County agrees to add to Transit System staff

HARTINGTON — Cedar County Commissioners agreed March 10 to help ease the workload at the County Transit System.

Transit Coordinator Nikki Pinkelman said the county will soon be receiving three new vans and she will have to hire at least two additional drivers. She also mentioned that with the added dispatching that will be taking place and the additional paperwork, there is a need for additional administrative help. Her recommendation to the board was that a person be hired to specifically handle the dispatching duties while she concentrates on handling the magnitude of administrative duties required by the state.

Pinkelman distributed reports to the commissioners for their review and consideration regarding her recommendation. This new administrative person would also be able to step in when Nikki is ill, on vacation or at a required meeting.

Right now, there is no one to step in to handle Nikki’s duties if she is away.

The board all agreed additional help is needed for the transit system which will soon have 10 vans to support the ever-increasing demand for transit rides. The State of Nebraska,

The State of Nebraska, through federal grants picks up 90 percent of the cost of the vans, drivers, transportation costs and administrative personnel while the county picks up the remaining 10 percent of costs. Plans are still in the works to build a garage to house the vans and 90 percent of the cost of the structure will be picked up by the state.

Road Supt. Carla Schmidt presented an easement for the new Bow Valley bridge which was signed by District One Commissioner Tramp. Contracts for the bridge construction were also signed by Board President McGregor. Construction is expected to begin June 1 and will take about 60 days.

Schmidt also reported on her and Commissioner Tramp’s recent inspection of a bridge and road in the northern part of the county that was under consideration to be closed.

She recommended the road and bridge not be closed and minor repairs be made to the bridge. Commissioners were in agreement not to close the road.

Shirley Kraemer, wife of the late Marlen Kraemer who served as District Two Commissioner for the county for 28 years, met with the board to discuss the memorial bench in honor of Marlen’s service that she had proposed at the last commissioner’s meeting in February. The board agreed to allow her to move forward with the memorial bench but that the length be reduced by one foot to allow it to fit better. Commissioners agreed the bench would be located near the front door of the courthouse annex. There will be no cost to the county as the entire cost is being covered by Shirley Kraemer and donations she received. Zoning Administrator, Tim

Zoning Administrator, Tim Gobel then presented seven building permits. The first permit was for

The first permit was for Dave Stevens for an addition to a garage. The next permit was for Brian Burbach for a 40’ X 60’ building and a 1,000’ long feed bunk. A permit request was then presented for Craig and Ann Wuebben for a 30,000- bushel grain bin. Next was a permit request for David Fischer Jr. For a 36’ X 70’ building and a 6,000-bushel grain bin. The next permit was for George Addison for a 1,200 sq. ft Heritage Home. The final permit request was for Charles Winkelbauer for a 70’ X 100’ machine shed. All permits were approved with a 3-0 vote by the commissioners.

County Veterans Service Officer, Scott Stanton asked the board to make an appointment for the service committee to replace Gene Twiford whom is retiring.

Stanton recommended that the appointment of Gary Newton be approved to replace Twiford. Lastly, County Clerk Dave

Lastly, County Clerk Dave Dowling presented a letter to each of the commissioners that he received from the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department regarding Coronavirus COVID-19. The letter stated what action

The letter stated what action is currently being taken by the Nebraska Health Department in response to the virus and that updates will be sent out on a regular basis to keep everyone informed on the most current information.

No action is being taken by the commissioners at this point on the virus as decisions are being made locally in responding to the virus threat by the area schools, nursing homes and various organizations and on events being cancelled or postponed.