January 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

Rationale:  A new Projects Chairman and Vice Chairman need to be elected.

Rationale:  Attached is current SWCP policy that will need to be modified/approved as needed.

• Payment cap increase; currently $15,000
• Cover Crop - priority practice?

Rationale:  The next JWMAB meeting is scheduled for January 30th, agenda is attached.  Due to overlap with other committees, staff will take notes and send them to Directors in Dodge County.

Rationale:  The following is an estimated schedule for the remaining plan milestones:

Project Management	Ongoing (through March 2025)
Completion of NWMC comment resolutions	March 2025
NRCS Programmatic Review	May 2025
Agency Scoping / Public Meeting #2	August 2025
Plan Finalized	February 2026

It is expected that we can request (get in line for) design funds later this summer.  Even though design is 100% paid for by NRCS, it is recommended that an MOU is in place (similar to our East Fremont MOU) detailing the financials and who is doing what and when. 

Rationale:  Larry requested staff pass along a thank you.  "We really appreciated all the help!"

Rationale:  A SCWIC meeting occurred on 1/21 in Columbus, topics of discussion:

• Projects funding on pace at halfway point of current grant (expire June 2026)
• Final Bend project will commence as soon as field conditions allow; contractor is now on site.
• Outreach efforts: sign replacement and brochure results
• Shell Creek student presentation

Next meeting is tentativey scheduled for 3/17, 10:00 am, at Columbus NRCS office.  Moriah Brown plans to present her Shell Creek sampling project - the same project she shared at our January Board meeting.

Bill submitted two applications for onsite wastewater upgrades:
 

Carol Littje	Onsite Wastewater	$10,000
Steve Gehring	Onsite Wastewater	$7,000

Rationale:  Update meeting was held 1/28, agenda attached.  Highlights:

• Rock haul/placement both sites and shoreline stabilization site 27
• Tree clearing//burning at both sites nearly complete.
• Olsson reviewing gate valve alternative submitted by TCI.
• Olsson revising spillway inlet approach per Heimann's request.

Latest invoice from TCI attached

Rationale:  Site 77 re-design reached point we were able initiate landowner meetings.

Olsson, NRCS, and NRD staff will be meeting next week to plan construction timeline for next 6 sites.

Permitting application for next 6 sites progressing as expected.

Attached is the Progress Reports for the Wahoo Creek Watershed Dams and the invoice for the 2^nd seven dams (55, 66, 77, 82, 84, 85, & 86; A18-3423). Olsson won’t have an invoice for the 1^st three dams (26a, 26b, and 27). Their accounting department made some changes that didn’t get through in time, so they will send that invoice during the next cycle.

Rationale:  Cody Gerdes expects to have appraisal for site 84 to the NRD before February 10 Board meeting.

Danielle Allen will be present at Board meeting, a summary of work completed:

• Signed PAs/easements from 3 parcels on site 55, more to be delivered by Board
• Met with multiple landowners on site 77

A motion from the floor will be required at Board Meeting.  "To authorize Chair Sabatka to sign a purchase agreement with ______ for an easement on Wahoo Creek Site __."

Rationale:  Starting FY26, 7/1/25, our JEDI funding will have a $5 million/FY cap on spending until the funds are depleted.  No other changes to the allocation are expected.
Our $1.35 million RCPP/WFPO construction fund for the first 3 sites is secure as of 1/29/25.

Rationale:  NRCS is organizing the annual agency meeting.  Staff will look at resurrecting the stakeholder group as we prepare the Section 319 grant applicaiton.

Rationale:  There are signals from the legislature that funding may be appropriated through the JEDI.  Staff are investigating.

Rationale:  Round 2 of the public meetings were held in January. JEO will be reaching out to jurisdictions who have not returned their worksheets. They will be focusing on the development of the hazard mitigation plan in the next few months with a goal to have the plan out for public review in April.

For the Drought Mitigation Plan, we have met with 5 communities so far. There are 10 more scheduled with 3 more communities confirming dates to meet. The remaining 2 communities have been contacted, but have not reached back out. We will continue to reach out to these communities as we are planning to have all these meetings wrapped up by late February with the last of these meetings currently scheduled for February 20th.

Attached find the current invoice from JEO for $21,549.50.

Rationale:  The NRD was unsuccessful with the rail-on-trail ATIIP grant we sponsored on behalf of the Nebraska Trails Foundation.