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McCook Gazette

Keystone tour

Friday, January 29, 2010
Connie Jo Discoe

Rex Nelson, right, director of the McCook Economic Development Corp., leads, from right, McCook city council member Mike Gonzales, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and Andrea McClintic of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development through McCook's former Keystone Hotel, the center of a $4.2 million renovation project to create a downtown business center. Nelson told the lieutenant governor during the tour Friday that the creation of office spaces will be completed in the early summer, and that he expects 40-some employees when the doors come open. 21st Century Systems, a developer of software applications for military and corporate purposes, will occupy the fourth floor and install an unmanned lights-out data center in the basement. Offices for the MEDC, the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce and a McCook attorney will occupy office space on the second and/or third floors. It's possible, he said, that the sixth floor could be renovated into three condominiums. Nelson said he wants to keep as much space available for businesses that create jobs. Sheehy visited Southwest Nebraska Friday, and in Cambridge, toured construction at the hospital expansion, inspected the new fiber optics system at the Cambridge Telephone Company and walked with the new owner and production manager through the ethanol plant that will restart production in about a month.

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  • So where exactly are these 40-some employees coming from. I dont know how many employees work for MEDC, the Chamber or the attorney office. However I do know that 21st century systems only has 2 full time employees at the moment. The company has been firing across the country with all other jobs so if the town is hoping for a boost when this project opens, the rose glasses need to come off.

    -- Posted by notsmalltime on Fri, Jan 29, 2010, at 11:19 PM

  • $4.2 Million ?????

    Sounds like a lot of money for What???

    Hope it works better than other things-----like the Helicopter plant. Sure makes us wonder?????

    -- Posted by Just a reader on Sat, Jan 30, 2010, at 8:42 PM

  • I bet it comes down to be a pipe dream. Another money pit for the city to pour money into and decide that it wasn't a good investment. THEN the city will make the taxpayers make up the difference. This is getting to be a circus. Are they getting their ideas from the county fair circus?? At least you pay as you go there. No hidden costs that come around to hit you in the backside.

    -- Posted by edbru on Sun, Jan 31, 2010, at 4:23 PM

  • Yeah lets not attempt anything and watch McCook's population continue to shrink.

    -- Posted by npwinder on Sun, Jan 31, 2010, at 9:31 PM

  • I see a lot of negative comments on this topic. The thing that most of these comments have in common however, is the misinformation that seems to orbit them. I may be incorrect to state this but I believe that this is NOT a City project persay, it's an Economic Development project that indeed receives funding from the city sales tax.

    The truth of the matter is this.... We can all sit back with no risk involved and complain about how others attempt to improve opportunities in our city but how about mentioning the posative things that these entities have done..... No that's not nearly as entertaining.

    Consider this, without taking risks, we have nothing to lose.... Except the possability to create a better tomorrow. Bill Gates dropped out of college, some might say that was a risk.... I say it was a bold attempt for a brighter tomorrow and both statements would be correct. If it didn't work out, he would have picked himself up and had another go of it. THAT'S what has made America a great country, the desire to succeed!

    If anyone has any constructive advise for those who strive for a better tommorrow, please offer it up.

    The world is chuck full of people that can identify a problem.... It's those which seek a solution that develop a tecnique to erradicate small pox. Are you only an identifyer or are you also a developer?

    -- Posted by PensiveObserver on Mon, Feb 1, 2010, at 7:47 PM

  • Well what do you do when you ask on simple question in the community. Whats on thing McCook needs to do, to make it a better place to live? When the number one answer is to create more office space, what do you do then? Just negatively comment on it? Well myself personally would act upon it to meet the needs...

    And as far as I know, this IS NOT a city project WHATSOEVER!

    PensiveObserver explained it all pretty well!

    -- Posted by youngneighbor on Tue, Feb 2, 2010, at 3:34 PM
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