Cooler days ahead for 4-H exhibitors

Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The Red Willow County fair board has extended the pen area of the “Big Top” open-air show arena for 4-H’ers animals, above, most likely their hogs, on the fairgrounds in McCook. The new 18x75-foot structure cost $19,700 and was built by J.L. Construction, McCook. The large exhibit hall of the 4-H Building also on the fairgrounds, the venue for 4-H activities and exhibits and community rental activities such as auctions, below, will get air conditioning.
Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — At their weekly meeting Monday morning, Red Willow County commissioners accepted a bid to air condition the 4-H Building on the county fairgrounds in McCook.

The restrooms and a meeting room within the building are already air-conditioned. 5 Starr LLC of McCook will now install air conditioning in the large exhibit hall at a cost of $13,754.

Two other bids came from Walter Heating and Cooling, $26,300, and Parde Electric, $35,922. Both are McCook businesses. The difference between the low bid and the high bid is $22,168.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

The county’s fair board had earlier received an estimate for the air conditioning project (four 5-ton AC units) of more than $20,000, which meant that the county would have to seek bids. After opening and studying the three bids at their May 9 meeting, fair board members agreed to recommend to commissioners that they accept the 5 Star bid.

On a motion by commissioner Jacque Riener and a second by Steve Downer, commissioners unanimously accepted the 5 Star bid.

In other actions:

— County road superintendent Tyson Bardsley told commissioners that he will take plans for the Dwight Gallatin Subdivision to City of McCook officials because, although the subdivision is in the country near McCook, it is located within the city’s two-mile radius. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said that the county, in the past, has had misunderstandings with subdivisions about whether the city or the county or property owners or subdivision owner is responsible for the creation and maintenance of roads. “We need to define the city/county responsibility for the roads in a subdivision,” McNutt said.

Bardsley also presented a floodplain development permit application for Robert Fisher, who, prior to obtaining a floodplain permit, built a 660-square-foot cabin and 5,408-square-foot storage building in a bend of the Republican River south of Highway 6&34 between Indianola and McCook.

Bardsley also presented and commissioners signed an agreement for the engineering services to be provided by Miller and Associates for the county’s summer 2018 armor coating projects. The $4,500 contract includes drawing up contracts, overseeing bids and inspection of projects.

— Pamela Mann of Region II Services explained that Region II provides services to 33 individuals with developmental disabilities in Red Willow County.

Region II’s total 2018-17 budget is $11,097,277; Red Willow County’s portion of Region II’s total cost is $2,387,600. The county’s contribution in 2017-19 was $19,899.

Approximately 80-82 percent of Region II’s budget is funded by the state; county contributions account for 1.52 percent of the total budget.

— Commissioners approved two construction permits — for Calvin Chipperfield for a $45,000 garage and for Luke Olson for a $300,000 steel building for ag sales. Olson’s project raises a concern about drainage in the county road ditch; Riener is concerned that a 24-inch culvert installed in a county road ditch may not carry a heavy rain. Commissioners will keep an eye on the situation and may require changes if a heavy rain floods county roads or across Highway 6&34.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: