Fire:
• Heartland Fire Protection scanned all FD SCBA bottles for an automated service reminder for hydrostatic testing of the bottles. No charge to the fire department for this service.
• Project Austin quarterly EMS network meeting.
BBDC:
• Rural Fellows are enjoying their first week in Alliance. Be sure to come meet them next Tuesday morning at the BBDC office during Perfect Blend from 9:15am-10am.
• Monthly BBDC meeting held.
• Attending Leadership Box Butte planning meeting Friday as we are preparing for the next class.
Human Resources:
• Conducted department head and supervisor training for Performance Reviews in Paylocity. HR continues to implement new modules within the HRIS and will continue to do so over the coming months. Once completed we will be able to move away from multiple paper-based processes and speed turnaround time, opening opportunities for the department to focus more intensively on training and personnel matters.
• Administered applicant testing for open positions including Secretary, Administrative Secretary/Permit Technician and Police Officer. Currently working with department heads and candidates to schedule interviews.
• Preparing for scheduled interviews with Police Review Board and Civil Service Commission for Police Officer candidates in June.
• Completing required pre-employment conditions and reference/backgrounds for new hires.
• Assisting employees with requests; helping employees with benefits enrollment.
• Now accepting applications for Secretary – Clerk’s Office, Street Maintenance Worker, Heavy Equipment Operator, Police Officer, Part-time Meter Reader, Part-time Transit Driver and Part-time Nutrition Delivery Driver.
Police Admin:
• Meetings: Central Square, LECEN, National Policing Institute.
Police Communications/Intelligence:
• Coordinated 668 calls for service.
• Completed 3 report requests.
• 2 firearm permits issued.
Police Operations:
• 0 K9 deployments.
• 2 accidents.
• 1 DUI.
• 24 Building Checks.
• 22 Community Contacts/Business Checks.
• 5 Child Welfare Investigations.
• 11 Traffic Stops.
• 0 Vacation House Checks.
• 11 Active Investigations.
• 21 Cases Resolved.
PAARI:
• 53 Calls for service YTD.
• 55 Offers for service YTD.
• 35 Active Service YTD.
• 27 Medical Service Referrals YTD.
• 15 Financial Service Referrals YTD.
• 22 Employment Coaching YTD.
• 209 Services provided.
• 96 Individuals helped or reached.
• 2 Graduates YTD.
• 0 Known relapses YTD.
Animal Control:
• 26 Animal Calls.
• 2 Dog Impounds. 1 dog currently in the shelter.
• 0 Cat Impounds. 0 cats currently in the shelter.
Code Enforcement:
• 2 Code enforcement issues.
Notable Service:
• Satisfaction rating 90.9%.
• Budget Update – 75% of the fiscal year has elapsed and the police department has used 53.2% of the annual budget.
Electric:
• We de-energized the railroad building at 1st and Box Butte and removed the transformer at the request of contractor working on building. While the building was off line, we replaced 600 feet of three phase primary cable and installed a new transformer, metering equipment and all new connections.
• We installed the three phase primary underground lines for the new Westco tire shop.
• Repaired lightning caused damage on 6 irrigation well transformer banks.
• Reviewed solar field details with engineer and contractor.
• We operated generation plant on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon per request from MEAN.
• Assisted mechanic with repairs to generation plant.
• Performed inspection of electrical fixtures in preparation for Bands on the Bricks.
Airport:
• Taxiway/Apron Rehabilitation Project – Temporary paint down on Taxiway B and it will open up on Monday morning. The final phase which is the middle portion of the apron will begin next week.
• We appreciate the rain, but we are now busing with mowing, spraying and more mowing! As an example: our main runway is 9,203 feet long – we are responsible for mowing safety areas 250 feet each way from the centerline and 1,000 feet off each end. This is in addition to mowing around 105 runway lights! It takes approximately 3 days to completely do this task.
• Maintenance automatic gate upgrade continues to be an issue as we are left waiting on parts for the fourth time.
• Focused on new haying lease so they could start Friday. Training for airport staff and haying personnel was conducted.
• Airfield sign panel replacements were ordered.
• Working on paint quotes for airfield paint. Painting will start when weather cooperates!
Knight Museum:
• The museum is getting a facelift from Reliable Painting. All siding and metal support beams are being re-painted.
• We are already seeing many out of town visitors.
• The Nebraska Artists Paintings are still on display.
• Panhandle Partnership held a 3 day Bridges Out of Poverty Workshop at the Museum. Staff prepared breakfast and lunch for participants.
Parks:
• Small City lots have been mowed and larger lots will be addressed with the tractor.
