Antelope County Emergency Manager and Road Superintendent would like to express a sincere thank you to the residents of Antelope County, and the traveling public during the recent flooding and the days following.
With the travel ban in place, it was possible to get a great assessment of the current road conditions. On Monday, numerous volunteers and employees spent the majority of the day identifying and marking damage from the recent flood. Today, we are working diligently to mark roads that need to be closed. The completion of this is expected for 8:00 PM Tuesday night. Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20th, 2019 the Emergency Management Team will meet with school superintendents and bus drivers at 1:00 PM to discuss road conditions and various road issues in the County. If Antelope County does not receive any unfavorable weather, the travel ban should be able to be lifted at 6:00 AM on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Travel will resume on roads not otherwise marked. Antelope County is using orange fence and posts for barriers. If the barriers are in place, please do not bypass these barriers. Road Conditions beyond the barriers are not safe for public travel. The Emergency Management Team cannot be more appreciative of the respect, cooperation and helpfulness as they work through the damage assessment. They ask for continuation of the same as they move forward with repairs and construction. It was with a great deal of help and hands on that we have accomplished so much in so little time. Thank you to all. Please respect the barriers and road personnel during this time and in the future. -Antelope County Emergency Management Team Sheriff Robert Moore, Emergency Manager Casey Dittrich, Road Superintendent Michael Mortensen, Deputy Emergency Manager Charlie Henery, Region 11 Emergency Manager Representative Central Valley Ag in Tilden is coordinating with members of the Niobrara and Verdigre communities to start a “fencing supply drive.”
A drop site will be set up across from the Tilden Fire Hall on Saturday, March 23 at 9 a.m. The truck will head to Niobrara after everything is loaded. For those who would like to purchase items, but are unable to make it to the donation site, you may call Carhart Lumber in Tilden at 402-368-2202 and the items will be picked up from there. Donations may also be dropped off at Carhart during the week or at CVA, 4 miles south of Tilden. There will be a forklift available. "We are hoping to have to make several trips," Stephanie Thompson said. "Carhart is willing to help haul whatever we can’t take." Some of the necessary supplies include: Creosote posts Steel t-posts Barbed wire Staples Hammers Pliers Leather gloves Monetary donations mailed or dropped off at the CVA office in Tilden and they will put them toward the materials. Central Valley Ag 83897 Hwy 45 Tilden NE 68781 Attn:Steph For more information, contact Thompson at 402-368-8030 or CVA at 402-368-5323. The map is nearly complete, and Antelope County will soon have a plan of attack on road repairs after a historic flood ripped through. “We had 45 volunteers from Orchard, Royal, Brunswick, Elgin, Neligh, Oakdale, Clearwater and Tilden, along with the sheriff’s department, county workers, firefighters police and CVA going over every mile we could get to in Antelope County,” said Bob Moore, county emergency manager. “Every road had a physical eye on it to see if it was passable or impassible. There were roads we had to turn around, but we had eyes on every road in Antelope County.” With the map all but complete, Moore said the county now knows their estimate was accurate of 65 percent roads impassable or needing maintenance. Moore said the map help plot out fire and rescue routes for emergency, help road closing signs to lead to lifting the emergency declaration sooner and route buses for the schools and better plan the maintenance of the roads. “This morning it was a shot in the dark, but tonight, it opens up a picture for the county to have some passages,” Moore said. A emergency declaration was issued in Antelope County on Wednesday, and rural travel has been banned since. The emergency management team met with school administrators on Sunday afternoon and asked them to “stand down for 2-3 days.” There will be no school in Antelope County through at least Wednesday. Moore said they paired up volunteers, who took maps and marked every road. Using a 4 foot by 8 foot map in the courthouse, they then color coded every road to better gauge their situation. Red reflected closed or impassable, orange needs maintenance an blue is passable at this time. “I see a lot more orange and red than I do blue,” said Neligh Police Chief Mike Wright. Moore said the map will give Dittrich, who said the map will help him better plan how to attack the roads. Dittrich admitted he was choked up when he found out Moore was spearheading the project to map the county. “He can walk over here and tell the guys which roads to work immediately and which are priority,” Moore said. “Now he can hit these roads hard and know where to go next.” Dittrich said the map was put together faster than the GIS that the county had previously sought. This map will compliment the GIS. “That is a snapshot of the whole county that an aerial photography can never provide this quickly,” he said. “This map is priceless.” Dittrich said it was important to use local volunteers who knew the roads to gauge them. Each township took hours to map, Moore said. Brian Hain and Cris Kurpgeweit were among the volunteers and said they spent nearly 8 hours in the Willow Township alone. They will have to finish Custer on Tuesday because of darkness. “It was getting dark, and it needed to be lighter to get a good look at the roads,” Kurpgeweit said. “It’s not worth it to be out there after dark, so they’ll have to get fresh eyes on it tomorrow.” Work began on the map at 9:30 a.m. Monday and by 8 p.m. was nearly complete. The only roads not checked at this time, Moore said, is a small portion of Custer Township. Officials said they are hoping the weather cooperates as they work on the roads. After the recent historic flooding, owners of damaged structures that are located in the Floodplain are reminded that they need to contact their local Floodplain/Zoning Administrator.
