Accounting and Finance:
∙ Completed Quarterly Financial reports.
∙ Completed payroll and Council payment approval report.
∙ Attended Employee Activity Committee meeting.
∙ Attended United Way meeting.
Utility Billing:
∙ Cycle 4 bills mailed.
∙ Cycle 2 payment reminder notices mailed.
∙ Eight new residential accounts established.
Police:
∙ Completed final review for Operating Budget submission.
∙ Chief Shoemaker, Lieutenant Felker and Chief Leavitt met with the Scottsbluff Police and Fire Chiefs, toured their facility, and discussed some collaboration for future training and continuing education opportunities.
∙ Met with the National Policing Institute regarding the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Grant funds and future grant opportunities.
∙ Dealing with fleet issues regarding ongoing repairs and preparing out of service vehicles to go to auction.
∙ Had our first staff meeting with all supervisors.
∙ Beginning the process of a thorough cleaning and organizing of all police facilities. We have large amounts of outdated, unusable equipment that needs to go to auction or be disposed of. Electric:
∙ We completed the three-phase line extension at Schiff Feedlot, energized the padmount transformer portion.
∙ Work has resumed at the Well Field on the three-phase line build for the solar field project.
∙ We installed additional new LED light fixtures in Lakefield Addition.
∙ Installed new pole and irrigation well transformer bank on CR 56.
∙ Connected and energized a new irrigation well transformer bank on Rock Road.
∙ Department personnel participated in High School Ag Fair with several electric safety demonstrations.
∙ Installed and energized underground services for Westco site building construction.
∙ Finalized and submitted operating budget.
∙ Met with contractor at Well Field as solar field construction has begun.
Transit:
∙ 895 riders.
Streets:
∙ Completed 24 Locates.
∙ Piled millings from current project.
∙ Ongoing patch work.
∙ Work on grading alleys.
∙ Pick up barricades and clean up around new cement at 14th and Country Side LN.
∙ Crack seal:
o East 3rd
o 3rd St – Elk Horn
o 16th-18th and Platte
o Black Hills CT
o 18th Terrace
o 18th and Box Butte-Emerson
o 2nd and Box Butte – Potash
o 4th and Emerson-Box Butte
o 21st Edith CT-Box Butte
o Peterson Ct
∙ Dropped off barricades for Golden Hour event.
∙ Serviced and replaced mower blades on bush hog mower.
Landfill:
∙ 185 customers.
∙ 253 tons of refuse.
∙ Ongoing baler repairs.
∙ Detailed all equipment and trash truck interiors.
∙ Cleaned transfer station.
∙ Ongoing trash truck hydraulic repairs.
Water/Sewer:
∙ Fixed 5 pivot drops at sewer lake.
∙ Transported 16” pipe inventory to shop.
∙ Attended “8 to Great” training.
∙ Replaced valve boxes at sewer lake.
∙ Applied de-greaser to manholes near City Hall and all lift stations.
∙ Repaired pipes at Burnham Well.
∙ Attended Excell training.
∙ Shut down water main in William Circle for plumber.
∙ Camera work in several trouble sewer lines.
∙ Installed 13 new radios.
∙ Changed oil in unit 505.
∙ Completed 7 department work orders.
Community Development:
∙ Building:
o 103 Contractor License Renewals processed.
o 21 Plumbing and Mechanical Permits issued.
o 9 Building Permits issued with a total estimated improvement value of $1,610,297. o 9 Right of Way Construction, Obstruction or Excavation Permits issued.
o 5 Zoning Permits issued with an estimated improvement value of $19,200.
o 1 Floodplain construction permit.
∙ Zoning:
o No April Planning Commission or Board of Adjustment meetings due to lack of agenda items.
o Drafted code proposals to deal with issues with subdivision plat requirements, nuisance abatement, and parking. Sent to legal for review.
∙ Nuisance Abatement for the second half of April:
o 35 contacts made.
o 14 letters sent or delivered.
o 3 works in progress.
o 18 completed issues.
∙ Building Maintenance:
o 31 new work orders entered in April.
o Completed 29 work orders.
∙ Projects:
o Posted the link on the City web page to the new City online mapping site.
o Fuller Construction obtained the permit to replace the elevator at the Box Butte County Courthouse.
∙ Brent Kusek, Community Development Director, obtained his AICP certification as a certified planner!
Fire:
∙ Nebraska Office of Emergency Health Systems was on-site and conducted our Ambulance Service Inspection. We have been issued an in-compliance letter from the State of Nebraska.
∙ Staff finished up with the “8 to Great” training.
∙ Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Police Lieutenant met with the Scottsbluff Police Chief/City Manager, PD Staff, and Scottsbluff Fire Chief and toured their Public Safety Facility.
∙ Chief attended the Pine Ridge Mutual Aid Meeting in Crawford.
∙ Weekly department training was ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting).
