By Panhandle Post
The agenda for the June 18th Alliance City Council meeting was brief, with two major items discussed.
The council addressed a termination of a real estate purchase agreement. According to Alliance City Manager Seth Sorenson, "We were looking at a building for a possible police department [use]. Over the last few months we've been basically renting the right to keep it off the market, and the architects came back with a design and with cost estimates, and council determined that for the money, they'd like to continue looking at other options. This just terminated that agreement which was going to run out in about another three months."
Sorenson notes that there are some unique challenges in the process of finding an ideal building and location for the police department's needs. "Trying to balance the location, and being accessible to the public, and having a good building that's very visible to the public so they know where to go for help. There's quite a bit to consider."
Also at Tuesday night's meeting, Alliance Police Chief David Leavitt was sworn in as a police officer. Sorenson notes, "He successfully completed all of his requirements in Nebraska, not only to be an administrative chief but to actually be an [active] chief. He is completely certified in all aspects, which means he can go out and make arrests, do everything that our other officers can do. He's in full uniform and he's doing a great job for us."
Sorenson notes that the process from hiring to final certification can be a complex one. "He had a lot of documentation he had to provide with the state. They had to have interviews with people he worked with...it's quite an extensive process, even though he's been in the industry for the past 25-plus years."
During his radio interview with KCOW, Sorenson noted the upcoming Alliance Clean-Up Day, Saturday June 9th from 7:00am to 1:30pm.
"We're still looking for volunteers for anyone who wants to come out and help clean up...we'll meet on the steps of city hall at 324 Laramie for any volunteers to pick up bags and gloves. This is an effort from the City Council for people to take pride in our community, and help clean it up."