Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Kimball County Commissioners, along with County Clerk Cathy Sibal, met with the Kimball City Council members on Tuesday, Aug. 14 as the Park and Recreation Executive Board, one of several joint ventures between the two boards. The joint board discussed the proposed budget for the area department, which includes the Four Winds Golf Course and the local ball fields where baseball, softball, little league and little league soccer are played. City Council previously discussed, and proposed at the joint meeting, an increase of $10,000 towards the...
In Kimball's first year playing 8 man football, and listed as D-1 in the district, Ben Aarestad returns for his second year as Longhorn's head football coach with more than 15 years of coaching experience under his belt. Aarestad is joined by assistant coaches Jarrod Williams and David Hellman and a team of just 19 all working to improve on last year's 0-9 record. The team graduated two key players, Paycen Harroun and Kole Bush, but they return five starters in the first year of eight-man play...
The Kimball Cross Country teams return with promising talent under veteran coaches Tiffany Johnson and Laurie Janicek. Last year the ladies lacked the numbers needed to compete as a team, with just three runners. Two of those three graduated leaving the sole returning runner on the girls team, sophomore Brandi Councilman. Councilman lettered her first year running for the Horns and she is joined this year by freshman Chantel Malson, who had a stunning season last year as a junior high runner as...
The Wildcats Cross Country team lost Courtney Knisley to graduation, but Cheyanne Knisley will join Deven Sullivan in leading the newcomers to the sole athletic team out of Banner County Schools. Newcomers Lily Teeple and Katharine Blankenship will benefit from the leadership of nine-year veteran coach Kari Gifford as well. Gifford lists motivation as one of the key strengths in each of her athletes and she said she will expect quality guidance from her returning runners. Banner County will not...
Kimball’s Veteran’s Memorial dedication will take place on Monday, August 27 at 5 p.m. in Gotte Park. The dedication will include an opening prayer and speakers, including Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty, United State Air Force Lieutenant Colonel George L. “Ripper” Chapman, Commander of the 320th Missile Squadron stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., and a representative of ACE. ACE funds were used to build the memorial. The flags will be raised on the poles for the first time during the dedication....
Activate Kimball hosted Felsburg Holt Ullevig Engineering at the regular Aug. 13 committee meeting from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall in Kimball. The firm, of Lincoln, created a draft report for Activate Kimball as the grassroots group that includes representatives from the Panhandle Public Health District, the City of Kimball, Kimball County and Kimball Health Services and others, attempts to increase activity in the community. The engineering firm will consider current street, intersection and sidewalk conditions, including accessibility....
Budget season has begun as the end of the fiscal year approaches and Kimball City Council held the first budget workshop on Thursday, Aug. 2 to review each department’s proposed budget. Council and department heads were pleased, though cautious, with the direction the budget is taking. Estimated sales tax, based on current trends, for the coming fiscal year is conservatively set at $465,000. “This year we anticipate about $500,000 and at $465,000 we are still below that,” City Administrator Dan Dean said. “I like to be conservative because I do...
The High Plains Museum is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week through Farmer's Day, Sept. 29, thanks in large part to a small group of willing volunteers. According to High Plains Historical Society member Karen Bivens, a call for volunteers netted several citizens willing to sit at the museum, greet guests and show them around. The historic museum, located at the intersection of Highway 71 and Second Street, was built in 1904 as the local Fraternal Hall. The building still houses...
Flag poles now stand tall awaiting their flags in Kimball's Gotte Park. This project has been two years in the making, and is funded by approximately $8,000 in ACE returns. The poles, which stand 25 and 30 feet tall, required the bulk of the money at a total of $6,500 with about $2,000 for shipping the poles. The United States flag will fly at 30 feet and the other flags, one for each branch of the military and one Nebraska State flag, will fly at 25 feet. Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty hopes to pla...
As sketchy weather closed in a group of more than 20 riders on horseback, The Tipi Raisers, were welcomed to the fairgrounds in Kimball as they sought last-minute refuge last Thursday. "We weren't really planning on staying here tonight," Executive Director Dave Ventimiglia said. They stopped in Bushnell for a break and planned to ride through Kimball and stay the night near Dix. On this, the fourth annual Tipi Raisers ride, Ventimiglia doubled the number of riders and doubled the need for...
With harvest nearing completion in the area, harvesters are likely heading out of town, but their stay in Kimball this year differed greatly from years past, City Administrator, Dan Dean, reported to council at the July 17 meeting. According to Dean, several harvesters contacted the City of Kimball to inquire about accommodations, as Ridgewood, one of two local RV parks, is undergoing a transition, with ownership in question, and has some infrastructure issues. "They (harvesters) have been used...
The Kimball Board of Education reviewed, and updated the student, parent and staff handbook at their regular meeting on Monday, July 16. As part of this process, High School principal Eugene Hanks added a section for the VALTS (Valley Alternative Learning Transitioning School) program. Currently the district is considering whether to continue using VALTS as an alternative for local students, who must be in their junior or senior year to attend the program. Students opting into the program must also have adequate credits to graduate within one...
Stray cats have wreaked havoc in communities across the nation and Kimball is no exception. A public outcry for a solution is being addressed by the City of Kimball, though there are no regulations or ordinances pertaining to cats. According to Community Service Officer Tami Rutt, the City of Kimball has two live traps available for residents to check out, free of charge, for 10-day periods. Cats that are trapped can be taken to willing land owners outside of city limits who may want extra barn cats to curtail rodent activity. With this...