FEMA requires that the Floodplain Administrator evaluates damaged structures to determine if it was substantially damaged before repairs can be made. Any structures that are substantially damaged will be required to come into compliance with the Floodplain Regulations. To report a damaged structure in Antelope County’s jurisdiction, please contact Liz Doerr, Floodplain Administrator, at [email protected] or call 402.887.4248 or 402-841-8466. If the structure is located in any of the county’s towns or villages floodplain, please contact the appropriate offices to ask for a damage assessment. Antelope County is lending a helping hand to farmers in emergency situations. Commissioner Tom Borer said those needing emergency assistance with livestock should contact Antelope County immediately. Borer said county workers were helping the Ron and Kathy Billings family on Monday in an emergency livestock situation. Kathy Billings said they were running out of distillers and protein, but the feed truck couldn't make it to their farm due to the roads. While the county worked on the road, Hurtig Well brought pipe and O& W Dairy provided a pump. Together, they helped Billings get much-needed livestock supplies. The county is also seeking help with the roads. Borer said the county is trying to find more dump trucks and drivers. If anyone has livestock emergencies or can assist with roads, Borer said to call him at 402-929-0191. One person was transported to the hospital after an accident on a washed-out Antelope County road early Sunday evening.
Flood waters left exposed culvert on 530th Road, leading to a northbound SUV being unable to cross the county road thanks to a more than 10-food gap in the rural road. The driver of the vehicle was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident, according to officials, and was transported to Antelope Memorial Hospital by Neligh Rescue. The road was not marked as being closed prior to the accident; however, all rural travel has been banned by declaration of emergency by county officials. The accident — located north of the intersection of 854 Rd (Pierce-Neligh Road) and 530 Avenue — occurred about two hours after emergency officials met with school administrators to discuss keeping schools closed through at least Wednesday due to road conditions. Officials will discuss The potential of opening school again on Thursday will be discussed during a 4 p.m. meeting on Wednesday. Responding to the scene was the Antelope County Sheriff's Office, Neligh Fire Department and Neligh Rescue. Antelope County Road Superintendent Casey Dittrich was also there, as well as County Commissioner Dean Smith. “The Women,” an eight-week biblically-based open discussion Bible study, is coming the area this month.
The discussion starts Wednesday, March 13 at Sugarz Cafe in Orchard. On March 14, it will be held at Kountry Korner Cafe in Page and will move to the Veranda at Divots in Norfolk on March 15. For more information, contact Bridget at 402-925-8614. By TESSA HAIN
Antelope County 4-H 4-H is a community of young people, ages 5-18 (as of January 1), who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential working and learning in partnership with community members. 4-H is education for life that uses a learn-by-doing approach. Come join us on March 31 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the fairgrounds for a 4-H Open House, to learn what 4-H is all about. We will have a variety of activities through the evening and current 4-H members will be showcasing some of their former projects. 4-H is an educational program that helps young people develop new skills, explore possible career choices and serve their communities. 4-H has something to offer for everyone. It is not just for farm kids. 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential by working and learning in partnership with community members. 4-H is education for life that uses a learn-by-doing approach. Youth between the ages of 8 and 18 by January 1 of the current year may join 4-H. The Clover Kid program is for children age 5-7 as of January 1 and features educational projects and activities that are non-competitive. Youth may join a club in their area or may be an independent member. For help in finding a local club, please contact the Antelope County Extension office. Please plan to attend the 4-H Open House on March 31 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. if you are interested in joining 4-H as a youth member or a volunteer! We would love to have more volunteers for our growing 4-H program. Deadline to enroll in Antelope County 4-H is April 1st. Call the Antelope County Extension Office and get enrollment information today or go online to http://antelope.unl.edu/antelope4h. With a beaming smile, he proudly opened each office door as if seeing the building for the first time.
