Hall County Veterans Service Officer Don Shuda addresses Hall County Commissioners Dec. 16 about problems that veterans who live at Centennial Towers are having because of bed bug infestations in their apartments. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Hall County Commissioner Gary Quandt said Dec. 16 that residents of Centennial Towers are “being held hostage” in their apartments because of bed bug infestations.
Quandt said that apartments are also infested with cockroaches. He asked that the item be placed on the Dec. 16 agenda because of the scope of the problem.
“It’s a disaster area there,” Quandt said.
A non-public meeting will be set up involving Hall County Housing Authority staff and representatives of the Hall County Board of Commissioners to discuss the situation.
Quandt said that he has visited apartments in the apartment building and has seen, for example, large numbers of cockroaches in an apartment. He counted more than 25 cockroaches in an area approximately two feet by four feet.
“People shouldn’t have to live that way,” Quandt said. He noted that a number of veterans live in the apartment building.
Quandt said that veterans, and other residents, “don’t deserve to live in conditions like this. He said that he wants to see the Hall County Housing Authority make decisions about how the bed bug infestation will be addressed in any apartments that HCHA has.
Hall County Veterans Service Officer Don Shuda said that apartments have been treated one at a time. He suggested that a professional company be hired to address the problem, rather than handling it on a “piecemeal” basis. He said it may be necessary to treat an entire floor of apartments, rather than just treating one apartment.
Shuda said he had read that the apartment complex has had a problem with the infestation since 2019, but he has only been contacted by veterans starting about six months ago.
Shuda said that people who were receiving in-apartment assistance from the Veterans Administration are no longer receiving those services because the employees do not want to enter apartments infested with bedbugs.
“Something needs to be done,” Shuda said.
Hall County Commissioner Pam Lancaster said it sounds like the Hall County Housing Authority has “lost control of the situation.”
Quandt said that the “ball’s in their court” for the Hall County Housing Authority to do something about the situation.
Shuda said he could not estimate how many veterans have contacted his office about the problem.
“Even one apartment is too many,” Shuda said.
Shuda said that apartment residents are required to remove items from their apartments before they can be treated. He said that the last veteran he talked to was unable to perform that task because of physical limitations.
Shuda said that staff members from his office have contacted the Hall County Housing Authority about the situation and described the response as having “neglect.”
Shuda said it’s sad that the situation has to come to the public’s attention in order to get something done to address the problem.
“Sometimes, that’s what it takes,” Shuda said.
The Hall County Housing Authority (HCHA)is a governmental entity established under state law, according to its website.
“HCHA Public Housing Program currently includes 394 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and scattered site homes. Public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities,” the HCSA website said.
Hall County Housing Authority Executive Director Artena Thompson did not return a voice message by 5 p.m. Dec. 16.
“Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown blood-sucking, wingless insects,” according to mayoclinic.org. “Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed. They hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards, bed frames and other objects around a bed and come out at night to feed on their preferred host, humans.”
“It can be difficult to get rid of a bedbug infestation because they hide well and can live months without eating. You may need to hire a professional exterminator, who will likely use a combination of pesticides and nonchemical treatments,” according to the mayoclinic.org website
Hall County Commissioners and Hall County Attorney Marty Klein praised Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet as they were discussing setting her salary for the period beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Commissioners voted 7-0 to set her salary at $102,321 for calendar year 2026, $105,391 for calendar year 2027, $108,552 for calendar year 2028 and $111,809 for calendar year 2029. Overstreet is appointed to serve a four-year term.
Klein said he has witnessed presentations that Overstreet has given and has been impressed with them. He said that the public can trust the election commissioner.
Commissioner Gary Quandt said that Overstreet “is one of the best election commissioners you could ask for.”
In other action, Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve a resolution for salaries for elected county officials for the four-year term beginning Jan. 5, 2027. The salaries for 2027 are: surveyor, county clerk, clerk of the district court, and treasurer ($105,391); county assessor and register of deeds ($115,223); county attorney ($160,000); county commissioner ($33,757); and county sheriff ($150,000).
Commissioner Karen Bredthauer referred to salaries for Grand Island’s mayor and City Council members. She noted that City Council members have the assistance of the mayor, city administrator, and human resources director. Hall County Commissioners have more responsibilities because those positions do not exist in the county staff. According to Spencer Schubert, communications director for the city, the annual salary for a City Council member starting in December 2026 for a year is $10,701. Prior to December 2026, the mayor’s annual salary is $16,000. Beginning with the first regular meeting of the City Council in December 2026, the mayor’s annual salary will be increased by an amount equivalent to all cost-of-living increases provided to the city’s non-union employees.
Bredthauer said she had also done research about the salary for a state senator. She said that if a state senator lives more than 50 miles from Lincoln, which would apply to Grand Island area state senators, they receive reimbursement for items such as travel and housing. She said that a state senator who lives more than 50 miles from Lincoln would currently make $35,440 for a 90-day session and $28,060 for a 60-day session.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve repaving of a 10-mile stretch of Rosedale Road beginning at Highway 281 and ending at Highway 11. “Hot-in-place asphalt recycling” would be used for the paving. In that process, asphalt is removed from the top layer of the road, heated, and then reapplied to the road. Public Works Director Don Robb estimated the cost of the project at $1.2 million.
Commissioner Scott Sorensen said he had gone to the Bosselman Travel Center to observe truck traffic as trucks travel south from the Travel Center, then turn to go east. Trucks are not stopping at the intersection, creating a traffic hazard. Sorensen said that during a 30-minute period, he observed 50 trucks that didn’t slow down at the intersection. Public Works Director Don Robb said that the best thing that could be done would be to place caution signs at the point where truckers meet the eastbound road, asking trucks to slow down and proceed with caution.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to authorize signing a contract with Rutt’s Mechanical Services in Hastings for chiller replacement at the Hall County Corrections Department. Commissioners Quandt and Bredthauer voted against the motion. Total cost is $551,300.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve engineering services with Strategic Design for an HVAC project at the Hall County Corrections Department. Commissioners Quandt and Bredthauer voted against the motion.
In another matter, Commissioners voted 7-0 to increase the county’s fee for someone taking a STOP class to $50. A person can take the class to have points removed from their driver’s license for driving violations.
