New Kimball Hospital In Works

The recent snowstorm caused absences and postponements on the agenda for the Kimball County Commissioners Tuesday meeting. Chairman Larry Engstrom was unable to attend, leaving Vice Chairman Carl Stander to run the meeting. Agenda items not considered at this meeting will appear next month.

Ken Hunter, CEO, and Cassie Gasseling, CFO, Kimball Health Services and Jim Cederburg, chairman of the Kimball County Hospital Board of Trustees, were to give an update on Kimball Health Services, provide the Financial Statement and Independent Auditor's Report for the Kimball County Hospital for 2019 and 2018, and present and discuss the Feasibility Study concerning the Kimball Health Services New Hospital Project.

That presentation and update were postponed and will occur on April 6. 

The Observer has received information regarding the project from the hospital. It states that renovations and updates at the North Campus site would include:

• 18,157-square-foot renovation of the former West Elementary School building.

1,811-square-foot basement renovation.

Construction of a new single-story, 40,358-square -oot hospital east of the current structure.

Funding for the project would include USDA funding, private loans, bonds, and a capital campaign. The project will cost just over $31 million.

Also postponed was agenda item County Tourism Director Jessica Rocha's Zoom meeting with Weld County, Colorado Board of Commissioners, and Laramie County, Wyoming Board of Commissioners, to discuss the Tri-State Historical Marker. This meeting will take place on another date.

Highway Superintendent Randy Bymer reported to the commissioners that he closed the county roads on Sunday due to the wet, heavy snow and that road graders worked Monday. Bymer said that it was slow going because the snow was so heavy. The GPS units were an asset, according to Bymer, because he could keep track of where the road graders were, and if someone called in and was stuck, he could send whatever grader was closest to pull them out.

Bymer's next topic was the public hearing. No comments were received at the public hearing, which was held on the state-mandated One-and Six-Year Plan for Highway or Street Improvement. 

The One-Year Plan includes four projects.

Project C53-271 is estimated to cost $45,000 and consists of replacing one 18-inch CMP culvert with a 24-inch culvert, elevate, and gravel road. The location is10 miles south of Kimball on Highway 71 and CR 14S, then west two miles.

The second project on the One-Year Plan is C53-275: "Put in new culvert, culvert will be sized pending hydraulic analysis, linear grading, widen top of roadway and embed gravel for .1 mile The location is 8 miles south of Dix on Road #59 to Road #18, east 2.6 miles.

Project C53-276 is located just a tenth of a mile from the previous project and also includes a new culvert, linear grading, widen top of roadway and embed gravel for 0.1 of a mile.

Prioritized last on the One-Year Plan is project C53-263, which includes elevating the road, installing culvert and graveling the surface. The location is10 miles north from Kimball, then 9 miles east on CR 54N.

All four of the hydraulic analysis have been completed for these projects. The second, third and fourth projects are estimated to cost between $3,000 to $4,000 each.

Kimball County Transit Service Administrator Christy Warner's update on the service found that it was prepared and ready as an emergency shelter. There has been no need for usage yet, but it was reported that their "generator worked great."

The two commissioners approved to apply to the Nebraska Department of Transportation for the FTA 5311 Grant for the fiscal year 2021-22 and 2022-2023. The resolution for funding the match for the FTA 5311 was approved and signed. Cost estimates include $1,262,371 from the federal government, $325,936 from the state, and the county will chip in about the same as the state for the two-year project. The two-year county tax dollars total will be $100,047.00; Medicaid fares, regular rider fares, Deuel County, and the manor provide additional funding to equal the county's total of $325,962.

The commissioners approved the purchase of eight laptop computers for the transit service with the cost to the general fund reimbursed by NDOT.

The county transit building will soon light up the stoplight corner with a digital sign, which the commissioners approved. The $24,626 digital sign will be purchased on an 80-10-10 split, meaning the federal government will pay 80%, Nebraska state government will pay 10%, and Kimball County will pay the remaining 10%.

Finally, Warner requested, and the commissioners approved the purchase of an additional transit vehicle, 100% reimbursed.

The next meeting for the Kimball County Commissioners is April 6.