Gage County Newsletter

By Don Schuller 10/28/24 Committee MeetingRoad and Bridge:Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke reported that the county portion of I St to the Wymore Cemetery has been milled and patched. The Pickrell Bridge is nearing completion. B-Line Road has had gravel reclaimed and bladed.Kuhnke said the county will need to put new signage in advance of bridges to warn people of the tonnage rating. Currently, tonnage signage is only at the bridge. The state is requiring new signage to make people aware of the tonnage before they get to the bridge. Supervisor Haxby informed us the grant application for five bridges, including the Blue Springs River Bridge, is due in two days and will be submitted.I asked about progress in notifying landowners of trees needing to be removed in county easements.Kuhnke said it has been slow because they have been busy hauling asphalt. He said patrol operators have been turning in trees that require removal. I asked about sending letters to landowners who have not mowed their roadsides. It needs to be done to improve visibility and snow removal. There was a discussion that followed on how to go about mowing the roads when a landowner doesn’t comply.Emergency Manager Lisa Wiegand said there were three active fires on Tuesday in the Odell, Pickrell and Filley areas. She said Southeast Communications did a great job handling the three fires at the same time. 10/28/24 Nebraska Broadband Meeting:This meeting, by invite only, followed the committee meeting. All county board members were invited. It was held at Southeast Community College. Nebraska Broadband Director Patrick Haggerty led the meeting. Supervisor Haxby and I were in attendance. Also present was Southeast Nebraska Development District, Broadband Director Oliver Borchers Williams. BEADThe Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Nebraska received $405 million.Mandate: Connect every home and business without high-speed internet.Next steps: Release of the defined project areas and organizational applications. PERMITTINGPrepare for a large volume of permit requests in a short period of time.Pole attachments and right-of-way access.What does the permitting process look like?Discussion followed. Director Haggerty said the contract with the state will begin sometime next spring, with four years to complete. He said locations with no service will have a priority, with underserved being next. I asked about service for unoccupied farmsteads with livable homes and abandoned farmsteads with potential for development. Haggerty said if a location has a 911 address it will be eligible for broadband service with this program. 10/30/24 Regular meeting:All resolutions approved 7 to 0:Directing the county attorney to move forward with action to foreclose delinquent real estate taxes.Nebraska Department of Transportation signing of the year-end certification of the county highway superintendent.Year-end certification of county highway superintendent for determining incentive payment in calendar year 2024.Amended and restated agreement for the formation of the Region V Community Human Services Program and Region V Systems. Public hearing:A public hearing took place to hear support/opposition for the placement of a Class 2 Commercial Solar Conversion System to be located on a portion of section 21 Elm Township. Planning and Zoning Administrator Lisa Wiegand gave a review of the project. Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with a 7 to 0 vote.Jerry Enns, Norris Public Power Engineering Director, spoke and gave the history of Norris pursuing solar installations. He explained Norris can lock in energy prices for 35 years from the solar farm. He said it is a good project for Norris and the patrons. It benefits all financially. Jeff Hays, project location landowner, said he contacted Norris three years ago when he learned they were looking for a location for a solar array. This project will occupy less than 10 acres of land.Ron Novotny, neighbor of project, spoke to express his concerns that the center of the road is not on the section line. The contract describes setbacks from the center of the road and not the section line. They are not one and the same. Novotny believes the section line should be used and not the center of road for description in the contract. He said road locations can move. All zoning regulation states setbacks are measured from the center of the road.The approval/disapproval of the special use permit will take place at the next regular meeting in two weeks. Public hearing:A public hearing took place to hear support/opposition of Beatrice Wellhead Protection Expansion in Blakely and Grant Townships. Wiegand reviewed the history of the expansion request. The City of Beatrice purchased property near existing property they own containing wells to provide water for the city. They want to expand the wellhead protection area (WPA) to include an additional 709 acres. A WPA gives the city authority to make regulations within it. These regulations limit the distances of new wells and require best farming practices be followed to prevent water contamination. Wiegand said P & Z Commission recommends disapproval, 7-0.Beatrice Mayor Bob Morgan told the board the water will not be sold or used for business or industry.The intent is to be sure there is enough quality water for the future. Affected landowners speaking were: Wes Cammack, Jason Pohlman, Darcy Zimmerman, and Marilee Brinkmeyer. All have the same concerns of depleting the ground water. They believe it could reduce the value of their property. It could prevent the expansion of livestock operations. They do not feel the WPA expansion is needed at this time, since it is not known when a well will be drilled. It has been confirmed by the city it could be 30 years.City Attorney Taylor Rivera explained livestock operation expansions can occur with county approval. He said there is a lot of restrictions but many of them do not affect property owners in this WPA due to the current situation in the area. It is up to the county to approve special use permits for livestock operations. Rivera stated the city has enough water to accommodate the growth of Beatrice by three times. Their goal is to be sure they have quality water. The fear is of contamination by nitrates. Some wells already have too high of nitrate levels for human consumption, due to a nitrogen spill. These wells are used by Koch Nitrogen for other purposes than human consumption. He stated the city provides water for 57percent of the population of Gage County. Half of the rules do not apply until a well is drilled. The other half is now. But none of the rules affect current situations for landowners and the land. This permit does not affect domestic wells, just irrigation.Supervisor Gary Lytle asked Wes Cammack if farmers are afraid of the change and the unknown. Lytle stated he doesn’t see a lot of change for farmers. Cammack said they want clean water too but fear a water grab. They are fearful of the water draw down potential. Lytle said it looks like an opportunity for the city and the farmers to work together. He thinks the battle is unnecessary. Cammack admitted the concerns are theoretical.A vote on the permit will take place at the next board meeting in two weeks. This highlights the portions of the county meetings I feel are most relevant to my constituents.Use the link below to view the actual minutes and hear audio of the board meeting, whenposted.https://gagecountynebraska.us/board_meetings/enhanced_minutes.aspxFacebook: Don Schuller – Public Servant. https://www.facebook.com/DCSchuller

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