Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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This month’s Banner County School board covered numerous issues with decisive understanding of both the school and county’s needs. While reviewing the thorough accounting from Lana Sides, Superintendent, of the school’s first month’s spending, Sides discussed a few new purchases for the school. Sides negotiated for five fold-up lunchroom tables at a vastly discounted price from another school. Principal Charles Jones believes these tables will greatly enhance the schools ability to clean the floors and rearrange for different events. To comp...
Today is the Autumn Equinox which is most often referred to as the first day of fall in astronomical terms. The day and night will have near equal representation here in Kimball as the sun crosses the equator heading south for the next six months. The earth’s tilt is neither at its maximum lean nor at its least, we, as a planet, are directly in the middle for a change. Did you know that this morning the sun rose exactly due east and it will set precisely due west? An occurrence that only happens twice a year on our planet. This happens along w...
The Nebraska Department of Revenue approved the $162,575 contract for Stanard Appraisal Services, Inc. to complete work for the Kimball County Assessor’s Office. This information was received by Sherri Winstrom, Kimball County Assessor and relayed to the Board of Equalization at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The Kimball County Assessor’s Office has already sent out letters to residents regarding the upcoming reappraisal of all improved properties located within the county. This includes all rural residential, commercial and fin...
New foreign exchange student, Yundi Hu (known here as Cece), may have been born a city girl but she is enjoying small town living and is very happy to be part of the Mark and Tiffani Anderson family. Up until the last few months, Cece has lived her entire life in the city of Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Urumqi is the largest city in the northwestern area of China with an approximate population of just over 6 million. Back in...
On September 6, the Kimball County Commissioners met for their regular bi-monthly meeting covering many aspects of the county’s welfare. In commissioner reports Board member Daria Faden reported a possible art contest to decorate the shuttle, as well as specific hours for the shuttle to run. Board member Tim Nolting reported that Oliver Reservoir had a successful year, remaining full nearly all summer and bringing in over $3,000 in donations. He said that there was an overall consensus that Sheriff Gillway was well received and a welcome c...
Kimball County Commissioners Board and Kimball County Ambulance Task Force look into possible interfaculty services to better serve Kimball County. Members of the Kimball County Ambulance Task Force presented their findings on September 6 to the Board of Commissioners during their regular meeting. Randy Meininger, Manager of Regional West Emergency Management Service represented the Task Force and detailed their findings to the board. Although both ambulances have both UHF capable of contacting area hospitals, ambulances and helicopters, and...
What are the job requirements for a city administrator? Although there are technically hundreds of different job descriptions, detailing exactly what a city administrator does, there are many similarities, and location can have a big influence on exactly what those duties might entail, making an thorough description complex. For a general description of the typical responsibilities of a city administrator, let’s start with who they will report to once hired. The most universally agreed concept is that the city council, commission, and/or m...
The Board of Public Works approved Resolution 2016-6 outlining changes in waste water rates provided by the City of Kimball during their regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 24. The resolution outlined a two tier rate increase for both inside and outside city limits with the first increase starting Sept. 1. Starting today, if you live inside the city limits, the minimum charge is $15.25 per month with an additional $1.25 per 1,000 gallons. However, residents outside the city limits who utilize the City’s sewer/waste water service will be c...
Rumors of Castronics / Inspection Oilfield Services (IOS) closing its doors are untrue, says Andy Swisher, Area Manager. Despite the fact that oil prices are still low, IOS is not out of the game and has no intention of closing. Although IOS is owned by LB Foster, a company based out of Pittsburg, and is now a publicly traded company as of March 2015, it is still it's own subsidiary. The company remains fully in business and has working facilities in the Rocky Mountain, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio...
I want to RANT about friends, not just my friends, but ALL friends. Do you appreciate the close friendships that develop in a small town? I’ve lived in Kimball around 30 years but I’ve spent a good bit of time living outside of our fair town as well. Making friends in a city can be tough. It can take years to make real friends and then you may not always get a closeness that you can develop in a small town. Small towns do, thankfully, force us to be nice. Nice to more than just our neighbors. Nice to our postmen, waitresses, bartender, gro...
Inspection Oilfield Services/PCI/Castronics (IOS) found a resolution, correction and refund to their 2015 personal property tax at the Tax Equalization and Review Commission (TERC) in Grand Island earlier this summer. The total amount of refund due to the company is $41,012.32. According to Kimball County Treasurer, Diana Quicke, there are fifteen separate subdivisions in Kimball County that are legally bound to refund IOS within 30 days of written notice and by Sept. 15, 2016. Rebates from county departments are as follows: $7,844.09 from the...
An unexpected turn out was welcomely received at the Kimball High volleyball Glow Run last Saturday evening. Nearly one hundred people ran and walked in the 5K event that started at the high school, looped around Elm street, back towards Gotte Park and then ended at the high school coming from the east on 8th Street. Jeri Ferguson and her team worked hard marking the route with glow sticks and flourescent paint, organizing the seniors on ATV's to help light the way, working with the police to...
Following negotiations, more than $40,000 in tax revenue will be refunded to Inspection Oilfield Services (IOS), formerly known as Castronics. This was reported at the regular Kimball County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The report was given following typical board items such as approving the agenda and reviewing reports and correspondence were complete the board moved on to the monthly updates. County Treasurer, Diana Quicke addressed the board concerning possible repayment of a partial tax refund for the 2015 personal pr...
