Grow Grand Island Area Partnership Logo, Courtesy
GRAND ISLAND – Grand Island’s City Council approved a 2025 contract with Grow Grand Island for $500,000 Sept. 24 by a 9-0 vote.
Council member Michelle Fitzke was absent from the Sept. 24 meeting.
The city has contracted with Grow Grand Island since 2016 for a community enhancement program, funded by a portion of the city’s food and beverage occupation tax, according to a memo from Matt Gleason, finance director/city treasurer.
Tonja Brown, executive committee chair for Grow Grand Island, spoke to the City Council about some of Grow Grand Island’s recent projects.
On Sept. 23, 44 Wayne State College freshmen visited Grand Island. They are in a special internship program where they will work in Grand Island during their senior year. This was their first visit to Grand Island.
When students serve in an internship program in a community, they are more likely to stay in the community after they graduate from college, Brown said.
Grow Grand Island has a partnership with the Conestoga Marketplace project. Grown Grand Island led public relations and promotions efforts for the recent Good Life project election.
Grow Grand Island is involved in “encouraging immigration; new industries and investments; the carrying out of a publicity campaign for the purpose of advertising the various agricultural, horticultural, manufacturing, commercial, utility and other City resources; the promotion of entertainment, agricultural and livestock shows, trade shows and similar events to attract visitors to Grand Island; and investment in community development projects and activities that stimulate progress and growth for Grand Island,” Gleason’s memo to City Council said.
Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy and Vikki Deuel of Grand Island, who volunteers for Friends of Grand Island Parks, spoke to the City Council about the donation of Celebration Circle and Pavilion in the Stolley Park Garden. Hornady Manufacturing has donated funding for the pavilion, which will be named the Marval Hornady Celebration Circle and Pavilion.
According to a memo from McCoy to the City Council, the pavilion is a 20-feet by 42-feet four gabled open-air pavilion for public pavilion, where concerts may be held, along with other events that draw people to the gardens. Other events that may occur at the pavilion include weddings. The east side of the pavilion faces the garden, and west of the pavilion is a grassy area where attendees could bring lawn chairs or blankets to listen to concerts. Celebration Pavilion will include electrical wiring and lighting. The pavilion will be on an 18-inch raised platform with sloped handicapped accessibility.
The Greater Grand Island Community Foundation holds funds for Friends of Grand Island Parks. The City Council voted 9-0 to approve a ground lease agreement with JEK Enterprises for Stolley Park Celebration Circle and Pavilion.
“Little did we know we would get to this point,” Deuel said. Groundbreaking for the project will occur next week, and the project is expected to be completed by November, she said.
McCoy spoke to the City Council about another parks project. The City Council was asked to approve a ground lease agreement for the Veterans Sports Complex Storage/Batting Cage donation. In 2021, the Parks and Recreation Department advertised for bids to construct three new outdoor batting cages and one small storage building at the Veterans Sports Complex.
The project was a partnership between the city and ABCDD softball league. The batting cages are open to all teams using the facility. The softball league budgeted to fund a building in which they could use in conjunction with the batting cages and to house league equipment on site. The bids to construct the building exceeded the engineer’s estimate.
After three years, the ABCDD Softball League is now in position to construct the storage building. The city administration recommended to the City Council approving the ground lease agreement with the softball league for construction of the project. The agreement passed by a 9-0 vote.
The City Council voted 9-0 to approve a labor agreement between the city and the Union Local NO. 1597, I.B.E.W., A.F.L.-C.I.O. (Utilities Department). Human Resources Director Aaron Schmid wrote in a memo to the City Council that 33 job classifications in the Utilities Department currently work under a labor agreement between the city and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local No. 1597.
The labor agreement runs through Sept. 30, 2027. A salary array was conducted as part of the negotiations process. The proposed changes were based on comparability studies from the salary array, Schmid wrote. Changes in the agreement include requiring a 30-minute break for non 12-hour shifts. The shift differential is increased from 50 cents per hour to 60 cents per hour for applicable classifications. An annual stipend for specialized licenses/certifications was added. This includes $1,500 for and electrical contractor’s license and $1,500 for a master plumber’s license. Retirement contributions were changed to 7 percent for the employee and 8 percent for the employer. Wages include a 3 percent cost of living increase for the first year. Rate of pay for years two and three is determined by the Midwest Size Class B/C consumer price index.
In other action, the City Council approved $53,202 in budgeted assessments for the Fonner Park Business Improvement District by a 9-0 vote.
The City Council voted 9-0 to approve a bid for lead service line replacement.
The City Council voted 9-0 to approve a $426,200 contract with the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp. The corporation administers the city’s economic development program under LB 840.
The City Council approved a request from Grand Island Petroleum, 2012 N. Webb Road, for a Class “D” liquor license and liquor manager designation for Tiffany Colsden by a 9-0 vote.
The City Council approved a request from Tacos Los Hermanos, 602 W. Fourth Street, for a Class “C” liquor license and a liquor manager designation for Rodrigo Sanchez by a 9-0 vote.
The City Council voted 9-0 to approve acquisition of a utility easement at 607 Hermitage Place for Jeanette Staab.
The City Council voted 9-0 for a 2025 contract with Clean Community Systems for $35,000. The city has been granting an appropriation to Clean Community Systems for the past 11 years.
The City Council voted 9-0 to approve a request to vacate the Niemoth Subdivision and approve Niemoth Farms Subdivision located east of Quandt Road and south of 1-R Road.
The City Council voted 9-0 to amend City Code concerning the Telephone Occupation Tax. The city has had a 5 percent occupation tax on telecommunication services. According to a change in state statute, the maximum tax is 4 percent.
Grand Island City Council meeting on Sept. 24, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
