Public hearing set for planned housing project

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A public hearing has been scheduled by the McCook City Council to discuss the housing development proposed north of R Street. Councilors approved a resolution Monday evening scheduling the public hearing for July 1, 2013, 7:30 p.m., at the Municipal Center.

The hearing will focus on the housing development being pursued by North Pointe Properties LLC, which intends to develop 27 residential properties on former crop land north of R Street, west of West Seventh Street.

The developer has requested $885,000 in Tax Increment Financing funds to assist with the installation of water, sewer and streets.

Councilors also convened as the McCook Community Development Agency for the purpose of forwarding a revised redevelopment plan from North Pointe Properties to the Planning Commission of the City of McCook.

Also during Monday's regularly scheduled meeting, Stan Clouse with Nebraska Public Power District provided councilors with a presentation summarizing the relationship between the City of McCook and NPPD.

"We essentially run your system for you and are always looking for ways to make improvements," said Clouse.

The city has a 25-year agreement with NPPD, signed in 2005, which provides the city a 12 percent lease payment on adjusted gross revenue, according to Clouse.

Clouse said NPPD faced several economic challenges, including the Obama administration's admitted targeting of coal plants and the shrinking price of natural gas. Clouse said cheap natural gas made it difficult for NPPD to compete on the open market, especially with the increasing cost being placed on the coal industry.

Clouse said NPPD's ability to reinvest in its infrastructure was directly related to its ability to sell excess energy outside the state.

According to Clouse, NPPD was pursuing efforts to increase use of other energy, such as wind energy.

Clouse said that was not without difficulty either, explaining that the only way to get wind energy to pay for itself was through subsidy programs. As a public power district NPPD was not able to participate in subsidy programs and was working with private developers to increase wind energy capacity in the state.

Panhandle Geotechnical & Environmental was approved, without comment, to use city right-of-way to install multiple groundwater monitoring wells on property surrounding the McCook Taco John's. The project intends to determine how far a petroleum product's contamination in the area has spread.

The wells will be located in an area extending from the Casey's Convenience Store property east of Taco Johns, to the southwest corner of the intersection of West B and West Eighth Street, as well as extending further south of West B Street on both sides of West Eighth Street.

According to the meeting agenda, the Taco John's property was a gas station prior to 1976. The site was recently assigned to Panhandle Geotechnical by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality with their first task being to determine how far outward the contamination has spread.

Other items on the consent agenda;

* Councilors coordinated two public hearings to review requests for a rezone and a replat. The rezone pertained to a portion of property owned by Rick Ruggles located at 110 South Federal, east of the Red Willow County Fire Barn, that is zoned both heavy industrial and agricultural. Ruggles requested a smaller agricultural zoned area be rezoned to heavy industrial, which has less setback requirements, so he could construct a 200 by 100 metal building. The request was approved by councilors with the three reading rule suspended.

The replat request pertains to a portion of the Highland Subdivision, located just west of the Heritage Hills Golf Course, which is owned by Ron and Doris Friehe. The replat was approved and pertained to the north end of the property, sought to better fit the terrain of the property.

* An agreement between the City of McCook Fire and EMS personnel and Community Hospital, to provide city emergency responders an opportunity to receive clinical training at no cost to the city, was approved without comment. According to the meeting agenda, emergency responders typically meet their annual training and education requirements through the course of their duties, the agreement would allow emergency responder to receive clinical training at Community Hospital during times when they are short hours.

* A resolution updating and revising the city's ADA policy, to comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was approved.

* Taste of Texas BBQ was approved for a special liquor license for a dance and beer garden at Kiplinger Arena on July 26 and 27, during the Red Willow County Fair.