Moving on from school, business issues

For more than a decade, McCook has been in an uproar over water and school buildings. During that time span, few days have passed without conflict or controversy, as a prolonged quarrel raged in the community over what should be done to resolve the issues.

Although the final chapters are yet to be written on the water and school sagas, it is beginning to appear that 2004 will be the year that solutions are reached and the community moves on to other concerns.

A vote of the people at the May 11 primary election decided the school issue, with a $5.8 million elementary building project passing by a 197-vote margin: 1,306 to 1,109. Acting quickly, the school board has hired an architect and has given approval to preliminary plans, setting the stage for opening of the kindergarten through third grade school building by the start of the 2005-06 term.

What a relief it is to be on the way to improving McCook's elementary facilities. True, there were different ideas about how to fix the problems, but the solution finally decided upon seems to be a practical and functional way to educate McCook's youngest students.

The water solution is not yet a done deal, but each week the City Council gets closer to deciding how to make McCook's water safe and, in the process, satisfy the government's environmental standards for water quality.

The city's current strategy is to drill additional wells south of town and, at the same time, start developing plans for a water treatment plant. Following the interviews of engineering firms Wednesday night, it should not be too long before plans for a treatment plan are drawn up, and cost estimates presented to the City Council and the citizens of McCook.

By moving straight ahead, it's possible that the treatment plant could be completed by March of 2006, just in time to meet the administrative order issued by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Won't that be something? After years of near-ceaseless bickering, the McCook community is within 20 months of having its two main problems -- water and school facilities -- solved.

It's not time to celebrate yet, but it is nice, for a change, not to be eternally upset because of indecision on key issues.