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McCook Gazette

Council previews preliminary plans

Thursday, July 8, 2010
The architect firm Prochaska & Associates of Omaha provided McCook city staff with its first preliminary rendering of the building layout. The firm was directed by City Council to provide proposals for the new City Municipal Facilities, at both the $5 million and $5.25 million levels, during the June 7 meeting.

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook City Council reviewed a preliminary architects rendering of the proposed McCook Municipal Facility at Tuesdays semi-monthly City Council meeting.

The new facility, which would house McCook Police and Fire departments as well as the City administration offices, would be located at 304 W. Fourth, home of the West Ward School building. The school building has previously been set for demolition and at Tuesdays meeting Land Construction of Lincoln was awarded the demolition contract for $96,880.

Council member Lonnie Anderson inquired about the potential for drive-through parking for the police department and Jerry Calvin expressed concerns regarding the storage of cleared snow on the new parking lot, saying he believed that to be a contributing factor that lead to the current state of the Public Safety Center's parking lot.

The soon-to-be demolished West Ward School is home to at least 30 trees. After concerns were raised by council member Jerry Calvin, during the June 7 meeting, the McCook City Council decided that any trees small enough to be moved would be and architects would be directed to preserve the larger trees within green spaces.

City council directed city staff to request the architect firm, Prochaska & Associates of Omaha, be available for questions at the next City Council meeting, July 12.

Council will seek voter approval for the sales tax funded project this fall and hopes to break ground in the Spring of 2011.

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  • More sales tax to fund this?? I thought the city had enough sales tax revenue to fund this without taxing the citizens anymore?? Here we go again. The council/city manager expects the already tax burdened citizens to give more tax dollars. When is enough, enough???

    -- Posted by edbru on Fri, Jul 9, 2010, at 7:02 AM

  • This would be asking people if they want the city to use the sales tax revenue the city already receives on this one project, it's not an additional sales tax. This has been explained at the meetings with a walkthrough of the current public safety center and the meeting at the Senior Center. Hopefully, there will be more meetings so you can get the correct information you need to make an informed decision just like the rest of us.

    -- Posted by McCook1 on Fri, Jul 9, 2010, at 9:07 AM

  • Just wait. They will ask for more in taxes for the city. Not only will they redirect the taxes for what they need, they will need more for new projects they dream up. They need to pay fot the ones already in the works and yes, we need a new safety center. Use the funds we have and not ask for more. People really have a hard time letting go of their money when times are tough, like now.

    -- Posted by edbru on Fri, Jul 9, 2010, at 2:24 PM

  • Someone please refresh my memory. I was under the delusion that the vote of the people went against this project. If I do err, my apologies, but I believe my memory still remembers correctly.

    Ode to West Ward:

    OK, if you are going to destroy West Ward, may I have a brick, to remember some of the days of my childhood with?? That building has imprinted into its mortar and brick, the young memories, and history, of every soul starting their academic growth, and life. When you add them up, for all who passed through those halls into their adult lives, a part of our way of life will carry a scar, now that you are being destroyed.

    But, good, and bad, memories, destroyed, makes room for the temporarity of memories this generation does temporarily build? May they be as good as ours.

    Farewell, Dear old West Ward. I have a perfect Eternity to remember your halls, and people I know, and met, within you.

    Each of us carries a bit of you with us.

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Sat, Jul 10, 2010, at 11:51 AM

  • Memories don't go away when buildings are destroyed.

    -- Posted by npwinder on Sun, Jul 11, 2010, at 11:42 PM

  • Ebru, you are right the city should not ask for more funds to build a new safety center. In fact the city has already said they will NOT raise the property tax levy and will just use the sales tax funding they already receive. You are also right the city needs a new safety center.

    -- Posted by dennis on Mon, Jul 12, 2010, at 10:27 AM

  • I wish it were the same with the county. Our house taxes have raised now. In fact, the person I talked to at the asessors office said that they have to meet the standards that Nebraska state has set for taxes. Oops! We just got it in the end again! You could have filed an arguement with them, but it would only waste your time. People need to check out what their taxes have gone up to. I know mine went up $250 a year. And I did not improve anything on my residence.

    Where is the end at for all the taxes and people who want more, more, and more money. Isn't there other ways of getting things by grants etc.

    -- Posted by edbru on Tue, Jul 13, 2010, at 10:05 AM
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