Imperial News

Community Living

2011-10-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

It is easy to take for granted the benefits of living in a small community. We assume that the services and amenities we enjoy will always be available. Oftentimes, however, it is only through the hard work of volunteers who devote time and energy to a project that we enjoy many of the pleasantries offered in Imperial. The EMT Haunted House is a perfect example. The two-day event takes weeks of work to carry in and set up props. All of the labor prior to the “frightening” experience is done by volunteers. And it is virtually free to the participants. The Pumpkin Patch is a weekend event that must take months of planning and hard work, but is great family fun for an entire region. The theatre is another great amenity that we enjoy, but would not be possible without the incredible volunteers who agree to operate the ticket sales concession stand. Volunteers provide labor for clean-up events, installation of playground structures, ticket-takers at sporting events, Chase County Fair, governing boards, organizations, and a host of other important volunteer services. We all enjoy events and opportunities that are made possible because of someone’s selfless participation. Volunteerism and participation is what makes Imperial a Community and not just a town. Get involved! Make a call and offer your time and talents to an event that you or your family has enjoyed. It can be a lot of fun and has unlimited benefits to the Community of Imperial.

2011 Chase County Schools Career Fair

2011-10-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

What an awesome morning! Thirty-eight high school juniors and seniors attended the 2011 Chase County Schools Career Fair. Nine local business and two resource providers connected with students to increase awareness of the great career opportunities available in Imperial and Chase County.

Taking Pride in Imperial!!

2011-08-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Mayor Dwight Coleman has conceptualized the project and it has been very popular with residents and groups in the community! Mayor Coleman held a meeting with leaders of some of the youth groups and asked if they would be willing to help with some projects to “spruce up” Imperial. The initial plan was to have a specific day that everyone would be working. As the plan was developed, it appeared it would be much better for the groups to get together on their own schedule, with a list of projects and complete them as they could get members to participate. Individuals and adult groups became aware of the project and wanted to participate as well, so the project list was developed and citizens got started working! Projects included roadside trash cleanup, painting curbs and fire hydrants, and sanding and painting street signs. In addition, the City Council authorized a “free day” at the local transfer station so that City residents had the opportunity to clean up their own properties at no cost. Over 80 residents took advantage of the opportunity and the community looks great! Thanks to everyone for Taking Pride in Imperial!!

Recent Power Outages

2011-07-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of discussion about the power outages that have occurred over the past couple of months. We enjoy a very stable power supply in Imperial, so it is quite inconvenient when the electricity is interrupted. There have been numerous posts and questions about the age of the city’s equipment, knowledge and ability of workers, reasons for the outage, etc, so we hope to dispel some of the rumors. Imperial is in a unique position of having electrical feeds from three sources. When one feed is interrupted for some reason, we can switch to another source for power, but that does not happen in an instant. Alternate suppliers have to make sure their customers are supplied and power is re-routed to our lines. In some cases, they are unable to supply power due to line/power damage of their own.

When there is a power outage, the first thing that supervisors must consider is when it is safe enough for workers to go out and try to identify the problem. Being in a bucket truck during a lightning storm is a dangerous call, and we will not risk the lives of our employees to reinstate electricity. When it is safe to be out, crews try to isolate the problem, and can then begin the process of repair. This has been an exceptional year for the electric system with wind and lightning damage. The substation in Imperial took a direct lightning hit, resulting in equipment that was destroyed. Pieces of the equipment can be observed at the City Office for those that are interested. There are no surge protectors that will protect against a direct strike. In the most recent outage, lightning hit a power line outside of town and opened a reclosure. The equipment functioned properly, and power was restored once the storm abated enough that crews were able to go out and find the problem. In at least two instances, the outages were a result of storm damage to our power supplier equipment and had nothing to do with City distribution equipment.

We do appreciate residents’ patience and cooperation during the power outages. We are fully aware that unexpected outages are an inconvenience and sometimes create additional hardships for our businesses and homeowners. Please be assured, however, that the outages have nothing to do with a reluctance or inability to provide proper equipment and labor.

"Take Pride in Imperial"

2011-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Mayor Dwight Coleman is inviting the youth of the community, and any other group that is interested, to participate in a campaign to give the City a positive facelift in August. The weekend of August 6-7 is being designated as “Take Pride in Imperial” weekend and there is a long list of items that your group can choose to be involved in. Groups can choose one or more of the priorities listed and notify the city office of its intent to complete that task. The City will provide paint, brushes, trash bags or whatever is needed, to help the groups accomplish the goals. Work can begin anytime you can get your group together, but we hope to have a good bit of the work done before the Chase County Fair, which beings August 14. Some have indicated that this could continue to be a year-round project to keep citizens involved and to keep our community in top condition all the time. So, Take Pride, Imperial, and get involved today!

