Registration is open until Friday, Dec. 20 for Crete Recreation's Youth Basketball program.

This program introduces the fundamentals of basketball to kids in grades 3-6. Each week, new skills are taught and practiced with the addition of 3 vs. 3 games. The program is held on Sunday afternoons, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26, at Crete Intermediate School. 

Register on RecDesk or at the City Hall Park and Recreation Office, 243 East 13th Street.

Volunteer coaches are always needed. Applications are available in the Recreation Office or online. Parents who coach will have their registration fee waived.

Parks & Recreation Department 
Daniel Dunaway, Director 
City Hall - 243 East 13th Street
402.826.4314

The Crete Youth in Governance team recognized a number of City of Crete staff and first responders at the regular council meeting on Tuesday for their response during March flooding.

When rising river levels impacted streets, neighborhoods, and public areas, including city infrastructure, staff implemented an emergency reposes plan involving Public Works crews, the Crete Police Department, Crete Volunteer Fire Department and City Hall staff.

The Big Blue River at Crete hit a historic high of 30.68 feet on March 15 closing several streets and intersections in the southwest and northwest portions of Crete. Tuxedo Park was closed to all traffic when water levels impacted the main entrance park roads, and utility services to the park. The river level fell below flood stage (21 feet) on March 20.

Crete Youth in Governance is a program of Nebraska Extension which focuses on developing leadership and life skills in Crete youth. The goal of the team is “to help youth work in partnership with adults to improve their own lives and the community in which they live.”

Those recognized each received a 'Nebraska Strong' water bottle and letter:

Crete Police Department - Chief Steve Hensel, Sgt. Ron Koch, Sgt. Chad Menagh, Officer Brian Stork, Officer Drew Smith, Officer Audrey Arbuckle, Officer Brandon Howland, Officer Colin Gaman, Officer Lincoln Morehouse, Officer Sally Tyma

Crete Fire Department - Chief Tod Allen, Assistant Chief James Yost, Rescue 1st Lt. Terry Petracek, Fire Captain Matt Bakker, Fire 1st Lieutenant Harrison Gaman, Brad Elder

Parks and Recreation Director Dan Dunaway, Building Inspector Brad Bailey, Electric Department Superintendent Brian Schmidt, Utilities Office - Diann Nettifee and Telisha Slama, Street Department - Supervisor Trenton Griffin, Lyle Calkins, Alfredo Navas, and Dillon Aksamit, Water Department - Superintendent Brandon Koll, Lee Krasser and John Wiruth.

Mayor Dave Bauer and City Administrator Tom Ourada were also recognized for their work with the youth team over the years.

With MobilePrint Service™, you can use your personal computer or mobile device to print to Crete Public Library’s printer from anywhere. Simply upload the documents for printing and come to the library within 72 hours to release and pick up your document using your email address. Printing black and white is $0.10 per page, and color is $0.25 per page.

There are several different ways to use the print service, depending on your electronic device or email access:

Preparation to print from tablet or smartphone:

• Go to the app store for your device (Google Play for Android, or the App Store for Apple), and install and launch the PrinterOn App
• Go to “No printer selected”
• Select “Search.” Search for ‘Crete NE’
• Find the Crete NE printer (b&w or color), then choose PRINTER NAME and save

Print using your device and the PrinterOn app:

• For documents: 
  • when viewing the document, click in the upper right corner, choose “Open with…” and select the PrinterOn App
• For photos from your phone: 
  • open the app, click on “photo” and select a photo to print.
• Select the printer and click the print icon.
• Enter an email address and click on the check mark (you will receive a notice that the job started, and shortly after another message stating “Job Success”).
• At the Print Release Station in the library, select “Release a Print Job”.
• Enter the email address you supplied and select your print job.

Email something directly to the library print system:

• E-mail from any device directly to the library’s print system at the library:
• At the top of your email, where you can type in the address you want to send it to, enter the address to print black and white printer or the address to print color:
  • Black and white: cp-library-bw@printspots.com 
  • Color: cp-library-cl@printspots.com 
• You will receive an email receipt with the following information:
  • “Your document has been processed and is waiting for pickup at the printer.”
  • The receipt will also say whether you sent it to black & white or color, the subject line of the email and the number of pages
• At the Print Release Station in the library, select “Release a Print Job.”
• Enter the email address that it was sent from. The system should detect the email automatically. So if you sent it from your own email, you should type in your email address at the print release station at the library.

Your email will be printed from the library copier.

Print from a laptop or desktop computer from home or work:

Begin by visiting the Printer Portal for the library: http://www.printeron.net/cp/library

• Select the printer (black & white or color) and enter your email address.
• Browse your computer to find and select the file you wish to print.
• Click the green print icon (you will see the status of your print job).
• At the Print Release Station in the library, select “Release a Print Job”.
• Enter the email address you supplied and select your print job.
• Insert money in the coin machine to pay for your copies.

