Commissioners look at improving courthouse

The Kimball County Commissioners discussed making improvements to the county courthouse at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Commissioners heard a preliminary report from architect Jerry Berggren of Berggren Architects in Lincoln about space utilization improvements and energy saving measures. Berggren toured the courthouse last month and used a previous energy efficiency report to present preliminary information Tuesday.

Berggren said some offices, such as the county sheriff’s office, are overcrowded. Very little of the courthouse space is underutilized, he said.

Looking at the courthouse layout, he said some offices naturally have a need to be close together. He said this should be considered if offices are to be moved. That has not yet been decided.

Other amenities to be looked at include windows, lighting, piping and more. He said there are also a few code deficiencies that need to be addressed.

The architect said most counties that he has worked with do the improvements in phases. He also said the county could take advantage of historical tax credits.

Berggren said the first step is to complete a courthouse master plan. He could provide the service at a cost of $9,750. Commissioners agreed to look at the information he provided and most likely give him an answer at the April 21 meeting.

The commissioners also approved two joint ventures with the City of Kimball. They agreed to jointly repair a portion of Gilliland Drive and split the costs with the city.

The two entities also preliminarily agreed to jointly purchase an asphalt sealing machine, although final details have not been worked out.

The city’s current unit is a 1994 model. City Administrator Daniel Ortiz said the city plans to purchase a new unit in the next fiscal year. Ortiz, commissioners and road department officials from both entities agreed that the joint purchase would benefit both the city and the county. The city and county road departments will look at specifics of a new unit to prepare for a purchase.

The commissioners also:

- Heard a report from county tourism director Jo Caskey that a metal music festival is likely to take place in the county over Labor Day weekend, but details are not yet finalized. The festival will include at least 40 bands, and is expected to bring in between 500 and 2,000 people.

- Caskey also reported that the visitor center had its 18,000th visitor Monday morning. It has been open almost 21 months.

- Approved to go out for bids for a new small backhoe for the county road department.

- Authorized former commissioner Larry Brower to negotiate the choice gas selection for county facilities.

- Approved an interlocal agreement between the county highway department and the City of Kimball, Village of Bushnell and Village of Dix regarding the use of highway equipment in the event of a disaster.

- Approved an interlocal agreement with the University of Nebraska on behalf of the extension agency for a change of position within the local office. It was tabled last month while seeking additional information from Cheyenne County.

- Took a tour of the county jail for the yearly jail inspection.