Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 107
Ordinance #830, which updated the city code relating to Unsafe Buildings and Property Maintenance, generated some strong opinions at the Kimball City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 16. The new ordinance attempts to link the unsafe buildings and nuisance codes. The new ordinance addresses unsafe structures and property maintenance. It also sets minimum standards for what constitutes a safe home. City Attorney Matt Turman explained that the government cannot deprive someone of life, liberty and property without due process. The ordinance and co...
Kimball-Banner County Fair goers will notice a new pavilion constructed this past weekend by members of the Ag Society and volunteers from Clean Harbors. The pavilion will be used for the free hamburger feed and as the beer garden during the rodeo. Below: Elizabeth Perry poses with her Clover Kid project, a Hereford bucket calf named Fire Blue Crystal that she'll be showing at the Kimball-Banner County Fair....
After two public hearings, the Kimball City Council voted to approve and adopt the new zoning ordinance and the new comprehensive plan at the June 18 meeting. John Shepherd from Marvin Planning said they had been working with the City of Kimball and the planning commission for over a year, updating the comprehensive plan and zoning regulations. Marvin Planning held a town hall meeting, conducted surveys and got people’s opinions to develop the plans. According to Shepherd, the comprehensive plan is the strategic plan for the city, and it is the...
Two bids were accepted by the Kimball City Council on June 18 for a chip seal project and concrete repair projects. Areas affected include the site of the new Clean Harbors apartments. The chip seal project includes parts of High School, Marion and Cedar streets, while the concrete repair projects include the 7th and Vista intersection, 6th Street pavement repair near Chestnut, and Evergreen pavement repairs near 8th Street. Timing was perfect for the 7th and Vista intersection project because the sewer and water lines for the Clean Harbor...
A construction bid from Anderson-Shaw Construction totaling $473,569 for two sewer extension projects on Nadine Street (a duplex) and 7th Street (Clean Harbors apartments) was denied by the City Council due to concerns about the cost at the June 4 Kimball City Council meeting. Olson Engineering, the city’s engineering firm, recommended that the council deny the bid for the sewer extensions. It was decided that the City of Kimball could handle the project internally at a much lower cost. Estimates of the costs for doing it internally were e...
Work began May 30 to set Clean Harbors apartments on their foundations across from Kimball County Manor in Kimball. Manor residents anxiously watched the progress and provided a variety of opinions on the process and method. Clean Harbors sponsored an ice cream social for their neighbors at the manor as the new apartments were put in place....
Plans are being made for the Kimball Longhorn All-School Reunion to occur next year after a decade absence. Set aside July 4, 5 and 6 of 2025 to renew old friendships and start new relationships. Chairperson Kim Baliman is thrilled to see the diverse representation from all age groups, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and the event is a true reflection of our community. Events that have been considered are numerous and include a 4th of July parade, car show, wine tasting, softball tourney...
The Kimball City Council conducted six public hearings at its Tuesday, April 16, meeting. The hearings were to subdivide and rezone three specific areas destined for new housing. The Lighthouse subdivision, owned by Clean Harbors, Inc., located west of Highway 71 and south of Kimball’s Ninth Street, was re-platted and rezoned to include a mix of single-family and multifamily districts. The only comment received was from council candidate Austin Garner. He said that “there was a missed opportunity” because a park and a walking trail shoul...
Some of the new apartments for Clean Harbors Environmental Services employees have arrived and are waiting on the east side of Kimball for ground work to be completed at their final destination by Paul Reed Construction. These apartments will be located across the street from Kimball County Manor. Clean Harbors is involved with multiple developments in Kimball to accommodate employees being hired to meet its expansion needs....
Preparations are being made for the construction of apartments across the street from Kimball County Manor, top center, for employees of expanding Clean Harbors Environmental Services. The lots were leveled and infrastructure has been installed. The premanufactured units should be arriving soon, and expectations are that the 16 units will be ready for occupancy sometime in May. There are eight one-bedroom rentals, four two-bedroom units, and 4-three bedroom units planned....
New housing is taking shape in Kimball to accommodate new hires needed for the major Clean Harbors expansion. In addition to other residential growth that Clean Harbors is backing locally, the environmental services giant has contracted with a company to bring mobile homes into Kimball. Stahla's Trailer Park, above, is the sight of 25 such new mobile homes that are being set up and prepared as rentals....
Gov. Pillen arrived in Kimball for the Kimball Health Services hospital ribbon cutting on Monday, Feb 26, but he also tended to other business. The governor and his entourage landed on the newly resurfaced Kimball Municipal Airport runway 10/28 and found the landing was incredible. The resurfacing project recently received a 2023 Project of the Year award from the state. Before the ribbon cutting, Pillen met with KCTS staff and toured Kimball Public Schools. Pillen and members of his Department...
