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October
2014
Issue 1
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Save the Date

 HCED Annual Dinner

 

Sunday, November 16th

 

O'Neill Community Center

 

Celebrating 10 Years of HomeTown Leadership Institute

 

Call in your reservations now!

(402) 336-1504 or email info@growholt.com. 

 

 Economic Indicators

Holt County Taxable Sales:

June '14: $12,516,573

June '13: $11,824,095

Increase of 5.9%

 

Atkinson Taxable Sales:

June '14: $2,589,619

June '13: $2,484,172

Increase of 4.2%

 

O'Neill Taxable Sales:

June '14: $8,122,638

June '13: $7,840,097

Increase of 3.6%

 

National Unemployment:

Aug '14-6.3%
Aug '13-7.3%

 

Nebraska Unemployment:

Aug '14-3.4%
Aug '13-3.8% 

 

Holt County Unemployment:

Aug '14-2.5%
Aug '13-2.6% 

 

Lodging Tax Remitted to Holt County:

July '14: $10,533.82
July '13: $10,896.13


Don't Forget: Atkinson Town Hall Meeting on October 9

By LouAnn Tooker

The City of Atkinson has what is called a Comprehensive Development Plan.  Most communities have them and often times these plans play a part in whether or not a community receives funding from grant providers.

 

A Community Development Plan plays a significant role in the growth of the community.  The plan provides an essential legal basis for land use regulation such as zoning and subdivision control.  It also presents a unified and compelling vision for a community, derived from the aspirations of its citizens and establishes the specific actions necessary to fulfill that vision.

 

Under Nebraska law, a city may not adopt land use ordinances without first adopting a Comprehensive Development Plan.  This requirement derives from the premise that land use decisions should not be arbitrary, but should follow an accepted and reasonable concept of how the city should grow.

 

Under state statues, a Comprehensive Development Plan must address, at a minimum, the following issues:

  • Land use, or the planned distribution of activities and uses of land in the community;
  • Transportation facilities;
  • Community facilities, including recreation facilities, schools, public buildings and infrastructure, and
  • Annexation, identifying those areas that may be appropriate for annexation in the future.
Atkinson's current Comprehensive Development plan was constructed in 2001.  It is suggested that these plans be updated no longer than every ten years.  It is past time for us to work on this issue!

Our first step was to go out for bids to engineering firms to see what the cost of a new plan would be and what each firm had to offer.  The City received three bids and decided to use the firm of Miller and Associates out of Kearney for this project.

There is a great expense to do a project of this kind, and so a grant was applied for to help cover the costs.  We were fortunate to receive a grant from the Nebraska Investment Financing Authority to cover half the cost of the project.

Upon receiving word that we were awarded the grant, the next step was to determine a steering committee for this project, partly made up of the Atkinson Planning and Zoning Commission.  Letters were sent out to many within the community, trying to cover all aspects of life: schools, businesses, services providers and private citizens to help complete the steering committee.

Now that we have that, our first Town Hall meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 PM at the Atkinson Community Center.  It is very important for all concerned citizens to attend this town hall meeting.  The path that the City of Atkinson takes over the next ten years should be determined by ALL of the people that live and work here.

At this meeting discussion will take place on community priorities, housing, economy, community services, public infrastructure, energy, land development and redevelopment desires.  Your input is needed.

The process to complete this project will take approximately 10-18 months.  We will have about four Town Hall meetings during this time span, with dates to be determined.

Perhaps you were part of the planning process in 2001 - we encourage you to help us out again!  Perhaps you are new to this process - we encourage you to come and share your ideas!

This community is highly noted for "Getting Things Done!"  We can't do this without you and you shouldn't want it done without you.  Your voice in determining the future of Atkinson needs to be heard.

If you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to call us at the Atkinson City Office, 402-925-5313. 

 


HLI Educates Participants on "What's New" in Holt County

The HomeTown Leadership Institute Class X will meet for the last time this month. They'll end on a high note, one of the most popular sessions: Agriculture in Holt County. Before they wrap up and graduate, we want to learn a little more about some of our current participants.