“Take Pride in Imperial” Projects

1. Street Signs Wellington Street

2. Curb Painting 7th to 10th on Grant (Including Manor curbs)

3. Paint Fire Hydrants & Curbs on 10th from Grant to Broadway

4. Paint Curbs (mostly touch-up) on Broadway from 10th to 2nd

5. Paint Curbs & Fire Hydrants on Broadway from 10th to 18th

6. Trash Pickup on East 5th Street

7. Trash Pickup on East 12th Street

8. Trash Pickup on East 9th Street

9. Trash Pickup on Broadway

10. Fire Hydrants and some curbing on 9th from Broadway to Longhorn (including curbs in front of school)

11. Fire Hydrants and curbs on 5th from Broadway to Highway 61

12. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Wellington from Hwy to 10th

13. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Wellington from 10th to 18th

14. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Park from Hwy to 10th

15. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Park from 10th to 18th

16. Street Signs Park Street

17. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Highway 61 from Hwy 6 to 12th

18. Street Signs Court Street

19. Streets Signs Douglas Street

20. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Court from 2nd to 9th

21. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Court from 9th to 17th

22. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Douglas from 2nd to 9th

23. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Douglas from 9th to 17th

24. Fire Hydrants and curbs on Grant from 5th to 17th

25. Fire Hydrants and curbs on E. 5th from Douglas to Golf Course Rd

26. Fire Hydrants and curbs in Max Addition – a square from 6th on the south, Grant on the east, 12th on the north and all the way out to include the Sage Addition

27. Fire Hydrants and curbs in Hospital area – a square from 12th on the south, Grant on the east, 16th on the north and all the way out past the hospital

Exciting Times at the Imperial Manor

2011-06-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Children and the elderly … a winning combination. They have time for each other and bring joy to the relationship. Tonya Bush heads up the staff at Imperial Manor/Parkview/Heights’ newest venture. Children enjoy a fun-filled day, learning and playing. Residents enjoy watching and interacting with the children. Songs, reading and playing in the sandbox are all favorite activities that are shared. Last week, everyone shared a “picnic” lunch with burgers and chips and potato salad – in the cool dining room. There was ketchup and smiles on the lips!

Time For Summer Fun!!

2011-05-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Time for summer fun!! The swimming pool will open on Tuesday, May 31 ready for a full season of water fun. Water aerobics, swimming lessons, lap swimming, swim team - lots to do!!

Summer Baseball/Softball is beginning for children from T-Ball through adult. If you like to play ball, there is a team waiting for you!

Enjoy the beautiful parks and playgrounds at Campbell Park (main City Park) or Schroeder Park (near the ball fields).

Ice Cream Social and Celebration

2010-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

What a great afternoon! There was an awesome turnout to celebrate the opening of the new Lions restrooms. The completion of the restrooms along with last year’s new playground area and the Lions picnic shelter make Campbell Park a great location for people to gather. The Campbell Park improvements are another example of what can be accomplished when people and organizations come together and work towards a common goal. Thank you to all the organizations and volunteers that made the Campbell Park development project, a success and a special thanks to the Lutheran Youth for serving the ice cream. See you at the park.

We're Celebrating!!

2010-09-14T07:14:00.001-07:00

We're having an Ice Cream party September 19 at 1:00 p.m. in Campbell Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets along with the kids and grandma and grandpa! We're so happy to have the new restroom complete and the great new playground available, so we're going to have a treat and some good fun. See you there

Meeting of the Minds set for August 31st

2010-08-31T15:19:00.001-07:00

“Meeting of the Minds” is a gathering of representatives from groups and organizations in and around our community. The group was formed to try and coordinate the efforts of civic and professional organizations to maximize volunteers. The first meeting of the group resulted in a Community Calendar that is available to post activities and events, accessible on the City’s website. The second Meeting of the Minds will be held Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church in Imperial. All are welcome!

Street Project Update

2010-08-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

Travelers in Imperial should be aware that 9th street is closed at the intersection of Chase and E. 9th Street. Final work is being done to complete the subgrade work and new concrete paving. The best route to take if you need to go to Chase County Schools is to use East 5th Street to Longhorn, then travel north to 9th Street and enter the school’s parking areas. Exit the area using the same route. If you need to go to Chase County Fairgrounds, you may use the same route and travel to the driveway on the north side of the grounds. You can also enter the fairgrounds from the driveway on Park Street. Be aware that East 12th Street is closed from Highway 61 to Shorthorn Street. We understand the closings are very inconvenient, we hope the resulting streets will be worth the wait!

