Council members handle heavy agenda

Awards, projects and reports were headlined during the City of Sidney City Council meeting last night at City Hall.

One new feature to Sidney’s Safeway however began the meeting and was approved by council members - the new feature being a Class C liquor license.

Lincoln attorney Tim O’Neil and Safeway manager Stephen Lowry were in attendance to answer any questions members of the council had on the matter.

“One thing I want to point out is why we are applying for a Class C,” said O’Neil. “This is not going to be an on-premises bar, but mainly it is off-sale. The reason I suggested we get a Class C is so that we can have product promotional tastings on occasion without having to come back for special designated licensing requirements.

“No bar is going to be in Safeway, it’s only in case they want to have a wine tasting,” he said.

The attorney continued that Safeway has been selling age-restricted items such as tobacco products for years, and that the process and in-store training for such items is already in place.

“You have Wal-Mart that already does this as a grocery store that sells liquor. So I think this is a natural extension to provide more products at and service at a good price for the community,” said O’Neil. “I think if when people come in and get groceries and they want to pick up a six-pack of beer for the football game I think that will be convenient for them to do that.”

Products will be displayed in one area of the store and where that area will be is still under discussion.

Council members approved the liquor license, as well as the manager application of Lowry.

Golf Course project

Next on the agenda was a report from Project One Integrated Services representatives, Mike Palumbo (cofounder and owner of the company) and Scott Bustos (a project manager for the company) on their recommendation of design service companies for the Golf Course Irrigation Project.

“We help with the selection of design and then contracted support in managing the project through the design and construction phase,” said Palumbo. “We help with major capital improvement projects.”

Project One has been in business since 1999 and has been involved in over 300 projects during that period of time, according to Palumbo.

The team proposed and city council members approved the recommendation of going with Staples Golf Resource Group, LLC for the project.

Bustos said that their team held a very competitive selection process when picking Staples Golf, and that they believe the company is most qualified to do the type of work the city wants.

“We developed a request for proposals from design firms that included an efficient irrigation system, reservoir storage and pumping system for the project with a 30-year life expectancy,” he said.

Bustos said that project approach, experience and qualifications were weighed heavily in the selection process.

“After interviews we felt that Staples Golf was the design service professional for the project,” he said.

“One of the questions I’ve been getting over the last couple weeks is the anticipated timeline,” said Roger Gallaway, a member of the council. “Rumors are going around about when work might start or might not start, and some people are worried about interruptions to the golf course. Giving the public a heads up and a timeline might be helpful.”

Palumbo said that an official time estimate could not be given until design documents are prepared and they ask the contractors what it would cost to work at the schedule provided versus the schedule most convenient for them.

However, he said that the team anticipates to start construction on the project in late August of this year – weather permitting – and to finish the work in November.

“However, if weather does not allow it or other conditions or cost does not allow it, there is a potential for them having to come back in the spring to finish. There are no conditions made whether we are going to do two holes at a time or nine holes yet; there are just no decisions yet,” said Palumbo. “It really needs some design work before we can make those recommendations.

“We do not anticipate designing being complete and being ready to go out to bid of the contractors until sometime in July.”

The cofounder and owner said that nothing should interfere with the golf course’s summer league, and that if the design team were to suggest that construction begin on parts of the course earlier than estimated that it would only be done in areas that did not impact golfers and their field of play.

City of Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston inquired the team as to whether or not the old irrigation pipe would be staying in the ground.

“The old pipe will be abandoned in place,” said Palumbo. “We will have to keep that system running while we build the new system so that you don’t have a period of time where you don’t have irrigation.”

The team also agreed to post facts on the new irrigation construction efforts at the golf course to dispel any rumors heard throughout town.

In regards to the previous heated debates on an ordinance modifying the city code on parking periods and exceptions, and large vehicle parking and methods of reinforcement, as well as the proposed cat licensing ordinance, council members held little discussion but have yet to make a final decision on either matter.

Large vehicle

regulations

City of Sidney Attorney J. Leef said that the vehicle ordinance had been modified slightly, and now states that instead of just including “truck parking” in some instances it would be changed to “large vehicle parking” in general.

She also reinforced the permitted hour limit as stated.

“In the maximum parking period and exceptions, it talks about that 72 hours,” she said. “Note that that is 72 hours for regular vehicles and specifically does not apply to recreational vehicles, which was the request of the chief at the time.”

