NORTH BEND NEBRASKA

In 2017 the city of North Bend built a new pavilion in the city park, replacing one built 52 years earlier.  The new shelter is 30-by-50 feet and features a sink, ceiling fans, a garage door and poured concrete counters. Use of the pavilion is free, but reservations and a deposit must be made at city hall. 

As part of its 125th anniversary celebration, Platte Valley Bank renovated the bank building next door to its current location, returning it to its original 1917 glory, including the discovery of stained glass skylights that were uncovered after decades of hiding. The building is now available for community use for gatherings, meetings and celebrations. (Photo: Tom Kessler)

In 2016 a food pantry was opened at the United Presbyterian Church as a way to provide for locals in need, supported by the whole North Bend community through donations. 

In March 2013, 78 percent of North Bend Central patrons approved a $7.3 million bond issue that made major improvements to both school buildings. At the high school three new science rooms were added to the east side of the building. The old science rooms were gutted and rebuilt as special ed classrooms and a multi-purpose meeting room. A new athletic wing was added to the school including a new competition gymnasium, locker rooms (so now high school and middle school have separate locker rooms), commons and concession stand and a refurbished weight room. At the elementary school, a gymnasium was added. Both school buildings had many areas of the existing building refurbished and modernized.

Community volunteers raised $1.5 million to build a brand new library building on the north end of Main Street. The library includes a children's room, a genealogy room, a computer lab and a community room available for meetings, celebrations and gatherings.

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Library Website

The Franklin-Cotterell Greens Arboretum began in 1991 around the grounds of North Bend Central. It features over a thousand different species of plants and trees and walking trails. The "Paving a Path to the Future" project started in 2009, gathering donations to have the trails in the arboretum paved, making them much more accessible to walkers and joggers. So far, about 70 percent of the planned trails have been paved.

In 2005 the North Bend Veterans Park, two years in the making, was dedicated. A committee of local volunteers raised about $250,000 to get the park built on Main Street just north of downtown. The park now features five bronze statues and many memorials dedicated to American veterans. The park continues to grow, with the most recent addition being a kiosk featuring names and pictures of service men and women, along with a QR code that can link visitors to the veteran's story.

North Bend Elementary added four new classrooms, a library and a computer lab.

After four years of fund-raising, a new public swimming pool opened in the North Bend City Park. The pool cost $650,000 and was partially funded by volunteer fund raising efforts and partially by a bond issue approved by the public.

A group of North Bend golf enthusiasts organized the North Bend Golf Association in 1992 and three years later opened a 9-hole course on the southwest edge of North Bend. In 2001, the course was expanded to 18 holes.

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NBGC Website

The North Bend Area Senior Center, which had been operating in the St. Charles Parish Center since 1979, moved into its own new building in July 1994 after four years of fundraising and more than 200 people donating time and labor. The Senior Center continues to serve daily lunches and serve as a social hub for area senior citizens at 10th and Locust.