Midtown Western Inn and The Lodge location, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Buffalo County Commissioners approve seeking proposals for the demolition of the Western Inn-Midtown and The Lodge location.
Buffalo County agreed to purchase the Western Inn-Midtown and intends to demolish the location and hold the property for future county use.
Per the Dec. 29 minutes of the Buffalo County Commissioners emergency meeting, the county is purchasing the property for $1,270,000. The board members voted unanimously to authorize board chairman Ivan Klein to sign the purchase agreement.
Klein said the commissioners are securing the property for future use by the county. He noted the Buffalo County courthouse is landlocked with no means for expansion.
Klien said that the courthouse if full and with potential new requirements coming down the pipe, they moved on the purchase agreement when the county was approached about acquiring the property.
He noted that if the county doesn’t move on securing property today, the price could increase substantially if they waited to purchase ground in the future.
The plan is to demolish the Western Inn-Midtown, which includes The Lodge restaurant. After the demolition, the property will be held by the county for future development, Klien said.
The Lodge has been owned and operated since 2014 by Cindy Houlden and brother Robert James. The space has been leased from Rod and Lonna Rasmussen, who own the Western Inn-Midtown property.
The Lodge announced via social media on April 4 that they will be relocating to the housing project. Their plan is to open at this location in September 2024.
Facilities Director Steve Gaasch appeared before the commissioners to seek permission to publish the request for the building demolition, which the commissioners approved.
Gaasch also gave updates on various projects including the move of the DMV from the courthouse to the new office at 321 Central Ave that will open on Aug. 29.
On the regular agenda, the commissioners discussed authorizing the chairperson to sign a letter of opposition to the Nebraska State Senators regarding LB 9 sections 34-38 and 40-42.
LB9 would change, add or eliminate certain categories and provisions under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act. The commissioners approved authorization to sign the letter.
During the Zoning portion of the meeting, Trenton Snow, a licensed land surveyor, appeared on behalf of Brent Carmody, CEO of Carmody Farms, LLC, who also attended the meeting, regarding an application for a preliminary subdivision for Eagle Hill Estates north of Odessa.
Snow said they want to split the area into three different lots that will all be on private water wells and private septic tanks.
Carmody noted he had already spoken with representatives from the Dawson Public Power District regarding electrical access to the property.
Commissioner Dan Lynch noted there was opposition to the subdivision from a neighbor that was on the record but wasn’t present at the meeting.
The commissioners approved the application for the subdivision.
Craig Bennett, with Millier & Associates, appeared on behalf of Benjamin Hirschfeld and Christie Hirschfeld and Harry Whitley III and Correne Whitley, regarding an application for a preliminary subdivision, named Amity Hills Subdivision.
Bennett said this application had come before the county before, but the planning commission had to recommend denial in the past due to access issues.
The application was then heard by the board of adjustments which las later approved. Bennett said the owners are seeking to add more lots, hence the need for the formal subdivision. The commissioners approved the new application.
During the road department portion of the meeting, Highway Superintendent John Maul appeared with a review of the one- and six-year road and bridge plan.
Maul said there are seven projects in the one-year road plan and 13 in the six-year plan. As for bridges, there are three projects in the year one plan and 10 in the six-year plan.
“Within this area there are 1500 miles of road: 112.3 miles are County oil or concrete roads. There are 342 bridges over 20 feet in the County. There are also 242 bridges that are 20 feet, and under which are not considered bridges but are classified as culverts because of the constricted water flow,” the Buffalo County website states.
A hearing date for the one- and six-year road plan was set for Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m.
There was also discussion regarding the possible decision amending the 1985 Pool Street vacation resolution.
Deputy County Attorney Andy Hoffmeister spoke about the amendment, saying that actions taken in the 1980s needed to be cleaned up to reflect current policies. The commissioners approved the amendment.
The commissioners held a public hearing regarding the vacation of a 66-foot public portion of Evergreen Road. Maul had recommended the closure of the portion of the road after property owners in the area filed for the vacation.
A public hearing was set for Tuesday, Aug. 27, to further discuss the road vacation.
The commissioners then entered executive session to discuss contract negotiations.
