No action taken on moving park from highway

RANDOLPH – The Randolph City Council took no action after hearing some mixed viewpoints from the public to moving the Lion’s Club Park from its Highway 20 location.

About a dozen people attended the meeting last week concerning the park which was deeded to the city by M.P. Buol and Olivia Buol, to the city on Dec. 14, 1931. The deed states, “This land is given to the City for a park and in event it is not used for that purpose it is to revert to the grantors or their heirs.”

Given its location along Highway 20, the land is attractive to developers who have reached out to the city expressing interest over the years, said Deputy City Administrator Josh Rayford.

It’s not known if the Buol family would be open to relocating the park. But if they were open to it, that city asset could be turned into property that generates revenue, said City Attorney Keelan Holloway.

“This is an evaluation of the city assets and is this a wise use of the city asset?” he said. “You’ve got an asset over here, a premium asset, and used for a sub-premium purpose, park, whatever, can we move it over here and still get the same community use out of it but maybe sell this and use some of the money made off that . . . to run it back into the community.”

City council members previously discussed different areas in town that may be suitable to relocate the park.

Sandra Kuhlman who lives west of the Lion’s Club park said the council is operating on misinformation if it believes the park is seldom used. She frequently sees people stopping to eat at the picnic shelter or to let their dogs out during their travels. Randolph Public Schools has also used the park as well as the Girl Scouts.

Dorothy Jensen spoke passionately about keeping the Lion’s Club park as is.

“It was given to the city as a park. It’s a green space. Randolph needs a green space. It adds to the aesthetic value of driving through town. We’re lucky that some of the businesses along the highway care . . . but we have property along the highway that is people’s backyards and they don’t care what it looks like,” she said.

She said it’s concerning the city wants to move the park after its been in the same location for more than nine decades.

“It doesn’t need to be sold. It was given to you. You don’t need money,” Jensen said.

Theresa Schnoor said while having a park along the highway for travelers to use is a nice gesture, she’d like to see the property fill a community need such as for a car wash or another business.

“It would be a benefit to the community to open a property for someone to build something,” she said.

If the park is to be moved, Kuhlman would prefer a handicapped-accessible duplex in its place, keeping some of the green space, instead of a fast-food chain restaurant or car wash.

Councilman Aaron Nielsen said those like him on the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department have long dreamed of having the fire hall relocated there.

There is no specific developer interested in the property currently, said Josh Rayford, deputy city administrator.

But the city should be ready for the opportunity when it comes along, Vonnie Arens said.

“I think that’s what I’m hearing - that you’re trying to get ready. The available spaces are few,” she said. “I would just like to encourage all of us to be open minded for the possibility of something new and different to come. I’ve lived here a long time and it’s sad when I hear people say, ‘It’s always been that way. We’re going to keep it that way. We can’t change.’ ” The city council took no action and plan to revisit the topic in the future with the potential for additional public hearings.

The council did take an initial step into cleaning up some substandard property downtown by approving the purchase of three buildings owned by Vernon Forney, Pierce, for $35,000.

The council voted on a resolution to purchase the properties even without the written resolution available for them to review at the council meeting. The council instead relied on Holloway’s verbal paraphrasing of the document.

Paul Rosberg, Wausa, owned the three adjacent buildings in downtown Randolph - the former Nebraska Finest Meats, the former Seek N Find Consignment store, and another building which served as storage and upstairs apartments.

All three buildings failed an internal city inspection in 2021 and were condemned by the city. The properties were later sold to Forney. According to previous council discussions, the city had been trying to work with Forney to clean up the properties for nearly a year.

“We’re trying to make the downtown look better, clean it up and hopefully people will put in a business there,” said Mayor Dwayne “BoBo” Schutt.

To pay for the buildings, the council approved an increase in its borrowing authority to $75,000. That amount includes the purchase of the Forney properties as well as potentially purchasing several lots along the city’s new floodplain project at Bridge Street and toward the west for $40,000.

Schutt said the city plans to purchase the lots, owned by Rose Ann Rohloff, and then “sell them right way,” in another effort to clean up nuisance properties.

The city bought the easement on the Rohloff lots for the floodplain project during the summer of 2020.

Employee wages

After its regular meeting, the council entered executive session to discuss employee wages and then voted to approve some wage increases.

The city had budgeted for a wage increase of $1.50 per hour for library, public works and administration employees to adjust for the rise in the state minimum wage.

Rayford was given a $1.88 raise per hour, an increase in his annual salary by $3,921.

He worked as the interim city administrator while onboarding Sheila Korth as the new city administrator. Rayford worked as the interim city administrator for about four months after Korth was hired at an increased wage. Korth officially took over Rayford’s regular duties as city treasurer this month, making her city administrator, clerk and treasurer for the City of Randolph.

At last week’s council meeting, Rayford was given a new title as deputy administrator and deputy clerk.

Schutt said Rayford’s title may have changed but no additional responsibilities were given.

“Josh has done a really good job in the meantime. I don’t see his job changing at all,” Schutt said.

Public Works employees received less than the budgeted wage increase.

There was no indication in the city’s meeting minutes any library employees received raises last week.

The new wages go into effect in the next pay period, Korth said.

The city’s legal notice of salaries seen on page 5 does not take into account the wages that were just increased last week or Rayford’s new title.

The position of police chief is listed in the legal notice at $63,000 annually.

Since being hired in March for that role, Kannesha Nept remains uncertified and not working in that capacity.

However, she is still drawing a regular full-time salary with benefits, Schutt said.

He said she’s “very close” in the reciprocity process to becoming certified and estimated she will be working in an officer capacity in the next month. Reciprocity exams are held every month through the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center.

Schutt said Nept spends her time studying and readying to take the exams. Several residents have voiced complaints about Nept filming videos from the police chief office and posting them to social medai during regular business hours. Schutt said he was not aware of it.

“I don’t have enough time in my life to look that stuff up,” he said. “I have more important stuff to do.”

According to Randolph city code, the police chief reports directly to the mayor.

Last fall, the city council approved the purchase of a new police vehicle - a 2023 Ram 1500 Classic pickup truck - for $42,000. Without a certified officer to use it, the vehicle has been parked in a city shed since May 8.

Downtown mural

The council has not agreed on a mural design for downtown, and the deadline to utilize grant funds for the project is looming.

Last year’s Honey Fest organizers from the city’s Economic Development Advisory Board received a Cedar County Tourism Board grant and remaining funds - about $1,700 - will be used for the mural. The council would like the mural to be completed by September otherwise they would need to ask the tourism board for an extension.

Bob Kint agreed to have a mural painted on the brick wall side of his building at the southeast corner of Main and Broadway streets intersection.

Councilwoman Janelle Biernbaum said the city needs to continue looking for a vendor but Rayford indicated a decision needs to be made by next month.

The council will meet next for its first budget workshop, set for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 24.