Leadership change tops year’s news
RANDOLPH – A change in administration at Randolph Public Schools was identified as the top news event in the community for 2023.
Superintendent Jeff Hoesing retired after a decade in the school district and exited in July. And in his place came Daryl Schrunk. Most recently the superintendent at Dorchester, Schrunk held a community meetand-greet event prior to the start of the school year. Schrunk’s wife, Lynelle, also filled a vacancy in K-2 music at Randolph Elementary.
2) New business developments
2023 welcomed four new businesses to Randolph while two others moved locations and two celebrated milestone anniversaries.
The new Stonacek Funeral Chapel building on Highway 20 was perhaps the most notable economic development accomplishment for Randolph in 2023.
The new Stonacek Funeral Chapel sits at the site of the former Cedar Motel.
The City of Randolph purchased the property in October 2021 and spent months cleaning the site and preparing it for demolition. The land was then sold to the Stonaceks for development in January 2022.
The Stonaceks celebrated with an open house in August 2023 in the new space which features an open concept chapel and fellowship area with seating for 125 people.
Brunssen Repair was another business addition to Randolph along Highway 20. Officially opening in April, the small engine repair shop specializes in golf carts, lawn mowers and ATVs.
Other new businesses started calling Randolph home including Hausmann Physical Therapy. Extensive remodeling was completed at the former Randolph Times building at 121 W. Broadway St. to make way for the new location. Physical Therapist Evan Janssen operates the clinic which opened in July.
After occupying the same building for 70 years, the Randolph Times moved east of Jim’s Food Center, in the space formerly occupied by Scotty’s Barbershop.
Next door to the new Times location is another new business, Crafty Lou Designs, which opened in February. The business offers custom embroidery and wood crafts among other creative items, and regularly sponsors painting events.
Randolph’s seasonal ice cream shop, the Frozen Cow, moved locations up the street to the former Senior Center building. The new location offers indoor seating among other benefits.
Jim’s Food Center celebrated 25 years of ownership under Bill and Jami Fye, while dance Studio 103 celebrated 10 years in business.
3) Athletic co-ops dominate discussions
From the start to the end of 2023, Randolph Public Schools’ board meetings significantly featured discussions and decisions regarding athletic co-ops, including an ongoing co-op for boys and girls basketball with Osmond under the name the Highway 20 Hawks.
In January, a joint workshop was held by Osmond and Randolph’s public school boards to discuss the current high school basketball coop. At that time, the two schools saw the co-op as overwhelmingly positive.
In February, the board voted to renew the Junior High football and Junior High basketball co-ops with Osmond for another year.
In March, the board began discuss its wrestling co-op with Laurel-Concord-Coleridge which operated under the name Quad County Northeast Blaze for four years.
The board decided to extinguish the Blaze in April and field its own Cardinals wrestling team for the 2023-24 season.
In September, nearly 100 Osmond and Randolph patrons attended a joint meeting to discuss the two schools joining for a high school football co-op. Ultimately, both schools voted not to coop for high school football.
Further discussion continued into December on whether or not to renew the high school basketball co-op with Osmond with a decision expected in January 2024.
4) Lawsuit over pitbull escalates to federal level
A new resident of Randolph sued the city over its pitbull ban under a claim that her dog, Rufus, was her emotional support animal. The first lawsuit was filed in May in Cedar County Court in the small claims division where Kandice Cooke sought $3,900 for emotional trauma, the right to keep her dog, receive a city dog license, and to fence her residence on Main Street.
Randolph city ordinance, in effect since March 2015, bans pitbulls within city limits as a specific breed of dangerous dog.
A county court judge dismissed the lawsuit in June. Cooke then took her case to the next level - federal court - in June where she sought more than $13 million in damages.
The higher court ordered the city to stop enforcing its pitbull ordinance against Cooke and work to resolve the issue - which is ultimately what the city did. Reaching a settlement in December, Cooke was allowed to keep her dog but abide by all other city ordinances. No money was exchanged as part of the settlement.
5. Randolph’s Main Street opens
After being closed for more than a year for the ongoing Middle Logan Creek Floodplain Mitigation Project, Randolph’s Main Street re-opened.
State inspectors cleared the bridge for travel and the new street opened in November as the final stage of the $17-million project nears completion.
The new Main Street has a noticeable shift, or curve, to the east due to modifications made to the sewer line there.
6. Honey Fest added to Community Fair
Randolph’s annual Community Fair received an extra serving of sweetness with a Honey Fest element added, tagging onto the town’s designation as the Honey Capital of the Nation. The event, sponsored by Reaching Out Around Randolph (ROAR) was aided by Randolph’s Economic Development Advisory Board with Honey Fest additions of the crowning of a Queen Bee, painting a bee on the street in front of the auditorium, a “Buzzing Around Randolph” bike and stroll parade, among others.
7. Schools get boost in state aid
Public school districts across the state benefitted from a new state aid to education formula approved this year by the Nebraska Unicameral.
The package, LB583, made adjustments to the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act formula for state aid to Nebraska’s public schools.
Under LB583, the state paid public school districts $1,500 in foundation aid per student beginning with school fiscal year 2023-24.
Randolph was to receive an estimated $42,290 in state aid but under the new law received $425,000. Special education reimbursement also increased from 40 percent to 80 percent for an estimated additional aid of about $136,000.
The intent of the legislation was a shift of the tax burden off of property owners. 8. School adds Unified Bowling to activities
Randolph’s newest team found a sport right up its alley.
For the first time, Randolph competed in Unified Bowling, a partnership between the Nebraska State Activities Association and Special Olympics. The sport is designed to create a more inclusive sports experience for students of all ability levels.
The inaugural team consisted of Chase Junck, team captain; senior Justin Guenther; sophomores Brayden Graham, Stewart Umberger and Brayden Worlein; freshmen Maddy Aulner and Serenity Schultz; and eighth-grade manager, Colton Meyer.
9. Lutheran church celebrates 125 years
Generations have been rooted in faith at Randolph’s St. Johns Lutheran Church in a history that has grown for 125 years.
The church celebrated its anniversary in June with special events including Saturday evening and Sunday morning church services with worship music group Prodigal Sons and a hotdog meal following. Games were held on the church lawn with the evening culminating in the showing of “The Sandlot” movie outdoors.
10. Governor visits
Gov. Jim Pillen made an appearance at the Nebraska Development Network Northeast Region meeting Sept. 20 held at the new Stonacek Funeral Chapel.
Randolph was on full display with samples of honey, handmade goodie bags and bee-themed cupcakes available for the governor and attendees.
After the business meeting, attendees toured the funeral chapel, Cardinal Kids Learning Center and Middle Logan Creek Floodplain project - all Randolph economic development successes.