-2622

Holt County Medical Clinic
Dr. Mark Ptacek
Gary Cuddy, PA
Robyn Heiser, FNP
P.O. Box 551
5th & John (Location)
(402) 336-4113

Elkhorn Valley Family Medicine
Dr. Peter Lueninghoener
N.I. Meinecke, FNP
304 E. Douglas St.
(402) 336-4222

Surgeon: Dr. Anthony Akainda
St. Anthony’s Hospital
2nd & Adams
(402 336-2611)

OPTOMETRIST

Gutshall Eye Care
Dr. S. D. Gutshall
Dr. Scott Gutshall
Dr. Brad Blumenstock
P. O. Box 378
214 North 10th (Location)
(402) 336-2505

O’Neill Optometric Center
Dr. Phil Gildersleeve
612 North 4th
(402) 336-2220

CHIROPRACTOR

Sitz Hedlund Chiropractic
Dr. Wendell Sitz
Dr. Orvil W. Holz
130 East Adams
(402) 336-4202

COUNSELING

Counseling & Enrichment Center
Jackie Meyers
226 West Douglas
(402) 336-4841

A Better Way Of Life
Jolene Lichty
219 South 4th
(402) 336-4413

Good Life Counseling & Support
122 S. 4th St.
(402) 336-2136

Oasis International
221 W. Douglas
(402) 336-3009

Heartland Solutions
407 W. Douglas
(402) 336-2800

Educational Information

There are many classes available through Educational Service Unit No. 8 which provides for mentally and physically challenged students and adults in the area. Services included are an instructional media center, psychological testing services, in-service programs for teachers, hearing, health, and speech consultants for gifted and learning disabled students as well as programs for the educable and trainable handicapped.

Northeast Nebraska College, headquartered in Norfolk, Nebraska, offers many credit courses in O'Neill during the school year.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

City School System

* Word of Life
** Catholic

School District No. 7 in Holt County covers 159.4 square miles and has an full valuation of $205,509,936. This Class 3, Type K-6,6 district is accredited by the state of Nebraska. O'Neill Public School, meets and exceeds accreditation requirements of the Nebraska Department of Education and North Central Association of College and Secondary schools.

The 2003-04 school operating expenses totaled $6,835,487.11. The average cost per pupil was $8965.13 and the actual daily membership cost per pupil was $8,442.98.

The maximum capacity of the public elementary school, opened in December 1996, is 500. The O'Neill Public Junior-Senior High School was built in 1965 and has a maximum capacity of 525. It is estimated that 99 percent of the eighth grade students finish high school.

Vocational courses offered in the high school include family and consumer science, industrial technology, and trades. Adult education programs are available in the high school in conjunction with the Northeast Community College.

The city school system provides facilities for the educable mentally handicapped. Other handicapped students are served by the Educational Service Unit.

St. Mary's, a local Catholic school, is a Class C, Type K-6,6 district and is accredited by the state of Nebraska. The 1996 school operating expenses totaled approximately $999,000. Vocational courses offered in the high school include home economics, religion classes, business, trade, and industry.

Special Schools

The O'Neill Vocational Training Center is a training workshop for the mentally handicapped adult. This office is operated by Region IV Office of Developmental Disability, which is headquartered in Norfolk.

Educational Service Unit

O'Neill is a member of Educational Service Unit No. 8, which is headquartered in Neligh and serves seven counties. Services available include instructional media center, psychological testing services, art consultant, in-service programs for teachers, hearing, health, and speech consultants for gifted and learning disabled students, as well as programs for the educable and trainable mentally handicapped.

The Western Learning Center, operated by Educational Service Unit 8, provides instructions for both mentally and physically handicapped students. Students range from 6 to 21 years of age.

Community College

O'Neill is part of the Northeast Community College service area that includes the 20 counties in northeast Nebraska. The main campus is located in Norfolk and off-campus centers are located in communities throughout the region, including O'Neill. The college is governed by a publicly elected 11-member Board of Governors.

Northeast offers more than 70 technical, vocational, and liberal arts programs preparing students for immediate employment or for transfer to a four-year college or university. Enrollment for the 1996-97 academic year was more than 7,200 students enrolled in credit courses. In May 1997 the college awarded 545 diplomas and degrees.

In the O'Neill area, a number of credit courses are offered either through on-site instruction or through live, interactive distance education technology, including satellite and fiber optic transmissions. Degree programs are offered locally in liberal arts, business, and practical nursing.

The Continuing Education and Distance Learning Division provides job-upgrading and personal interest classes in 72 communities throughout the area, including O'Neill. More than 12,500 students were enrolled in non-credit continuing education throughout the 20-county service area in 1996-97.

As a comprehensive community college, Northeast also works with area industries, retail and service establishments, agriculture, and other agencies and organizations in planning in-service and in-plant training. Northeast has meeting facilities that include the capabilities for videoconferencing.

Northeast Community College works cooperatively with the University of Nebraska, Wayne State College, and other institutions so that upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses can be offered on the Northeast campus and through the Lifelong Learning Center.

