Planning is moving forward on a proposal to enclose the Chadron city swimming pool as a replacement for the indoor Chadron State State pool…which is being demolished as part of the renovation and expansion of the Armstrong Building.

Chadron City Council members last night gave City Manager Wayne Anderson the ok to form a study committee with city staff, Chadron State College vice president of administration Dale Grant, and members of a committee that’s already been looking into the idea as part of the Dawes County Joint Planning effort.

Anderson says the panel will take about 6 weeks to come up with the basic framework of what an indoor pool would offer and what funding sources other than taxes would be available to fund enclosing the outdoor pool.

CSC’s Grant and indoor pool supporters had come to the  council this past spring with the shared pool idea…which would have the college help with the construction and take the lead role in operating the converted pool.

Local dentist Dr Terry Owen is part of the Joint Planning pool group…the Swimming Pool Enclosure Enhancement and Development Option committee or SPEEDO, a pun on the famed line of competition swimsuits.

He says planning has been moving forward quietly but steadily with SPEEDO members talking with other cities, school districts, and organizations that have indoor pools about their operations and the features of their pools.

Owen says some features…such as a zero-level entry, splash pad, and slides…would require changes to the Chadron pool in conjunction with enclosing it and add to the cost.

Wayne Anderson says the new study committee should be able to complete its work in 6 weeks because of the outstanding preparation already done by the SPEEDO group.

Terry Owen says the pool conversion idea looks very beneficial to the city and its residents…both in terms of cost and its long-term impact on the health and wellness of local resident, including Chadron State students…but will take a community-wide effort to pull off.

The Chadron City Council has decided to move forward toward bidding a multi-million dollar project to upgrade the city’s storm sewer system through downtown and west along 1st Street.

When Al Hottovy of Leo A Daly in Omaha offered the original proposal early this year, the admittedly conservative estimate was $6.5-million dollars.

Hottovy says months of studies, including using tv cameras to check the condition of storm and sanitary sewer lines allowed the estimate to drop to $3.96-million…with the final bid price likely to be at least several hundred thousand dollars less than that as more details are finalized.

Hottovy says a key to the lower estimate was the discovery that the larger of 2 storm sewer lines on 1st Street…a 42″ pipe…is in good condition, allowing it to be used in parallel with a new 48″ line to expand the drainage capacity to handle a 100-year flood.

Both the 42″ and 48″ pipes will extend about a half-block beyond the end of the pavement at the west end of 1st Street where the current storm sewers empty into an open ditch. Hottovy says the extension will allow for a smoother discharge on into wetlands farther west.

Both the 100 and 200 blocks of Main Street and 1st Street from Main to Pine will be repaved with 6″ of concrete as part of the project, which Hottovy says should eliminate the need for any major street work on them for decades.

The project will also add a second 8″ water line on the west side of Main Street…paralleling the existing line on the east side and eliminate the need for long service line connections

One of the biggest concerns raised by city council members, downtown business owners, and other citizens when the storm sewer project was first suggested was the impact of closing Main Street through downtown, but Hottovy says the current proposal avoids that problem.

He says traffic will continue in both directions throughout the project with parking available on at least one side at nearly all times, although the location of the lanes and parking will change as the work progresses.

The proposed project will also replace a failing 18″ sanitary sewer line down 1st Street west of Main. Hottovy says the line uses clay pipes installed in the 1920’s, adding that the street and manholes are starting to subside in the areas where the current pipes are showing the most failure.

No timetable has been set for going to bid or construction, but the overall project is being timed to be completed before the state upgrades the drainage on 3rd Street-Highway 20 as part of a Nebraska Department of Roads repaving project.

Hottovy and NDOR district engineer Craig Lind say the highway project won’t go to bid until September 2014 at the earliest. The city’s cost-share for that project is a little over $1.2-million dollars.

A Grand Jury has found that law enforcement did not commit any criminal acts concerning the death of 27-year-old Andy Gonzalez of Alliance during the June 12 standoff at Thiele Pharmacy in downtown Alliance.

Box Butte County Attorney Kathleen Hutchinson says the Grand Jury returned a finding of “No True Bill,” which means there is no probable cause to determine a crime was committed by law enforcement.

The Grand Jury convened recently in the Box Butte County District Courtroom to hear testimony regarding the standoff with Gonzalez, who died in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement.

Gonzalez’ death ended a 15-hour standoff which resulted in a hostage and three law enforcement officers being wounded. All have recovered from their injuries.

Nebraska law requires a Grand Jury be convened anytime someone dies while in the process of apprehension or in the custody of law enforG
cement.

Once again, it didn’t take long for the Historical Christmas Dinner at Fort Robinson State Park to sell out all 200 tickets. Tickets for the December 1st dinner went on sale at the park and in Chadron and Harrison this morning at 8:00, and were sold out in 22 minutes.

Assistant Park Superintendent Deb Kennedy is used to the tickets going quickly, but the speed of today’s sales still surprised her a bit.

Kennedy says it took about 45-minutes to sell out last year, but this year the park office was out of tickets in 11-minutes. Sales in Chadron and Harrison were halted at that time with 1 ticket left in both towns, and those were gone as soon as phone sales opened at 8:20.

This is the 18th year for the Historical Christmas Dinner, which recreates a menu from a Christmas dinner served at Fort Robinson when it was an active military post.

