58 Nebraskaland • March 2019
THE LAST STOP
By Jeff Kurrus
FRUITION
Photographing construction is a slow process.
Assignments are given to Nebraskaland photographers,
including myself, all of the time. On top of our typical fi eld
work, we might shoot family fi shing nights, outdoor expos,
shooting or angling tournaments, and the like.
In the last couple of years, however, I've had a diff erent
kind of assignment. I was tasked to photograph Venture
Park construction at Louisville and Schramm Park state
recreation areas and Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River
state parks. From glamping cabins and a fl oating playground
to rock-climbing walls and ziplines, I've had a front seat view
to each of these projects.
For a person used to shooting wildlife and people
participating in outdoor adventures, photographing a new
wall wasn't thrilling … until it was.
When the steel beams were added to Mahoney's Activity
Center, where the climbing wall would be located, I shrugged.
Yet when I came back months later, my fi rst response was
"Wow."
When I photographed the site at Platte River State Park
where the splash pad (pictured) would eventually go, I
shrugged once again. Upon completion, I couldn't wait for
my kids to see it.
Each of these projects – from beginning to end – drew a
similar response from me.
So as the newly renovated Schramm Education Center
is set to debut later this spring, I am once again excited
about seeing people using it for the fi rst time – while also
remembering the images I took of the sheetrock, mud, and
other materials so typical of a construction site.
I hear the second phase of the Venture Park project will
begin soon. I'll have to take a deep breath before it starts, for
it will take some time before my excitement is fulfi lled.
Then I'll smile knowing that when these projects do come
to fruition, I'll be just as giddy as the people visiting them.
