BROKEN BOW -The Custer County Board of Supervisors met for regular session Tuesday
morning in the Custer County Courthouse. Supervisors Barry Fox and Tammy Kleeb were absent.
After years of talks and what many would consider a roller coaster of progress and setbacks, the Anselmo railroad crossing project was approved for construction with Saul Ramos Construction Inc. of Shelton as the contractor. The $239,433.32 contract, approved by the board unanimously, will result in the project being tackled sometime in March and/or April of 2025. They estimate it should take about two weeks to complete when started.
Representatives for Country Partners at the meeting confirmed to the board that Country Partners has committed $100,000 toward the project. With a contract closing date in May with the railroad looming, the board expressed a desire to have a contract drafted that would put penalties in place if the project is not completed by that time and for any extra days a railroad flagger is needed at the site past initial estimations.
In other highway department business, bids for a truck cab/chassis as well as an addition onto the highway shop were approved by the board.
Three bids were received for trucks, either Western Star 47x or Freightliner 114S0 Plus models. Two of the three bids did not have the required 10°/o bond included, resulting in the one bid that did being the only eligible option. Nebraska Truck Center of Grand Island’s bid of $161,787.00 for a 2026 Western Star 47x truck with an estimated delivery of March 2025 was approved by the board.
Two bids were received for a storage addition to the highway shop, each with similar final prices differing only by $300. The bid for $53,686.45 from Greenland Construction of Arcadia that was approved included the complete finishing of the interior of the addition, while the other did not. The money for the project was included in the budget for next year.
Armor coating projects were back on Tuesday morning’s agenda. The highway department was unable to find bids within the $50,000 threshold given by the board and it was stated that the county, as a result, would do the work themselves. Dependent on material availability, financial changes may have to be made along the way to accomplish as much of the approximately 30 miles of road needing attention.
In similar discussions, District 5 Supervisor Chip Blowers put hot mix projects back on the agenda for further discussion. The board, with the assistance of Highway Superintendent Chris Jacobsen, decided to move forward by first talking to contractors to see if they can lock down material prices for an extended period in order to put a longer end completion date on a search for bids.
In other talks involving roads, albeit much different in many ways, the board approved the necessary closures of stretches of county roads for the 2025 Sandhills Open Road Challenge (SORC) races. President Clay Mohr and Treasurer Becky Dailey told the board that they are excited for their 25th year of racing, and that since its inception, SORC has donated over one million dollars of funds back to community causes and organizations. The 2025 races will take place August 7th through the 9th. Mohr explained they are in the process of possibly moving Friday’s shootout race to the Arnold River Road, pending further discussion with adjacent land owners.
Jordan Arndt with Zelle HR joined the board telephonically to discuss concerns with the county’s time clock system through company Time Clock Plus. Arndt outlined some of the issues she sees as continual problems, including inconsistent time rounding rules in different county offices, the amount of users that have the capability to make changes within the system, as well as sick/vacation time accrual and understanding all aspects of how it works.
Several department heads from the county were on hand, echoing Amdt’s concerns as well as her feeling that Time Clock Plus can be a great product if all of the ‘wrinkles are ironed out’. Their frustrations generally stemmed from feeling like they were never properly trained when starting with the system, as it was all done virtually since the business is based in Texas. Discussions wrapped up circling around agreement that making a change right now, in the middle of solving issues, wouldn’t be the way to go. A one year contract, rather than a extended contract, was subsequently approved by the board.
In other board business from Tuesday, motor vehicle exemptions were approved for both Custer Care and Vetter Senior Living in Broken Bow. Resolution #29- 2024, a substitution of securities for Bruning Bank was approved, as was a certification of cost allocation plan. After recommended approval from the planning commission, the board approved an accessory dwelling unit construction for Gavin Kemp. One application to cross right-of-way was also approved during Tuesday’s meeting.