This year’s menu is from the 1933 Christmas dinner…which includes roast turkey with White House dressing, snowflake potatoes, creamed peas, Westchester corn, candied sweet potatoes; fruit salad, cranberry sauce, fruit cake and pumpkin pie.

Kennedy isn’t sure why the event, which encourages guests to dress in period attire, is so popular, but thinks the historic nature of Fort Robinson and the use of authentic military menus are part of the reason.

The dinner is a cooperative project of the park, the Nebraska State Historical Museum, and the northern Panhandle area…with guests encouraged to dress in period attire, in this case, the early 1930s. Kennedy thinks that’s one reason the event is so popular.

Fort Robinson is still looking for organizations and individuals interested in decorating historical buildings at the park for Christmas…when many of the buildings get blankets of lights. Kennedy says anyone interested in helping with Christmas lights at Fort Robinson can call the park office at 308-665-2900 for more information.

Tuesday’s general election will focus not only on Obama and Romney, but also several local races.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Alliance residents will vote at the Burkholder Education Center (former National Guard Armory) at 7th and Black Hills.   Hemingford and its area residents will vote at the St. Bridget Parish Center at 801 Niobrara Avenue.   Western, eastern and northeastern rural Box Butte County residents will vote on the first floor of the courthouse at 6th and Box Butte in Alliance.

This reminder, if you checked our an absentee (or early voting) ballot, your ballot must be returned to the county clerk’s office by 7 p.m., Tuesday.  Please DO NOT take your ballot to any of the polling places.

In Box Butte County, four people are vying for three positions on the Alliance School Board.  They include incumbents Troy Schnell, Terry Curtiss, and Duane Dobson, as well as challenger, Deb Grothen-Wegehoft.

Three people are competing for two positions on the Alliance City Council, including, challenger Lori Rowley, and incumbents Wally Seiler and Fred Feldges.

Longtime Box Butte County Commissioner Cap Brixius has chosen not to seek re-election, and voters will chose between former commissioner Marv Toedtli (D) of Alliance, and Doug Hashman (R) of Berea.

Four people are running for three positions on the Hemingford Village Board, including, Jim Keegan, Deb Planansky, Kenneth Luce, and Marion Lee Cheek.

In the race for Hemingford School Board, in Ward A, Hemingford residents will choose between Trish Schumacher and Blaine Magnuson, in Ward B, Alan Roland is running unopposed, and in Ward C, J.D. Sutphen is also running unopposed.

Box Butte County voters will also help select:

President and Vice President of the United States

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – Republican

Barrack Obama and Joe Biden – Democrat

Gary Johnson and James Gray – Libertarian

Randall Terry and Marjorie Smith — By petition

United States Senate

Deb Fischer – Republican

Bob Kerrey – Democrat

House of Representatives – Third District

Adrian Smith – Republican

Mark Sullivan – Democrat

Nebraska Legislature District 43 (Alliance and eastern Box Butte County)

Al Davis of Hyannis

John Ravenscroft of Nenzel

Nebraska Legislative District 47 (Hemingford and the remainder of rural Box Butte County)

Ken Schliz of Ogallala (running unopposed)

County and District Court Judges – a yes or no vote.

Shall Judge of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court James Michael Fitzgerald be retained?

Shall District Court Judge Derek Weimer be retained?

Shall County Court Judge Russell Harford be retained?

Western Nebraska Community College Board of Governors – District 3

Rich Stickney of Alliance (running unopposed)

Western Nebraska Community College Board of Governors – At Large

Tom Perkins (running unopposed)

Four Nebraska Constitutional Amendments are also on the ballot, with voters casting a simple yes or no.

Amendment One — Authorize impeachment of civil officers for acts that occur in pursuit of the office.

Amendment Two — The right to hunt, fish, and to harvest wildlife as a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife.

Amendment Three — Changing Legislative term limits from two consecutive four-year terms to three consecutive four-year terms.

Amendment Four — Increase the salary of members of the Nebraska Legislature from $12,000 a year to $22,000 a year.

Continuous election coverage begins at 7 p.m., Tuesday on AM 1400, KCOW Radio.

Election results also will be available throughout the evening on Double Q Country and on the Panhandle Post web site.

At left, 2011 Box Butte County Outstanding 4-H member Ellie Applegarth congratulates the 2012 recipient, Cody Henderson.

Over 200 people were on hand for the annual Box Butte County 4-H Achievement Night last night at the fairgrounds in Hemingford.

The evening began with an update on the new livestock pavilion by Jay Meyring, who told the crowd that construction is well underway. He says it is hopeful that the building is enclosed by Nov. 10. He says the goal is to have the structure completed sometime in December.

Alliance High Freshman Cody Henderson was named Box Butte County’s outstanding 4-H member.  

Henderson also won the livestock all-around award, while Abby Bright was honored with the Ida Fodnes Memorial Family and Consumer Science award. Lane Applegarth was given the small animal all around award.

Herdsmanship awards were presented to Ali Iossi for beef; Emily Knote for swine; Anna Adam and Madison Adam for goat and sheep, and Brett Prelle for the Little Red Barn (rabbits and poultry).

The “I Dare You” award went to Ellie Applegarth, a senior at AHS.

The Heart of 4-H award was presented to Clint and Kristen Kesterson, while Keith Carter was presented the Outstanding 4-H Leader Award.

Longtime County Fair Swine Superintendent Ron Henzler was also presented a special award for 20 years of volunteer service to the Box Butte County 4-H program, which, right now serves roughly 220 members.