CPNRD Board Rejects Bids for Current Office Property

June 26, 2026

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING NOTES
JUNE 26, 2026

Central Platte NRD Board Rejects Bids for Current Office Property

The Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) Board of Directors voted to reject the two bids submitted for the sale of its current office, shop facilities, and property at 215 N. Kaufman Avenue in Grand Island during its regular meeting on Thursday. The action followed a recommendation from the Building Committee. The District received two sealed bids for the property. The highest bid was $1,176,750, while the second bid was $785,000. During discussion, Board members noted that both bids were well below the property’s appraised value before voting to reject them. The Building Committee will evaluate available options and make a recommendation to the Board on how to proceed with the sale. The property is being offered for sale “as is” and will be conveyed by warranty deed. CPNRD will retain possession until the closing date.

CPNRD staff are expected to relocate to the District’s new office and education center at 9644 W. 13th Street in Wood River in August. The new facility will provide expanded office, meeting, and educational space to support the District’s mission of conserving, managing, and protecting natural resources.

The Board also approved the Building Committee’s recommendations on the following:

Change Order #2 – Shop: Approved a $10,506.00 deduction to change copper feeders to aluminum feeders for the electrical connection from the office to the shop.
Change Order #7 – Office: Approved the addition of a dishwasher ($902.00), widening of the concrete drive to the basement ($13,727.00), and deduction for the electrical connection from the office to the shop ($3,531.00). The total change order is $592.00.
Change Order #8 -Basement: Approved the cost to build-out approximately 4,700 square feet of the basement to create 11 offices and meeting rooms in the amount of $787,570.00.
Internet Service Agreement: The Board approved an agreement for $237,500 with Lumen to install fiber to the new office for internet service.

Agenda / Action Items

2027 Fiscal Budget

The Board approved the proposed FY2027 Budget of Expenditures for the purpose of holding a public hearing. The proposed budget totals $23,310,344.83, down from $31,799,740.74 last year and approximately $11.4 million less than the FY2025 budget. The estimated property tax request remains unchanged at approximately $5.3 million. A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2026, immediately preceding the regular Board meeting. A public hearing to set the FY2027 property tax request and levy will be held prior to the Board’s August meeting to be held on September 3, 2026.

Variance Appeals Committee
The Variance Committee recommended, and the Board approved, the following requests:

New Industrial Well Permit (Hall County): Approved a new industrial well permit for Consolidated Concrete of Grand Island to provide a temporary backup water source while its new facility is under construction. As conditions of the approval, Consolidated Concrete must install a CPNRD-approved flow meter, submit an annual report of water pumped to the District, and decommission the existing well once construction is complete.
Easement Request (Dawson County): Approved an easement request from JWC Gburg LLC of Omaha for the Meadowlark Industrial Park project. The easement allows the property to be used as a temporary construction staging area and storing topsoil removed from adjacent property located south of the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and north of the North Channel of the Platte River. As conditions of the approval, the property may only be used for construction staging and topsoil storage and must be restored to its original condition by July 1, 2029.

Manager’s Report
Lyndon Vogt, General Manager, reported on the following:

PRRIP Leadership Change: Jason Farnsworth, principal of Headwaters Corporation in Kearney and Executive Director of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP), recently announced he will step down from both positions. Chad Smith, Ph.D., a principal with Headwaters Corporation, will succeed Farnsworth as Executive Director through the completion of the PRRIP’s second increment in 2032.
Perkins County Canal: Nebraska expects to learn by July 1 whether the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its case involving the proposed Perkins County Canal. The proposed water infrastructure project would divert water from the South Platte River in Colorado to western Nebraska to help protect Nebraska’s Platte River water rights and reduce water losses caused by upstream water use in Colorado. Project supporters estimate Nebraska and other water management entities have lost approximately 1 million acre-feet of water during the non-irrigation season over the past 20 years that could have been captured had the canal been in place. Brandi Flyr, District Hydrologist, also noted that nearly a dozen existing and proposed water development projects in Colorado’s South Platte River Basin have occurred and are expected to reduce flows to Nebraska in the future.
Thirty Mile Irrigation District (TMID): TMID celebrated two significant milestones this month. Jim Harris, TMID Manager, marked 50 years of service with the District, and the Thirty Mile Canal celebrated its 100th anniversary. The canal was originally dedicated on July 13, 1928, with water rights to irrigate 15,000 acres. The Central Platte NRD and the Thirty Mile Canal Company formed a partnership in January 2012 to improve irrigation system efficiency. In September 2013, the canal company reorganized as the Thirty Mile Irrigation District, becoming a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska.
New Staff: Cara Crandell of Trumbull was hired as the Central Platte NRD’s new Office Assistant and began her position this month.

Nebraska Association of Resources District (NARD)
Deb VanMatre, CPNRD representative, reported on recent actions of the NARD Board including:

Basin Tour: The annual NRD Basin Tour was held in the South Platte River and Perkins County Canal area. The tour highlights a different watershed each year, providing participants with a firsthand look at local conservation projects, natural resource challenges, and successful partnerships.
Hall of Fame Nominations: Reviewed Hall of Fame nominations and mailed ballots to select this year’s recipient, who will be recognized at Husker Harvest Days.
Sponsorships: Approved sponsorships for NET’s Big Red Wrap-Up, the NARD Annual Meeting Auction and Raffle, the Nebraska Corn Growers Open, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation’s Ag in the Classroom fundraiser.
NARD Budget: Approved a 2% membership dues increase for fiscal years 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Employee Benefits: Approved changing the reinsurance provider to Optum and approved no increase in premiums to the medical and dental insurance program for the third consecutive year. The CPNRD Board also approved a motion allowing participants in NARD’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan to roll current pre-tax elective deferrals into Roth deferrals. The amendment must be approved by all 23 NRDs.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Report
Joe Krolikowski, District Conservationist, reported that NRCS conducted the annual status reviews for potential wetland and/or highly erodible land issues across the state for the 2026 crop year. NRCS staff within the CPNRD completed 30 status reviews this year.

Kaitlan Stouffer, Central City Field Office, reported that Merrick County currently has 47 active Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts. Staff are now preparing for FY2027 project rankings, with 21 applications on file and additional applications anticipated.

Financial Report
The June financial report was approved.

Cost-Share Programs
Two applications for well decommissioning through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program and Central Platte NRD cost-share were approved totaling $1,500.

Upcoming Board Meetings
June 25, July 23, August meeting will be held on September 3