Commissioners wade through public hearings, new towers to be built

Five public hearings concerning zoning dictated the pace of the March 27 Chase County Commissioners’ meeting.
    Following the first hearing, commissioners Dave Hogsett, Chuck Vette and Don Weiss, Jr. changed the county’s Future Land Use map. No public was on hand to comment on changing the map to allow towers on industrial tracts. Previously, towers were only allowed on agricultural land.
    The second hearing changed a 2.89-acre residential tract in south Enders to industrial on the Chase County Zoning map. The change would allow Viaero to erect a tower on the land.
    With no public testimony during the third public hearing, the commissioners approved changing zoning regulations to make towers a conditional use on transitional ag and industrial district land.
    Zoning chairman Charley Colton said Chase County doesn’t have a lot of industrial land, but land zoned for industrial use seems like a good place to put a tower.
    In the second to last public hearing, the commissioners approved the construction of a 150-foot tower by Viaero.
    The tower will be south of the Frenchman Valley Coop elevator in Enders and be slightly taller than the elevator.
    The tower will provide service for Enders State Recreation Area and fill in a gap in coverage along Highway 6.
    Wrapping up the public hearings was the approval of a Highline Electric Association 90-foot tower 10 miles southwest of Champion.
    The microwave communications tower will fill in a gap in coverage for the Holyoke, Colo. rural electric cooperative, allowing for monitoring and control of system data.

EMS equipment
    Deb Hayes, the Imperial EMS president, reported that one of the ambulance cots has been leaking. Hayes has received a quote of $83,936.84 for two replacement cots which each include a power load feature.
    Weiss said a look at the budget may be needed to help time the purchase. He also encouraged Hayes to contact the Wauneta EMS squad in case it needs a new cot, too.
    The group also spent time discussing public comments about transporting patients requiring nurse supervision during trips.
    Hayes asked if the EMS squad needed to become Advanced Life Support certified. She said it would be nice to have nurses on the EMS squad, but the county would have to carry more pharmaceuticals than before.
    No action was taken.
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