Island Oasis, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – The Grand Island City Council voted 8-0 April 28 to seek up to $25 million in municipal bonds to fund improvements at Island Oasis Water Park, the Heartland Events Center, and to refinance a previously issued bond.
City Council members Mike Paulick and Jack Sheard were absent from the meeting.
According to a memo to the City Council from City Administrator Patrick Brown, the bonds would include refinancing a city promissory note in the original amount of $5 million with a current outstanding balance of $840,000.
The bonds will also cover part of the approximate $13.6 million in renovations at Island Oasis Water Park and $10 million in renovations at the Heartland Events Center.
Grand Island resident Gerald Poels addressed the City Council about seeking the bonds.
He noted that the City Council did not want to spend $7 million for extending the hike/bike trail to Camp Augustine along South Locust Street.
“We have to take care of the taxpayers’ money. I just don’t see it happening,” Poels said.
“It’s in your hands, and you fail to operate that way,” Poels said.
He said that for the renovations at Island Oasis Water Park, the city should be setting aside money over a period of time, just “like Mom and Dad did to buy a car.”
“You never do that,” Poels said.
“I’m just an old curmudgeon anymore,” Poels said.
City Council member Mitch Nickerson compared getting bonds to pay for improvements at Island Oasis Water Park and the Heartland Events Center is similar to bundling insurance, such as for car and house insurance.
“It’s a bundling process. We’re getting a lot of bang for the buck,” Nickerson said.
Nickerson asked City Administrator Patrick Brown what interest rate the city might have to pay, and Brown estimated the interest rate at 4.5 percent.
City Council member Chuck Haase noted that elected officials for the city change over time, with people being elected for four-year terms.
“People change,” Haase said.
Haase said it is not in the city’s best interest to compile a “bucket full of cash,” such as what would happen if the city was setting aside funds for a project over a period of time.
“That’s what happens in politics,” Haase said, noting that future public officials could decide to use that funding for something else.
“I want to have a great city,” Haase said. He said that he did not want the city to be “hoarding cash.”
City Council President Ryan O’Neill said, “I don’t think it’s good for government to stockpile cash.”
In another matter, the City Council voted 8-0 to approve a bid by Smart Soil of Grand Island for yard waste operations at the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department. The costs are $94,500 (Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027), $95,500 (Oct. 1, 2027 to Sept. 30, 2028) and $97,335 (Oct. 1, 2028 to Sept. 30, 2020).
The new yard waste site will be located 3.2 miles west of the Transfer Station, within 4 miles of city limits, at 366 N. 80th Road in Alda. The site is located away from school zones, residential development, pedestrian traffic, and traffic congestion, according to a memo to the City Council from Solid Waste Superintendent Jeff Wattier and Public Works Director Keith Kurz.
The Solid Waste Division began accepting grass and leaves with free disposal in 2004 for City of Grand Island residents. In 2011, tree limbs and branches wee added to the free disposal. The actual cost of operating the yard waste site for FY25 was $142,968, with a budget of $174,000 for FY26. The new site will continue to offer free disposal of grass, leaves, tree limbs, and branches for City of Grand Island residents.
The City Council voted 8-0 to approve payments of amounts due to the Central Nebraska Humane Society for February and March. According to a memo from Police Chief Kevin Denney, the Humane Society has submitted spreadsheets to the Police Department documenting all animal intakes at the shelter for February and March. The city is obligated to pay the Humane Society $2,685 for additional sheltering obligations in February and $4,320 for additional sheltering obligations in March. The additional total for the contract payment is $7,005. City Council member Chuck Haase had questioned at previous City Council meetings payments to the Humane Society, based on the contract that the City has with the Humane Society. He said that he wanted to make sure that bills submitted are appropriate.
The City Council voted 8-0 to approve a salary ordinance concerning the city’s Water Shop. Human Resources Director Aaron Schmid .
“With a pending retirement in the Water Department, it is the Utilities’ intent to create a crew chief position in order to achieve a structure parallel to that of the Underground and Overhead Departments,” Schmit wrote in a memo to the City Council.
Creation of the position would not involve adding an additional employee to the department, Schmid said. There will be a change “at a nearly net zero impact to our budget,” Schmid said.
The City Council voted 8-0 to approve changes to City Code involving right of entry inspection disconnections.
“Currently any (electrical) service disconnected for six months or longer is required to have an inspection prior to reconnection,” Utilities Director Ryan Schmitz wrote in a memo to the City Council. The amendment to City Code will include changing current language “to include a provision to allow for irrigation for agricultural purposes to have a service disconnection of 12 months before an inspection is required.” The amendment will maintain the ability for the city to prevent unsafe connection and allow farmers the leeway to disconnect an irrigation well for the winter and reconnect the next season with no added risk to the City or Utility.
In other action, in the consent agenda, the City Council approved awarding a bid for $2,888,826 to Van Kirk Brothers Contracting of Sutton for State Street/Diers Avenue improvements.
Also in the consent agenda, the City Council approved awarding a bid of $46,466 to Commerce Construction of Grand Island for renovating the City Greenhouse located near the Parks Shop at Sucks Lake Park.
“Trusses, columns, and baseplates have rusted out and require replacement. The temperature alarm system is obsolete and requires updating with a new system,” Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy wrote in a memo to the City Council.