Exeter and Milligan Welcome New Priest

Pictured (l-R):  Father Tom Maloney, Deacon Gerald Ferreira, Father Kenneth Wehrs, Father Steve Thomlison, Msgr. Mark Huber, Deacon Ryan Kaup, and Father Ben Holden during installation of Father Thomlison as pastor for St. Stephen Church, Exeter, and St. Wenceslaus Church, Milligan.

Installation of Father Steve Thomlison as the pastor for St. Stephen Church, Exeter, and St. Wenceslaus Church, Milligan, was held on August 9, 2014, in Exeter.  Msgr Mark Huber, Dean of the Crete Deanery conducted the installation.  Assisting Msgr. Huber were Father Tom Maloney, Father Ben Holden, Father Kenneth Wehrs, Deacon Ryan Kaup, and Deacon Gerald Ferreira.  Acolyte was seminarian, Mark Ruhl, with John and Stephen Ruhl serving.  Father Thomlison’s family was able to attend and his sister, Stacy was the cantor.  Representatives from the Army National Guard and the Nebraska State Patrol were in attendance as Father Thomlison is the chaplain for both.  Guests and parishioners enjoyed a coop dinner at St. Stephen Parish Hall after the installation.

 

Exeter-Milligan School Board Discusses Building Repairs

The Exeter-Milligan School Board began their meeting on Wednesday August 13 without board member Tom Sluka and Superintendent Paul Sheffield.

The board discussed the building and grounds update, specifically the storm damage repair.  They also received an update on the TYKE playground noting that there are fourteen students enrolled in the program this semester.

The board recognized the written agreement from the Friend school to join the Exeter-Milligan junior high football team.  “They are welcome to bring one coach but it will be an Exeter-Milligan team,” noted board member Jim Zeleny.

School Board President Dr. Sharon Kuska confirmed that there were no changes to the junior high football agreement and it was for one year only.

 After setting the budget work session and approving Tara Milton as a local substitute the board took a recess until Sheffield and Sluka could join the meeting.

After the recess further discussion was held on the building updates.  Sheffield noted that the carpet was installed but the windows for the shop building had not come in yet.  The window air conditioners in the band room were not working and so an air conditioning unit was installed along with the furnace in the Milligan gym.  The damaged and diseased trees at the Exeter site were removed but the flagpole has not been replaced since it was taken down by the storm.

There was also discussion on replacing the roof and the board decided to reroof using Connor Roofing.

This summer the weight room was moved to the south half of the small gym and with the extra equipment that was purchased there is not room to put the equipment back.  Board member Tim Pribyl was concerned, “Can we do concessions in just half of the small gym?”

Board member Jim Zeleny asked, “Are there any partitions we can put up?”

Sheffield noted “Steve (Briske, Head Custodian) and I have talked about room dividers.  We will have to take a couple of pieces of equipment out just to let the concessions fit.  We will lose the southeast door.  It would be a little bit smaller but it would fit.”

Sheffield reported that the fence for the preschool playground would be installed once a little more cement work was completed in the area.  The board noted that they hoped to remove the barb wire from the top of the track fence when the TYKE fence is installed.

The discussion moved on to budget and valuations.  Sheffield had attended a Cross Roads Conference meeting earlier that evening and reported, “All of the schools in the CRC reported their valuations had gone up.  York County went up about 25% instead of 12% like Fillmore County.  Saline County was around 32%.”

“The State gives us a budget.  Our Special Ed expenses are up as we have had a couple of families move in with some kids with needs.  We were sitting at a 67.5 cent levy but with valuations it should be lower. If valuations stay the same or increase as projected we may not need the levy override again.  Our state aid got cut in half again.”

Right now Sheffield reported that the building fund levy is at .07 cents.

The board asked Sheffield if they could dissolve the JPA since they have no building plans in the works right now.  Sheffield responded that that would be up to the Village.  Chairman of the Exeter Village Board Alan Michl was in attendance and so the Board asked if the Village would be willing to dissolve and Michl answer with a quick and decisive, “No.”

Board member Annette Gloystein asked, “Can we have the JPA and be inactive?”

The answer was yes, according to Sheffield, “We can amend the budget to spend funds but you cannot receive funds.  There should be about $500,000 in that JPA account.”

The board moved to another agenda item, transferring funds to the depreciation account.  Sheffield explained that this was an expenditure fund but the purchases made from the account must be for items that depreciate over time. The board did not take an action on transferring funds as they wanted to wait until the budget is confirmed.

The Fillmore County Development Corporation approached all the school districts in the county asking if they want to become members of the group.  There were given a brochure with different levels of membership by dollar amounts.

“The one thing I don’t like about it is one public tax entity supporting another,” noted Brent Moore, “But the FCDC has done a career day that our students participate in.  They go to different businesses in the county and see what is available in Fillmore County.  It enhances the education experience for our district.”

