July 27, 2016 at 8:30 AM - Operations & Education Committee Meeting

Rationale:  CREP payment of $72.16 for Tim & John Gronenthal Trust in Platte County on 4.4 acres.  The total contract is $660.00. The contract expires in August 2017.

Rationale:  The O & M crew has performed some vehicle and equipment maintenance. Assisted in preparing park bench sites. Cut volunteer trees on Rawhide ditch and Trouble Creek dam.  The College interns are assisting in Chemigation and water sampling.

Rationale:  Cory Vasek, representing the City of Yutan, would like to request an additional $20,000 from the NRD for their project to construct a safe trail for students and the general public under the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks and a bridge over Clear Creek. (Aerial Map Attached)  The District has currently obligated $30,000 over three years but, the additional funding would make it over 5 years. Yutan is pursuing other grant opportunities, has committed $60,000 and other In-Kind items. 

Rationale:  The Yutan Rural Fire & Rescue Department has purchase a rescue boat.  They have submitted the invoice and are requesting the $5,000 the NRD obligated toward their purchase.  See attached Bill of Sale.

Rationale:  NARD provided an invoice of $6,885.65 for the Conservation Trees from Bessey Nursery in Halsey.  This invoice is for just over 10,000 trees and shrubs plus delivery.

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Rezac Seed has provided the District a check for $1,587.94 for grass drill rental for the first half of 2016.  There were 17 cooperators that used the grass drill.

We are still waiting on reports from our cooperators in Platte and Colfax County.  The committee request that staff look at a change in Colfax County.

Rationale: 

Wanahoo RV Dump Station JEO Contract update - Contract with JEO is $25,920, to date the District has paid $14,703.50 as of July 11, 2016.

We are currently advertising for bids on the Dump Station.  Bids are due Friday, August 5th at 11:00 a.m. at which time they will be read aloud. It is anticipated that a motion will be needed to approve a bid during the August Board Meeting August 8th.

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Dan Ourada of Prague is making a 5 year rental offer for the hay ground at Czechland Lake.  His offer is a 60-40 share from 2017 - 2022.  He would cut, bale and haul the District's 40% and make payment to the NRD.  He would also fertilize in the spring the areas to be hayed at his cost.

With Grassland Improvement projects through the Game & Parks Commission taking place at Homestead and Czechland over the next 2 -3 years a rental agreement is not feasible until the grasslands are re-established.

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Miyoshi and Heimann met with NDOR on July 15th concerning the Hwy 30 Expressway and its crossing of our Rawhide Diagonal Ditch in the area of Co. Rd 20th Ave.  The NRD needs O & M access to the Diagonal Ditch where the highway intersects it, the NRD needs the capability to get to the head wall of the Diagonal and maintain the ditch.  Also the Highway intersects flood water storage cells in which the District has easements.  The new Highway will fill in some of this easement area, this may require mitigation.  The top of the roadway will exceed the elevation of the 100-yr event.  We are also concerned about the length of bridge (600+') over our ditch but, FEMA is currently reviewing the flood way.  DOR agreed to extend the bridges by a minimum of 110 feet to allow flood water to move into the storage cell as designed. (Aerial Maps Attached)

Later that day we met with the COE and U.P.R.R regarding construction of the levee along the Railroad and Military St. in Fremont. There is uncertainty as to whether there is enough space to accommodate a third rail or if Military Street could be on top of the levee or the seepage berm. Also discussed were closure structure(s) where the levee would cross the railroad. U.P. will discuss in house and get back to the Corps.

On July 21st we met with the COE and NDOR on the Fremont Levee system and future Highway 30 alignment/construction. NDOR will start letting contracts starting in late 2017, then 2018 and 2019 with each of the three segments under a 2.5 year construction period.  It's a little unclear as to where the levee would cross the Highway system, there will be multiple locations for road closure systems and uncertainty on the type of closure systems to be used, the bridge length over the NRD Diagonal ditch, and the levee and highway location in Southeast Fremont in relationship to the Costco development.

The Corps is organizing a Public Meeting in Fremont on September 6th for an update on the Fremont GI Levee Study.

Rationale:  There is Phragmites located in the wetland area of the Wanahoo property that will need to be aerial sprayed. Game & Parks Biologist Scott Luedtke and Pheasant Forever Biologist Brian Teeter recommend spraying more wetland areas to help control the vegetation.  The aerial contractor Provine will be spraying noxious and invasive weeds on the Platte River in August.  Staff would recommend spraying up to 30 acres in the Wanahoo wetland areas.  Since it is a new contractor staff is unsure of the cost and will contact someone on an estimate.

Rationale:  Seth Varner completed his Eagle Scout Project of installing three park benches and planting three trees at the east playground at Lake Wanahoo. Invoices are attached for the sponsor plaques and the trees which total $553.96.

Rationale:  The KTIC radio ad and Wahoo Newspaper eAd for August will promote the Abandoned Well Program.

Rationale:  Our booth display is currently at the last county fair for 2016.  The Saunders County Fair is going on now through Sunday, July 31st.  The display was previously at Platte and Butler County Fairs.  NRCS also had a display at Colfax County Fair and included LPNNRD materials.  NRCS student interns have been present at fairs to hand out materials and interact with the public.

Rationale:  The 2016 summer edition of the Viaduct was distributed through area newspapers during the week of July 18th-22nd.  The online edition was sent on Friday, July 22nd.

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Meters are being read 7-26-16 for both lines and bills will be sent out by 7-28-16.

Water samples will be collected and submitted to the State on 7-27-16.

Rationale: 

- Have received $ 3,000 deposit from new customer (Nick Chadwell), Rolling Hills subdivision.  Scheduling service connection and construction at this time.

- Steve Banghart, Colon customer, has been dealing with a continuous leak for some time now.  Last Saturday he hired a contractor to dig and they found the cause.  Upon inspection, it has been determined the leak was on the customer side of the  meter pit, but in the brass fitting used to connect the pit to the customers main.  I am recommending approval of $ 415.50 payment to Rodgers Construction for backhoe work and repair of Mr. Banghart's service.  

Rationale:  Completed inspection of air relief valves along entire service line.