The North Platte NRD (NPNRD) is establishing the following framework for operations during the ongoing public health crisis. It is important to note that while there are other agencies and other NRDs addressing these issues in different ways, our interest is to ensure open accessibility to our constituents while at the same time minimizing staff, Director and public exposure to COVID-19. NOTE: This operational plan is subject to change as the circumstances warrant.

Following the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local public health officials directing organizations to limit exposures by social distancing, and specifically limiting any events that might include 10 or more individuals, the North Platte NRD will be cancelling or postponing public events until at least May 1, 2020. We will reassess future programming at that time to determine whether the cancellation/postponements must go further into the calendar year.

Employees will be staggering work schedules to ensure that we have an office presence, and some employees will be working remotely for the duration of this crisis.  Residents of the District can visit the office but are encouraged to set an appointment so that we may accommodate their needs.  Residents can also reach staff via phone and email as needed.  Because of the solitary nature of field work, field employees will likely still be in the field performing their duties.  These duties include, but are not limited to tree and grass plantings, spring water levels, and flow meter maintenance.  Staff have been directed to triage upcoming tasks and assignments to ensure that our constituents receive the services that they entrust to us. The triage is to ensure that those tasks that must be done timely are done timely, and those that can be prioritized differently to ensure delivery of services that are not required by a specific deadline are also done as efficiently as possible.

The Board and staff of the NPNRD thanks the public for their understanding as they work to provide the best service to them in these uncertain times.