City and county need to resolve bleacher issue

The taxpayers of McCook and Red Willow County have reason to be upset by the failure of the city and county to settle the Kiplinger Arena bleacher dispute without going to court.

What started out as a gesture of good will has turned into a dispute with no apparent willingness to give by either side. And, so, as a result, the taxpayers of McCook and Red Willow County could end up paying two ways: for prosecution of the suit by the city, and for defense of the suit by the county.

That's like fighting with yourself, since more than 75 percent of the county's population lives in the City of McCook, and all of the county's citizens share responsibility for the fairgrounds property located within the McCook city limits.

Isn't there another way to resolve this dispute without going to court? After all, this all started out with donated funds paying the cost of the $15,500 bleacher installation.

Problem is -- we learn after the fact -- that the bleacher project may not have been handled like it should have been. The city says the county should have gotten a building permit. The McCook officials also allege that the bleachers don't meet the bleacher requirements in the city's building code.

This came as a surprise to the bleacher supplier, DGJD Inc. of Jefferson, Colo., which has the same type of bleachers in use at other locations without problems or complaints.

Is it too late to come to an acceptable compromise? Hopefully not, because it's senseless for taxpayers to pay for both the prosecution and defense of a lawsuit, and then have to pay again for whatever solution is finally decided upon.

Let's try one more time to come up with a solution. How about the chairman of the Red Willow County Commission, Earl McNutt, sitting down with the Mayor of McCook, Dennis Berry, and whatever legal representation they need to talk about ways the bleacher dispute can be resolved without double-taxing the citizens of the city and county?

One thing is for certain. The bleachers are needed as use of the Kiplinger Arena continues to increase. Hopefully, with the leadership of the mayor and county commission chair, city and county officials can work something out. For the sake of taxpayers, the county and city need to resolve this issue without going to court.