Town Board - Regular Meeting

Is it live?

Yes. All set. Yes. Joy, you all set? Okay. Like to call regular meeting number six of 2026 of the town board to order and ask the clerk to read the role. Councilman Datti uh excused. Councilman Kilmer excused again. Councilman Garcia present. Councilwoman Deal here. Supervisor Marston

here. Uh tonight's invocation will be led by Mr. Kern, Cal Kern, and uh I will say the pledge. Please rise. Lord God, we're thankful um very very grateful for your love for us that you care about us. You care about Grand Island. And uh Lord, I pray that you would be in every decision, every word spoken to each other. praying you would take over this meeting. Thank you for the leadership, for dedication, for volunteers, and especially for those that are in control. Father, so we give we give this evening to you and uh help us, guide us, lead us in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mr. Kern. Thank you.

Okay. Uh, first up tonight, we have a proclamation and that would be for Arbor Day. Uh, I don't think there's anybody here to receive it, but we have filled it out and, uh, we have lost the page. There it is. um the entire town board has signed it. So that is ready for them uh when they want to come get it. I'll I'll just read the the proclamation real quick. Whereas in 19 or 1872, Jay Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Ar uh agriculture that a special day uh be set aside for the planting of trees. And this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. And Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. And trees can reduce the erosion of our precious top soils by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperatures, clean the air, produce lifegiving oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife. And trees are a renewable resource, giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products. And trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of a business area, and beautify our community. And trees wherever they are planted are so source of joy and spiritual renewal. Therefore, be it resolved that the town of board of the town of Grand Island does hereby proclaim April 25th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the town of Grand Island and invites all citizens to join uh our Arbor Day celebration to be held at the Grand Island Welcome Center 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Again, there's a proclamation here that I will make sure gets to the appropriate people.

Next, uh public comments. That would be comments on agenda items only. So, if there's anything on the agenda you'd like to speak on, please come to the mic, give us your name, and we'll give you a couple minutes of fame. Okay, moving along. Uh, next up is minutes. Like to make a motion to approve the minutes of workshop meeting number 7, March 16, 2026, and approve the minutes of regular meeting number five, March 16th, 2026. Second motion second. Any discussion roll call? Marston I. Garcia

I. Deal. I. Uh, next is a consent agenda. Uh, meeting minutes of board of architecture review February 17th, 2026. Uh, motion's in order. So move. Second motion second. Any discussion? Roll call. Garcia. I. Deal. I. Marston. Hi.

Uh, next from my office. Special event permit application. So, Makura Wellness Center. Uh, town board. So, Mura uh Wellness Center is seeking approval to use open space in the town commons and Nike base for free outdoor yoga classes to all levels from beginner to advanced students. The classes will run from May 2026 through September 2026. The days and times will vary depending on the weather. The calendar for town hall uh will be managed by well, not by Rhonda anymore, but yes. Uh Nike, you're you're still in here Rhonda. You're still echoing. Nike based by Joanna. There will be uh this will be the sixth year Sakutra has offered free classes and town comments for our residents. The completed event permits application is attached. Updated certificate of insurance will be sent to the supervisor's office.

Motion to approve. I second. Motion second. Any discussion? This is a great um a great thing that they offer our community. They they added last year, I believe, is when they added some of the space over at Nike base. It it's really um a nice thing that they did. Yeah. Again, during their sixth year doing this, it's just something that was um born in COVID and they stayed with it because it it seemed like a really good community thing and it has been. So, yeah, it's it's great. Uh roll call. Garcia. Hi. Deal. I Marston

I uh next up is the natural resource inventory NRI resolution. Um it's a rather lengthy resolution. I don't know if anybody's here from the NRI group. Is there I don't see anybody. Um long and short of it. Well, I guess I guess uh I'll just make a motion to approve the natural resource inventory um resolution as adopted. Then we'll talk about second.

Okay. Um, so this was quite a long process that a very diligent group of volunteers had taken on as it was kind of an ad hoc board that we put together. They did a outstanding job. I think they they gave us a good example of what a town established document should look like and how it should be put together. I've uh I'm very proud of what they've done for our town. And this this uh NRI, believe it or not, will be very much a foundation building block for many grants and opportunities and and things to come in the future. So, this was step one of many steps, but they did a outstanding job and I look forward to engaging this group on their next task. So, uh anything else? Anyone else I should add to that?