While giving a tour of the newly-renovated Educational Service Unit 8 in Neligh, administrator Bill Mowinkel couldn’t hide his excitement on Monday afternoon. From an upstairs window, Mowinkel gazed out to the south. “One of the neatest things from here, I thought, is you can see all the way to the river,” he said. “And the red Old Mill matches our red siding and the ESU sign downstairs, so we tied it into the community.” Making his way to the top floor—what used to be an old storage room with a dark brown painted floor—Mowinkel’s enthusiasm increases with each step. “That’s a 120-year-old floor,” he said. “Bob Rotherham refinished that. Isn’t it beautiful?” The room now boasts refinished fir wood floors and tin ceilings, along with the newly-added cubicles for itinerant staff members and offices for the special education department. “These are the original tin ceilings,” Mowinkel said. “This whole area is historic.” Keeping history alive, he said they decided to enclose the metal stairs that were previously on the outside of the building. “Jack Conger told me, ‘Don’t tear down the steel steps,’ ” Mowinkel said. “Jack said he and his friends used to sit on these back in the 40s. We just enclosed them. So, he’ll be happy to know they are still here, the original ones.” He said while they kept some of the historic elements of the building, they also made many new improvements and added technology. “That room that’s really unique — that’s all staff-designed,” Mowinkel said. “It’s called a flex-learning lab. There’s a sound booth in there for recording their Wednesday webinars.” He and the ESU 8 staff members are excited about the newly-renovated space, he said. “I’m tickled to death with it,” Mowinkel said. “Our staff is just ecstatic. Every one of them that comes over has said, ‘Wow! It even exceeds our expectations.’ I think it’s hard to visualize just how massive it really is until you’re in it.” In fact, the employees were so excited that many of them moved into their new offices on Monday and Tuesday, even though their furniture hasn’t all arrived yet. Mowinkel said they were anxious to move after working out of five separate rental buildings in Neligh during the construction process. “They’ve been doing such a good job with less than ideal situations,” he said. “Our goal is to be out of all but one of our rentals by April 1, but I’m not forcing people. Our furniture isn’t in yet. They’re just so tired of being on top of each other that they want to move over here. And I can appreciate that.” Mowinkel said the best part of the project is the ability “to get everyone back under one roof.” “The best part about getting everyone back under one roof is for collaboration and team unity,” he said. “We used to be in the same building and we would meet regularly for break or whatever. During construction, we had to schedule a place to have a team meeting.” Aside from their furniture being delivered, Mowinkel said the renovated building is ready for occupancy. “It’s just basically painting and touch up work,” he said. “The renovation project back here was pretty extreme. We literally got rid of the old Christiansen building to make our conference center.” Mowinkel said the $4.388 million project really got underway after the former Brian Christiansen — or more recently, Bearinger Tax— building behind the ESU was purchased and demolition began in September of 2017. The ESU8 board gave its approval months prior. “We had an 18-month contract,” he said. “Probably in the fall of 2017 is when we really thought it was going to become a reality,” he said. “All of 2018 was construction and the finish work in 2019.” Unlike most major renovations to educational buildings, this project did not need to be funded by a bond. Mowinkel is grateful to the foresight of previous administration and board members. “It never could’ve happened if Don Thompson and that board from 20-30 years ago wouldn’t have started this fund,” he said. Because of the fund, Mowinkel said they had money available; however, the legislature now limits their cash reserve, making them unable to accumulate money for such a project. “That’s why we had to get the attorney general involved,” he said. “To say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this money. This is our plan. Will you approve that for us?’ He told us yes, but that we had a limited time to get it done. That gave me a push. That’s when Senator Baker became involved and worked with us, making sure we dotted those Is and crossed those Ts.” Mowinkel said the ESU8 board set a limit of $5 million for the project and the bid came under budget, allowing them to finish the top floor and purchase new furniture and appliances. “We bid the first time ourselves, without construction management involved, and all of the bids were well over $5 to $6 million,” he said. “It lowered the cost by about 25 percent to bring on construction management.” Radec Construction of Hartington served as construction management company for the project. Mowinkel said he was pleased with the company and the large number of local subcontractors they brought on board for the project. “I was thrilled with Radec — and the amount of what I call local subs — subs within our seven-county area that we serve,” he said. Five subcontractors were from a 15-mile radius, including Clearwater, Neligh and Tilden. “I think using local subs means something to the general public because the dollars stayed in our seven counties,” Mowinkel said. “Not all of it, but easily the majority of it. Just keep turning the dollars over locally. The thing that’s also nice about local subs is when something isn’t quite right, you can call them and they are there in a day.” There were some interesting things found during the construction process. He said swastikas and planes shooting fire down on swastikas were found in the wall. Some of the walls were multicolored or covered in blue and green floral wallpaper. Mowinkel decided to leave something for the future generations to find as well. “I left one time capsule in the wall,” he said. “I put an ESU magnetic sticker in it and our annual report, which nobody knows where it’s at.” Mowinkel said the newly-renovated building utilizes the 12,000 square-foot space much more effectively. “Our space was utilized so poorly before,” he said. Everybody was tucked in a corner, there was no flow to it. It’s such a good building, but it never had a big plan to make it all flow. Somebody needed an office, they built an office. Somebody needed a place to store stuff, they built a little closet area.” Mowinkel said the plumbing was outdated as well. “We were fed by two, 1-inch lines for water and now we have two, 4-inch lines,” he said. “It needed a renovation. It’s a 1901 building, so it’s 118 years old. And the other one is 100 years old. It was time to do a major overhaul and utilize the space. The square feet was here, there were just walls and corridors everywhere.” Although ESU 8 has a brand-new look and a new main entrance on the south side of the building, Mowinkel said many things will remain the same. “We have a different address, but the same location, same phone number and same quality staff,” he said with a grin. ESU 8 will host its first event in the newly-renovated building with the Junior High Quiz Bowl on Tuesday, March 12 at 9 a.m. and the High School Quiz Bowl the following day. The events will be hosted, in their entirety, in the new space. Participants will use the ESU 8 main entrance on the south side of the building, beginning the day in the new conference center. Mowinkel said he is thankful the project finished one month ahead of schedule. “We are able to officially host our first event next week,” he said. A wanted South Dakota man who was tased at Casey’s in Neligh last month failed to appear on a drug charge Wednesday afternoon.
Thomas Hildring, 42, was scheduled to appear in Antelope County Court for a pretrial conference on the charge of possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine. Judge Donna Farrell Taylor noticed that Hildring was missing from the courtroom and asked Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler if he could offer an explanation. Abler said he was told that Hildring had posted bond in Antelope County, and South Dakota authorities promptly extradicted him on another drug charge. “Your honor, I would just ask the court to note his failure to appear and that the court would recall that when we were here for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 20, a bond was set at $10,000, 10 percent, and one of the conditions was to not leave the state of Nebraska,” he said. Abler said Hildring remains in custody in the Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls, So. Dak. “I would ask the court to issue a bench warrant for his probable cause affidavit for possession of methamphetamine,” he said. “He’s already posted one bond, which is possibly subject to forfeiture, but I would ask that another bond be set so that I can have a retainer when he’s done in Sioux Falls so we can go get him from there.” The judge said, although she wasn’t sure his failure to appear “was willing,” she issued a bench warrant for his arrest and set his bond at an additional $10,000, 10 percent. “That way you can place a hold on him in South Dakota,” she said. Hildring bonded out of Antelope County on Feb. 22, according to jail records. He was picked up from the jail by the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department and remains in their custody. A Minnehaha County spokesman said Hildring appeared in court on possession of a controlled drug or substance on Feb. 27 and is serving a 65-day jail sentence there. Abler said Antelope County plans to extradict him from South Dakota upon his release, May 2. |
|
News That Matters To Antelope County - Your News. Your Way. Every Day!
© Pitzer Digital, LLC