The board adjourned setting the next meeting for Wednesday, September 10^th in Exeter.

Exeter-Milligan School Starts

Exeter-Milligan held an Open House on Thursday, August 12^th at both the Exeter and Milligan sites.  Hot dogs and Smores were served and students had the opportunity to meet their new teachers and see their classrooms.  Students also were able to bring their supplies and load up their desks.  First grader Kole Svec emptied his backpack and filled his desk with the help of his teacher Sharon Lott.

Road 24 Paving Discussed at Fillmore County Supervisor's Meeting

The Fillmore County Courthouse filled up quickly for an information meeting that the Fillmore County Supervisor’s Board held Wednesday, August 6^th.

The Board advertised that they would be discussing the current roads projects that the county is considering placing on the ballot in November.

Four paving projects were discussed including Road 24 which connects Highway 6 to Highway 41 commonly known as the “Milligan Road,” a road into Fairmont from Highway 81 just south of the Casey’s store, a project out of Grafton headed north and a road out of Shickley to the south that meets a gravel road in Thayer County.

Chairman Larry Cerney opened the meeting and welcomed the guests before he invited Supervisor Bob Mueller to moderate the meeting.

Mueller opened by reviewing the handouts that were made available to the public.  The handouts covered the cost estimates for each project in both concrete and asphalt, the total county valuation, levy information, bond information along with a table showing current land values and the amount of taxes the projects would add to the property owners.

After the handouts were reviewed Mueller turned the floor over to Ameritas representative Brad Slaughter who discussed the bond percentage rates and the impact this would have on the residents of Fillmore County.

Slaughter addressed several concerns about property values.  Several in the crowd asked what would happen if property values decreased.  “Currently Fillmore County is operating at a .21 cent levy but they are constitutionally allowed to go as high as .50 cents. If valuation would decrease then the levy asking would increase to make the same dollar payment.”

Mueller commented, “County valuation goes down and with the price of corn the way it is that is likely.  We still have to make the same payments.  In the instance that farmland would go in half, that would put more tax pressures on the residential landowners.”

Slaughter estimated that the county currently has 1.5 million debt in bonds.

County Resident Susan Johnson, who ran unopposed for the county supervisor board in the 2013 primary election, spoke about a petition that had been signed in 2012 by over 600 residents asking the board to pave the Milligan Road, “I was told the board would take it under consideration.”

Mueller responded, “Not all of the signatures were valid on the petition.  We didn’t think people in the whole county would vote for one road.  It makes a lot of difference to our school and our communities (Exeter-Milligan) but not for the whole county.   To be fair we added Grafton and Shickley so the whole county can get some good out of it.”

Mueller continued, “What we need at the end of tonight is for people to give us a hand vote if they are in favor or not in favor of the project.  If there is enough support for the project we will see about putting it on the ballot.”

It was asked if there would be any advantage to doing the projects at the same time and Slaughter responded that bonding at once with a low interest rate could save the county $300,000 - $400,000.

The question of federal funding options was raised but several board members were negative about that and Ameritas representative Slaughter noted that Fillmore County operates with one of the lowest levy’s in the state making it unlikely they would be a candidate for any federal assistance.

County Supervisor Merle Noel  broached the subject of putting more crushed rock on the roads.  Road 24 has been rocked along with the Burress road as those two roads have heavy semi traffic regularly.

“The county has seen a significant gravel savings on the Burress road.  I’ve done some rough figures and on a mass scale we could spend half of what we want to pave these 18 miles of roads and put crushed rock on 400 miles of roads,” explained Noel.

One of the owners of Harre Feed Yard located on Road 24, Wade Harre, questioned, “What are the costs to keep the Milligan road going every day?  You spend a lot of money on that road any day.  If you aren’t rockin’ you’re grading.  It’s costing you a lot of money to keep it NOT paved, too!”

Road 24 resident, Kate Harre noted, “This is the most traveled road in Fillmore County that is not paved.  It’s fast and it’s busy and you know that.”

Kim Slezak, of Milligan, commented on the benefits paving would bring to the small town, “Paving the road would bring money and business into Milligan and not just benefit the people who live on Road 24.”

Exeter-Milligan Superintendent Paul Sheffield questioned the Supervisor’s purpose in having the meeting if they weren’t for the projects.  Mueller responded, “We wanted the people to get the information on what the projects will cost.”

Supervisor Noel commented “Semi’s are filling the ditches.  If we don’t do something to save the vast majority of our roads, $25 million won’t be enough.”

The consensus of the Board was that they would not think about spending that much money without a vote.  They surveyed by a hand count those in attendance who were interested in the Grafton project and had no one present, the Shickley project had one interested party, Fairmont had four or five and there were over 40 present to hear about the Road 24 project.

A hand count of pro and cons found over 35 for the Road 24 project, the Board closed the meeting noting that they would considering putting the project on the ballot.