County has limited role in tower dispute

Red Willow County commissioners signed an agreement during their meeting April 18 that spelled out the county's involvement in the non-binding mediation be-tween the City of McCook and the McCook Public Power District.

MPPD has sued McCook over the city's denial of a variance that would have allowed MPPD to erect a taller communications tower at its headquarters on North Highway 83 in McCook. The city contends the tower would interfere with zoning regulations at the McCook Airport.

The county is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, County Attorney Paul Wood said, because it has representatives -- Mike Kugler and Ron Friehe, both of McCook -- on the airport zoning board.

Wood said the county is not directly involved in the dispute or the mediation, and that the city and MPPD have agreed to share evenly the fees associated with he mediation.

In other action:

* Commissioners approved the purchase of a new New Holland skid loader from Klein's Motor and Electric. McCook, to be used for the county's household hazardous waste materials program. Klein's bid of $33,747 includes the bucket, weights, scale, post-hole digger, auger and one-year/2,000 hour warranty.

A second bid came from Nebraska Machinery in North Platte, for a Caterpillar loader priced at $33,718, plus an additional $9,987 for the attachments and $1,750 for a two-year/2,000-hour warranty.

The purchase is contingent upon the county's approval for a $40,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust/Nebraska Lottery. If the grant is approved, those funds would be entered into the HHW program's 2006-2007 budget, and the loader would be paid for in July.

Commissioners said they were disappointed that more loader dealers did not submit bids.

* Commissioners directed County Roads Supervisor Gary Dicenta to complete a study of a road north of the Perry elevator that is being considered for abandonment. The road is called Road No. 277 in the county's original roads records, and is part of Drives 380 and 720 in the current E911 addressing system.

Following the completion of Dicenta's plan, commissioners will have to publish and conduct a public hearing before officially closing the road and deciding whether or not to allow the land to revert to the owners of adjacent real estate or retain it for public use.