Lifelong Learning Center

The Lifelong Learning Center, now under construction on the Northeast Community campus, will be a clearinghouse for regional educational offerings from Northeast, Wayne State College, the University of Nebraska, and other public and private institutions. Opening in January 1998, the center will use fiber optic and satellite technology to broadcast and receive all types of educational programming. Communities such as O'Neill that have satellite and special fiber optic videoconferencing technology can receive the programming. The Lifelong Learning Center was also designed to serve as a location for workshops, conferences and meetings.

Colleges

Wayne State College, which enrolls more than 4,000 students, offers 33 majors and 42 minors in eight academic divisions including Applied Science, Business, Education, Fine Arts, Human Performance and Leisure Studies, Humanities, Math and Science, and Social Sciences. The college also offers a master of business administration (MBA) degree and graduate degrees in education. Approximately one-third of the students are majoring in business, one-third in education, and one-third in the arts and sciences.

Established as a public college in 1909, Wayne State is situated on a 128 acre campus in Wayne, 97 miles east of O'Neill. An indoor recreation center, jogging trails, tennis courts, and other facilities are available for public use. The Division of Business, constructed in 1994, is a state-of-the-art facility designed to train students to become business leaders of tomorrow.

The college brings cultural enrichment into northeast Nebraska with its fine arts programs. Several professional performers, theater companies, symphonies, and other performing arts groups entertain large audiences each year as part of the Black and Gold Series. The college also has NCAA Division II men's and women's athletic programs.

Wayne State College has established a Bureau of Community and Economic Development to assist northeast Nebraska communities with economic development needs. Nebraska Business Development Center serves the region from an office on the campus.

Other Schools

Colleges, universities, and community colleges frequently attended by O'Neill High School graduates:

Northeast Community College         Norfolk, NE       76 miles

Wayne State College                 Wayne, NE         97 miles

University of South Dakota          Vermillion, SD   120 miles

University of Nebraska at Kearney   Kearney, NE      154 miles

Creighton University                Omaha, NE        187 miles

University of Nebraska at Omaha     Omaha, NE        187 miles

University of Nebraska-Lincoln      Lincoln, NE      196 miles

Recreation Information

LIBRARY

The O'Neill Public Library in O'Neill contains 15,000 volumes and has an average annual circulation of 62,917. The library is part of the Nebraska Interlibrary Book Loan program. Story hour is held during the summer months and other special times during the year. Books and records for the blind are also provided. Two computers are available to library patrons.

RECREATION AND PARKS

The six city parks in O'Neill cover 103 acres and have a swimming pool, playground equipment, picnic tables, fishing pond, lighted softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, horse arena, and camping area.

The Parks and Recreation Department has one full-time year-around director and 29 seasonal employees (10 full-time) with an average annual budget of $175,000. Programs offered by the department include Red Cross swimming, aquarobics, lap swimming, swim team, softball, baseball, and soccer.

O'Neill has facilities for:

Boating- Facilities at Goose Lake, 27 miles, and Fort Randall Reservoir and Calamus Dam, 50 miles

Bowling- One 12-lane bowling alley

Fishing- Excellent fishing for trout, bass, catfish, and other species

Golf- One private 9-hole grass greens course with clubhouse

Horse Shoes- Horseshoe pits (qualified for tournaments)

Hunting- Deer, pheasant, duck, quail, turkey, prairie chicken, rabbit, and squirrel

Swimming- An olympic-size pool in the park

Tennis- One hard-surfaced, lighted court and another court under construction

Theatres- One indoor theatre seating 400

Residents in O'Neill prepare for the St. Patrick's Day celebration in March honoring the patron saint of Ireland. The celebrations have doubled the population of  the "Irish Capital of Nebraska." Another annual event is the Summerfest. a family celebration including a rodeo, held the second weekend of July.

The Moses P. Kinkaid Bank building is a registered National Historic Site. The structure houses the Holt County Historical Society and includes Kinkaid's law office left as it was in 1884. Moses Kinkaid was responsible for the Kinkaid Land Act of 1904. The first floor contains a fire-proof vault and a small gift shop which sells crafts
made by local artisans as well as books on the local history of the area. The second floor has a display depicting the settlement of Holt County and remnants of a bygone era.

The Golden Hotel is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The lobby has been restored to its former grandeur and the hotel is still in use today.

The Cowboy Trail which covers 321 miles from Norfolk to Chadron, Nebraska, is currently being developed as the longest converted rail line to trail in the nation. The trail covers 3,893 acres of land and 221 bridges. The Chicago and North Western Depot in O'Neill is currently being renovated to benefit the development of the Cowboy Trail. Eight miles of the trail from O'Neill to Inman were officially opened on September 7, 1997. The O'Neill Chapter of the Friends of the Cowboy Trail are planning the development of one mile from the east city limits to the west city limits, with benches, plants, and an area for information.

Attractions in the immediate area of O'Neill include Goose Lake (27 miles south), Fort Randall Reservoir and Fort Randall Casino (50 miles north), Atkinson State Lakes (20 miles west), and Calamus Dam (50 miles south).

Cultural activities are provided by Irish dancers and traveling artists.

Communication Information

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