Today we highlight two developments, one in Omaha and one in Council Bluffs, for this week’s Big Story.
Children’s Nebraska
Elected officials, local dignitaries and representatives from Children’s Nebraska held a topping-out ceremony today at the future Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Children’s Nebraska. Topping-out occurs when the final steel beam is lifted into place.
The $110 million, 4-story building is under construction on a 7-acre site south of 85th & West Dodge Road on the western edge of Children’s Nebraska’s campus.
When it opens in early 2026, the 107,250 sq. ft. building will have 38 inpatient beds plus an experiential kitchen for youth and families dealing with eating disorders as well as 14,000 sq. ft. for general outpatient therapy and a crisis screening and stabilization assessment hub.
The need for more mental health services for area youth is clear and sobering, according to Children’s Nebraska. Even before the onset of COVID-19, one in five children was experiencing a mental illness, and the pandemic has led to increased mental health challenges and suicide risk among children.
Nationwide, mental health-related emergency room visits are up 24 percent among children ages 5 to 11 and 31 percent among those 12 to 17 years old. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for youths, and Nebraska exceeds national trends for number of suicide deaths in adolescents ages 15 to 19.
Council Bluffs Data Center
A new data center is planned for a 91-acre greenfield site on the southeast corner of Kanesville Boulevard & College Road in Council Bluffs.
Last week, Grow Omaha reported that Council Bluffs had plans to extend sewer service to that area. According to planning board documents, the developer appears to be Edged Energy, a subsidiary of sustainable infrastructure company Endeavor. The project is part of a recent North America rollout of Edged’s data center concept that utilizes power efficient, zero water technologies.
Earlier this year, Edged announced its initial launch sites including Chicago, Kansas City, Atlanta and Phoenix. The Council Bluffs project will be completed in collaboration with MidAmerica Energy, which will build a new substation on the property. Two 80-foot-tall, 450,000 sq. ft. buildings are planned for wholesale data center use.
