New bureau office welcome commitment

Located as it is on the northern edge of the residential district, it's easy to overlook the major impact of the McCook Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

But -- while few people pass by the field office on a daily basis -- the Bureau's contributions to McCook and the Tri-State Region have been tremendous. It started way back in 1947 when the Bureau of Reclamation first set up operations at the former Prisoner of War Camp near Indianola.

And, the good news is, the bureau's close association with this area will continue far into the future. That was assured last June when U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys announced the bureau would build an all-new, 11,000 square foot building in McCook. The structure, in the 1700 block of West Third Street, will be the operations center for 15 dams and reservoirs in Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado.

The construction decision is important because the bureau's payroll for the McCook office alone is more than $1 million annually, pumping urgently needed dollars into the area economy.

"Our staff has grown considerably," said Marv Swanda, manager of the McCook Field Office. Due to the growing need for maintenance -- resulting from the age of the area reservoir facilities -- Swanda says eight new people have been added to the local staff in recent years. In addition, employees are located throughout the bureau's vast service area in the Tri-State Region. "We have superintendents at 10 of the 15 lakes and reservoirs we serve," Swanda said.

Showing the widespread responsibilities, the McCook Field Office staff serves eight reservoirs in Nebraska, six reservoirs in Kansas and one in Colorado, as well as providing irrigation management for Harlan County Reservoir near Alma.

Construction of the new field office in McCook will begin soon. "We're expecting construction to start in May," Swanda said. With a year allotted for the project, that would mean completion in May of 2005. After that, the current office building -- a converted dance hall -- will be torn down and a parking lot put in its place.

Even with all that, the complete project should be wrapped up in 2005. That will be cause for celebration because one of the major contributors to this area's progress -- the Bureau of Reclamation -- will be moving into the future with a brand new building.