Scooters And One Wheels

Scooter’s Espresso is coming to Sterling – Sterling Journal-Advocate

Sterling gets a new place to take fuel in the morning.

Sterling City Council on Tuesday approved conditional use permission for a Scooter’s Coffee kiosk located on 430 Main St. between Barbs Main Street Gifts and the S-curve. The Nebraska-based chain has more than 300 locations across the country and is growing.

Nebraskan franchisees Mark Oberg and Jerry Ehrke are excited to bring the fast-growing company to Sterling. Ehrke said there are a lot of great things going on in Sterling, and on a drive through town: “We liked the look of the city.”

Oberg added, “We are really happy that we were able to secure the property at 403 Main St .; We think it’s a dynamite site. “

Drive-through businesses require conditional use permits in the Central Business District.

The franchisees expect the drive-through business to open in late May or early June.

The approval was approved unanimously on the recommendation of the Sterling Planning Commission.

City administrator Don Saling announced that in light of Logan County’s transition from yellow to blue on the COVID-19 dial, he will reopen City Hall and other city facilities to the public effective Wednesday. City Hall closed to the public in March 2020; Those who had to do their business in person had to call from the front door to be let in. Saling said he would unlock the doors starting Wednesday, but the masking requirements remain in place.

During his report to the city council, Saling also shared January sales and hotel tax numbers, which reflect sales in December 2020. Sales tax revenue was up 3.36% year over year – about $ 25,000 – which was 5.23% above the city’s budget for the first month of the year.

Property tax rose significantly – from just under $ 5,000 in January 2020 to nearly $ 9,300 in January 2021. Saling noted that there was an issue with a payment from one of the hotels, which may be reflected in the February report, despite the hotel’s so indicating sent a new check.

Saling also reported that some ongoing public works had to be suspended due to the recent cold weather. The shaft rehabilitation project has two manholes to complete the project. The 7 million gallon water tank cleaner is ready to be coated on the inside of the tank and then installs mixers to keep the water from stagnating.

The cold weather also caused a water pipe rupture at the Sterling Public Library, which forced the building to close to the public. A pipe leading to an outside faucet burst in the cold, damaging drywall, carpet, and six computers. Two of the computers need to be replaced. Saling said the cost is all covered by the insurance. The library has offered roadside service to customers but is hoping to reopen next week once repairs are complete.

Saling ended his report by asking for six new vehicles for the Sterling Police Department. He said he hadn’t included the application in the 2021 budget because he wanted to assess the city’s financial position after the year ended. At this point, he believes the city is in a good position to drive vehicle purchases forward.

He noted that the city has a capital goods replacement investment fund that it uses to make such purchases. The money is transferred from the general fund to the capital fund to be paid out. However, he said if the cost is less than the transferred, the money will stay in the capital fund. Over time, this fund had built and the city now has approximately $ 500,000.

The cost of each fully equipped vehicle is approximately $ 54,000. Saling said the city could fund the purchases but would pay interest on the loan. Instead, he recommended using the fund balance in the capital goods fund to buy the vehicles directly. The council agreed to a 6-0 vote.

Saling noted that retired vehicles are typically auctioned off and the money from those sales also goes to the investment fund.

Related Articles