Commissioners award contract for horse arena

Red Willow County commissioners awarded the bid for the Kiplinger Equestrian Arena to a local contractor, and decided to create a separate budget fund for the arena that will be built this fall on the fairgrounds in McCook.

During budget hearings during its regular meeting Tuesday, the board approved budget requests from 13 county department heads.

The commissioners' approval of the bid award for the new horse arena is contingent upon the approval and signature of McCook rancher Tom Kiplinger, who is donating funds for the structure. Kiplinger is out of town this week, according to building designer Greg Wolford.

The contractor will be JL Construction of McCook, which submitted the winning bid of $575,000. Wolford said the next three bids ranged from $598,000 to $639,000; the three remaining bids were higher, he said.

The bid was approved by the fair board and Kiplinger after a second bid-letting round.

Fair board member Don Klein said the board and Kiplinger were not pleased with the bids the first time around, and despite three weeks of negotiating with the low bidder, could get the price no lower than $665,000.

"We rejected all the bids, and started over," Klein said. Wolford said several changes were made in the plans before the second bid-letting, including simplifying the restroom design and reducing the size of the building from 150-by-300 feet to 130-by-300 feet.

Wolford defended the fair board's decision to rebid. "They did the right thing," he said. "By rebidding, they took $90,000 off the cost of the project."

Contractor Joe Leamon said he would order the building and start construction as soon as all signatures are on the contracts.

During a budget hearing for the fairgrounds operations, commissioners decided to create a separate budget fund for the Kiplinger arena, rather than include it in the budget for the fairgrounds.

Kiplinger is paying $300,000 for the building immediately. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said the $275,000 the county will borrow will be reimbursed by Kiplinger's estate upon his death, if not before.

Commissioners revised the budget request from fair manager Deb Lafferty, eliminating some utility costs and a contractor's payment for the Kiplinger Arena from the fairgrounds budget.

Commissioners added, however, $3,000 to Lafferty's budget to cover the trips she makes to check on rented properties at the fairgrounds on weekends and evenings.

The fairgrounds' total proposed budget is $306,000.

In other budget action, Clerk of the District Court Bev Dodge asked commissioners to allow $150 a month ($1,800 a year) to pay deputy clerk Lori O'Dea for part-time bailiff duties for District Judge John Battershell. Dodge said the judge has never had a bailiff in Red Willow County before, but sees a need for someone to do his scheduling and typing. Dodge told commissioners paying O'Dea for this work would be more cost effective than hiring another person.

The salary for a bailiff is included in the judge's budget request of $9,020. Commissioners approved this request, as well as Dodge's $76,716 request for the district court clerk's office.

Approximately $40,000 of Dodge's budget is reimbursed by the state for child support bookwork completed in the McCook office.

County surveyor Gary Dicenta's budget request of $14,760 is slightly higher than his request for $12,609 last year, he said, because of the paperwork involved in flood plain regulation compliance.

Other budget worksheets approved as presented included:

Agricultural extension agent: $69,012

Assessor: $158,631

Attorney: $109,770

Clerk: $95,260

County court system: $16,950

Election commissioner: $36,440

Noxious weed: $59,363

Sheriff: $237,060

County jail: $316,610

Sheriff's Cops Fast grant: $1,036

Treasurer: $128,771

Veterans service officer: $27,200

Waste disposal (grant money): $307,930

Waste disposal (operations of household waste): $95,375

Commissioners approved cost-of-living raises for county employees: $50 a month for full-time and $35 cents an hour for part-time.

In other action:

- Rich Mullaney, director of Resource Conservation and Development, based in Cambridge, explained to commissioners the RC&D will now ask each governmental entity on the council to appoint an alternate as well as one voting member. Mullaney said he hopes this increases attendance and representation at monthly meetings.

- Commissioners denied a tax reimbursement of $454.56 to St. Patrick's Catholic Church, because the property in question, the unused house at 602 E. Third, is not being utilized by the school for its intended purpose, a playground, at this time.