Good Old Days 01-22-16

Compiled By Delaney Uhrig

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

50 Years Ago

'Storm Brings More Snow; Slick Roads Are Reported; Area Farm Outlook Good'

Jan. 19, 1966

A light but persistent, snowfall started at about 4 o'clock this (Wednesday) morning and in a short time had blanketed a broad area extending as far as Montana, the Dakotas, and Kansas.

By mid-morning highways and county roads were getting packed and slippery, the visibility, particularly in the rural areas, was lessened and it seemed a good time to stay home. Frontier Airlines reported n trouble and flights were only a little behind schedule.

The appearance of the softly falling snow and the whiteness of the countryside presented a beautiful picture. An absence of wind allowed the snow to settle evenly.

Temperatures were chilly today but not bitter. By 10:30 a.m. this morning the low temperature reading at the Federal Aviation agency flight service station had been 11 degrees. The high was 23. Temperature ranges on the two previous days were 2-29 on Monday and 6-39 on Tuesday.

The 11 a.m. precipitation reading at the FAA revealed that .06 of an inch of moisture was contained in the snow.

The snow is being caught by the sturdy winter wheat plants and crop observers feel that prospects for an excellent crop are very good.

Robert Woolman, Deuel County agriculture agent, said this morning that he felt the wheat prospects are the best they have been in the seven years he has been an agent.

The sub-soil moisture was replenished from the rains last summer and from the recent snows.

"The ground is going into spring in real good shape," he said.

Deuel's County's moisture for the year of 1965 was around 24 inches, seven inches more than the normal. In Cheyenne County there was a total of more than 27 inches.

40 Years Ago

'Zoning Request Raises Flood Plain Issue'

Jan. 21, 1976

What started as a routine request Monday for zoning to allow a residential development at the west edge of Sidney was likely the first step to a face-to-face confrontation with federal restrictions that may stifle construction in part of Sidney's flood hazard area.

That's the word from city and natural resources district officials following regular meeting Monday night of the City Planning Commission.

R.C. Cunningham of the C.A. Story Agency was given first-round approval of a request for residential zoning on a 61 square acre tract of land southwest of the Cheyenne County fairgrounds. The property is not within the city's corporate limits, but does fall within Sidney's two-mile rural zoning authority.

But despite the approval, it's possible Cunningham's proposed development could be bogged down by a flood election study tentatively scheduled this spring by the federal government.

Here's the situation, as outlined Tuesday by South Platte Natural Resources District Manager Bob Hahn;

It appears that much of Cunningham's proposed development site, which is now irrigated farm land, is situated within the boundaries of a hypothetical 100-year flood plain defined by the Army Corps of Engineers in a 1971 study.

Although such a designation is not now restrictive, based on current city policy concerning construction in the flood plain, a follow-up study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development will likely result in a mandate for the city to adopt a zoning code that would end all construction within parts of the flood hazard area.

25 Years Ago

'Miller, Aikens Receive Jaycee Recognition'

Jan. 21, 1991

National Jaycees Week will be observed by the Sidney Chapter by honoring several community residents deemed outstanding in their respective fields.

Cited today are two public servants, the Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer and the Outstanding Young Firefighter.

Others to be named during the weeks will be the Outstanding Young Farmer/Rancher, Educator, Religious Leader, Distinguished Service, Jaycee Supporter, Outstanding Young Nebraskan. Several of the nominees will compete for state honors.

Cited today are Randy Miller as the Outstanding Young Firefighter, and Joe Aikens as the Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer.

It is the second time Miller has been cited by the Jaycees in 1989, he was the Sidney Chapter's nominee for Outstanding Young Farmer/Rancher, and went on to win one of the top three awards in state competition, for community service.

Miller has been a member of the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department five years and is current Department president and serves on the Department's executive board. He is also the rescue captain of the Sidney Fire and Rescue Department and had served the past two years as treasurer of the department.

Miller has completed 110-hour Emergency Medical Technicians Class for the State of Nebraska, is a member of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician, is certified in defibrillator (EMT-D) operation MAST Trousers (PASG) application and is a certified CPR instructor. He teaches both CPR and first aid at Western Nebraska Community College. Miller has also completed several hours of continuing training including the Nebraska Fire School and State EMS conferences.

10 Years Ago

'Sidney Completes Flush of Old Wastewater Equipment'

Jan. 19, 2006

It's one of those situations where people don't notice it until it's broke.

The City of Sidney decided not to wait for a problem to occur to make improvements to its wastewater treatment plant. After researching the best option for improving the plant in March 2005, the City of Sidney decided to make upgrades on the control system that regulated humus flow at the current plant to make it run more efficiently. This process included switching from a manual system of regulating the flow to computer controlled.

"With the old system, we had to manually flush the pipes to clear out any build pipes to clear out any build up," said Todd Sukup, director of Sidney's Wastewater Treatment Department. "Now we can program that to be done in the morning when we aren't there."

It was similar to standing by the spigot when turning on the garden hose, Sukup said.

The city spent just over $31,000 installing computer regulated valves and monitoring system in its wastewater treatment system.

The cost was broken down into $12,000 for hardware, for engineering design, $4,120 for engineering design, and $5,800 for programming/startup.

The previous meters and gauges took up a space of about two-feet long by one foot wide on the control panel. The new digital readout panel takes up about a quarter of that space.

The new control panel is an integral piece of equipment that helps the system maintain a constant flow by regulating the release of the valves.

The new equipment was installed in about a day and went online Dec. 14.

The improved system does a better job of removing humus sludge, an organic substance formed from decomposition of soil organic matter, from the clarifiers, Sukup said.

The clarifiers settle out solids in the wastewater.