New Broadway crossing signal gets city okay

    A new flashing pedestrian crossing signal will be installed at 9th and Broadway Streets after Monday’s action by the Imperial city council.
    The current signal is not working, said Public Works Supt. Pat Davison. It’s not fixable and parts are hard to come by, he said.
    The Availed Technologies Corp. rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon purchased Monday will have high-efficiency LED modules that will flash for a preset period of time when the button is pushed.
    It will be solar-operated, and information from the company indicates when fully charged, it will flash, alternating yellow and white lighting, for 300 button pushes.
    It will only flash when the button is pushed by a pedestrian intending to cross there from both sides of Broadway, Davison said. The current system, when it was operating, flashed automatically before and after school.
    In the past, members of the Chase County Schools safety committee and Supt. Adam Lambert have approached the council about upgrading the crossing signal.
    While suggestions on signals were considered in the past, no action was taken.
    Mayor Craig Loeffler suggested that CCS be contacted about the unit being purchased by the city to see if they are interested in adding, and paying for, additional upgrades to this unit.
    Davison said the current crossing signal will be completely removed and replaced with the new one.
    Street department funds will be used for the unit’s $4,076.60 purchase.
Recycling center name
    A proclamation was issued by Mayor Loeffler, renaming the city’s recycling center the Jo Leyland Recycling Center effective Monday.
    Loeffler said Leyland, who retired March 31 as the city’s Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer, was key to the development of Imperial’s recycling center and had a real devotion to its operation.
    Loeffler said at a recent NE League of Municipalities conference he was told by an official Imperial has the “best recycling center in the state.”
    The proclamation renaming the center is below.
    In other business, the council waived the 2022 in lieu of tax payment of $10,713.19 for the city-owned Sunrise, Sunset and Pine Grove housing complexes. In a related area, council president Doug Gaswick requested the council begin receiving financials from the housing units like other city operations provide.
    Rob Rusk was approved as a member of the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department.
    The council, mayor, City Attorney Josh Wendell, City Administrator Tyler Pribbeno and City Clerk/Deputy Administrator Sarah Hoskovec met in closed session for 45 minutes regarding the League Association of Risk Management and Leibhart litigation. No action followed.

Proclamation

Whereas, in 1980, Jo Leyland began her employment with the City of Imperial shortly after relocating to the community;
Whereas, Jo has committed the majority of her lifetime to the beautification and betterment of her community, Imperial;
Whereas, Jo has selflessly fostered an environment where everyone in our community has the opportunity to prosper and thrive;
Whereas, the City of Imperial as an entity and the Imperial community are forever indebted to the tireless efforts and countless hours Jo has spent serving her community;
Whereas, one of Jo’s passions and priorities as a community leader was the development of and continued success of a recycling program and recycling center known and recognized as one of the best in the state and the region;
Now, therefore, I, Craig Loeffler, Mayor of the City of Imperial, in recognition and appreciation of Jo Leyland’s endless dedication to her community and its members, hereby proclaim the Imperial Recycling Center is hereby renamed and shall hereafter be known as the Jo Leyland Recycling Center.
Further, I urge all citizens of Imperial to follow the example set by Jo Leyland and selflessly give of their time, talents and treasures for the benefit of our community and for future generations to come.
Dated this 3rd of April in the year of 2023.
Craig Loeffler, Mayor