News

Sutton superintendent Dana Wiseman has been placed on administrative leave following a meeting of the Sutton Board of Education, Monday, April 15.

Following a survey of staff members at Sutton Public School, conducted by the Nebraska Association of School Boards, and discussion of the findings within the survey, members of the Sutton Board of Education voted by a 6-0 unanimous vote to place Wiseman on administrative leave, and issued a notice of possible cancellation of Wiseman’s employment contract following the survey that was performed by SPS staff.

Wiseman has seven days from Monday night’s meeting to request a hearing, at which time a final decision could be handed down re- garding the situation.

As progress continues to build in the creation of the new housing development, known locally as the Schwab Housing Development, the City of Sutton, along with listing agents Max Bergen and Monica Smith of Bergen Real Estate of Sutton, have shared that six lots in the new development are now under contract.

Lots 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 10 of the 51 lot sub-division are those that are under contract by Bergen Real Estate.

Of the six sold lots, four were listed at $40,000, while two more are under contract for $35,000, according to the pricing legend, which was set by the City of Sutton, and the Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA).

Eight lots, which are all about one-acre lots remain, at a cost of $40,000, only one $35,000 lot, which is about three-quarters of an acre, remains available.

There are three lots, which are all nearly half an acre are available at a cost of $30,000 each, while a total of seven lots that come at a cost of $25,000 also remain.

Clay County’s Highway Department has announced that numerous projects are slated throughout the county.

The first project, #C-18(322), is the “Road W, BNSF Railroad Viaduct Project”.

This viaduct bridge, or overpass, is located one mile west of Sutton on Road W. The overpass has been closed since 2016 due to the bridge needing major repairs.

After negotiations with BNSF, the county is receiving $2,350,000 from BNSF towards the completion of the $2,700,000 project.

The project has been awarded to Midwest Infrastructure of Lincoln, as the general contractor for the bridge construction and Van Kirk Bros. Contracting of Sutton, as the sub-contractor for the bridge removal and grading on the project. According to roads department superintendent, Tom Roemmich, Jr., the project is scheduled to be completed by December 2024.

The Sutton City Council approved a change order that utlimately brings gas service utilities to be installed in the ongoing Schwab housing development in southeast Sutton.

The $26,446 change order will represent the additional cost for infrastruction intallation to the development, ultimately giving Black Hills Energy the ability to install gas service to the area, moving the progress of the development forward.

Additionally, to the change order approval, council members, through ordinance 427, which received full approval from the four-member board, creates a street improvement district, and gives the go-ahead for the street system, designed within the Schwab development, and on Hickory Street, located on the north side of the housing area to be created.

A single email sent in early March disrupted the lives of 116 Lincoln-area families. The Dimensions child care center at First-Plymouth Church will close for good May 23, the email said.

The initial response to that announcement: panic. Parents scrambled for alternative care. The center’s 27 teachers feared for their jobs.

“That instant shock was hardest,” Dimensions Foundation CEO Tara Schroder said.

The center’s closure is notable because it marks the end of a child care center that has operated for 55 years. It’s also notable because the news is distressingly familiar.

At least two other Lincoln-area centers have closed since November, according to Lincoln Littles, a network advocating for early childhood care and education. And nine Nebraska counties didn’t have a single licensed child care facility as of January, according to the nonprofit First Five Nebraska.

Development plans for the renovation and expansion of the Sutton Community Home are on track, with completion of plans expected in early summer. Regular meetings between members of the home’s board, foundation, key staff, architect firm arCuretecture, and construction manager Hampton Construction ensure progress is steady so construction can commence once the plans are complete.

Recently, the architect completed the Design Development phase, marking the transition to the final phase known as Construction Documents. During this final phase, detailed drawings are being finalized to confirm the project’s total cost, acquire construction permits, and prepare for construction.

It is anticipated that the drawings will be ready by the end of June.