The Alliance City Council has directed city staff to investigate the possibilities of the city assuming Carhenge and its surrounding property.

The possibility of Carhenge becoming a city of Alliance entity was presented to the Alliance City Council Thursday night by Friends of Carhenge board members Marcia Buck, Dave Pearse, and Kendra Schott.

The trio provided a variety of reasons for offering the city the 25-year-old tourist attraction, including the fact that the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Revenue Commission has ruled that Carhenge is no longer tax exempt, and will be subject to property taxes beginning this year.

Friends of Carhenge propose turning over all assets, including a bank note of $5,350, and fixed assets of approximately $113,000.

City Manager J.D. Cox says the Friends of Carhenge being forced to pay property taxes makes the entity’s chances of operating in the black very difficult.

Cox says it will be spring before the issue is brought back to the council and, he believes a public forum should be held to “fully flush” out the idea.

City Attorney Howard Olsen will also investigate the legalities of the city taking over the tourist attraction, which was sustains several thousand visitors each year.

Friends of Carhenge put the facility up for sale over a year ago, but those interested in purchasing it wanted to dismantle Carhenge and move it to another location outside Box Butte County.

Scottsbluff-area authorities say an interview with the teenager whose reported threats in April of “end of the world” violence in December led a lockout day at local schools today showed no direct danger. As a result, no arrests have been made.

Police were finally able to reach the former VALTS alternative school student this morning and described the boy as cooperative…as his family had been throughout the investigation that began Wednesday after a VALTS teacher told the Scottsbluff School Resource Officer about the non-specific threats the teen had made in April

The investigation revealed that while the boy did make some statements that could be interpreted as threats, they did not include threat to shoot anyone and no specific locations were identified as targets. VALTS officials had dealt with the matter internally, and the boy returned to the school this fall.

When the 8-month old threat was brought up again by the teacher Wednesday, VALTS, the Gering Public Schools, and Community Christian School in Scottsbluff…the only ones in the Twin Cities not yet on Christmas break…decided to operate on lockout mode today.

Each school locked its doors after student arrived, with visitors denied access until contacting the school office and being cleared to enter.

 

 Students from the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have won this year’s Language Bowl, part of the Lakota Nation Invitational.

The Red Cloud students beat out the other teams to win the bowl, which focuses on the use of the Lakota language.  Topics covered during the bowl included the environment, ceremonial terms, biology and sentence structures.

Team member Savannah Jensen says all the students are interested in the Lakota culture and the language. She says her teacher encourages the students to use the language outside of the classroom.

The Lakota Nation Invitational is in its 36th year in Rapid City. The event brings together students from predominantly Native American schools to compete in basketball, wrestling, language and knowledge competitions.

 

U-S Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has turned down a request to come to Hot Springs to talk about the VA’s proposed reorganization plan that would close the Hot Springs VA Medical Center, but will meet with opponents of the plan next month in Washington, DC.

Eight members of the South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming congressional delegations had written Shinseki in October, urging him to come to Hot Springs to see the facilities and discuss the proposal, but he said in a letter dated Wednesday that it wasn’t possible and that one of his undersecretaries could meet with the lawmakers in Washington.

The response was unacceptable to the three members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation…Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune and Congresswoman Kristi Noem…leading Johnson, chairman of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, to push for something more.

He got it in a Thursday phone call with Shinseki during which he emphasized how important it was that the secretary meet with opponents of the VA plan and hear directly from veterans and area communities.

Shinseki then agreed to meet in Washington sometime next month with representatives from the Save the VA Committee. Johnson, who will host the meeting, says he’s looking forward to the discussion.

The VA unveiled its reorganization plan last December. It calls for replacing the Hot Springs center with an outpatient clinic and dialysis unit, a new residential rehabilitation center in Rapid City, and expanded contracting for medical services through hospitals and health care providers across its service area.

Supporters of the Hot Springs center formed the Save the VA Committee…which developed its own competing plan that would expand operations in Hot Springs with an inventive pilot program at what backers say would be a much lower cost than the VA plan.

In his letter saying “no” to the request for a visit, Shinseki said no decision has been made on the reorganization plan, but also offered a series of comments that generally support the idea.

He said a new outpatient clinic in Hot Springs would see VA providers continue to offer care in a “modern, more efficient building designed to provide primary care, mental health and some specialty care.”

Shinseki also wrote that expanding contract services would not be a major change since the VA had “purchased specialty and long-term care from community health-care facilities for over 20 years.”

 

Due to an increase in respiratory illness in the community, Box Butte General Hospital is restricting visitors to its facility.

No children under 18 are allowed to visit the hospital at this time. Children are allowed if they need medical treatment or testing.

“If you are sick, please do not visit the hospital other than to receive medical treatment or testing,” said Special Services Director Mary Mockerman, RN-CIC, CSW. “This includes having a sore throat, cough, fever, nasal congestion, cold or flu symptoms, vomiting or diarrhea.”

Ms. Mockerman urges the public to stay well by washing hands frequently to lessen exposure to sick people and staying home and away from public places if sick.

The public will be informed when the restriction is lifted.

ALLIANCE, NEBRASKA
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
School Board Meeting Room
1604 Sweetwater Avenue
December 20, 2012 – 7:00 p.m.

Televised live on Charter Cable Channel 6

AGENDA
– Call to Order
– Roll Call
– Open Meetings Act Announcement
For the public’s reference a copy of the Open Meetings Law has been posted on the north wall of this room in the audience area. This posting complies with the requirements of the Nebraska Legislature.

– Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

A. Introduction of New Employees
Christine Schultz – Customer Service Clerk
Shelbi Matthews – Administrative Secretary

B. Consent Calendar

C. Presentations
Friends of Carhenge

D. City Manager’s Report

E. Board Vacancies
The City is in receipt of an Application from Joni Merrigan to fill the vacancy on the Alliance Library Board for a term which will expire June 30, 2016. A copy of her application has been made a part of the packet for your review and consideration. The City of Alliance continues to have vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, A-2 Downtown Improvement Boards, Economic Development Plan Citizen Advisory Board, a Youth Representative on the Library Board,  and the Park and Tree Board. Starting in January, we will need appointments or re-appointments for the Board of Adjustment, Housing Authority, Planning Commission and Policy Advisory Board (which will need  to be representatives of the schools, Hispanic community, and religious community). Anyone interested in serving on these Boards should contact the City Clerk’s Office.Information on all of the City Boards is also available on our web site, www.cityofalliance.net.

F. Recap Actions

G. Executive Session

Pursuant to Section 84-1410 Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska 1943, Council finds it necessary to enter
into a closed session to conduct the performance evaluation of the City Manager.

– Adjournment