Top left: Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity addresses Grand Island’s City Council Oct. 22 about plans for a grant application that would pay for extending a sanitary sewer line toward Hornady Manufacturing’s second location west of Grand Island. Bottom Center: Plans are underway to extend sanitary sewer line toward second Hornady Manufacuring site six miles west of main site on West Old Potash Highway, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Grand Island City Council members voted 8-0 Oct. 22 to submit a redevelopment plan for a grant that would allow for extending a sanitary sewer line toward Hornady Manufacturing’s second location, which is six miles west of its primary location on Old Potash Highway.
Council members Maggie Mendoza and Jason Conley were absent from the Oct. 22 meeting. The second Hornady Manufacturing site is on land that was formerly the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant.
State Sen. Ray Aguilar sent a letter of support to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for the project.
“The City of Grand Island intends to request roughly $1.7 million from the Municipality Infrastructure Aid Fund to assist in extending sanitary sewer lines in Grand Island. This would help in growth potential for Hornady Manufacturing in Grand Island,” Aguilar wrote.
The letter said that Hornady Manufacturing employs more than 1,300 people from areas up to 100 miles from Grand Island and exports 10 percent of their business to areas outside of the United States.
Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity said that the redevelopment plan does not involve TIF funds. The grant only has enough funds available to pay for extension of sanitary sewer lines. Extension of water lines and storm sewer is not covered. Extension of electricity would involve territory served by Southern Public Power District.
Council member Chuck Haase said the project is just a natural progression of expansion to the CAAP land.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Council member Jack Sheard said.
Dallas Powell is environmental compliance manager for Hornady Manufacturing. She said that the second Hornady location opened in approximately 2018. The site uses sewage lagoons because it does not have a sanitary sewer line extending to the location.
“We are planning to continue to grow the facility out there,” she said.
A sign south of the second Hornady facility gives addresses of 8318 W. Old Potash Highway and 8350 W. Old Potash Highway in Alda.
A 12-page economic impact assessment prepared by Melissa Trueblood, an economist with the Nebraska Public Power District, was included in the City Council packet. It said that $1.79 million in LB 600 grant funds would be sought, and the matching amount is $447,008. The total grant amount with matching funds is $2.235 million.
A letter was included in the City Council packet from Matthew Spencer, Compliance Director with Hornady Manufacturing. The letter said that Hornady Manufacturing was pleased to partner with the city of Grand Island, the Hall County Economic Development Corporation, the South-Central Economic Development District, and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to facilitate the expansion of the public sewer system along West 13th Street.
The project would include construction of a new 12-inch gravity main line from Engleman Road to near 60th Road. Additional funding sources are being sought for the portion of the project lying beyond the city’s two-mile jurisdictional boundary, Spencer’s letter said.
“The City Council can be assured that the responsibility for providing the (25 percent) matching funds required by LB600 will not fall upon the City of Grand Island,” the letter said.
Mary Berlie is president of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation. She said that LB600 allows for entities to apply for funding for major infrastructure projects.
The Nebraska Department of Economic Development has $4.4 million available in grant funds. A 25 percent cash match is required. She said that Hornady Manufacturing will provide the cash match for the grant project.
Berlie said that the sanitary sewer project will extend the sanitary sewer from Engleman Road to the city’s two-mile zoning jurisdiction.
