Roads, keeping prisoners in hot water top county agenda

McCOOK, Neb. — In a move focused on safety, the county has decided to replace road signs cautioning drivers about people on horseback with 35 mph speed limit signs.

Originally, Commissioner Randy Dean purchased and installed equestrian signs in Commissioner Charlies Fritsche’s district on Road 381. However, these signs were taken down after objections were raised by other residents.

During the county board meeting’s citizens’ comments section on Monday, no official action was taken, but there seemed to be a consensus among the board members that installing 35 mph speed limit signs would be the appropriate response.

Kelly Soden and her husband, Ron, requested the horse signs due to concerns about cars and delivery vehicles speeding through the area while riders were out on horseback.

Dean discovered that the installed horse signs were actually too small — 24 inches instead of the required 30 inches — after consulting with the county’s insurance company.

The road in question previously had a posted 35 mph speed limit, but those signs were likely removed during road repairs.

Commissioners also addressed another road issue on the agenda: the vacation or abandonment of minimum maintenance Road 724 between Roads 389 and 390. They agreed to initiate the lengthy process for this on the May 13 agenda, along with a study to be conducted by the county surveyor.

During a comprehensive discussion, Dean proposed a resolution to vacate another county road, which had shifted a quarter-mile away from the river due to changing flow patterns.

Scott Clifford or Miller & Associates emphasized that abandoning roads may not always be desirable, as the rights-of-way could be valuable for future land sales or property access needs.

Many road plats became obsolete after the 1935 Republican River flood but have yet to be corrected.

After a presentation by Chad Svoboda of Svoboda Benefit Solutions Inc., commissioners voted to continue the county’s self-insurance program for employee health insurance.

Under this program, the county covers the first $40,000 of health insurance claims, with a maximum program cost of $1.2 million.

Svoboda noted that Red Willow County’s self-insurance program is in good condition, largely due to the employees. Approximately $1.02 million is expected to be spent on health insurance claims this year.

The board unanimously approved a proposal from Lucent, which maintains current rates.

The board granted Lori Stevens of the County Assessor’s Office permission to enter into a contract with Schneider Geospatial LLC for its Beacon web-based geographic information system services. The annual cost of this service is $10,908, with a one-time setup fee of $7,300 for the first year. Currently, the assessor’s office pays $13,200 to gWorks for similar services, plus additional fees for the county clerk and treasurer’s offices.

Data from these offices will be transferred to the new service at no extra charge in case of future provider changes. The proposed contract will undergo review by the county attorney before being finalized.

County Attorney Paul Wood will also review a proposed contract with Prohaska & Associates for $7,800. This contract involves working with Sweeper Metal Fabricators to repair rusting shower units in the county’s ten-year-old jail.

Rusted parts of the jail cells will be cleaned by a local contractor to prepare for applying a new plastic coating in the showers. Additionally, architects will address HVAC issues in the jail, which have contributed to rusting in the jail cells and inadequate heating in jail offices. “You could hang meat in my office,” Sheriff Kevin Darling remarked, indicating that his and other offices have had to resort to electric heaters.

The jail is facing a hot water shortage due to one of its two large water heaters failing simultaneously with a water main break on adjoining Norris Avenue. The other water heater, which was replaced for over $16,000 about a year and a half ago, weighs 600 pounds and had to be lifted onto the roof of the jail with a crane.

While briefly considering delaying the replacement, commissioners plan to obtain informal bids for a new water heater and treat it as an emergency item with remaining ARPA funds.

Commissioners and approved $1,300 in burial expenses for an indigent person for Herrmann Funeral Home.

Also approved on the consent agenda approved a Choice Gas contract with Constellation Energy, establishment of a $100 petty cash fund for the jail, special designated liquor license for the Arapahoe Municipal Golf Course and Country Club for a beer garden at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, and declaring a tractor, mower, parachute and chest freezer surplus for the fairgrounds and health department, respectively.