YLK CLASS #32 FEBRUARY SESSION

Class #32 of YLK had an educational day, hearing from the local leaders of Kearney. We started off with the Volunteer Fire. Department, where Fire Administrator Jason Whalen of the Kearney Fire Department taught us about the history of the fire. station, and the ins and outs of the systems they use to keep the volunteer program running smoothly. As it turns out, the fire departments all throughout the county are in cahoots with each other, and they help each other out as needed. Jason also gave us. a short tour of the fire station, showing us all the trucks and gadgets that our firefighters use daily. Two members of YLK even cut a car door in half using the Jaws of Life; it was very enlightening. The fire department responds not only to house fires, but also car accidents (ergo the giant saw), and other 911-type emergencies. Additionally, we learned that the department is planning to build a new fire station near East Brooke, as that area of town is currently outside of the ideal response time from the existing stations. Our local firefighters are constantly putting in work to keep our community safe.

After that, we walked to the Buffalo County Courthouse to hear from Mayor Jonathan Nikkila and City Council Member Alex Straatmann about our city government. We learned how council meetings work and

how civilians can apparently just walk right in and say they disagree with something, which was pretty cool. Mayor Nikkila and City Councilman Straatmann even set up a mock council meeting, in which some

of us got to assume “roles” on the council and act them out. The mayor gets to use this awesome gavel to start and stop the meeting, and they keep a bunch of pens in their desks. It was so interesting to learn about how the decisions are made in our city. So much thought and time goes into even the tiniest of decisions, which really says a lot about how much our local leaders care about this community. 

The next place we checked out was the Law Enforcement Center, which was really, really cool. Fun fact, the Kearney Police and Buffalo County Sheriff Departments work as partners, which is unique to Kearney.  After hearing from Chief of Police Gabe Kowalek, Police Sergeant JC Small, Police Sergeant Jay Young, and Chief Deputy Dan Schleusener, we got a complete tour of the Law Enforcement Center, which included

the evidence center, the 9-1-1 call center, the K-9 unit, the forensics room, the SWAT department, and the training simulators. The people working at the evidence collection center told us that the oddest thing they had ever seen put into evidence was a hawk (like the whole bird). In the K-9 unit, we met the two working dogs, Kuba and Bane, before they showed us how they could trace illegal material and attack a criminal

on command. The SWAT team had these super cool-looking van-trucks that looked straight out of a movie, and we got to sit in them. We also got to use the training simulator, where it was revealed that some have better aim than others.

The Law Enforcement Center has a lot of people working behind the scenes, sorting papers,

evidence, and records. They keep the place running, according to Sergeant Small. It

was eye-opening to see all the work that the police and sheriff's departments do to protect Kearney, and it was heartwarming to see just how much every single person working there cares for this community...from the technicians behind the desks to the officers on the streets. 

Finally, we went to the Kearney Chamber of Commerce, where we learned about what they do and how they do it. They had us draw up plans for something we could add to our Kearney community if we had 30 million dollars, and almost all of us drew a mall. They told us about their plans for future businesses and the Good Life District. All in all, it was an enlightening and enjoyable experience.

Overall, after having seen the ins, outs, ups, and downs of our local government here in Kearney, it was nice to see that everyone cares about the place we live in. All the people we spoke to throughout the day had a passion for the safety and contentment of the community. It is obvious that our local leaders will stop at nothing to continue making Kearney a secure and happy place to live.