Two Rivers Public Health Department, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Two River Public Health Department was seeking a memorandum of understanding with the Buffalo County Commissioners regarding swimming pool inspections on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Jeremy Eschliman, health director and Katherine Mulligan, planning section manager, with Two Rivers Public Health Department appeared before the county commissioners with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding swimming pool inspections.
Eschliman noted that there is an entity in the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) that usually handles inspections of swimming pools, but due to lack of staff, they struggle to conduct inspections regularly.
Eschliman said this poses an issue because the public has an expectation that people and children will not become sick by swimming in public or hotel/motel pool.
The Two Rivers board of health started looking into the issue in 2023 and staff have developed a plan to help address the shortfall by the public health department taking over the inspections in their health district.
Two Rivers Public Health Department oversees Dawson, Buffalo, Gosper, Phelps, Kearney, Harlan and Franklin counties.
Mulligan told the commissioners that they have a team of four staff members working on this and they are seeking an environmental license before they start with any regulatory action.
She said the team is seeking to focus on education and support and not be authoritarian in the enforcement of codes. She noted that privately owned pools will not be subject to health department inspection.
Two Rivers will establish one time permits, which will differ from the fee structure that was being charged by the state. Eschliman added they wish to be equitable when it comes to fees and are comparable to those in Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha.
Mulligan said there are around 60 locations across their health district that would be subject to inspection.
When questioned by the commissioners, Mulligan said NDEE would be regulating authority to Two Rivers regarding the inspections.
Commissioner Dan Lynch, who sits on the Two Rivers’ board of health, said that there are not enough people at the state level to handle the inspections regularly and that the health department would be able to conduct them on a more frequent basis.
Lynch said he felt it was a good use of their resources, and the program is designed to be instructive and not oppressive.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the MOU with the Two Rivers Health Department regarding swimming pool inspections.
Also, during the meeting, Charles McGraw, Transportation Director for Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska appeared with a request for a local funding match from the county.
McGraw noted that they are operating four minivans and have started fueling from a City of Kearney building to help lower some costs.
He noted RYDE transit was requesting $4,000 from Buffalo County than last year.
When questioned about their federal funding, McGraw said they usually receive $600,000 from federal sources.
President Donald Trump issued a memo that would have frozen federal spending on loans and grants in late January but then rescinded the memo.
The memo faced legal challenges and at least two federal judges ordered a temporary pause in Trump’s efforts to freeze federal spending.
“Trump administration officials said programs that provide direct assistance to Americans, including Medicare, Social Security, student loans and food stamps, would not be affected,” according to the Associated Press.
When asked if their funds were affected, McGraw said to date he is not aware that their funds are in jeopardy.
The commissioners approved a RYDE resolution and the request for match funding.
During zoning portion of the meeting, Mitch Humphery with Buffalo Surveying Corporation, appeared on behalf of Tyler and Karmen Wilterding and Ryan and Rutheah Rodehorst regarding an application for a preliminary subdivision, “Heritage Hills Subdivision” located at the property 10635 1st Ave., north of Kearney.
Humphrey said that the land had formerly been the Christian Heritage foster care homes, which been permanently closed.
Humphrey had appeared with the same application in October 2024, but the commissioners had voted to deny the applications as it created issues with the county’s zoning qualifications.
He said the applicants were seeking to divide the property up into four different lots, but did note that doing this creates issues meeting the county’s zoning qualifications
There have been several deviations requested regarding the subdivision and other changes made to get closer to the county’s qualifications.
Humphrey said the new owners wish to develop the land and ensure there is less traffic through the area. He also noted that the four parcels would bring in more taxes to the county because Christian Heritage had been tax exempt.
