Plans Progress To Sell Kimball Event Center

The Kimball City Council passed a resolution Dec. 17 giving the city the legal ability to sell the Kimball Event Center. A number of steps must be taken for the sale to occur over the next several weeks or more.

"The Kimball Event Center has not been financially successful for some time" said Dan Dean, city administrator. "The council has been looking to sell the event center" and get it back on the tax rolls for the past three years.

The conditions of the deal between the seller, the city of Kimball, and the potential buyers, Rich and Kelli Patterson of Kimball, are still being negotiated.

Once confirmed by both parties, the terns of the sale must be published in a public notice for three weeks. A 30-day period is then set aside when the public would be able to remonstrate (protest) or voice reasons in opposition.

In order to complete remonstrate, a petition is required with signatures of at least 30% of the voters from the last municipal election.

While the details of the sell are still being confirmed, the primary function of the building must remain the same, ass an event center. The Kimball Fitness Center in the building is one of the items yet to be decided, but Dean was adamant that the fitness center would remain there or be moved to another location and remain in Kimball.

In other business, the council approved the mayor's appointments for boards, positions, committees, newspapers, radio station and banks.

The Board of Public Works recommended and the council approved the purchase of two, three-phase reclosers (switches) for the east substation. These new switches are digital, while the old ones were analogue. This will help to produce stabilized electric production.

The council has continued exploring the options of a new swimming pool and were provided quotes. The cost would between $1.7 million to 2.1 million dollars. Discussion will continue.

In an effort to keep Kimball's parks updated, Ordinance No. 774 was read for the third and final time and passed. This ordinance will require 75% of Keno funds to be designated to park infrastructure. The funds cannot be used for operational expenses but only for infrastructure within the park system.

Business Facade Improvement Grants were awarded to Kimball State Bank and GRI. A New Business Incentive Grant was awarded to Bright's Equipment and Service, LLC, and a Business Infrastructure Grant was awarded to Karen's Kitchen.

The council received the stakeholder semiannual report from Kimball Wind, which consists of 12 GE 2.5-116 wind turbines. The project has been operational since June 2018. According to the report, "The power is sold to the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, the not-for-profit wholesale electricity supply organization of Nebraska Municipal Power Pool Energy."

The average wind speed, 8.4 miles per second, has been below the predicted average wind speed of 8.9 miles per second. It still has produced 57,744,525 kWh (kilowatt hours), the equivalent of the annual energy used by 4,890 homes.

In another matter, the council accepted the immediate resignation of council member Christy Warner in a Dec. 13 letter to Mayor Keith Prunty.

Here's the content of the letter.

"It is with my deepest regret, I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign my elected position on the City Council, effective immediately. I do not believe that I can serve the citizens of Kimball in the spirit and capacity I once did. I must focus the energy and determination I once used to serve the Kimball community to more personal family matters. It was a privilege and honor for me to work towards progress with the committees, boards and council."