Jamie Koerner

    A.J. Herrold III of Seward told the Seward County commissioners at the Nov. 20 meeting that he found a Nebraska Public Power District cement marker in the county's right of way that has no record of a right of way permit.
     Herrold gave the commissioners a photo of the marker.
     Highway Superintendent Russ Daehling told the board that he would like to invite NPPD and Seward Airport officials to a commissioners' meeting to discuss the 345 kilovolt power line that is to be constructed through Seward County.
     A citizens' committee proposed an alternate route and the NPPD will accept public comments on the route until approximately mid-December.
     The commissioners have not taken a side on the issue, but said that they would consider writing a letter for the NPPD to research the best route for the county.
     Cynde Loos of Lincoln was also at the meeting to speak for the alternate route for the power line. Loos works for Pat Reed of Pleasant Dale. NPPD's proposed route comes within 170 feet of Reed's home and he has three young children.
     "We feel it needs to be at least 500 feet," Loos said.
     She also said that the NPPD power line route affects three livestock operations, but in the alternate route that she and others are suggesting, it affects none.
     In an unrelated matter, the board discussed the upkeep and cost of abandoned cemeteries in the county.
     County Clerk Sherry Schweitzer informed the board that according to state statue, the county can spend up to $500 on each abandoned cemetery.
     County Attorney Wendy Elston said that the diversion office is open to assigning people who are going through diversion in Seward County to work on improving the abandoned cemeteries for their community service hours.
     In other business, the commissioners:
     • approved a new courthouse closing procedure, as proposed by the Seward County Personnel Committee;
     • approved a resolution for a short form plat for the Kremer Addition II for a section of land between Denton and Yankee Hill roads and 238th and 224th roads;
     • signed a right of way compensation estimate for the Burkey bridge project on 308th Road between Yankee Hill and Rokeby roads;
     • authorized Vice Chairman Scott Stuhr to sign the right of way certificate for the Beaver Crossing South project on Old Cheney Road between 462nd and 448th roads;
     • approved the right of way request from Reilly Construction, Inc., Ossian, Iowa, on 294th Road between O Street and A Street roads;
     • approved the right of way request from Windstream on Rokeby Road between 182nd and 196th roads;
     • accepted the county clerk fees for October 2007 in the amount of $24,357;
     • adopted a resolution to withdraw pledged securities from Jones National Bank; and
     • heard from Schweitzer and County Treasurer Bob Dahms who informed the board of recent changes to federal regulations for auditing and expiration of a three-year contract with Niewedde and Weins CPAs of York, Seward County's auditing company. The commissioners were to discuss the issue at the Nov. 27, meeting.