Kimball County Transit Service Administrator Christy Warner informed the Kimball County Commissioners at their Tuesday meeting that Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Transportation Director Vicki Kramer will visit the transit service Feb. 26 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Statistics for KCTS also were presented by Warner. Of 33,943 rides for the calendar year 2023, 61% were from Kimball County. Other numbers showed that 8,843 rides were educational and preschool, school or college; 3,690 rides were for employment; 2,086 were deliveries f...
After public hearings and agenda items, the Kimball City Council rezoned two properties from single family residential to multi-family residential for a planned Clean Harbors housing developent. At the public hearings, the council heard neighbors of the properties voice concerns about traffic, the number of apartments, and the stipulation that Clean Harbors open the apartments to the general public. The two rezoned tracts directly north of Kimball County Manor were re-plated to one tract. The...
The discussion on Gotti Park playground equipment and surfacing consumed a significant amount of time at the Kimball City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, Nov. 21. A variety of colors for the playground surfacing were discussed, but no decision was made. Concerns were raised about the heat retention and pricing of the surface. Other suggestions included matching the surface with the red, white and blue structure. A cost difference between the current funds and expenses for the playground...
Main Street Market hosted a wild and intense Supermarket Sweep on Friday, the brainchild of Kimball Jr/Sr High School Principal Danielle Reader to benefit the Kimball Food Pantry. Thirty-two students from Kimball Jr./High School raced, ran, searched and scoured the shelves for the 61 items on the shopping list. Reader explained that "Throughout the years, our school community, comprising both staff and students, has dedicated itself to various endeavors aimed at gathering essential food items...
The incoming chief executive officer of Kimball Health Services said she not only recognizes the challenges of being in charge of Kimball's new $43 million hospital, she's ready to meet them head-on. "I am elated for the opportunity the Board of Directors has given me at KHS," said Cassie Gasseling, who takes over as CEO Jan. 17. "We have a great team here who puts patient care first and I look forward to continuing to work with them in a leadership role." A Kansas State University graduate,...
At the "topping" ceremony for Clean Harbors' Kimball expansion, company CEO Eric Gerstenberg said Tuesday that the construction phase of the new Kimball incinerator will be completed by 2024 and the incinerator operational by early 2025. "With the addition of this new incinerator and the jobs it brings, our commitment to Kimball and Western Nebraska will only deepen," he said. "Today is not just about acknowledging a milestone; it is about instituting a brighter and more prosperous future in...
Gov. Jim Pillen addressed a group of Kimball County residents on Monday afternoon during a town hall meeting at KCTS headquarters. Pillen said he wants to be the governor of everyone in Nebraska, all Nebraskans. He stressed that Nebraskans all have to live within their means, and a high priority for the state is to be more financially responsible. Pillen explained that four things are what he has focused on throughout his life and continues to focus on as governor: kids, taxes, agriculture and...
Korby D. Swantkoski, 57, of Bushnell, died in Kimball on Friday, August 18, 2023. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday September 16, 2023 at the Sagebrush in Kimball. Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday, September 15, 2023 from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m. to sign the register book and leave condolences for the family. Friends may also visit www.cantrellfh.com to view his tribute wall and share stories with the family. Memorials may be given in memory of Korby to the family...
Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter, RN-BSN, plans to retire in January, KHS announced Monday. Hunter, who turned 74 on Aug. 19, has served as CEO at the Kimball hospital and rural health clinic since January of 2011. He served two years as director of nursing at KHS after joining the staff as a night nurse in 2006. Hunter received the prestigious Nebraska Hospital Association's "Caring Kind" award in 2013. The award honors outstanding health care employees who have demonstrated compassion...
After months of negotiations and executive sessions, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, the Kimball County Commissioners voted to sell the High Point Welcome Center of Western Nebraska property located at 204 South Kimball Boulevard and the adjacent land to Big D Oil Co. of Rapid City, S.D. The selling price was $500,000. Big D Oil’s possible plan is to operate a truck stop at the site. It is a family owned business with 39 retail stores in western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and northern Colorado. As for the welcome center’s future, it was not dis...
At the Kimball City Council meeting on July 18, City Administrator Annette Brower addressed key issues regarding the missile project. Brower said the Pioneer Camp will be in place in 2024 and the Housing Hub for hundreds of project workers at a time will be built and operational in 2025. The Pioneer Camp will house workers who will construct the hub. In another matter, Mayor John Morrison commented on a story on July 13 front page of the Observer about Hometown Hardware. Referring to a water main break that affected the business, Morrison said...
Here's a portion of the 150 acres that the City of Kimball annexed on the west side of Highway 71 on the south end of the city. Clean Harbors has acquired a 60-acre, 120-lot section of the land for housing to help accommodate new employees as it expands....
Over three days –Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week – the Kimball City Council annexed and rezoned 150 acres of land contiguous to the City of Kimball to the south. The council conducted all three readings of the ordinance within the week. On Tuesday evening, the council met for its regular meeting. The first item on the agenda was a public hearing on Ordinance No. 821, the annexation. With no comment from anyone, the council approved the first reading of the ordinance. The planning commission previously approved the annexation. Add...