Four days after tabling a proposal to purchase land for a new sewage lagoon, the Clearwater Village Board of Trustees met in special session, Sept. 30, and approved an agreement to purchase 116 acres for $3,879.31 per acre from Midwest Personnel Management, Inc.

Regina Krebs, of Clearwater, serves as president of the corporation selling the property.

During a special meeting on Sept. 26, Village Chairman Steve Hankla said grant monies from the United States Department of Agriculture will be used toward the purchase.

"The USDA will not accept anything except a land application," Hankla said. "They will not let us do a full retention, which we want."

The new lagoon will need to be four feet above the water table. Hankla said a hole will be dug and some riprap will need to be hauled in.

Flow studies are being conducted to determine actual land usage.

Originally, trustees were told 18 acres were necessary for a full retention lagoon and 10 would be required for a land application lagoon.

Curt Thiele asked why the village is required to purchase 116 acres.

Hankla said Krebs' offered all the land, which sits adjacent to a tract owned by the village, used as a tree dump.

"It also gives us options we can water it ... We haven't decided yet," Hankla added.

Bill Thiele questioned the cost of the land acquisition.

"If you so choose to go ahead and spend $3,700 times 120 to solve this issue, that's you guys' idea of fiscal responsibility to the public?"

A grant of up to $250,000 from Department of Environmental Quality can be used for the land purchase. The village's portion of overall project total $1,788,000.

Thiele asked if USDA met with the sellers to arrive at a price.

Village Clerk Tina Snider said the village had a purchase agreement previously that was rejected by USDA.

The current agreement was hashed out between USDA and the seller, according to Hankla.

Clearwater resident Terry Sanne said, "You buy what you need. If you had to give $7,000 for 30 acres for the lagoon ..."

"The USDA thought it was a better deal to buy that than pay more for a smaller amount. That's their exact words," Hankla said.

How will the extra acres be used?

Hankla said, "Our idea would be to lease that ground to someone to put cows on."

Another option would be to set up an irrigation system to irrigate water from the lagoon.

According to the purchase agreement, the sellers have first option to purchase land if the village decides to sell land not needed.

Dick Kester asked if it is possible to sign a long-term lease.

"I would think down the road they would certainly want the water (for the pasture). The extra water on that sand would sure make a difference on the grass production or turn it into hay production if you could buy 20 acres."

Village Trustee Jay Snider said the project has been in the works for 12 years.

"We've been working through this. We've done everything DEQ has said. Our necks are chopped out there," Snider added.

Meeting deadlines and keeping the project within time parameters is important.

"If this goes past September, we could lose all our funding, we won't get any low-interest loan," Hankla said. "Do you want to take that chance? No."

"So you're going to bankrupt Clearwater, Nebraska, because..." Thiele asked.

Hankla interrupted, noting USDA wanted sewer rates in the village to increase to $60 per month.

"We dropped it back to $45. It should go to $42 per month, if we do what we're talking already."

The current rate is $32.50.

"It isn't like we're trying to break the town. We're not. USDA has come up with the funding to do that, and I know it doesn't sound very fiscal ... but with the figures we have, it's possible."

During the Sept. 30, meeting the motion to approve the purchase agreement passed 4-0.