HR:
• Preparing materials for distribution to all employees for “open enrollment” of benefits at the end of November.
• Improving employee training opportunities by providing on-demand content.
Police:
• Stolen vehicle recovered and suspect arrested.
• Person charged who was caught on camera breaking a window at a business.
• Draft of the new Police Department Policy was released to officers for review.
• Chief Lukens attended a County Commissioner meeting regarding the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide dispatch services for Box Butte County emergency services.
Community Development:
• Work on the Goodwill retail store in the old Alco building has resumed. Target date to open by December 6th, 2021.
• Issued 9 more “Certificates of Occupancy” for mobile homes in Vista and Meadows Mobile Home Parks.
• Nebraska State Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan began sharing new floodplain regulations which staff is reviewing to provide comments to the state prior to final adoption.
GIS:
• Staff is processing drone images and data in-house using a recently purchased software, resulting in more data that is cheaper, quicker, and more accurate than the previous method used.
BBDC:
• Hosted the Nebraska Enterprise Fund Meet & Greet Monday night.
• Sat in on Rural Rendezvous Zoom on NDOL presentation by Josh Hanson Wednesday morning.
• Joined Ports to Plains Annual Meeting by Zoom Wednesday afternoon.
• Gave community tour for Hospital Recruit Thursday morning.
• Sat in on “Rural Fellows” (summer intern program) for upcoming 2022 season; BBDC is applying for two interns as we had in 2018.
• Submitted a handful of photos to Panhandle Trails new wrap photo selection.
Public Works:
• Helped museum with taxidermy animals.
• PW building grading in process, installation of fixtures underway, electrical almost complete.
• 3rd St. curb replacement underway paving will be completed next spring.
• Gravel work in alleys underway.
• Lift Station A ready for bypass valve work.
• Prepared documentation for the upcoming Council meeting.
• 22 dumpsters were assembled and are ready for distribution.
• The federally-mandated Water Risk and Resilience Report is under final review.
• Public Transit transported 511 riders this week.
• Landfill processed 243 customers equating to 364 tons of refuse.
Electric:
• An outage occurred in the 1800 block of Niobrara for a tree trimmer to remove a tree. We took advantage of this time to perform preventative maintenance on the poles and transformers.
• Operated one of the generators at the Cody generation plant for a two-hour monthly test in compliance with our Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) agreement.
• We continue to work on three phase rebuild project on CR 58 and Otoe Road and to perform maintenance on our rural and urban system.
Airport:
• 2020 Hailstorm claim – work completed on our maintenance shop and ARFF station! Work has now begun on building #3000 (new warehouse) with roof work starting Monday which is the last building needing work on this very large project!
• Coordinating with Denver Air Connection/KeyLime to ensure continued air service during the upcoming rehabilitation of taxiways and apron. This project can now move into the design phase.
• We continue to have contact with the Nebraska Director of Aeronautics regarding national issues impacting airport operations.
• Maintenance staff have the first snow removal of the season under their belts!
• A tremendous “Shout-out” to the City’s Electrical Department for fixing an electrical issue at the airport late Thursday afternoon which, if not promptly fixed would have affected airfield operations!
• We continue to have full flights with passenger counts for October at 336 enplaned and 296 deplaned.
Fire:
• We are hiring for a Full-Time Fire Apparatus Engineer/EMT! Please contact the City to apply!
• Chief Shoemaker participated in two webinars this week on the topics of “Combination Fire Departments – Are they in your future?” and “Diversity and Inclusion in Volunteer Fire and EMS Agencies”, helping to ensure that our department is staying up-to-date on the latest in fire science and management.
• Staff participating in respective EMS recertification training.
• Five volunteer Firefighters are currently half-way through their Hazardous Materials Operations Level training and two volunteer Firefighter/EMT’s are currently in Paramedic Training at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff. We are very proud of the dedication of our volunteers!
Museum:
• Staff finalized the activity and staffing schedules for the Christmas Tree Festival.
• The museum received several taxidermy animals that are now on display in the Museum.
• Hosted the monthly scrapbooking event at the Museum.
• Worked with the Times Herald, Rushville Museum and the Sheridan County Historical society to sort and process 17 boxes of newspapers.
• Visitation in October was just under 2,000 individuals!
Library:
• Staff created new brochures for the Library’s information to reflect the added service of the bookmobile. Thanks to Tad Prelle of the Parks Department for loaning us a vehicle to get this project up and running!
• Preparations for the annual Bountiful Basket Auction are winding down. The baskets will be out and ready for bidding next week. The auction will end November 30th at 6pm.
• Outreach computer classes are underway with the first session for seniors held at the Senior Center Friday morning. This will be an ongoing program with Monday afternoon sessions in the downstairs commons area from 3-5pm, and the Senior Center every Friday from 10:30-12pm.
• Story time next week features “Hooray for Veterans!”. “Butterball” the Turkey is hiding in the library for children to come find for a special prize!
Parks:
• Leaf harvest is in full swing with the cooler weather and snow causing many of our trees to lose their cover.
• Staff put away the summer equipment and got machines converted to remove snow with various repairs and equipment serviced as necessary.
• Staff assisted the Museum with moving their Christmas decorations and supplies in preparation for the Christmas Tree Festival.
• Staff worked with the Water Department to clean up the culvert at Laing Lake to improve drainage.
• All restroom water and drain lines are blown out and closed for the season.
Golf:
• Staff sanded the greens on Saturday in preparation for winter.
• Weather has been cooperative, so play on the course has continued to be steady.
RSVP:
• The new cook at the Nutrition Site is doing great! Her meals are getting great reviews and attendance continues to be strong.
• Staff organized volunteers to assist a local resident with raking a yard as they were not physically able to do so due to illness.
• Thank you to the Refuse Collection division for helping us out with a container for the leaves.