Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today
GRAND ISLAND — JEO Consulting will present a completed flood reduction feasibility study for the Elm–Turkey Creek watershed to the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) Board of Directors at its January meeting. The Board will consider adopting the plan.
Adopting the plan would allow the NRD to seek future funding for flood reduction efforts but would not commit the District to construction or additional project phases. Any future steps would depend on available funding and partnerships. Projects of this size typically take several years to plan and complete.
The Elm and Turkey Creeks watershed covers more than 106,000 acres in Dawson and Buffalo counties, including areas near the southern edge of the City of Kearney. Planning began in October 2020 after the 2019 flooding impacted local communities, residents, and property owners. The study examined current flood conditions, evaluated options to reduce flood risk, and developed a plan to help lessen future flood impacts.
Before the Board meeting, the CPNRD Board of Directors will hold an educational session with District Attorney Don Blankenau of Woods Aitken LLP at 1:00 p.m. The regular Board meeting will follow at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the CPNRD office, 215 Kaufman Avenue in Grand Island. The meeting is open to the public.
Board Officer Nominating Committee
The Board Officer Nominating Committee will recommend a secretary and treasurer to serve through 2028. Keith Ostermeier, Grand Island, has served one term as secretary and Marvion Reichert, Elm Creek, has served one term as treasurer. Both are eligible for re-election. The Board will consider the recommendations and hold an election for both seats in February. Board officers may serve two, two-year terms.
General Election
Central Platte NRD has 21 members on the board of directors who serve four-year terms, with two directors in each of the NRD’s 10 sub-districts and one at-large director. Directors in the same sub-district are elected in alternate election years. The following incumbents are up for the upcoming election cycle and must file by February 17th. The non-incumbent deadline is March 2nd.
- Subdistrict Director Sub-District Locations
- Subdistrict 1 Brian Keiser, Gothenburg Custer, Dawson, Frontier
- Subdistrict 2 Tom Downey, Lexington Buffalo, Dawson
- Subdistrict 3 Luke Ourada, Elm Creek Buffalo, Dawson
- Subdistrict 4 Lon Bohn, Gibbon Buffalo, Hall
- Subdistrict 5 Deb VanMatre, Gibbon Buffalo
- Subdistrict 6 Jerry Milner, Grand Island Hall
- Subdistrict 7 Ed Stoltenberg, Cairo Hall, Howard
- Subdistrict 8 Kevin Werner, Grand Island Hall
- Subdistrict 9 Amy Kyes, Central City Hall, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Hamilton
- Subdistrict 10 Charles Maser, Grand Island Hall
- At-Large Keith Ostermeier , Grand Island Hall
Water Quality Committee
The Water Quality Committee will meet to discuss the District’s Groundwater Quality Management Plan and related programs.
Building Committee
The Building Committee will review the progress of the NRD’s new office and education center construction.
Manager’s Report
Lyndon Vogt, General Manager, will report.
Natural Resources Conservation Service Report
Joe Krolikowski, District Conservationist, and Kaitlan Stouffer, Resources Conservationist of Central City, will report.
Precision Conservation Report
Darren Cudaback, Precision Conservation Specialist, will present his annual report on the cooperators enrolled in the Precision Conservation Management Program (PCM) in Gothenburg. PCM is a program that serves farmers by providing economic analysis of on-farm conservation practices. The program aims to help farmers understand the economic values of adopting practices such as cover crops, nutrient timing, and tillage practices. PCM is funded by the USDA NRCS – Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
Nebraska Association of Resources District
Deb VanMatre, CPNRD Representative, will report.
Nebraska Natural Resources Commission
Doug Reeves, Middle Platte Basin Representative, will report.
Water Task Force
Tom Downey, Nitrate Legacy and Drinking Water Representative, will report.
Financial Report
The December and January financial reports will be considered.
Cost-Share Programs
Applications for the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program and Central Platte NRD cost-share programs will be considered.
Upcoming Board Meetings
February 26, March 26, April 23