 

This month we were able to hear Amanda Greger's thoughts on HLI. Amanda has been employed at the Holt County Independent in O'Neill as a Staff Writer and Photographer for the last year and a half.

 

What are Amanda's thoughts on HLI so far? She mentioned she has met a lot of interesting people from all over the county. She said it is interesting to brainstorm with individuals from different areas and learn about their communities' strengths and weaknesses. She thinks sometimes we get focused on our own community and forget about the other seven across the county. 

 

For someone who is always covering exciting news in Holt County, why did she want to participate in HLI? Amanda moved back to Atkinson approximately five years ago; a lot had changed since she was in high school. After joining the Independent staff, she wanted to learn as much about the area as possible, so she could better inform her readers. She said she's seen a lot of growth throughout the county, and she's excited to see people her age coming back to the area and being instrumental in their communities. Amanda is one of those individuals. Since moving back, she has been involved with the Atkinson Community Foundation Fund, and she is currently undergoing training to become a Holt County TeamMates mentor.

 

So far, Amanda has enjoyed the "Learning in Holt County" session. One of the speakers, Katie Morrow, Technology Coordinator at O'Neill Public Schools, showed the class innovative ways to use technology for learning. She also really enjoyed the "Dream Manager" session. During the class, the group utilized Gallup's StrengthsFinder survey to determine their top strengths and themes. They then discussed personal, business and community dreams.

 

Lastly, what's this "Live, Learn, Return" success story's favorite thing about being back in Holt County? Amanda said, "I am really happy that I relocated back to my hometown, Atkinson. My children are able to enjoy being taught by some of the same teachers I had in high school. When my daughter Erin was still in high school, Mr. Kliewer commented that she was his first third-generation student. There is such great community spirit: when someone is in need, the community rallies together through fundraisers, benefits, auctions and more. I love being part of such a great community."

 

Amanda's parents are Dan and Joan Greger of Stuart, and her family includes her two children, Erin and Kevin Patton; her boyfriend, Don Sindelar, and his children, Anthony, Ashley and Alyssa Sindelar.

 

 


Team Jack Golf Tournament - Saturday, October 11

 
JOIN TOMMIE FRAZIER on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11th
at the Atkinson-Stuart Country Club as Team Jack Foundation will be hosting their First Annual Golf Tournament presented by Thermal Services beginning at 11 AM.  
 

Other Husker greats include Former Quarterback, Ron Kellogg and Olympian Gold Medalist Curt Tomasevicz.  You WON'T want to miss this!  Registration includes lunch, an opportunity to golf with these celebrities AND chance to WIN $10,000 for our HOLE IN ONE CHALLENGE Brought to you By Thermal Services!  Must be registered to participate.  CALL NOW!

 

Register today!  Limited spots available, to register visit www.TeamJackFoundation.org or call the Foundation at (402) 925-2277.

Team Jack Golf Tournament - Saturday, October 11 
HCED Director Nicole Sedlacek is one of the first sixteen Gallup-trained Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder coaches in the world. Holt County residents and entrepreneurs have always been able to work with Holt County Economic Development on their projects, but with this new service, HCED can help individuals become even more self-aware and help connect people to their own potential and create strategies for success they have not considered through a tool called Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder (ESF).

Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder helps people discover their innate talents for starting and growing businesses. Similar to the Clifton StrengthsFinder, Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder provides a common language people can use to discuss what they do best as it relates to starting or growing a business. 

ESF is a 30-minute assessment completed online, that measures 10 scientifically proven talents of successful entrepreneurs. It allows for early identification of entrepreneurial talent and provides a personalized developmental report that includes a personal intensity ranking for each talent. Gallup developed the assessment for individuals aged 14 and older to use. 

Gallup took part in some new research in partnership with Inc. magazine to offer Gallup's Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder (ESF) assessment to the latest cadre of America's fastest-growing private companies. Read the full text of the article here on the Inc. website.
Thank You To Our Partners  
 
Holt County Economic Development

Historic Depot Building
429 South 4th Street 

 O'Neill, NE 68763

 (402) 336-1504

 

HCED is an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation.