GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska – JEO Consulting will present a completed flood reduction feasibility study for the Elm–Turkey Creek watershed to the Central Platte NRD (NRD) Board of Directors at its January meeting. The Board will consider adopting the plan.

Adopting the plan would allow the Central Platte NRD to seek future funding for flood reduction efforts but would not commit the District to construction or additional project phases. Any future steps would depend on available funding and partnerships. Projects of this size typically take several years to plan and complete.

The Elm and Turkey Creeks watershed covers more than 106,000 acres in Dawson and Buffalo counties, including areas near the southern edge of the City of Kearney. Planning began in October 2020 after the 2019 flooding impacted local communities, residents, and property owners. The study examined current flood conditions, evaluated options to reduce flood risk, and developed a plan to help lessen future flood impacts.

Before the Board meeting, the Central Platte NRD Board of Directors will hold an educational session with District Attorney Don Blankenau of Woods Aitken LLP at 1:00 p.m. The regular Board meeting will follow at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Central Platte NRD office, 215 Kaufman Avenue in Grand Island. The meeting is open to the public.

AGENDA/ACTION ITEMS

Board Officer Nominating Committee
The Board Officer Nominating Committee will recommend a secretary and treasurer to serve through 2028. Keith Ostermeier, Grand Island, has served one term as secretary and Marvion Reichert, Elm Creek, has served one term as treasurer. Both are eligible for re-election. The Board will consider the recommendations and hold an election for both seats in February. Board officers may serve two, two-year terms.

General Election 
Central Platte NRD has 21 members on the board of directors who serve four-year terms, with two directors in each of the NRD’s 10 sub-districts and one at-large director.  Directors in the same sub-district are elected in alternate election years. The following incumbents are up for the upcoming election cycle and must file by February 17th. The non-incumbent deadline is March 2nd.

Subdistrict     Director                                                       Sub-District Locations
Subdistrict 1    Brian Keiser, Gothenburg                              Custer, Dawson, Frontier
Subdistrict 2    Tom Downey, Lexington                                Buffalo, Dawson
Subdistrict 3    Luke Ourada, Elm Creek                               Buffalo, Dawson              
Subdistrict 4    Lon Bohn, Gibbon                                         Buffalo, Hall
Subdistrict 5    Deb VanMatre, Gibbon                                 Buffalo
Subdistrict 6    Jerry Milner, Grand Island                             Hall
Subdistrict 7    Ed Stoltenberg, Cairo                                    Hall, Howard
Subdistrict 8    Kevin Werner, Grand Island                          Hall
Subdistrict 9    Amy Kyes, Central City                                 Hall, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Hamilton
Subdistrict 10  Charles Maser, Grand Island                         Hall
At-Large            Keith Ostermeier, Grand Island                   Hall

Water Quality Committee
The Water Quality Committee will meet to discuss the District’s Groundwater Quality Management Plan and related programs.

Building Committee 
The Building Committee will review the progress of the NRD’s new office and education center construction.

Manager’s Report  
Lyndon Vogt, General Manager, will report.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Report  
Joe Krolikowski, District Conservationist, and Kaitlan Stouffer, Resources Conservationist of Central City, will report.

Precision Conservation Report 
Darren Cudaback, Precision Conservation Specialist, will present his annual report on the cooperators enrolled in the Precision Conservation Management Program (PCM) in Gothenburg. PCM is a program that serves farmers by providing economic analysis of on-farm conservation practices. The program aims to help farmers understand the economic values of adopting practices such as cover crops, nutrient timing, and tillage practices. PCM is funded by the USDA NRCS – Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

Nebraska Association of Resources District  
Deb VanMatre, CPNRD Representative, will report.

Nebraska Natural Resources Commission  
Doug Reeves, Middle Platte Basin Representative, will report.

Water Task Force
Tom Downey, Nitrate Legacy and Drinking Water Representative, will report.

Financial Report
The December and January financial reports will be considered.

Cost-Share Programs
Applications for the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program and Central Platte NRD cost-share programs will be considered.

Upcoming Board Meetings   
February 26, March 26, April 23