If someone's looking for it, the the map is an interactive map and it's layered. They did a fantastic job with it. It is on the website. The easiest way to find it is on the conservation advisory board page and it it's big in the middle and you click on it, it's actually going to take you to another site because of some of our firewalls. You can't have the interaction abilities, but it's on a host site. Um, take a look at it. This is an amazing document as Pete said and when we did interviews with our um seeking a new grant writer, every single person, every writer that we met with when we told them we have this, we have the, you know, LWRP, we have comprehensive plan, we have the farmland study and an NRI that will be um adopted very soon, they all just as Pete just said, you have amazing foundation work for grants. So um kudos to them. They worked three years tirelessly on this project and it's excellent.

Yep. Uh roll call. Marston. I. Garcia. I. Deal. I.

Okay. Uh, next up, um, make a motion to accept the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board or Joseph Kramer to the recently vacated full-time voting member position with an expirary date of uh, December 31st, 2026. Joe has served as an alternate member for close to two years now, and his involvement in the leadership of Dana Little League has helped us grow the partnership with him. We have worked together on projects which have improved veterans parks. In turn, a motion is a motion uh is an order to authorize to advertise for an alternate member replacement. Yeah, sure.

Second. Okay. Motion second. Any discussion? Roll call. Marston. Hi. Garcia. I. Deal. I uh next one is you, Mr. Garcia.

Yes. I make a motion to appoint Kelly Holland to a term uh on the traffic safety advisory board expiring 1231 at 12.7. Thank spokesperson for big help to our I'll second uh discussion. Yeah, I'm really glad she uh found a way to accept this. She's going to be absolute fit. Yeah. Yeah. I ab%. Okay. Roll call. Garcia. Hi. Marston. Hi. Hi.

Okay. Next. Department of Engineering and Water Resources. Robert H. Westfall. Um authorized supervisor assigned professional services agreement. Miracle League splash pad bathroom structural assessment job number M-2022-2023 uh honorable town board please uh attach please find the proposal from Donado and Associates engineering and architecture PC for the professional services relating to a structural evaluation of the existing bathroom storage building for the above residence project. This work needs to to verify the building is capable of supporting additional loads uh induced with the intended upgrades and improvements. Engineering has reviewed the proposal and recommends approval. The funding is available from the Miracle League splash pad grant. Uh we hereby request the town supervisor be authorized to sign a professional service agreement with Donado Associates for the proposed lump sum of $5,723

to authorize to supervise. I second. Motion second. Any discussion? Um this is just setting us up to service a splash bed in the future. It's come along really well actually. Um roll call. Garcia. Hi, Deal. Hi, Marston. Hi.

Uh, next, New York NYC DEC general speedies permit for storm water discharge, storm water management plan annual report for public comment. Tom board. Uh, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requires regulated small municipal separate storm water systems, MS4s, to obtain coverage under a state pollutant discharge elimination system for the discharge of storm water from town-owned storm sewers systems. As part of the EPA requirements, the draft annual report and the storm water management plan must be available for public comment. The report was posted on the town's website April 1st, 2026. A hard copy can be requested by calling uh town hall extension 635 or or or viewed on the Grand Island Engineering Department uh website. The storm water management plan allows for public involvement, participation in its development and imple implementation. Public comments on the annual report will be accepted until April 30th, 2026. I don't know if that's an action or we just This is FYI. Let's just call that an FYI and move on. Well,

a comment on that though, Pete, if anyone were interested, it's on the website. It doesn't say here, but it's under engineering. If you go to the top under departments, it there's a column on the lefth hand side for storm water. I found it really interesting the plan and and what what residents do, what businesses do. Just in case you want to take a look, it's easy to find there.

Uh next up from code enforcement number one, special use application, Wendy and John McCaffrey, uh 4184 East River Road, bed and breakfast. Uh set public hearing and refer to the planning board. Um so the application's here. I would make a motion to refer this to the planning board and set a public hearing. Let's go two meetings out till the planning board gets it. Uh what's two meetings out?

May 4th. It is. Oh, okay. So, we'll set up for Monday, May 4th at 8 PM. Second.

So, Oh, it's the second Monday. Did they already send out the agenda for this week? This one's already passed.

All right. Let's make it the third, though. Okay. But you didn't do this. Okay. So, it would need to be Yeah. 18th 18th May 18th at 8 p.m. public comments after we usually let the planning board go through it in case they change it at all. That way we're public commenting on the amended and the uh intended adoption agreement. All right. So, let me let me do that again. uh make a motion to refer this to the planning board and set the public hearing for uh Monday, May 18th at 8:00 PM. Second. Motion second. Any discussion?

