Haxtun Police Chief position to be offered to Nadow

The Haxtun Town Council approved a conditional job offer for the open police chief position on the local police department. Former police chief Tanya Mayhew resigned from her role in October. Her last day on the department was Nov. 1.

A committee formed to seek a new police chief, led by Haxtun Town Council member Rob Martinez, formally announced Nathon Nadow as the selected candidate for a conditional offer of employment. The conditional offer now allows Nadow to enter the next step of the hiring process which includes further testing including physical evaluation and psychological assessment.

Martinez told the rest of the Town Council during a Monday, Dec. 13 meeting that Nadow comes with excellent references from the three top law enforcement agencies in our area including the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and the Holyoke Police Department. Nadow currently serves as a deputy with the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office and holds nearly seven years’ experience in law enforcement.

“They all had excellence references for him,” Martinez told fellow council members.

Martinez said he thought the next phase of the hiring process could happen quickly with an official answer this week. He said Nadow would need to give notice to his current employer but hopes are, if all goes well, Haxtun will have a new police chief after the first of the year.

Plans are still in the works for a retirement party for former Police Chief Tanya Mayhew. A previously scheduled celebration was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Continue to watch the ˆ for updates on a formal time to honor Mayhew for her service to the Town of Haxtun.

The absence of Mayhew leaves the Haxtun Police Department with just Officer Tom Bullard. Bullard said at the meeting that deputies from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office have recently stepped in to help cover shifts so he can have some off time. “I haven’t had a lot of time off recently,” he said. Bullard is also working on advertisement and details of job descriptions, salary and benefits to hire an additional officer, hopefully also after the first of the year. A new police chief and another officer would bring the local law enforcement agency to full staff.

Before voting to approve an offer for the open police chief position, council members opened the December meeting with public comment from Haxtun resident Dave Green. Green was on hand to express his concerns with a recent power outage. Green asked about the state of the current transformer that supplies power to the Town of Haxtun and also asked for explanation about the decommission of the Town’s generator.

Both Superintendent Ron Carpenter and Mayor Brandon Biesemeier answered Green’s questions, first with the Town’s transformer. Carpenter said the failure causing the power outage happened with equipment belonging to the Western Area Power Administration at a substation south of Haxtun. While working to repair the issue, Carpenter said the Town’s transformer underwent extensive testing, passing in all categories.

“The Town’s transformer got a clean bill of health,” he said, further explaining that the sort of testing competed the day of the outage is only required every six years. The last time it was tested was in 2018.

Carpenter said that since the outage, WAPA is looking to replace some equipment at the substation and he is working diligently to find a backup solution for the Town of Haxtun should this sort of event happen again in the future.

As for the generator, Carpenter said that machine was decommissioned in 2019 and is inoperable.

“The original purpose of the generator was never meant to be back up power for Haxtun,” explained Carpenter. “It was installed back in 1999 and the power it could produce was leased to the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska as a source of supplemental power for the power grid during times of peak usage. The reason why the generator was decommissioned is due to mechanical failure, age and the ability to meet EPA regulations.”

Additionally, one of the two generator engines was in need of a complete overhaul and the other needed parts that range anywhere from $250,000-$300,000.

“The engines are 1972 diesel locomotives and parts are extremely difficult to find and in some cases need to be manufactured, if even possible. They are also expensive to run as they use approximately 300 gallons of diesel per hour when operational,” added Carpenter.

Council members later voted to approve a bid from Simon for the 2022 street project. The bid totals $1.4 million, just under the expected $1.5 million. Haxtun voters approved the street project during elections in early November.

Ballot question 2A in this year’s general election passed 325 to 70, which will allow the Town of Haxtun to incur debt for the street project. The project, slated to begin in early spring, includes rebuilding approximately 42 blocks of streets in Town.

Voters also voted to use half a percent sales tax already in place for the community center for additional street repairs for five years.

In other business, the Council:

• Heard a year-end review from Haxtun Librarian Vickie Freemyer. She said the local public library had a successful year with summer reading and was able to bring in some local business professionals as well as a local author. Freemyer said she applied for and received a State grant to purchase books;

• Adopted the 2022 budget and resolutions to appropriate sums of money and set the mill levy. The Council also adopted a supplemental budget for 2021 to reflect a General Fund increase for the new town shop and for the Water Fund to repair wells and the water tower;

• Approved Ordinance 2021-5 to vacate an alleyway in the Highlands Park Addition. The request came from a new landowner earlier this year. The ordinance allows the Town of Haxtun to keep the utility easement already in place;

• Approved a quote for supplemental insurance coverage for excess crime;

• Appointed Council Member Lori Lundgren to another term on the Phillips County Economic Development Board;

• Carpenter announced the receipt of a grant from the Department of Local Affairs for $194,000 to be applied to the new shop project underway;

• The following building permits were approved: Jenae McClain for Mark Dix, 504 North Edmund Avenue to replace shingles; Spelts Roofing for Val Contreras, 214 South Washington Avenue to replace shingles; Jenn Oberle, 706 South Colorado Avenue to install gutters; Ryan Kurtzer/Doug Rexus, 336 North Lava Avenue for adding a Tuff Shed; Carl Wilcox, 633 West Fletcher Street to replace gutters.