Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Orchard Public Library representatives made its budget presentation to Orchard Village trustees during the Aug. 12 board meeting. Library director Donna Hamilton and library board member Amanda Shabram requested $21,000 - $1,750 monthly - for the 2024-2025 budget. Village clerk Brenda Harrison reported this is an increase of $3,806.27 annually, which is a $317.19 monthly boost. Prior to the budget presentation, Hamilton reviewed the library’s annual report, noting the number of visitors has incr...
Participants in Saturday's O-Town Open should plan on having a "hole lotta fun." Sponsored by the Orchard Community Club, the second annual event will feature nine holes of putt putt competition. Registration will be held at the Orchard Community Center, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a rules meeting scheduled for 6:30. Golfing will begin after the meeting. Each team will consist of four individuals. Participants must be 21 years old. Participating businesses include Lazy-T Tire & Implement,...
Orchard Community Club will give a nod to area farmers during the 2022 Orchard Free Days Celebration, with events scheduled to begin Friday, July 29 and continue through Sunday, July 31. Orchard Historical Society will host the Remember the Fallen exhibit at the Rex Theatre. The moving memorial opened to the public, Tuesday and will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. July 27 and 28. On Friday, July 29, the District 57 School will open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the same time, visit the Remember the Fallen...
The Village of Orchard and Summerland School closed on the schoolhouse sale, June 13. Village chairman Stephanie Cleveland made the announcement during the village’s June 13 meeting. The final cost of $10,408.50 includes the closing fee, title insurance and filing. During the process, members noticed property descriptions did not match. The parking lot is actually a three-parcel lot instead of a two-parcel lot. Cleveland said she would contact Josh Gray about insurance. Electric and gas u...
Village of Orchard officials will continue talks with the Summerland School board of education regarding the sale of the former Orchard school building and grounds. After listening to input from community members for nearly an hour, Monday evening, during a community meeting, village chairperson Stephanie Cleveland said she and trustee John Ferguson will meet with the school's Building and Grounds Committee members again April 1. Video of the Orchard community meeting available on the SAM YouTub...
Future development of the Summerland Public School building, in Orchard, took center stage during a Sunday listening session. Village of Orchard trustees requested public input regarding potential relocation of village offices, library and shop, along with development of a community center, at the site, which will be vacated when Summerland students move into a new facility located at the intersection of 513 Avenue and Summerland Road. Orchard Economic Development Association member Kristi...
Orchard school board members completed their final business for the school Monday, May 4. Orchard advisory board members Candice Hoke, Nate Schwager, Kristi Schutt and DeAnna Clifton were joined by Unified District #1 representatives Terri Hergert and Terra Williby to wrap up district business remotely via Zoom. Hoke and Schwager will continue to serve as board members on the new Summerland consolidated district’s board of education, while tenures of the other board members will end when the new board is seated in June. The only official b...
Orchard principal Cathy Cooper told Orchard board members that graduation is still planned, when the original and advisory boards met recently. She said graduation will “definitely” take place, but factors regarding timing will have to be worked out. Cooper is consulting with other administrators in the Unified district regarding graduation and other end-of-year award ceremonies. “Safety is obviously the first priority,” she said. “We definitely want to recognize our seniors…We’re still planning for graduation…there are just so many things that...
Six members of the Orchard original and advisory boards of education, meeting jointly at the high school last Tuesday evening, heard that five compressors in the Trane HVAC system had failed the previous month. A timeline for replacement was not available. Principal Cathy Cooper said the compressors will be covered under warranty and administration is hopeful an estimated $12,900 in labor and the cost to rent electric heaters will be covered by the school’s insurance company. A Trane company representative was also asked to estimate the cost o...
Orchard school board members took no official action, other than consent agenda items when they met in the high school business room Wednesday, Feb. 4. Orchard principal Cathy Cooper told board members negotiations with the teachers’ association had been completed, with the 2020-2021 base salary for Summerland teachers set at $35,000. Currently Unified teacher base is $34,700 and Ewing’s is $35,000. Cooper said it would basically be a raise for everybody. “The base went up or the salary schedule percentages increased,” she said. “One item that...
The Orchard advisory and original boards of education reorganized for the upcoming months, when they met in joint session last Monday, Jan. 6, at the school. Advisory board members Candace Hoke, DeAnna Clifton, Nathan Schwager and Kristi Schutt voted to retain the current officers for the remaining months, until the Summerland consolidation takes effect. Hoke will continue as president; with Schutt as vice president; Clifton, secretary; and Schwager, treasurer. Board committee members will also remain the same, including Clifton and Hoke on...
Candice Hoke of Orchard will join Nate Schwager to represent Orchard on the board of education for the new Summerland school district. The boards of education from Orchard, Clearwater and Ewing each voted for two members for the new board of education that will convene in June. Orchard board members selected Schwager, but three votes for the second member each resulted in a tie between Terri Hergert of Royal and Kristi Schutt of Orchard, and selection of the second member was delayed until Monday night’s board meeting at the Orchard school. S...
Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard school boards covered a long list of agenda items, Nov. 20, during a three and one-half hour meeting, in Ewing. Discussion focused on the new Summerland school district, which will take effect June 6, 2020. While a chunk of the meeting was spent discussing staffing and administration timeline, other topics included the new district's reorganization petition, selection of Summerland school board members, policies, curriculum and sales of assets. Steve Williams,... Full story
Orchard Advisory Board of Education members, Candace Hoke, Kristi Schutt, DeAnna Clifton and Nate Schwager, will be joined by Original Orchard Board of Education members Terra Williby and Terri Hergert, beginning with the December meeting, as they work to dissolve Nebraska Unified District 1 and begin transition efforts to the new Summerland school. Hergert and Williby sat in the audience at the Nov. 13 Advisory Board meeting held at Orchard High School. Both Schutt and Cathy Cooper, Orchard principal, said they had fielded questions from...
Orchard’s advisory board of education faced a short agenda when they met in the high school business room last Wednesday, Oct. 9. Principal Cathy Cooper updated board members Candace Hoke, Kristi Schutt, DeAnna Clifton and Nate Schwager on recent parent-teacher conferences. She reported a 93% elementary parent turnout, with 71% participation at the high school level. “That’s a really good percentage and it probably went up, because a couple of parents and teachers got together and talked at an alternate time,” she said. “We probably were clos...
A new PK-12 cornfield school came one step closer to reality Aug. 21, when Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard boards of education unanimously approved entering into a purchase agreement for approximately 40 acres of land near the intersection of 513 Avenue and 857 Road, contingent on passage of a bond issue in all three communities. According to Clearwater and Orchard Superintendent Dale Martin, the site "is about as centrally located as we could get," sitting six miles south of Orchard, seven miles...
Plenty of activities for everyone are scheduled for Orchard Celebration Days. The annual community event will begin Friday, July 26 and continue until Sunday, July 28. A broasted chicken dinner will be served at the Rex, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday. Several activities will begin at 5 p.m., including duck races at the Orchard pool, brownie sundaes and a food cart. Register for the road rally downtown and head out on the route from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Cruise night is scheduled to begin at 7, along...
