The Broken Bow City Council heard Tuesday that the North Park Inclusive Playground project is getting closer to construction, while the city’s ambulance service continues to see increased calls. The council also discussed a proposed data center ordinance, approved a new wheel loader and handled several other city business items.
Scotti Ross and Jessica Gibbons, representing the playground committee, told council members during public comment, the group has raised $143, 633 and is now about $62,000 short of the amount needed to complete the pre-K playground.
“We are really close to crossing the finish line on the pre-K playground, so the committee has decided to move forward with this project,” Ross said.
The committee is asking the city and school to consider a commitment that would allow installation to be scheduled for late spring or summer 2027.
The proposed playground would be designed to accommodate children with a variety of abilities and would be open to the entire community.
The city’s $30,000 contribution comes from the recent sale of the Broken Bow Armory.
City Administrator David Schmidt explained the city received $900,000 for the purchase of the Armory. After replacing the $270,000 originally used from infrastructure and operations funds to purchase the property, the remaining $30,000 was designated for the playground project.
The inclusive playground project has been in the works for several years. The effort originally started in 2018, with the goal of creating Broken Bow’s first all inclusive playground. The original proposed location was near Indian Hills, but the project has since shifted to North Park.
Ross briefly outlined plans to remove the outdated existing playground equipment. Volunteers could handle that work, potentially saving the project about $8,000. Some of the next steps the committee plans to take includes continuing fundraising efforts and equipment sponsorships.
EMS Reports Continued Growth
The Broken Bow ambulance service also provided an update, reporting 362 calls for service from January 1 through the meeting, including 195 responses to 911 calls. The service also completed 86 facility transports.
The Emergency Services Department Head, David Baltz said the service has experienced roughly a 10% year over year increase in responses over the past five years, since COVID.
The third ambulance purchased with city support last year has already accumulated nearly 20,000 miles in about 10 months. The team is also working to keep an advanced life support ambulance and provider available in Broken Bow when other ambulances leave for transfers.
Later in the meeting the council approved closing the city’s Broken Bow EMTs account at Nebraska State Bank as the ambulance service moves toward its own accreditation and financial structure.
Other Council Business
The council approved a bid for a new wheel loader for the Street and Parks Department. The city received four bids, but the City Administrator, David Schmidt, said the John Deere loader was the only one that met all specifications
Council members also approved investing surplus funds from the sale of city property in a certificate of deposit.
The council approved the Wilson Administrative subdivision and a 3.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for appointed city employees.
Proposed data center regulations also remain under consideration. The council did not approve the ordinance and instead continued with the normal reading process. Similar to the last meeting there was no public comment. The proposal would establish zoning and operating requirements for data centers and digital asset mining facilities.
The next Broken Bow City Council meeting is scheduled for September 8, 2026 at 6:00pm in the Broken Bow municipal building.
