City continues for support for High Point Welcome Center

Kimball City Council heard a request to extend the Economic Development Grant to the High Point Welcome Center at their recent council meeting.

“In 2012 the City and County entered into an agreement to match one another at $1,000 each month for the Visitor’s Center,” Special Projects Coordinator Amy Sapp reported. “The Economic Development Committee recommended giving $1,000 a month for five more years.”

The local visitor’s center is also receiving support from neighboring communities including, $10,000 annually from the City of Gering, $4,000 annually from Scotts Bluff County, $2,000 annually from both Morrill and Dawes Counties and other support in the form of advertising.

In addition to $12,000 each from the City of Kimball and Kimball County, the High Point Welcome Center receives support in the form of subsidized utilities.

The visitor’s center opened in July 2013 and has seen more than 12,000 visitors, on average, annually.

“This one is going to be tough for me. I think for every positive I hear, I hear three or four negatives,” council member Kim Baliman said.

“I feel we could be doing more. I think we can do more events – helping things like the Ranch Rodeo grow, make these events grow,” Sapp said. “I think it is needed, though; the visitor’s center is needed.”

As she made the motion to approve the request, council member Christy Warner said, “Let them know that we really need them to step up and continue to move forward as they first did.”

The motion passed, with Baliman as the sole dissenting vote.

As September nears, the City of Kimball Street Department is preparing for their annual chip seal work on city streets. Crews have already tarred quite a few of the cracks they have seen.

City Road Department supervisor Jim Shoup presented the 2017 chip seal project proposal which includes 14 blocks totaling more than 23,000 square feet.

Streets scheduled to be sealed are Nadine Street from Fifth to Ninth, Eighth Street from Oak to Washington and Sixth Street from Chestnut to Dowd Court.

The project will cost $73,013.75, decreased from the budgeted amount of $75,000.

“We used to budget $85,000 - $90,000,” Shoup said. “Last year we decided to drop that down to $75,000 for budget concerns.”

Council unanimously approved the project.

Council also:

Heard the Mayor’s appointment of Stephanie McElroy to the Economic Development Committee. McElroy will replace Josh Enevoldsen, who resigned to sit on a different committee.

Unanimously approved the Airport Authority Board’s property tax request of $25,355.26 for repayment of a bond with an additional $20,000 for operations and capital projects.

Approved a Business Facade Improvement Grant to the Goodhand Theater in the amount of $616.17 for reimbursement of half the cost of the new exterior doors.

Heard a report from Rosie Russell, Clerk of the City of Kimball, regarding the Childrens’ Mobile Museum.