New name for airport on Council's agenda

The McCook City Council will be asked to consider renaming McCook Regional Airport after Sen. Ben Nelson, at its regular meeting Monday night, 7:30 in City Council Chambers in Memorial Auditorium.

The council requested that the item be placed on their agenda for discussion.

If approved, the airport will be re-named as the McCook "Ben Nelson" Regional Airport.

This is the second time this year it has been proposed to re-name the airport after Nelson. The McCook Airport Advisory Board first floated the suggestion at its February meeting but ultimately decided not to move forward with it.

Sen. Nelson, born and raised in McCook, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000 and re-elected in 2006. Before that, he served as Nebraska's governor from 1991-1999.

Re-naming McCook's airport is the only regular agenda item for Monday night. The council will also convene in closed executive session at the end of Monday's meeting for a strategy session about potential litigation concerning the city's airport agricultural land lease with Steve and Renee Fritz.

The council will also be asked as a consent agenda item to approve a bid that will extend city water and sewer lines to the proposed Guard and Reserve Readiness Center south of the airport.

The council will be asked to offer a contract to Interstate Irrigation of Yuma, Colo for the lowest responsible bid of $255,125, to furnish and install 3,000 linear feet each of water and sewer mains for the facility.

The project is estimated to be done by September, with construction starting on the complex around October.

Other consent agenda items up for approval Monday night include:

bid specifications for a new half-ton, four wheel drive pickup for the water department. The vehicle will replace a 1994 two wheel drive pickup that has 118,781 miles. The council approved funds for this purchase in this year's budget.

bid specifications and contract documents for the Airport Agricultural Land Lease and set the date to receive bids as June 30, 2 p.m. The city leases land by the airport and the proposed Guard and Reserve Readiness Center has reduced the number of dryland crop acres available to rent to 245. Terms of the new lease will be for three years effective July 15 of this year, with no corn planted on the property.

a memo from McCook City Fire Chief Marc Harpham that describes the donation of 20 self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment from the city fire department to other fire departments in the area.

As the the city fire department obtained a federal grant to purchase 20 new SCBA's, current SCBAS will be donated to other departments in the vicinity, including four each to fire departments in Bartley, Indianola, Stratton and the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department. Two each will be donated to the Beaver Valley Fire Department and the water treatment plant in McCook, for hazardous areas at the plant.

approve in concept the requests for the Bison Alumni All-Class 2010 Reunion on July 2-5, 2010 and authorize city staff to to meet with the Reunion Committee to finalize requests, that will be brought back to the council for approval. The requests include the use of Norris Park, a street dance and free swimming at the city pool.

authorize the mayor to sign the contract with the West Central Nebraska Area Agency on Aging concerning services at the Heritage Senior Center. The contract allows the senior center to receive funding for 2009-2010 for specified services and activities.

the application for special designated liquor license submitted by the McCook Aerie #2769 Fraternal Order of Eagles, at 805 East B, for a fundraiser/street dance/beer garden on August 8, from 6 to 10 p.m., with the alternate date of August 29.