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Joe Kotulak, Summer Intern @ VCED

Greetings! I was born and raised in Omaha, NE.  I attended UNL for my undergraduate studies in architecture and graduated May of 2011 with my Bachelors of Science in Design.  I began my graduate studies that summer with a service learning trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.  This experience was similar in nature to the approach used this past fall with my involvement in Vision Valley County 2020 as part of the group of UNL students that developed a comprehensive plan.  I have since completed my first of two years of graduate course work at UNL.  Next May I will graduate with a Masters of Architecture degree, and begin a three year process to become a licensed architect.

This summer, I look forward to the opportunities presented for developing several projects for both the county and city of Ord.  This internship experience will help me to better understand funding and approval processes for the built environment, in addition to practicing and developing my skill set as a student of architecture.  I see great potential in the proposals and I am excited at the chance to provide insight and direction.  My hope is to produce projects of merit that will enable the county and Ord to reach both immediate and future development goals.

Tickets for the carnival, circus, and duck race can be purchased at the Ord Area Chamber of Commerce (1514 K Street) or at local businesses.

You can download the complete schedule of events here.

2011 ExtraORDinary Days Duck Race

2011 ExtraORDinary Days Frontier Hot Dog Feed

2011 ExtraORDinary Days Street Dance

This year’s dance will be held in the street on the west side of the Ord Veteran’s Club and run from 9pm-1am.  Cost is only $3 per person or $5 per couple and you must be 21 years of age to attend.  Additionally, a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to a worthy cause in our community.

Loup Valley LEAD is a volunteer organization who is working together to make a positive impact in Ord and Valley County.  Anyone is welcome to join this organization, and they meet the first Thursday of each month.

To learn more about getting involved with this unique organization contact Alan Gabriel at 308-380-4369.

The previous design (top) differs from the new design (bottom) in that the new design represents a personal check and states that ChamberBucks never expire.  Both designs will still be accepted at Chamber businesses.

Updates that were made to the ChamberBucks policy in July 2011 simplified the process for both customers and Chamber businesses.  ChamberBucks can be purchased at the Ord Area Chamber office in $5, $10, $20, or $50 denominations and are perfect for gifts, prizes, or employee bonuses.  ChamberBucks can be redeemed at any Ord Area Chamber business and are used just like a personal check.  The entire face value of the ChamberBuck must be spent on a transaction.  Change cannot be given if the total purchase is less than the face value of the ChamberBuck.  ChamberBucks recipients may exchange ChamberBucks for different denominations at the Ord Area Chamber office.

If you would like more information about ChamberBucks or a list of Chamber businesses where they can be redeemed, contact Kristina Volf at the Ord Area Chamber office: (308) 728-7875 or by email at kvolf@frontier.com.

During the program, officers and members presented the FBLA mission, creed and emblem to the audience.  Bryant Els, FBLA President and Ord High School Senior received the Outstanding Leader Award.  Bryant has also qualified to compete in the Economics competition at the National FBLA conference in San Antonio, Texas this summer.  FBLA members received certificates of achievement for their involvement in activities throughout the year.  Coach Remmereid also presented the Valley County Community Foundation Fund with a certificate of appreciation for its sponsorship and support of the FBLA program.  Kristina Volf, Becky Ries and Dahn Hagge were also recognized for co-sponsoring the organization. The program concluded with a discussion session among community leaders and FBLA members.

Bob Stowell, Chairman of the Valley County Community Foundation Fund thanked the FBLA students for their leadership and community involvement throughout the year.  Stowell stated “The connection between our business community and our youth is imperative to our continued success in growing our economy and creating opportunities for our youth to return home after college to raise their families and begin their careers or start a business.  It is thrilling to see so many talented young people engaging in entrepreneurial activities, business planning opportunities and community service experiences. The Valley County Community Foundation is proud to sponsor the FBLA program.”

Some of the highlights of the year’s activities included the following:  starting the Chant Nation School Store in which students managed the sales, inventory and supply orders for this apparel and fan gear business; sponsoring a Safe Driving Campaign to encourage drivers of all ages to use their seatbelts; attending two leadership conferences with nationally renowned speakers, leadership development opportunities, and business competitions; implementing a community recycling program; and being nominated for three awards at the Chamber/Economic Development Banquet including ExtraORDinary Young Citizen, ExtraORDinary Organization, & Community Development & Improvement Awards.

FBLA is a national vocational student organization for middle and high school students who are interested in business or business education careers.  The mission of FBLA is “To bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.”  The four key components of the program include entrepreneurship, leadership, competitive business skills contests and community service projects.

