City takes second stab at state grant

Tuesday, April 22, 2014
A design for a proposed walkway between the McCook Glass & Mirror and Top Office Products buildings, connecting Norris Avenue and a city parking lot. (Miller & Associates)

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Upgrades to a city owned parking lot on East First Street could provide covered parking for downtown shoppers, as well as a landscaped walkway to Norris Avenue, if they receive approval from state officials this time around.

The improvements are part of a revised $350,000 downtown revitalization grant application unanimously approved by the McCook City Council Monday evening. The revisions to the application follow a rejection of the initial application last fall by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

Eric Hellreigel with Miller and Associates presented City Council with cost estimates and conceptual drawings of the updates after working with the Downtown Steering Committee and city staff over the last several weeks. The project includes construction of a pavilion structure at the parking lot which would provide partially covered parking and could also serve farmer's market type activities.

The parking lot would receive landscaping and other improvements, as well as a landscaped brick accented walkway to Norris Avenue.

The proposed walkway would be located between the McCook Glass and Top Office Products buildings and is intended to follow the natural flow of foot traffic from the parking lot. The walkway has been previously discussed as being complimented by a diagonal crosswalk over Norris Avenue, which would end near Sehnert's Bakery.

Hellreigel said the new owners of the McCook Glass building had been very cooperative during initial discussions, pertaining to the city acquiring an easement and creating the walkway.

The project is estimated to have a total cost of $457,044, when combining both the parking lot improvements and walkway construction.

If the project receives state approval, it would likely begin design work this fall and have a targeted construction date of the spring of 2015, according to city staff.

Also during Monday's regularly scheduled meeting, four city owned lots one block west of the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, bordering West Fair Acres Drive and East Fair Acres Drive, were approved for sale to a pair of local families. The new property owners intend to relocate mobile homes out of the West Q Village onto the lots.

The area had been designated as future park space but has sat empty for nearly 20 years and city staff indicated recently there were no plans in place for development of the area.

The sale of lots 9 and 10 of block 5 of the Fair Acres Addition was approved for sale to Olvido Davila for a total of $4,500. Lots one and two of the same addition were approved for sale to Robert and Sharon Harvey for a total of $5,000.

Councilwoman Janet Hepp indicated the remaining city owned lots, in the vicinity of the four approved for sale, would likely require significant excavation before being built on.

Councilman Jerry Calvin said he was uneasy with approving the sale of the two lots to Davila on their first reading and indicated he preferred to provide citizens more time for input when selling city land. City Attorney Nate Schneider said there were still opportunities for citizens to challenge the sale, if they so desired, but indicated city staff had received no other interest in the property since the initial sale of the lots to the Harvey's was announced several weeks ago.

Councilor Calvin ultimately joined the other council members and all four lots were unanimously approved for sale with the three-reading rule suspended.

Other items on Monday's regular and consent agenda:

* A recreational survey intended to provide city staff with information pertaining to the "wants and needs for recreational opportunities within the community" was approved after a short discussion. Mayor Dennis Berry asked if there were safeguards in place to prevent issues resulting from citizens submitting multiple copies of the survey and Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff replied it was strictly an information gathering tool to benefit city staff, council members and the parks advisory board.

Potthoff said he wasn't aware of any similar previous attempts to gather citizen input on recreational desires.

The survey will be circulated online via the City of McCook and McCook Gazette websites, as well as to McCook Public Schools students and available at city offices. City staff has set a May 23, 2014, deadline to submit surveys and intends to schedule a public meeting to review the results with citizens once their results are compiled.

* Council approved a proclamation designating April 30, 2014, as Arbor Day in the City of McCook. The Tree Advisory Board has scheduled a youth celebration at 3:45 p.m. at Norris Park, followed by a 5:30 p.m. pruning lesson from local arborist Bruce Hoffman and presentation by guest speaker Amy Seiler with the Nebraska Forest Service.

* The annual renewal of a resolution certifying the city is capable of providing public transportation for its citizens was approved.

* A bid for a new investigator vehicle for the police department was awarded to Wagner Ford-Mercury-Toyota in the amount of $18,831 for a Toyota, Camry.

* The city's quarterly financial report was received and filed.

* City Council entered executive session to continue their review process of city manager applicants.

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