County modifies agreement with arena donor

Red Willow County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday afternoon to make a change in the agreement with the McCook-area rancher who is providing $600,000 to build the horse arena on the fairgrounds in McCook. Commissioners also discussed a study examining the county's need for a jail facility.

Commission Chairman Earl McNutt voted against changing the agreement with McCook rancher Tom Kiplinger to reduce Kiplinger's obligation by $20,000 because he is providing that amount now to purchase panels to make the arena usable immediately.

Voting for the change were commissioners Steve Downer and Leigh Hoyt.

McNutt was quick to point out his "nay" vote had nothing to do with Kiplinger and his generosity. "We're using taxpayers' money, and I've tried to avoid that," McNutt said.

Members of the fair board, which will oversee the operation of the Kiplinger arena, have told commissioners the arena cannot operate without panels. Fair board members have started a campaign to collect donations for the panels, but in the mean time, Kiplinger has agreed to pay $20,000 for them. That $20,000 will then be deducted from the remaining $300,000 of his pledge.

Kiplinger made a $600,000 gift to the county to pay for the arena. He has paid $300,000 for the project thus far; the remainder will be paid by his estate upon his death, if not before.

To make up the $300,000 difference between Kiplinger's first payment and his gift of $600,000, the county borrowed $280,611.99 (deducting approximately $20,000 for architect's fees already paid by the county).

McNutt said he is upset that the architect's fees for the building design were paid upfront with taxpayers' money. McNutt said in October, when the county borrowed the money, it was Kiplinger's and commissioners' desire from the start not to spend taxpayers' money on the project.

McNutt has encouraged fair board members to solicit donations for items that were not included in the building design, such as the panels. "We won't stop a project this far along," McNutt said, "but we knew all along the fair board would have to get more donations."

Downer made the motion, seconded by Hoyt, to make the change in the agreement. Downer said, "Tom's been good all along. We've got to go ahead and okay this."

McNutt said, defending his stand not to use taxpayers' money, said, "I'll be the bad guy again."

Stephen Pierce of St. Joseph, Mo., criminal justice planner with ACI Boland Inc., presented the jail study requested by commissioners in October.

Pierce said Red Willow County now pays $250,000 annually for prisoner transportation and for prisoner beds in neighboring counties' jail facilities.

Pierce is proposing a facility that can house 40 prisoners, with room for expansion to 68. The model includes administrative segregation cells and other speciality areas, maximum security single-occupancy cells and a dormitory, a medical isolation cell, work release dorms and recreation and visitation areas. The facility is designed for adult, not juvenile, male and female prisoners.

The facility requires about five acres of land; the building is one story. "We want it operationally efficient," Pierce said. "Operationally efficient is one level."

Pierce's first draft of the facility is 17,000 square feet, costing $4.08 million for construction, furniture, fixtures and equipment.

A jail facility in Red Willow County would not necessarily save the county money, Red Willow County Sheriff Gene Mahon said. "It would just keep what we're doing in other counties local."

If the facility were to expand to house a county-city law enforcement center, the size would increase to 21,500 square feet and the cost to $4.7 million.

Although McCook Police Chief Ike Brown attended the meeting to review Pierce's study, he said any discussion of cooperation between the city and the county on such a project would have to be conducted with city council members. He suggested forwarding copies of Pierce's study to city staff.

McNutt said the study is the first step in determining jail needs in the county; the second step is sharing the study results with the city. Hoyt said, "This is something we can work on together, to get something figured out." Hoyt was impressed that involving the city in the facility did not significantly increase the cost. Hoyt asked that the possibility of including McCook's fire services in the facility be investigated as well.

In other action, commissioners:

- Approved the seventh payment, $87,207, to J.L. Construction for the Kiplinger Equestrian Arena. A total of $4,100 is being retained until outside dirtwork is completed after the frost leaves the ground.

- Approved real estate tax exemptions for preschools operated, not for profit, by Memorial United Methodist Church and St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook. They denied exemptions for a house in Indianola used, until its sale, for the minister's residence for the Nebraska Conference Association of the Seventh Day Advent and for the First Christian Church at 801 W. First in McCook, which closed Dec. 1, 2002, and has been turned over to regional/state offices to be sold.

Commissioners approved exemptions for other churches and church preschools, gun clubs, Elks, a Christian radio station, Southwest Nebraska Youth Services, the Ed Thomas YMCA, the Alliance for the Encouragement of Visual and Performing Arts, the Masonic Lodge, Knights of Columbus, American Legion and VFW posts, Eagles, Region II, the Army Air Base Historical Society, Southwest Area Training Services and Tri Valley Health Services.

- Discussed the courthouse carpeting project with maintenance supervisor Greg Holthus. The question of new flooring in the computer room will be settled after the state has added/removed/enhanced wiring for state-owned computers located in the courthouse.

- Agreed they will discuss the county's compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its privacy requirements on a weekly basis and with the county attorney.