July 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM - Operations Committee Meeting

Rationale:  We do not have any unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  Nothing to report.

Rationale:  The O & M crew did maintenance & inspections on 7-8 more dams, shredded roadsides around Wanahoo & Czechland & plots where the BGC group wants to establish food plots near their deer blinds. We are spraying tree problem areas also. Continue to organize & assist around the new building.

Rationale:  The NRCS Grants & Agreements Division has approved the amendment to use non-allocated funds from the Work Plan-Environmental Assessment Study for the Planning and Design Phase of Cottonwood 21-A. It was signed by the District on July 22. They expect the Planning & Design Phase to be completed by December 2026.
The Work Plan-Environment Assessment Study was also returned from the Little Rock, AR NRCS office with their comments. Staff sat in on a teleconference page turner review with NRCS and HDR.on July 24th. The NRCS & HDR addressed all the comments and will update the plan and send it back to Little Rock.

Rationale:  Staff met with Houston Engineering (Mike & Connor) to review the damage on the Wanahoo property and how we want to prioritize, repair and/or mitigate areas. We have teleconferenced with FEMA & NEMA on procedures & directions. FEMA will allow us to work our projects in phases, so if a project is completed we can then be reimbursed for it rather than wait for all phases to be completed. We can move forward with bidding the repairs to the hiking trail, jetties, and pedestrian bridge (need a motion).
FEMA would like us to move forward as fast as we can for the dam joints and basin. FEMA needs repair and mitigation costs and a BCA, so funds can be obligated, and we can bid for the work.
If we want to mitigate the breakwater and improve the third mile weir access, we may have to obtain a 408 permit from the COE since those structures were Corps designed and built.
We need a new contract with Houston Engineering to lead us through this large project. They may have one prepared by the Board meeting.

Rationale:  1) We have a two-year warranty on the office Generac generator. Year one is comprehensive (bumper to bumper), and the second year is parts only. Do we want an extended warranty of 5, 7, or 10 years? These plans have comprehensive coverage. The 5-year plan is $1150, the 7-year is $2132 and the 10-year is $3446. After 2000 hours on the generator there is no warranty coverage.
2) Do we want a preventative maintenance plan? Attached are two quotes, one for the Silver Plan in which they come out twice a year for a major inspection and a minor. The Bronze Plan is a major inspection once a year and staff would be required to do quarterly inspections for warranty purposes. Also attached is a list of service items for the plans.

Rationale:  The grass drill at Rosendahl Farms was used by three cooperators, and we received $128.75.
The grass drill at Rezac Seed was used by 8 cooperators, and we received $1,437.70.
Do we want to write another NET grant to replace the grass drill at Rezac Seed? Paul Rezac would recommend one as the current one is very old.

Rationale:  Lower Platte South NRD assisted financially with the repair of the Fuse Plug in the National Guard Camp back in Sept. 2020 and paid LPN $14,641.66 (which is 50% of the local sponsor share).
We can reimburse LPSNRD $14,641.66 because we have been fully reimbursed by FEMA, NEMA and the CBDG grant for that repair.
 

Rationale:  We have not received any request for payments or applications.

Rationale:  For the month of June, the District received $8,089.00 in annual park permit revenue.

Rationale:  For the month of June, the District received $17,152.82 in camping revenue.

Rationale:  The Clint Johannes Education Building at Lake Wanahoo was rented 16 times in July, with 4 NRD events. Revenue for the month was $1,325. 

Rationale:  When Wanahoo was developed there was a 600' hunting setback filed on the neighboring properties on our west boundary.  I have had several requests to consider removing or reducing this setback allowing landowners to develop their properties. 

Rationale:  The KTIC radio ads for July featured a reminder for annual well water testing. August’s ad will feature variances. Those ads are both attached.

Wahoo newspaper e-ad and print ad for July featured variances. We will not be doing an e-ad or print ad for August.

Rationale:  Top Posts for Facebook and X included:
• Wildflowers and Wine flyer
• Nocturnal night flyer
• NWQI for Wahoo Creek Watershed
• 4th of July at Wanahoo
• Coffee Lakeside flyer

On the LPNNRD website, we received traffic from Facebook (58), NARD (10), Nebraska tourism (7), Saunders County Fair website (2), KTIC (1) Wahoo newspaper e-ad (0), X (0).

The full reports are attached. 
 

Rationale:  The Summer Viaduct will be finished this week with the printer and sent to newspapers for inserting. This will go into newspapers the week of August 11. Attached is a copy.

Rationale: 

•  July 7-11: NRD Nature Camp. Eight middle school students participated this year. These kids spent a week learning about: insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians, trees, mushrooms, and flowers. They went: fishing and bird watching; dissected owl pellets; and learned photography basics. Every student went home with a nature journal, and they'll receive photo albums from the pictures they took that week.
• July 15th: Nocturnal Night (12). Spent the night learning about nocturnal animals and their environments. Ended with a nocturnal nature hike and smores.
• July 17th: Coffee Lakeside (5). Walked the prairies discussing the history, current management techniques, common invaders, and species of the prairies. 

 

Rationale: 

• August 4th: Wildlfowers and Wine (flyer)
• August 7th: Coffee Lakeside: Specialty Crops
• August 7th: Last nocturnal night of the summer!
• August 26th: State Fair Education 

2025-2026 Education flyer - Mailed and emailed to every school district
CEO student schedule - Jack 
Scheduling 2025-2026 school year
State Land Judging Contest Host

Rationale:  We are starting a new program called the Native Nook. This is for anyone in our district, urban or rural, looking to add native flowers and grasses to their landscape. We will provide 100 square feet of seed, and a yard sign for outreach and education. We are still working on the program details and application process, but are hoping to roll it out in the next two months. 

Rationale:  The RWD was notified of a leak at a residence in Colon and will work to get it repaired as quickly as possible.
Routine month sampling, meters read and billing completed.

Rationale:  The lead and copper testing has been completed and results from state labs will be sent to residences.  No results were near action limits.
Routine month sampling, meters read and billing completed.