Friday, September 21, 2018

Death Notice: Robert W. Dumpert


A Funeral Mass for Bob will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter, Nebraska. Msgr. Daniel Seiker and Father Kenneth Borowiak will officiate the service.

Burial with Military Rites will take place in the Exeter Cemetery following the Funeral Mass.

Visitation will take place on Friday, September 21, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with family present from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter.

A Rosary will be prayed on Friday, September 21, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter.

Memorials are suggested to the St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter or the Exeter American Legion.

Exeter-Milligan Friend Coop Featured in Commercial

Camera crews mingled with the crowd at the first ever EMF Bobcats pep rally on Friday, September 14th in Friend.
Several of the senior boys spoke at the EMF Bobcat pep rally.  Slater Wells took his turn at the microphone.  Behind him from the left are from the left Dawson Logan, Nick Hayek, Spencer Pribyl, Wells, Colton Bossaller, Max Zeleny (not visible), Trever Zelenak (behind), Edwen Baptista, Johnny Babula and Mitchell Manning.


Camera crews filmed every aspect of preparation for a football game including Assistant Coach Clayton Moore handing a sack lunch to Kole Svec.



The camera crews filmed a shot with the combined group of the Friend dance team and the Exeter-Milligan cheerleaders.


If you were in Exeter, Milligan or Friend this past week you might have seen an unusual sight, camera crews and unusual vehicles downtown and in the schools.

No, there is not a new reality show being filled in small town Nebraska.  Instead, Farmers Mutual Insurance Company has decided to feature the three communities combining to make one football team.

They recognized the challenges of bringing two schools together, especially former rivals on the football field. Exeter-Milligan Superintendent Paul Sheffield commented, “It’s all about brining communities together and how sports can do that.”

It hasn’t exactly been a cake walk to get all of the shots they were hoping for but, according to Sheffield, it has given Exeter-Milligan students a glimpse at the glamour of TV.

“It’s been awesome.  We did have one girl who thought it would be fun to be in a reality show until she saw how much work went into just the commercial.”

The camera crew has filmed in each of the communities highlighting all of the aspects of them coming together and making everything happen for the team.  From making the lunches before each game to loading equipment on the buses the camera crew has been there.

On Friday afternoon all of the Exeter-Milligan 7th – 12th graders along with the teachers came over to Friend and had a pep rally for the upcoming Friday night game against Thayer Central.  The film crew didn’t direct the pep rally but filmed every aspect of it, from all of the students entering the gym, the band playing and the dance team and cheerleaders performing, down to the football players loading on the bus and leaving the school.

The Exeter-Milligan and Friend bands played together, the dance team performed, the cheerleaders pumped up the crowd and the football team spoke.  There was a rock, paper, scissors contest with each student 7th-12th participating with the senior class winning. 

Slater Wells, a senior on the football team, summed up their experience so far, “We began this journey together in eighth grade and it’s worked out pretty well.  We’re pretty good together.”

Friend Superintendent Kraus was very positive about the experience, “We know we need to give our kids the best and to give them the opportunities to succeed.  We need to pool our resources to make it the very best for our students.”

The commercial, which was filmed by an ad agency out of Omaha, will be broadcast during the televised NSAA championships on NET during the 2018-1029 season.


Thursday, September 20, 2018

Exeter-Milligan Sweeps Friend in Milligan

Exeter-Milligan Lady Timberwolves met the Lady Bulldogs in Milligan on Tuesday night.  The T-wolves swept the Bulldogs in three straight sets.  First set was 25-8, 25-12 second set and the final set was 25-11.




Reminder: Electronic Recycling Tomorrow


Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Exeter Village Board Discusses Budget


The Exeter Village board opened their monthly meeting with a budget hearing. Chairman Alan Michl informed the audience that the levy did not increase because the valuation did not increase.

“There was about a $400,000 decrease (in valuations) but next year I’m guessing that it will be about a million dollar increase.”

He added that the audit looks a little off because the village still has an outstanding construction loan that will be repaid by the bonds when they are issued for the work being done around town.

With no comments from the audience, the board adjourned and opened a hearing to set the final budget.

The board discussed raising the levy by about 3.5% as they had last year. ”This is basically the same as we increased it last year.  We use the valuation to set our limits,” Michl explained.

The board approved resolution 18-06 which allowed for the levy to increase to the 3.5%. The board moved into their regular meeting agenda.  They approved two sets of minutes from August 7th and 28th along with the invoices.

Andrew Wilshusen from JEO gave the board an update and summary of projects.  He noted that there were two payouts for downtown and streets to be approved and, “I would assume next month we would get close to a final. . .there may be a few change orders to add and deduct.”

Wilshuesen continued to report explaining that he had the East Boundary paving certificate of completion and that paving would be complete that week on Burlington.  He expected that the street projects would be done soon.  They had also done a walk-through of downtown and listed a few minor touch up items that would need to be taken care of along with the clean-up.

Wilshusen had a few of the broken flagpole holders from the new light poles.  He is going to talk to the manufacturer about the issue.

Michl added that they decided to replace the sidewalk in front of the old fitness center which will be a change order.

The board approved the payouts for Werner Construction for $282,634.83 and Van Kirk for $181,822.60 along with the certificate of completion for East boundary.


Lynette Trauger, the new Exeter librarian thanked the board for the approving her hiring. She reported she is cleaning and changing a lot of things in the library.  The library board met and is putting out a survey for patrons along with the new hours.  They have a goal for Storybook Park renovation to be completed by next spring.

Trauger also reported that she recently met with the Southeast Library Commission and has a plan for certification along with working on filing an extension for accreditation.

Resident Kenny Harre was on the agenda next to visit with the board about a new commercial building he would like to build near the sewer plant.  He wanted to make sure the board would support him in the endeavor before proceeding with permits.

“I know there are lots (platted) out there and it shouldn’t be any concern but I wanted to make certain,” Harre stated.

The board had no reservations about Harre’s planned addition to the community.

The board approved replacing the front door to the office as the door glass was cracked.  They also approved a request from the Fillmore County Development Corporation for $1700 in funding.

Maintenance Supervisor John Mueller reported that the pool needs painted from the three foot area to the deep end. He also plans to replace all the signs that were removed for construction.

He added that during a recent heavy rain a hole opened up in the Horizontal Boring pipe yard that revealed that the storm sewer had been destroyed. It was adjacent to a power pole that had been installed by Horizontal.  Van Kirk repaired that storm sewer at a cost of $2947.50 and Mueller asked the board who should pay the bill.

“We had to have it fixed.  It’s not like you could leave it open,” explained Mueller.

The board decided to send a letter to Perennial and Horizontal about the bill.

Clerk Becky Erdkamp reported that June sales tax was $8782.08 and July Keno was $450.67.  She reported that she and Michl would be attending the annual conference.

Before the board entered executive session to discuss pay raises Clerk Erdkamp noted that she has not been compensated for attending and working at village board meetings for the last 11 years, nor has Mueller.  “I’d like to ask that we get paid for meetings from here on out.”  

The board entered executive session and came back out at 8:15 to give Mueller, Erdkamp, Sharon Cudaback and Keith Mathiesen a three percent raise and an additional  $500.00 compensation to Erdkamp and Mueller for past attendance at board meetings.  The board also announced that Erdkamp and Mueller will be compensated for time spent at board meetings in the future.

The next meeting was scheduled for October 2.