Kimball council approves improvement requests

The Kimball City Council approved three Main Street Design and Improvement grant requests at its regularly scheduled meeting July 21.

The first of the three requests came from the Kimball State Bank for landscaping improvements at 205 S. Locust Street in Kimball.

“I want to improve all sides of it, but we may wait for a little bit to do the big lot behind the dentist’s office,” said Josh Enevoldsen, representing the bank. “We are going to put up some trees that can kind of block out the neighbors a little bit.”

Enevoldsen said that while he originally planned to do the work himself, he recently hired the job out and is anxious to complete the project. The plan includes seeding buffalo grass, and the window of opportunity is closing.

“I want it done as soon as possible,” Enevoldsen said.

Council member John Morrison complimented Enevoldsen on the drawn plans and the council approved the grant request for a total of $3,000.

The second grant application came from Beer and Loathing, making it the second request from the downtown business.

“There was some discussion among the committee whether or not they were ineligible to receive this,” City Administrator Daniel Ortiz stated. “They haven’t reached the maximum amount allowed to an entity. They went ahead and recommended approval of this request.”

The first request was granted to assist with the cost of painting the bar and adding new signage, while this application is to split the cost of replacing the glass in the front window and door. Though it is unclear in the request whether the request is for the bar or the neighboring laundromat, council approved the request and granted a total of $508.25 to the establishment.

The final Main Street Design and Improvement grant application came from the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce for roofing repairs, one of the recently added allowable uses.

The owner of the building, Arne Christensen, requested $1,300 to repair a portion of the roof, though he stated in the request that major repairs are needed to bring the roof to proper condition.

Christensen indicated the repairs are not covered by his insurance company, and he is seeking assistance repairing the roof because he rents the building at a vastly reduced price.

The council approved the grant for the total amount of $1,300.

The council approved an economic development grant request for $500 for the Kimball County Visitors Committee for what was termed a public relations move meant to mirror the support shown the local Visitors Center by Scottsbluff and Gering.

The local visitors committee sought the council’s support to be a sponsor for a balloon festival in the twin cities. The event and sponsorship also present an opportunity to market the local visitors center.

“There are five tickets that go with this, and Jo Caskey (Visitor’s Center Director) is going to have a drawing out there,” Mayor Keith Prunty said. “She decided to have two tickets for one and three for another.”

The council considered replacing the current street sweeper with a new unit of the same make, an Elgin Pelican.

“Our street crew prefers the Elgin because it offers being able to drive it on either the passenger or driver side,” Ortiz stated. “If you ever see Randy (Jefferson, the street sweeper operator), you will see him sticking his head out the window trying to see what is out there.”

The other sweeper, a Global, would present visual impairments as well as it offers a single seat in the center of the vehicle and it requires the operator to use a system of cameras to view the street that is being swept.

Jim Shoup, Kimball street department supervisor, advised the board that the current unit, a 2003 model, has 5,169 hours and 17,812 miles.

“That’s three miles an hour, by the way, and it is one of the most used pieces of equipment we have,” Shoup said. “We put a little under $9,000 worth of repairs into it last year.”

The replacement parts that have already been purchased for the current model are interchangeable with the new machine, he said.

“I appreciate that you took into consideration the replacement parts that you have on hand with this one,” council member Christy Warner said.

“The reason Randy likes this one is that you can see frontwards and backwards,” Shoup said. “The Global, you are relying on cameras. And we just don’t like that tricycle front end, it didn’t really trip his trigger.”

Shoup said that with the ease of use, with Randy gone for any reason, another employee can fill in and run the new unit easily.

The total cost of the unit is $188,045 with a trade-in value for the current unit of $30,000. The council has already budgeted $125,000 toward the purchase of the unit. The council could finance the remainder or the remaining amount could come directly from the coming fiscal year budget this fall.

“We haven’t budgeted the full amount yet,” Ortiz said. “We will have to decide if we want to finance.”

The council voted to approve the purchase and finance the remainder of the total cost.

The council also:

- Approved the mayor’s appointments to the Kimball Housing Agency. They are Mary Larkin to replace Bob Kellner and Adrian Fuss to fill the new position

- Heard an update on the removal of dead trees in Kimball, including 14 in Gotte Park. The watering system had to be turned of to allow the trees to be removed. More than 100 dead tree notices were given. The South Platte Natural Resources District also has $2,900 in grants available for citizens to assist with these.

- Established the rates for mowing at $100 per hour per employee with a minimum of two employees. There will also be an administration fee.

- Awarded a bid to Z&S Construction for the landfill closure at $492,000 with a goal to have the completed within three months. That would give the city another six months to cap it. Money for the expense will come from the closure fund certificate of deposit.