Firm wins contract to oversee grant

The McCook City Council unanimously approved Monday night Miller and Associates to administer a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant, for 21st Century Systems Inc. to expand at the Keystone.

The McCook Economic Development Corp. is renovating the Keystone where 21st Century Systems Inc., will use the fourth floor. The grant will allow the company to expand into a data center in the basement of the building. The company provides software to the military and corporations.

City staff interviewed two firms to administer the grant, Miller and Associates and W Design. Councilman Aaron Kircher asked about differences between the two.

While both were qualified companies, Miller and Associates has administered many community development block grants in the area and were more experienced, City Manager Kurt Fritsch said.

Miller and Associates also agreed to the $5,000 fee for the project, included in the grant.

Another consent agenda item the council approved was an interlocal agreement that combined two mutual aid districts into one for area firefighters.

There are two mutual aid districts the city fire department belongs to, one for the east and one for the west.

The Frenchman Valley Mutual Aid Association will expand the district to include all communities in the district.

Combining the two districts will prevent duplication of services and provide the communities and fire districts east of McCook with a larger pool of mutual aid to draw from.

The Frenchman Valley Mutual Aid Association will include McCook, Bartley, Beaver Valley Rural Fire District (Danbuy, Lebanon) Benkelman, Culbertson, Haigler, Hayes Center, Imperial, Indianola, Lamar, Palisade, Red Willow Western Fire Department, Stratton, Trenton and Wauneta.