County wins four grants for security and health

Red Willow County and Southwest Nebraska will be healthier, cleaner and more secure because of four grants discussed Monday morning at a Red Willow County commissioner meeting.

Sheriff Gene Mahon said the county has received a $23,838.85 Homeland Security grant from the federal government to purchase equipment for law enforcement, fire departments, ambulance services and hazmat response.

"The goal is to enhance the security of the entire county," said Earl McNutt, commission chairman. "These are federal funds we can use to get everyone as well equipped as possible," Mahon said.

The funds will be used to purchase equipment such as personal protective equipment, explosive devices equipment, communications equipment, detection and decontamination equipment or physical security equipment.

The Department of Justice will fund another grant, $9,186.09, to purchase communications equipment for the new Southwest Public Health Department.

The grant will be used to purchase base and radio units that will be compatible with existing equipment in Red Willow, Hitchcock, Hayes, Dundy, Chase, Frontier and Furnas counties.

Commissioners discussed the $76,100 grant awarded to the county's household waste collection program by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant Program.

The grant will help pay for operating costs at the county's new collection facility on South Street and for the program's collections in Southwest Nebraska counties.

Commissioners went on record in support of McCook Schools' effort to write a grant to purchase automatic external defibrillators for high-traffic public places.

Commissioner Steve Downer said he requested one defibrillator for the court house and a second for the fairgrounds.

Commissioners will open bids on four armor coating projects at 11 a.m., July 7.

The projects include:

- Two miles from East 11th to West Third north of McCook, currently gravel;

- Seven miles of armor coating north of Bartley;

- Nine miles north of Lebanon, currently armor coated; and

- One-half mile southwest of Lebanon.

Dicenta estimated the projects will cost $190,000.

Commissioners will bid the two-mile project north of McCook as an alternate project, at the request of commissioner Leigh Hoyt. Hoyt said he is concerned about spending money to armor coat a road that is serviceable as a gravel road, especially with tight budgets and declining state aid to counties. Bidding that portion of the project as an alternate means commissioners could delay that project.

In other action, commissioners:

- Agreed to keep Kiplinger Arena operations within the county fair operating budget. Commissioners and fair board members will be provided quarterly reports that will detail usage and rental, donations and utilities expenses on the arena.

- Commissioners accepted real estate valuation corrections from County Assessor Sandra Kotschwar, who said most of the changes are the result of changes in irrigated farmland.

- Approved a construction permit from Qwest to bury cable across the county roads at the four-corner intersection north of McCook on East 11th.

- Filed monthly reports from the county clerk and the clerk of the district court.

- Received a $136,49 check from Dennis McFarland, to reimburse the county for fuel used at the race track.