• Ballfields have been mowed and prepped for upcoming tournaments.
• If weather cooperates, we should see the completion of the tennis courts at 16th and Box Butte before the end of June.
• Successfully prepared for the car show held last weekend. We were complimented on it looking the best they have ever seen it for that event!
• Did you know? The parks department has its own Facebook page! This is the best source for information on pool schedules and closures, as well as other events in the parks.
Library:
• The Farmer’s Market beginning date has been switched to Thursday, August 3rd! This is being done due to the sign up response from our vendor list. We hope to carry the market dates through September, as long as vendor interest stays strong.
• Thursday evenings this summer are times for many great crafting sessions for adults! Watch our Facebook page for some amazing opportunities to create something unique for your home or garden!
• Adult Services Librarian Nalani Stewart hosted the Highland Park Care Center Book Club, the Adult Summer Reading Garden Brick Book Craft Class and hosted Fiber Arts Club. She also created a new Summer Beach Read display, aided in the preparation of the May Director’s report, and cataloged new fiction books, clearing shelves of any older non-fiction books. She also prepared an example craft for next week’s Macramé craft class, and planned craft programming for the Fall. Hosted the Highland Park Care Center book club also this week.
• Children’s Librarian Cynthia Horn had an exciting week with families continuing to register for “All Together Now” Summer Reading, assisting youngsters in searching for their books, and the first week of check-in with reading goals! Backpacks remain very popular with families as well. Her KCOW Open Mike announcement featured “All Together Now” events for all ages. Cynthia’s “All Together Now” Wednesday program was shared by Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska with Random Acts of Kindness. Two sessions were held, sharing “Have You Filled a Bucket Today” by Carol McCloud, featuring many ways to share kindness and decorating buckets to take home. On Thursday with Keep Alliance Beautiful, they painted flower pots and planted seeds, including a community planter together. In addition, they shared books about the amazing transformation of seeds into plants and flowers, plus KAB shared about the importance of the environment and working together. To wrap up her May events, Cynthia’s stats were compiled and documented, as well as her sharing promotional materials for upcoming events with updates for Facebook and the website.
• Library Clerks Pam Becker and Kris Wilder have been busy at the circulation desk creating many new accounts and processing summer reading materials. Kris has also created some wonderful new patriotic displays for patrons to enjoy! They have done an amazing job helping with summer reading by processing records and helping with the large number of checkouts. On Wednesday alone we issued five new library cards! We are all excited to see some new faces here in the library and look forward to welcoming new families to Alliance!
• Technical Services Librarian Emily Nelson prepared the Director’s Report for May with the most recent circulations statistics. She also updated information on the website, Facebook, and Instagram pages and processed Interlibrary Loans and assisted patrons on the computers.
• The final touches are being put on the new HVAC system and we are happy to report things have been feeling great! We also have been working on some upgrades to the offices and kitchen in the library, and continuing the work on the Rose Garden for our patrons to enjoy.
Streets:
• Poured new concrete at the intersection of Kansas and Cody.
• Weed-eating and mowing of right-of-way
• Pothole patching
Water and Sewer:
• Repaired pumps
• Repaired pivot shaft and replaced tire
Community Development:
• Demolition of two dilapidated structures.
• Working on blighted and substandard designations, annexation, and adoption of the updated Comprehensive Plan.
Administration:
• Compiling departmental request for the FY23-24 Budget Year. This year, we implemented a zero-based budget approach to evaluate expenditure patterns.
• Preparing Utility Rate Study and updated fee schedule
• Working on housing projects for the Community Redevelopment Authority
• Working with engineers on the design of the proposed northern expansion of City Hall to allow for ADA access and reopening of the gymnasium to the public.
City Council:
• Adoption of ordinance placing the purchase and use of fireworks within city limits at a period of seven (7) days. Council stated that they appreciated the thoughtful and respectful discussion from the public on this issue.
• Agreed to an amendment to the Solar Field contract with SE Municipal Solar, LLC for an expansion of the area required west of town.
• Conducted annual evaluation of City Manager Seth Sorensen.
Upcoming City Business:
• July-August, consideration of blighted and substandard designations
• July-August, consideration of annexations
• June 20th – First readings of multiple ordinances related to adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan
• June 20th – Consideration of bids for 2023 roadway rehabilitation project. If accepted the roads which will see work include Box Butte from 14th to 25th, 14th from Cheyenne to Sweetwater, 12th from Box Butte to Sweetwater, Grove Avenue, W. 14th and Hammond Lane. Projects were selected from the City’s 1/6-year road plan.
• July-September, Budget: workshops, hearings and adoption