Interactive Community Calendar Goes Live

2010-08-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Community Calendar is up and running! If you have an organizational event or meeting that you would like to share, go to the City's website at http://www.imperial-ne.com/ and click the Community Calendar tab on the left. Fill out the form with the event, times and locations, contact information and a short description of your event. Once the submittal is approved, it will appear on the calendar for the public to view. This calendar is not intended to be used for commercial or personal advertising or events. Please post only organization or community information. We hope this will become a tool that can be used to schedule events and inform the public about all the things happening in our area!

Make Plans to Attend the Chase County Fair

2010-08-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Plan to attend the Chase County Fair (August 15 - 22). This week long event is filled with family friendly activities and name brand entertainment. While you are there grab an Eagle's burger, play some Lions Bingo and take a ride on the ferris wheel. And don't forget the parade on Saturday. This year's theme is “Barbwire and Roses." Make sure to watch for Grand Marshalls Frank and Alice Clements.

9th Street Update

2010-07-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

The Chase County Fair is quickly approaching and everyone is abuzz with plans and projects. There have been concerns about the status of 9th Street, so hopefully this will help calm some fears. The construction was supposed to have been completed by July 15 – in plenty of time for the fair, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The crews are well aware of the importance of having the street completed in time for traffic prior to and during fair week, so they have brought in more workers and are working much longer hours to ensure the work is done. The first strip of concrete is in place this morning and we anticipate it will be done by the end of the week if they don’t have rain delays. There will be a section at the west end of the project at the intersection of 9th & Chase Streets that will need considerably more work, but the contractor will put asphalt millings in that area so that traffic can continue on the street until after fair is over. The balance of the work will be undertaken at that time. We really do appreciate the patience of the traveling public, residents and businesses during this large construction project. It will be a very nice addition to the community when the streets are complete!

Thank you for making the Quasquicentennial Celebration a huge success!

2010-07-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Community volunteers worked for months organizing Imperial's Quasquicentennical Celebration. Despite the rain on Friday night, the weekend was a huge sucess. A special thank you to all the volunteers, service organizations and venders who participated in making it a great weekend.

2010 Pool Rates

2010-07-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

The swimming pool is open and we invite you to enjoy a relaxing day of swimming and water fun! We had some problems on Saturday with contamination and had to close for a couple of days to ensure that the water quality was safe for the public to swim.

As a thank you to the community for your patience and understanding during the first part of the summer, the Park Board has decided to offer free swimming for the rest of the week. There will be no charge to swim until July 12th. On the 12th, the following rates will apply:

Daily Admission: Adults (Age 12 & Over) - $4.00 Children - $3.00
Family Pass: $50.00 (Immediate family only) Can add a babysitter for $5 extra
Single Pass: $25.00
Water Aerobics: $17.50
Lap Swimming: $12.50

Two sessions of swimming lessons will be held - July 12-23 and August 2-13.
The charge for lessons is 20.00 per child and you can sign up at the swimming pool.

The pool will close for the season on August 18, 2010.

Swimming Pool Update

2010-06-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

We've missed our swimming pool! The good news is that we are planning to open the pool on Saturday, July 3, so get your suits and sunscreen and head over for a cool and relaxing swim.

We have a temporary fix in place so that we can operate the pool for the rest of the summer. Due to the construction on East 9th Street, the route to the pool will have to be changed slightly. East 5th Street will be accessible from the west on Friday. The best way to drive to the pool will be from East 5th Street, turning at the entrance to the Chase County School athletic fields and drive to the parking lot north of the pool. Those who walk to the pool would be wise to use the same route since walking across the fairgrounds will be somewhat dangerous with all the heavy construction equipment in use. East 9th Street will likely be closed until the first part of August.

Permanent repairs will have to be made after the pool closes in August. The Park Board will be meeting this week to determine rates for the summer because of the shorter time period. Stay tuned for more information.

Imperial's Quasquicentennial Celebration

2010-06-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Imperial's Quasquicentennial Celebration is scheduled for the July 4th weekend. Community volunteers have been working hard all year to make this a weekend to remember. Festivities kick off at 5 pm mountain time on Friday night with a birthday party and conclude on Sunday with the Firemen's Annual Fun Day. Whether you are into running, frog jumping, quilting, muscial perforances or historical displays, the Quasquicentennial Celebration offers fun activities you are sure to enjoy.

For more information regarding this event check out the city's website: www.imperial-ne.com.