Gaston also wanted to make clear that he checked and the notion of not allowing vehicles to block crosswalks was also added to the text.

Council members will have their third and potentially final reading of the ordinance at the next meeting and will make their decision on the matter.

Cat ordinance

clarification

Further clarification on the proposed cat ordinance also took place, and council members moved to designate the ordinance and have it read before council three more times so that there could be further discussion.

Council member Joe Arterburn asked Leef to redefine the ordinance to strike out that dogs must be leashed at all times in public.

“My intent was to take out ‘securely leashed’ because I believe dogs can be under immediate control of the owner either by electronic collar or voice command if they are well-trained,” he said. “A leash wouldn’t work for cats anyways.”

Arterburn also readdressed animal registration tags.

Registration can be proven with registration tattoos, tags or microchips.

The council member said that he understood that the intent of only allowing an animal to wear a rabies/registration tag was so that law enforcement could tell quickly whether an animal was registered or not. He said however that the owners should also be allowed to put their own identification tags on their pets as well.

“I know they have different colors and different designs for the tags,” he said. “I think if they have different colors and designs like that I guess I don’t know why it is that big a deal to where they can’t have another identification tag.”

“I would tell you that if they want to have their own personal tag, in addition to the city and the rabies tags, I don’t have an objection to that,” said Joe Aikens, the City of Sidney Police Chief.

Council members moved to strike out that animals must be leashed and the section stating that animals are only allowed to wear a rabies and city tag.

One citizen brought up an idea to help with the “animals at large” situation in Sidney.

Ron Meyer, an HR business partner for Cabela’s, said that he recently joined the local Wagon Tales Animal Rescue team as vice president of the team.

“The team has been in existence quite a number of years with strictly no organization,” he said. “They are strictly a volunteer group that provides foster home for stray dogs and cats until they can have a home found for them. The group’s only goal has always been to have an animal shelter.”

Meyer said that he studied a model program out of York, Neb. called York Adopt-A-Pet.

“They shared loan applications, strategic plans, their fundraising activities and all of their documentation with me,” he said. “Typically they do it one of two ways. They go off on their own with a private nonprofit group or they include the city.”

Meyer said that the group was going to conduct a 90-day visibility study and talk numbers with the city council and see how feasible the shelter would be.

Arterburn asked for figures of what the city currently spends on those sorts of efforts and for that information to be presented at the meeting when the study’s report will be given.

“No animal would leave that facility without getting spayed and neutered,” said Meyer. “It’s all about pet adoption and folks relinquishing their pets because they can’t have them anymore for their reasons and they need boarding facilities,” he said. “It’s a grandiose operation, with a $500,000 building these folks did. They run about a $150,000 a year operating budget.”

Meyer said that however about only 25 percent of that total comes from the city pitching in in York.

“This is bigger than what I see happening in Sidney today, but maybe 10 years down the road maybe it would be good,” he said.

Change of agenda

Council members also chose to put discussion and reports on the interlocal cooperative agreement between The Joint East Sidney Watershed Authority (JESWA) and the City of Sidney on the agenda for the next meeting and will table it if needed (if the JESWA committee hasn’t met before the next council meeting on April 9.)

“The teams have been working together for a couple months towards the formation of some storm water issues and diversion type of structures that can help us control some of the storm water and mitigation issues we have coming from the interstate area, primarily down towards the central part of town as water tries to make it’s way to the Lodgepole Creek,” said Gary Person, the City of Sidney City Manager.

Rod Horn from the South Platte Natural Resources District (NRD), who put together the agreement, was also in attendance at the meeting to explain the projects and the contents of the agreement.

He explained that the area the two teams were focusing on was an approximate 2,300-acre boundary with about 480-500 acres being in the area of the Cabela’s project on the lower end next to the creek.

“There will be an emphasis on water quality in this project as well and it will enable us to have additional funding opportunities,” said Horn. “This will help us develop a financial estimate and budgeting and figure out how we want to fund it.”

Horn said that there were various benefits to the plan.

Council member Mark Nienhueser inquired as to whether continuous maintenance efforts after the projects were finished would be placed solely on the city.

Horn said that that issue is still being talked about, but there is a possibility that the NRD might be involved and that it wouldn’t fall on just the City of Sidney.

