Tiny Nebraska Towns, Including One Uniquely Located In Three Counties, Get A Boost

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 11/10/2022 - 4:00am

West side of Main Street (Nebraska Highway 9) in Emerson, Nebraska. The First Nebraska Bank building is on the southwest corner of First and Main, at the junction of the lines dividing Dixon, Dakota, and Thurston counties. The west side of Main (including the Tri-County Bar) is in Dixon County; the camera is in Thurston County; and Dakota County is on the east side of Main beginning a block north of the camera. A grant announced Monday will help plan a downtown infrastructure revival project. (Wikimedia Commons)

Cindy Gonzalez

Nebraska Examiner

Officials in northeast Nebraska’s Emerson are accustomed to dealing with 3s. The village of about 800 residents has the distinction of being located in three counties: Dakota, Dixon and Thurston.

So perhaps it’s fate that Emerson has been awarded a state grant, $33,000 worth, to help plan for an improved downtown.

“It will basically bring new life into our downtown,” said Village Clerk Beth Bonderson. “We’ll have a full main street, with cars and business.”

Emerson is among five more small Nebraska communities set to receive a federal community development block grant funding administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. The latest batch of towns will receive a total of $182,500.

The CDBG funds are a program of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development intended to help communities enhance public health and safety, economic well-being and quality of life. The projects are expected to benefit people of low and moderate incomes.

The awards announced Monday also benefit:

Arthur in Arthur County, $43,500 to develop an environmental study that leads to flood plain amendments.

Bellwood in Butler County, $25,500 for a planning project that addresses property deterioration.

Clearwater in Antelope County, $53,000 for a downtown study aimed at creating a vibrant commercial district.

Newcastle in Dixon County, $27,500 to prepare a guiding document officials can use when deciding on public and private land developments.

Bonderson said her community looks forward to using its CDBG grant to help plan out its future downtown.

As the village clerk does in circumstances having to do with Emerson’s taxes, elections and more, she’ll be sending out information regarding the downtown project to government officials in three separate counties. Emerson’s downtown physically is in all three counties.

“Everything I do has to go out in triplicate,” Bonderson said light-heartedly. “We are a town with three counties, which is very unique.”

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.