Kimball and Banner Counties will be celebrating 100 years of Blue Jeans and Family Dreams during the 2018 Kimball-Banner County Fair, August 6 – 14. As in years past, the fair will begin with the Fashion Revue and clothing judging at the 4-H building at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 6. Youth will strut their stuff across the stage, showing off their handiwork in sewing, decorating, accessories and even shopping. Members of area 4-H clubs will also begin a pre-fair clean up at 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 6, at the Kimball-Banner County fair grounds in a...
As the City of Kimball prepares to chip seal more than 20,000 square yards of Kimball streets, they considered the local snow removal plan for the coming winter. As far as chip sealing local streets, council approved sealing 10 blocks as opposed to the 14 they did last year, at their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 17. Streets to be sealed include Burg and Webster, though the original plan included Howard Street as well. The sole bid came from TopKote, the same business that has done the job for the city in the past, at a cost of $3.25 per...
Kimball School’s instrumental music teacher, Kristi Hiles-Smith, requested a new set of timpani, the kettle-like drums in progressive sizes. “The timpani that we have are over 40 years old, so I thought that it is perhaps time that we try to upgrade those,” Hiles-Smith said. “There are issues with keeping them tuned and have them work the way they are meant to work.” Along with the request, made at the July 16 Board of Education meeting, Hiles-Smith provided three quotes for the equipment and requested $2,000 from the Kimball School Foundatio...
Mayor Keith Prunty, with the help of Adrian Fuss, drilled holes in Gotte Park this past weekend for the new frisbee golf course. Posts were added on Monday with the help of Kimball street department workers and Prunty. "All the materials were bought locally, Prunty said. Money came from a Keno request for up to $4,000, but we should come in under budget." "I hope it is finished no later than this Friday," Prunty said. "Our next project will be our service flags." Those flags will be placed in...
Kimball City Council heard a request from the Kimball Water Department for a vac truck, which would be shared by all Kimball utility departments, as needed. The truck currently being considered includes a piece that will turn water mains off safely, as well. Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty said that each department could benefit greatly from the equipment, and, as budget season approaches, he hopes council can make the purchase happen. “It is a great piece of equipment that we should have, it would save man hours and is a safer solution for c...
The Friends of the Goodhand Theatre are currently selling raffle tickets to fund remodeling at the theater. Tickets will be sold through the end of the month, according to board member Keith Prunty. The drawing is scheduled for August, 18. Additionally, the State of Nebraska is donating 100 scratch tickets to aid the non-profit group. The movie shown at the time of the drawing, “It Could Happen to You,” starring Nicholas Cage and Bridget Fonda....
The City of Kimball has seen an increase in sales tax compared to this same time last year. According to Amy Sapp, Special Projects Coordinator, this could be attributed to both an increased number of seasonal workers in the area, as well as, increased spending locally. “We’ve got contractors in town and we have seen an influx of retirees from Colorado moving into town. My opinion is that a retiree is more likely to shop locally than drive an hour out of town to get something.” The city collected $467,000 during the last fiscal year, Octob...
As fair time approaches it is time to take off your boots and lace up your sneakers. Wait, what? That’s right, a new Kimball-Banner County Fair event will have participants walking and running through the streets instead of riding horses. The inaugural 4-H Council 4K Fun Run, 100 Years of Blue Jeans & Family Dreams, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4 with registration beginning at 7 a.m. and the race starting at 8. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female contestants in each age category, which have yet to be determined. Registration f...
The fourth annual Potter Car Bowl, scheduled for June 30, will feature new events and added activities for crowd favorites. New this year is the Pine Wood Derby. According to organizer Drew Enevoldsen, Cub Scout Troop 105 was recently organized and will be participating in their first derby at home. This derby will not be just for kids, but also past scouts and adults interested in competing. Youth aged 5 – 14 are asked to bring their own weights and paint, but cars can be built on site, from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m., for those who don’t have one. Ene...
Couches are not compostable. The City of Kimball provides dumpsters to all Kimball residents, both brown from household waste and green for compostable items. Neither of these dumpsters are to be used for flooring, couches, wood or other large items. Household waste is anything that one might bag in wastebaskets within their home and compostable material includes grass clippings, leaves and small twigs only. Many of the items carelessly left in the dumpsters, or next to them, can be taken to the Kimball Landfill free of charge to City of...
Safeguard your property and don’t hesitate to call the police if something seems suspicious. This from Kimball Police Chief Andy Bremer as his department just closed one stolen vehicle investigation and opened a second. This first, a stolen pickup, was recovered in Colorado and the suspect is in custody, Bremer said, but he still urges caution. “Though the suspect is currently in custody, make sure you are vigilant; safeguard your property,” he said. “Lock your vehicles. Don’t leave firearms or any valuables in your vehicles.” Bremer stat...
Challenge Day is coming to Kimball. Imagine a school where everyone feels safe, loved and celebrated. Imagine enemies finding common ground and making peace; friends healing past hurts and making amends; people igniting their passion for service and leadership; adults and youth working together to create a school where everyone is included and thrives. According to challengeday.org, This is Challenge Day. With a $10,000 grant from the Kimball Public Schools Foundation, the Kimball Prevention...