Gibbon Council looks at water tower locations, hires police chief

by Doug Hanson
Where will the new water tower be built in Gibbon is a question the Gibbon City Council is trying to answer. Engineers from ISG offered four sites which were quickly narrowed to two.
Two lots just north of the current tower on First Avenue, owned by Greg Halvorson and Dave Black was one area. The other area was along Highway 19 just west of the former Gibbon Ballroom, which is owned by David Weithoff. Weithoff has offered that 75-foot by 150-foot lot to the City for $20,000.
Halvorson asked the City to give him an offer, while Black had not responded to the City. Obtaining the Halvor­- son/Black lots would involve tearing down some buildings. Because of that extra cost, the City seemed to be leaning towards purchasing the Weithoff property.
The City needs to have a site located so it can start applying for grants for the water tower.
New Police Chief
Sara Miller of Litchfield began her new duties as the Gibbon Police Chief last Wednesday.
She was offered the position at the February City Council meeting after the Council had review the interviews of four candidates. The Council then had the necessary background checks completed.
The 19-year veteran was an officer for the Meeker County Sheriff’s Department. She was offered a salary of $93,000 a year based on a 40-hour week with 80 hours of vacation time and earned sick and safe time accrued at four hours per pay period up to 80 hours. Full-time Gibbon employees also receive nine paid holidays and one floating holiday per the employee handbook.
In other police department news, full-time officer Stephanie Kvare submitted her letter of resignation from the department to accept a position with the Arlington Police Department. The Council decided to post help wanted positions for a full-time and part-time police officer.