Visitor Center Site Sold To Big D Oil

After months of negotiations and executive sessions, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, the Kimball County Commissioners voted to sell the High Point Welcome Center of Western Nebraska property located at 204 South Kimball Boulevard and the adjacent land to Big D Oil Co. of Rapid City, S.D. The selling price was $500,000.

Big D Oil’s possible plan is to operate a truck stop at the site. It is a family owned business with 39 retail stores in western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and northern Colorado.

As for the welcome center’s future, it was not discussed at the meeting.

Other county business included continuing the discussion to address the handicap ramp at the county courthouse.

Steve Warner, county buildings and grounds superintendent, proposed a new idea for a new handicap ramp on the north side. Previously, the commissioners had voted to move the handicap ramp to the east side of the building.

However, during the most recent meeting, two residents spoke up and were opposed to the idea of moving the ramp to the east side of the courthouse.

Warner proposes to haul in four dump trucks of dirt and raise the north side so that the sidewalk would gradually incline to the front of the building, and there would be no need for a ramp. The commissioners went to inspect the north side. The commissioners decided to wait for the budget meetings to be completed before they made any decision.

In other courthouse news, Jacob Hurla from Community Building Solutions updated the commissioners on the chiller, which is installed and working, and the progress on the two boilers. Hurla also addressed another possible project, including the remodeling of the county clerk’s office.

Preliminary property tax requests from the Kimball County political subdivision were reviewed and received. Those requested included the Ag Society, the Dix Rural Cemetery, Bushnell-Johnson Rural Fire District, the Dix Fire District, the Kimball Rural Fire District and the Plains Historical Society.

Finally, Christy Warner, KCTS administrator, explained the revenue for the fiscal year that KCTS has brought into the county, $202,729. This includes federal and state dollars, advertisements, fares by insurance companies, riders and DHHS. KCTS paid $17,980 to the general fund for this fiscal year.

Meanwhile, KCTS is gearing up for the school year and the Denver International Airport and Clean Harbors routes.

The commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, August 15, at 9 a.m.