(GRAND ISLAND, NE) – The Central Platte Natural Resources District’s (CPNRD) board of directors will meet at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 20, 2018, a week early due to the Christmas holiday. Action items and updates on the agenda:

-Board Officer Nominating Committee  The nominating committee for board chairman and vice-chairman (Deb VanMatre, Alicia Haussler, Barry Obermiller) will make their recommendations to the board. Board officers may serve two, two-year terms. Jim Bendfeldt currently serves as chairman and Mick Reynolds serves as vice-chairman.

-Cease & Desist Order Update  Sandy Noecker, data compliance officer, will give an update on the 88 Cease and Desist Orders issued to producers for failure to submit crop report forms due March 31st for the CPNRD’s Nitrogen Manage­ment Program. Irrigated acres under a cease and desist order cannot be irrigated until they are compliant with the Program. Potential penalties for violation are: possibility of a fine not less than $1,000 and up to $5,000 per violation and/or a loss of irrigated acres, ineligibility for NRD cost-share, and restriction from transferring any irrigated acres. Violators may request a hearing in front of the Board within ten (10) days of receiving the certified Cease and Desist notification.

-Search Committee  Letters of interest will be accepted until December 31, 2018, for the Sub-district 4 board vacancy. Keith Stafford, Deb VanMatre, and Ed Stoltenberg are serving as the Search Committee to recommend appointment of an individual. The candidate selected will be appointed at the January 2019 CPNRD Board of Directors meeting for a term of two years.  Sub-district 4 includes a portion of East Central Buffalo County including part of Northeast Kearney and a portion of Northwest Hall County. To determine if you live in Sub-district 4, contact CPNRD at (308) 385-6282 or visit cpnrd.org.  Letters of interest should be sent to CPNRD, 215 Kaufman Ave. Grand Island, NE 68803 or emailed to Lyndon Vogt at: vogt [at] cpnrd.org.

-Eastern Projects Committee  The committee will review Change Order #1 for the Upper Prairie/Silver/ Moores Flood Risk Reduction Project to extend the completion date on the levee to January 15, 2019 in the amount of $67,270.

-Programs Committee  The committee will review quotes and make a recommendation to award a contract for a new outdoor sign.  The Committee will also discuss changes to the brush management cost-share program through the Nebraska Soil & Water Conservation Program.

-Platte River Program  Mark Czaplewski, biologist, will report on the Platte River Recovery Implementation Plan.

-Audit Report- Allison Petr, Lutz Accounting, will present the 2017/2018 audit report.

-Voting Delegates  The board will elect a voting delegate and alternate for the Nebraska Association of Resources District’s Legislative Conference to be held January 29-30, 2019, at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln, NE.

-Cost-Share  Applications through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation and the Central Platte NRD cost-share programs will be considered.

-Natural Resources Conservation Service  Joe Krolikowski, district liaison, will report to the board.

-Nebraska Association of Resources District  Jim Bendfeldt will report.

-Nebraska Natural Resources Commission  Mick Reynolds, Middle Platte Basin representative, will report.

-Awards  Service awards will be presented to outgoing board director Bob Schanou, Shelton.  Shanou did not file for another four-year term. Schanou was appointed in 2000 for two years to finish Carl Gangwish’s term. He has been elected each term since 2007, serving a total of 13 years on the board. Schanou served as Programs Committee chairman and was active on the Water Resources, Western Projects, Variance/Appeals, and Budget committees.

Staff members receiving awards for 30 years of service: Dan Clement, water resources specialist, and Deb Jarzynka, district secretary.

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Marcia Lee

Information/Education Specialist

Central Platte Natural Resources District

215 Kaufman Ave  Grand Island NE 68803

(308) 385-6282  www.cpnrd.org