The FBLA acronym stands for the following: Future: The word future reminds us that the future of the world depends upon the quality of leadership that we are able to produce. We must learn to recognize the situation in which our individual talents will be useful.  Business:  The world of business is our world.  To be successful in business, a person must be educated both formally and informally in business methods and procedures and in the basic principles of our economic system and government.   Leaders:  The word leaders represents the search for knowledge in order for us to become better citizens.  This knowledge will prepare us for the great task of leadership ahead.  America:  The future of America depends on our generation.  We should pledge ourselves to use the abilities that we have to make America a better place for everyone.

The Ord FBLA Chapter was re-chartered in August 2011 through a partnership between Ord High School and the Valley County Community Foundation Fund.  All schools throughout Valley County are welcome to join the chapter.  To learn more about FBLA contact Jennifer Remmereid at Ord High School by calling 308-728-3241.

OHS Principal, Mark Hagge commented, “I would like to extend a big Chanticleer thank you to our entire student body and staff for participating in the Ord Junior/Senior High School Service Learning Project Day.  I would also like to sincerely thank the community members that collaborated with the Ord High School Improvement Committee to coordinate this philanthropic experience.  The community support for our school and youth is far reaching with the support of scholarships, booster clubs, and school facility improvements and much more.  We are glad to be able to give back to all of the people and businesses that continually support us with this community service project.”

Keep America Beautiful/Keep Loup Basin Beautiful partnered with the school to support this event by providing numerous supplies including a Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup banner, GLAD trash bags, event posters, “Green Starts Here” volunteer stickers, hand sanitizers, and packets of flower seeds.  Linda Studnicka from Keep Loup Basin Beautiful also promoted the project on the radio.

To learn more about the Ord High School Annual Service Learning Project please contact Principal Mark Hagge at 308-728-3241.

- Photos must be taken in Valley County.
- An individual may only submit one photo per theme.
- Photos from the 2009, 2010, and 2011 contests are not allowed to be resubmitted.
- Photos must be submitted in digital format.
- Participants are not required to reside in Valley County.
- Professional photographers are allowed to compete in this competition.
- Valley County Tourism and the Ord Area Chamber of Commerce reserve the right to use submitted photos in any online or print publication with credit given to the photographer.

Over $1,000 in total prize money will be awarded throughout the course of this contest.  The prize for the first place photo is $200 in Ord Area ChamberBucks, $100 in ChamberBucks for second place and $50 in ChamberBucks for third place.  Prizes can be claimed at the Ord Area Chamber office, 1514 K Street in Ord.

Wide Open Space, South of Elyria. Photo by Tresia White. June 2010 Photo Contest.

The contest theme for the months of May and June is “Green Scenes in Valley County.”  Photos must be submitted by Friday, June 22 at 5:00 pm.  Voting will take place on www.ordnebraska.com/blog during the last week of June.  The photographer’s name will not be listed during the week of voting.  Once voting is over and winners are announced, each photo will be displayed with credit to the photographer.  Winners will be announced on Friday, June 29.  Announcements will be made on www.ordnebraska.com/blog, on the Ord, Nebraska Facebook page, and on Flickr.

Photos can be emailed to kvolf@frontier.com or saved on a CD and delivered to the Ord Area Chamber office, 1514 K Street.  The following information must also be submitted: photographers name, phone number, mailing address, e-mail address, and description or title for the photo (e.g. location).  Questions regarding the photo contest can be sent to Kristina at kvolf@frontier.com.  Be sure to look for more photo contest themes throughout summer and fall.

You can also enter for a chance to win a laptop, tablet, or HDTV!

In November of 2011, a $298,000 refund to the state of Nebraska was claimed for a Nebraska Advantage qualified project. To-date, a $11,359.69 balance of the original $298,000 remains for repayment from the economic development fund. While the City of Ord still collects sales tax during this time, monthly collections for the economic development fund net $0.00. Included below are the tax collections for your perusal as all collections are withheld by the state until the remaining balance of the refund is repaid.

Past monthly tax collections are:

2011 NOVEMBER ORD: $49,158.16 (sales)/$6,006.41 (consumer)
2011 DECEMBER ORD: $54,527.99?$6,211.93
2012 JANUARY ORD: $45,617.85/$4,121.74
2012 FEBRUARY ORD: $43,583.78/$5,697.50.

Current fund status

“Owning a home is a dream for most families, but lack of down payment funds is one of the barriers to homeownership, according to community assessments conducted in the region. CNHD developed this program to help future homebuyers realize their dream of homeownership,” states Judy Petersen, Executive Director.
Valley County is a qualifying rural county for the downpayment assistance funds.

Applicants will be required to complete a REACH-Approved Homebuyer Education Workshop and be income-eligible to receive funds through this program.

For more details about the down payment assistance program, please contact Judy Petersen at 402-340-0106 or judy@cnhdhome.org. To register for homebuyer education workshops, please contact Melissa Krysl at 402-340-6464 or Melissa@cnhdhome.org. Information is also available online at www.cnhdhome.org.