Roll call. Marston. Hi. Deal. Hi. Garcia. Hi. Uh next is a special use permit renewal. Glenn Wallace, 917 uh North Colony Road for bed and breakfast. Um it appears that it's been inspected. The uses are unchanged and the fees have been paid. A motion is in order to uh reaccept. So move. Second. Motion second. Any discussion? Roll call. Garcia. I. Dio. Hi. Marston. Hi.

Uh next from uh parks maintenance crew chief Tom Cisery. Annual step pay increase. Uh, parks department requests permission to move the following employees to their next step pay increase. Uh, Joe Killian uh, seasonal PT uh, step two at 2360 an hour. Um, 46 of 2026 and uh, this is this is these are new hires. So it looks like just one motion to accept their increase. I'll second motion second. Any discussion? Roll call. Ursia. I. Deal. I.

Marston.

I. Next is new hires from parks maintenance. Uh parks department requests the permission to hire the candidates below effective the date of the town board meeting subject to the completion of the pre-employment approval process. Official start dates will deter be determined upon completion of onboarding process. We have um Jake Benton as part-time and then we have uh Jake Bettton again as seasonal um which looks like the date changes. Uh Mitch uh Fazillo part-time and Mitch Fazillo again going to seasonal full-time to be determined. um Chase Wilkkey uh as a part-time and again Chase Wilkkey is going to seasonal when the weather breaks. So that's basically what that's waiting for. So Tom, excuse me, Tom is bringing everybody in, but he's setting himself up to go full-time with uh workers when the weather changes.

Make a motion to accept these. I'll second. Any discussion? Roll call. Garcia. Hi. Marston. Hi. Deal. I.

Uh, next from uh, wastewater treatment plant operator Timothy Burns, promotion wastewater treatment plant operator. I I am hereby requesting the town board promote Matthew Wellins to a position of wastewater treatment plant operator in the wastewater department at a starting rate of 29.68 per hour. Um, as shown in the ask me contract, Matt has completed his training period and will be taking over uh his own shift on April 27, 2026. I'm requesting that the effective date of the promotion be April 25th, 2026 uh to start the payroll number 10. Motion to grant his wish. Second

motion second. Discussion. Roll call. Deal. I. Garcia. Hi. Marston. Hi. Next is a report of the audit committee.

I make a motion to pay the bills from the following funds. From the general fund $121,71522. From the highway fund 673716. The sewer fund $45,46351 from the water fund $27,395.7 from the refuge and garbage fund $170,470.117 from the fire fund $450,184.74 for a total of $821,96587. Second.

Okay. Motion second. Any discussion? Roll call. Garcia. Hi. Deal. Hi. Marston. Hi. Uh, next is public comments. If anybody'd like to come to the mic and talk about anything uh going on in the town, come give your name and you have three minutes. Doesn't necessarily have to be on the agenda. Okay. Uh, from the board, uh, Councilman Garcia, uh, Easter's Ober, happy Dingus Day. I heard Mr. Daniels was at the parade.

Yes, I was. I enjoy going to it when I can, but uh, wasn't the greatest day, but a little rainy, but other than that, the kids are off, so pay attention, watch out, and, uh, if you're off or going somewhere, have a great vacation. Thank you. Uh, Councilwoman Deal. No, happy.

All right. Um, I think I have nothing to add uh as far as events going on. Um, just uh, you know, pray for spring. Yeah. Wait, waiting for the flowers to start growing and mean it, not just be joking. Um, okay. With that, a motion is in order to adjourn tonight's meeting at uh 8:29. So move. I'm sorry. Second. Okay. Uh all those in favor say I. I.

Any opposed? All right. That carries. Uh please rise. Tonight we will observe a moment of silence in memory of uh Gregory Whitenower, uh Jeanie Bartllo, Jason Medan, Howard Oki, Alice Cot, Karen Pierce, and Robert Wler. Thank you. We're journal.

Thanks for coming. Yeah. Yeah. But he has given us down weather stuff. He's working on it. Him and I have been talking about Yeah, he's waiting for the weather to break and get started. Started working on uh some of the range too. Figuring it out with uh what's his name? The farmer guy. Farmer guy.

Yeah. Uh Jamie Pike. So Jamie's got a big floating problem to his next that's going to be one of the sections they start piping on. I think they're they're just literally going to start working from here from baseline down. They're going to start working on problems. All right. Yeah, I talked to That's