Finance was an aspiration of David Lockwood's since 7th grade, now the Kimball High School graduate is living his dream. After graduation, Lockwood attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he excelled in his higher education, eventually earning himself honors and highest distinction upon graduation from the university in 2002 in Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance. Although spending much of his time studying, he had some fun jobs and was able to enjoy both...
The Seniors of Kimball High School (KHS) are putting together a Glow Run to raise money for the theater, and Friends of the Goodhand. Part of KHS teacher Jeri Ferguson’s curriculum is having the kids be more involved with the community. “They came up with the Glow Run to fundraise money for the movie theater to stay open,” said Ferguson. She was thrilled that they came up with a way so that the whole community could enjoy a night as well. A Glow Run is a 5K Run/Walk event that is a one of a kind experience held after dark that is less about...
I need the sun, it’s like I’m a sunflower or something, I need the sun for its dose of Vitamin D and to keep from getting seasonal affective disorder. So I do, truly, love summer but I am seriously RAVING about the recent trend towards cooler nights. I do not have AC and I just don’t sleep well when it’s too warm at night, so I am truly grateful to mamma earth and the turning of the seasons that we are heading into autumn. I look forward to evenings cuddled on the couch with my cats and great dane, sipping a cup of hot cocoa and a snackin...
Lifelong Kimball woman, Marie Janicek, received this week's Yard of the Week. A bountiful multitude of perennial wildflowers has graced Marie's impeccably manicured yard throughout the summer. Black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, fiesta daisies, bachelor buttons, columbine, purple flowering catnip, several varieties of coreopsis and other perennials dance happy circles around trees and flank the house. Flowering dogwoods grace the corners at the front of her home while 'Karl Forrester'...
An eclectic mix of song and poetry usually found in larger venues will be gracing a prairie stage in peaceful Bushnell this weekend. Deb Carpenter-Nolting and husband Tim Nolting have been a large part of the Bushnell Days festival for many years. Deb has put a lot of energy, time and money into supporting Bushnell however, the events that she was supporting started to dwindle after awhile. One day she thought, “If I’m going to put this much time and effort into (a festival for Bushnell) I wanted it to be music.” So last year she and her family...
Seventeen new computers for every junior and a new 30 passenger bus approved for purchase by the Banner County Board of Education during the regular meeting on Aug 8. According to Lana Sides, superintendent, every junior that attends Banner school will receive a new Lenovo Thinkpad 15.6 inch laptop at the beginning of the school year at a cost of just more than $9,900. If those students meet certain criteria, such as maintaining good grades and attendance, they can then keep those laptops. Students that do not meet the criteria, but wish to...
A potential $3 million correction was reviewed at the Tax Equalization Review Committee (TERC) and returned to Kimball with just a $1.8 million correction. Kimball County Assessor Sherry Winstrom updated the Board of Equalization (BOE) about the matter at their regular meeting on Aug. 2 prior to contract review for Stanard Appraisal Services. Inspection Oilfield Services (IOS) believed their personal property was worth 2.9 million although the assessor’s office had it listed for 5.9 million. After review, the assessor realized there was some s...
Michael Ferguson, 20, son of Kerry and Jeri, and a 2015 Kimball High graduate will be starting his second year of college at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in less than two weeks. He is studying Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Communications with plans to return to Kimball in hopes to use what he's learned for both a career in radio, as well as ranching and farming. Ferguson has spent this summer at home here in Kimball, helping his family with their farming and ranching activities....
Sheila Newell, County Zoning Administrator updated the board on the county zoning project and notified commissioners that Aug. 16 is the final hearing for zoning in the City of Kimball at the regular Board of County Commissioner’s meeting on Aug. 2. Dave Hottell, County Highway Superintendent, gave an account of several places in the southwest part of the county where the previous week’s storm had caused washes on the roads. Significant repair was needed in a few places yet there were no complete wash outs and all roads remained passable. Cou...
I have a really interesting RANT this week. I actually had another rant all prepared in my head and then a little mouse told me that a certain city official was out at the dump, going thru trash, taking pictures and complaining about how a local family had not separated their trash correctly and mentioned huge fines. Now, this was not your normal dump deposit, this was a local farming family that was devastated by a tornado. Yes, a tornado. Their lives were turned literally upside-down. Now, there are a lot of truly good and compassionate peopl...
Last week's storms may have missed the city of Kimball but it was still devestating to many other parts of the county. Fields were leveled, full grown trees snapped in half, buildings damaged and vehicles totaled. On the evening of July 27, the first of two quick but hard hitting storms struck the southwestern part of Kimball county. These areas included Bushnell, Oliver Lake and thousands of acres of farmland. Many in the area had already finished wheat harvest. David and Shelly Norberg were lu...
Amy Sapp is Kimball's new Special Projects Coordinator for Economic Development. "I feel I'm a good fit because you could put me in a room with anybody and I'll find that common ground," she said. It's true even in her personal life, as she explains, "my friendship base is..." (extending her hands out as far as they can reach), really big." Amy grew up as the only child of Marilyn Baker and attended school in Eaton, Colo. After gradation she moved to Greeley, went to Aimes Community College,...