∙ Confirmed the training calendar with the State Fire Marshal Training Division for the Driver/Operator-Pumper and Mobile Water Supply Certification Class to start at the end of June. Airport:
∙ Conducted Interviews with two engineering firms to be consultant for the airport layout plan project. Our recommendation will be on next week’s council agenda.
∙ Met with airport aviation consultant to visit about upcoming airline bid process that will likely begin in December.
∙ FAA inspection preparation has begun with documentation being gathered and special inspections being conducted for airfield items.
∙ Maintenance staff attended the “8 to Great” training.
∙ Annual Generator Inspections were completed.
∙ Windmill Inspections for grazing season were completed.
∙ Mowing has officially begun with terminal and hangar areas done this week.
∙ Dragging warehouse roads with box blade has begun.
∙ Training continues with new employee.
∙ Maintenance staff participated in monthly ARFF training.
Library:
∙ The first annual Mother/Daughter Tea Party was a huge success! We will definitely have another one next spring! Our next Tea will be sometime over the holiday season and will feature a Charles Dickens theme!
∙ Preparations are beginning for the 2024 Summer Reading program! We have some amazing grand prizes this year courtesy of the Alliance Public Library Foundation! Watch for upcoming information!
∙ Children’s Librarian Cynthia Horn hosted Story Time featuring “Transportation” with creating our own travel books! She also did Outreach visits to Emerson Elementary School and St. Agnes Academy with “Adventure Begins At Your Library” Summer Reading 2024! Cynthia also did KCOW announcements, organized the Book Mobile, packaged up Mother/Daughter Tea party items for next year, did April statistics, and updated the Wiggleworm feature for the library’s website.
∙ Technical Services Librarian Emily Nelson updated the stats for the April Directors Report, made weekly Book Mobile deliveries, and assisted patrons. She also updated the Facebook/Instagram pages and website.
∙ Adult Services Librarian Nalani Stewart was a tremendous help with the Mother/Daughter Tea on Saturday! She also hosted the Jeff Barnes Humanities Nebraska program “To Live and Die on the Plains” on Thursday evening.
∙ Library Clerks Stephanie Hamilton and Pam Becker were great helps with Tea preparations and have been busy processing new spring arrivals!
Museum:
∙ We hosted Parker-Hannifin as they held a 4-day training.
∙ Lifetime Screening held their Bi-Annual Screening this last week.
∙ The Hyannis Cemetery records are now completely reworked and ready to be used for genealogy research. This is one of 38 cemeteries that the Heritage Room has records for. Come and check it out.
∙ We are looking for a couple of volunteers for a short project with the Alliance Cemetery Records. If you can spare a couple of afternoons, call Becci at 762-2384.
∙ The last scrapbooking workshop is this weekend. We will start again in September. If you are interested, join our “Museum Scrappers” Facebook group.
Senior Center & RSVP:
∙ RSVP added one additional volunteer in April.
∙ 19 volunteers were in the community volunteering at various in the community.
∙ The Nutrition Site delivered 1,355 meals to area seniors in April.
∙ Hosted Bingo, Cards, Coffee and treats on Friday and Bunco.
∙ Thursday May 16th at 11:00am Teresa Larsen will give a presentation regarding free services offered for brain injuries.
Parks:
∙ Installed sod at the 16th Street tennis courts and at Knight Park.
∙ Continued energizing irrigation in the parks and making necessary repairs as issues were identified.
∙ Mowed all the ballfields and parks, picked up grass clippings as necessary due to the rapid grass growth.
∙ Cleaned filter troughs and zero depth trough at the swimming pool and finished washing the basin.
∙ Picked up tables and returned them to the museum.
∙ Moved penny press to Carhenge.
Golf:
∙ Scheduled a clean-up day for May 18th at 9:00 a.m. Volunteers will help give the course a good after-winter clean up.
∙ Continue to remove damaged and sick trees from the course.
∙ Mowing and general maintenance of the course
∙ Golf continued to be busy when weather conditions allowed.
Human Resources:
∙ Attended the “Winner’s Circle” HR Leadership and Development Seminar hosted by Brown & Brown Inc.
∙ Completing Pre-Employment conditions and preparing new hires.
∙ Assisting employees with requests.
∙ Processing Work Comp and FMLA information.
∙ Ensuring completing of FMCSA and FTA drug and alcohol programs as required, including testing, scheduling, reporting, policy updates and billing.
∙ Updating benefits information for employees’ leave accrual.
∙ Compiling annual Wage survey to ensure benefits and wages are within comparable ranges to other first-class cities in our region.
Administration:
∙ Attended “8 to Great” training
∙ City Council meeting preparation
∙ Participated in interview and scoring meeting for Airport consultants
∙ Work continues on FY25 budget. Capital Improvements will be presented to Planning and Zoning for recommendations in the coming weeks.
∙ Met with Human Resources regarding pay and benefits study with historical data and future trends as part of FY25 budget process.
∙ Responded to City Council inquiries and provided information regarding ongoing and upcoming events.
∙ Installed sound system for hard of hearing assistance in the City Council Chambers at the Library.