He also explained that if work was needed on other areas of town, the acreage and areas in the agreement could be amended as needed.

“I think it will benefit both these organizations doing it together and that it will come out with a better product at the end,” said Nienhueser.

Council members

hear audit report

There was also an audit presentation at the meeting by Robert Rauner Jr., the CPA of Rauner and Associates.

“Total assets increased by $287,000 in governmental funds, and liabilities went down and the net asset change is a positive $987,000 on the governmental funds,” he said. “For business-type activities, total assets increased by $364,000. Your net income and change in the assets is really $1,850,000.

“Your financials look good, net assets changed and the combination is still positive,” said Rauner. “The city looks good and we are getting our debt paid down here.”

John Hehnke, the City of Sidney’s representative to the Public Alliance for Community Energy (ACE) Board and vice chair of the board, presented Mayor Gaston with a $15,055.77 check for the city.

ACE is a non-for-profit, community-owned natural gas supplier and this year the company distributed $200,000 between 69 Nebraska member communities.

“It’s not every year we are able to send funds back to the community that are a part of ACE, but this year we had a good year and excess revenue and with that excess revenue we like to give that back,” said Hehnke.

Since its forming in 1998, ACE has given approximately $1 million back to Nebraska members and according to Hehnke, the gas supplier company has given back just short of $70,000 to the City of Sidney.

“In previous years the funds have been used for improvements at Legion Park and the Legion Pond for stocking the pond and additional uses,” he said.

Hehnke also said that the Choice Gas Selection campaign will begin April 12 and end April 25.

“It’s an opportunity coming up again this year to choose your natural gas supplier,” he said. “There are new items on there and you will have the ability to select your natural gas supplier for two years with locking your rate in.

“When you don’t select your natural gas provider you usually end up with the highest rate of anybody out there. So we are trying to get our residents educated and get them to make a selection, whether it is with ACE or any other natural gas suppliers, so that they get a good rate,” said Hehnke.

He said that their will be a booth with information on the matter at the Spring Expo this year, and that selections may be made online by using ACE’s website at http://www.ACEenergy.org or by phone at 800-454-4759.

City council members also approved an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Roads, and passed an ordinance creating street improvement District #52 and a resolution ratifying the appointment of special engineers and authorizing bidding on the project.

Gaston also asked the council members to approve support for the “Let’s Move! Cities, Towns & Counties Initiative,” and they obliged whole-heartedly.

The mayor said he heard of the program “Let’s Move” at differentconferences and checked into it to find that the mayor of a city is the one that officially has to sign up for the program to win the city awards.

“I found out our community center and the school system is already doing this program but they get no recognition until the mayor signs up nationally for the program,” said Gaston. “Two-thirds of the objectives for this program have already been completed and that is from the good active people at the community center and the school system. They are doing a lot of things with their menus and the cheerleaders do a “Let’s Move” at all the basketball games.”

Hehnke, who also serves as the Public Services Director for the City of Sidney, said that starting this morning the city will have begun its testing of early warning sirens.

“It’s that time of year again,” he said. “We will be testing the sirens baring any weather in the area.

“Also the landfill will begin being open on Saturday’s again starting April 6 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.,” he said. “We will be open every Saturday until Octoberfest, close for Octoberfest weekend, and our final Saturday will be the following Saturday after Octoberfest.”

Hehnke said that the landfill will be open a total of 27 Saturdays this year.

He also noted that the inch of asphalt that was the basis of the parking area over by Memorial Gardens and Legion Ball Fields “finally gave up due to Mother Nature this winter and decided to blow itself apart.”

“We’re in the process of bidding out work to replace a good section of the parking lot with new concrete,” he said. “We will do it in phases over the next two years to improve the entire parking lot.”

Hehnke also said that Thursday morning concrete will be poured for the cricket pitch and that hopefully it will be open for use within the next couple weeks.

Showcase Community Award

Person also shared the news that the City of Sidney was entered into the Showcase Community Award Competition by Megan McGown, the City of Sidney Community Development Director, and the city was nominated yesterday as one of the five finalists.

“The competition highlights communities that have demonstrated use of state funds and Community Development Block Grant programs with the projects that really make a difference in the community and we have been named one of five finalists,” said Person.

The governor will announce the winning city during a press conference on April 2 at 10 a.m., said Person.