Your documents or photos will be printed from the library copier.

During the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks, The Garbage Company and City Transfer Station will be closed on certain days.

The Transfer Station will be closed on two Tuesdays, Dec. 24 and 31. The station will be open for regular hours on Saturday (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) both weeks. The Transfer Station is located at 478 County Road 2300 (1/2 mile north of Highway 33 on Boswell Ave.) 

The Garbage Company is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Garbage/recycling collection will run one day behind after Wednesday those weeks.

A reminder that cardboard can be recycled in the curbside collection program. Place clean corrugated cardboard boxes or shipping boxes under the toter; break down or cut boxes so they are flat and no bigger than 2 X 2 ft.

Garbage and recycling totes should be placed at the curb or alley on the night before or morning of collection day. Totes should not be next to obstacles, such as cars, poles or mailboxes. Totes should be stored away from the curb between collection days.

Crete Public Library staff provide a regular newsletter to keep patrons up to date about the library’s current activities and resources. Find out what’s happening at the library. Click below for the most recent issues or contact staff to sign up for an e-mail copy.

	November/December 2019	March 2019	February 2019
August/September 2018	May 2018	March/April 2018	January/February 2018

City of Crete personnel are tasked with services in preparation for, during, and after winter weather events.

Non-emergency numbers

• Police Department (24 hours) - 402.826.4311
• Public Works Department - 402.826.4312
  • Calls after regular business hours will be directed to an answering service and relayed to on-call personnel

Sign up for emergency alerts

• Residents can receive emergency alerts for Crete and the surrounding area by subscribing to Blue Rivers Basin Community Alert System (Gage, Jefferson, and Saline Counties). Sign up here.

Electrical and street issues

• To report power outages, problems with electrical service, street issues (including fallen branches on streets) and other concerns, please call Public Works, 402.826.4312
• Snow is removed according to the city’s approved snow plan, which takes into account emergency snow routes, arterial streets, weather forecast, and current conditions.
• The Street Department uses a salt brine pretreatment on priority streets if conditions allow before a forecasted winter weather event. Rainfall during this process can wash away the brine or make it ineffective. Salting/sanding streets remains part of the department’s practice during winter weather.

Sidewalk snow removal

• Business occupants are responsible for snow removal on sidewalks in the business district within 5 hours after accumulation ends and by 8:30 a.m. if snow falls overnight.
• In residential areas, residents are responsible for clearing sidewalks within 24 hours after accumulation ends.
• City Code, Chapter 8, Article 2 

Emergency Snow Routes

• After a significant snow event, three or more inches of accumulation, the city may declare a Snow Emergency, during which time parking along marked Emergency Snow Routes is prohibited and vehicles in violation will be towed.
• The city has marked Emergency Snow Routes on arterial streets including: Highway 33/103, Hawthorne, Boswell, Iris, and Main Avenues;  East 1st, East 4th, East 5th, East 9th, East 14th, East 15th, and East 29th Streets; others include Betten Rd., the entire downtown area and streets around Crete Elementary school. City Code, Chapter 5, Article 2
• View map above or view larger map

Parking tickets and towing:

• 24-hour Parking & Downtown Parking:
  • Vehicles cannot remain parked on streets, public roads or public property for more than 24 hours at a time.
  • Parking is prohibited in the downtown area between 2-4 a.m.; watch for posted signs.
  • Vehicles parked in violation of these ordinances make it difficult to effectively clean and clear city streets and are subject to tickets and towing. (City Code, Chapter 5, Article 4)
• Any vehicle cited three times within 30 days may be towed on the issuance of the third ticket.
• Parking tickets and fees are paid at the Crete Police Station, 1945 Forest Ave., during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 -11 a.m. and 12 -5 p.m.) If a vehicle was towed during a snow emergency or for other parking violations it may be claimed from the towing company once the fees are paid at the police station.

Garbage and recycling collection

• If severe weather conditions warrant a stoppage or delay in garbage or recycling collection, the city will make efforts to notify customers through social media and the city website.

City officials are considering a renewal of services with the The Garbage Company, or pursuing other options for garbage and recycling collection in Crete.

The Garbage Company has been the city's contracted garbage hauler for about 15 years. No-sort, curbside recycling was added in 2008, with an additional tote provided for residential collection.

The projected timeline for this process is in the spring, when the current contract comes up for official renewal. View current garbage and recycling collection information in the Public Works section.

The City of Crete will lease parking spots in the new lot at 12th and Norman Ave. to residents who live downtown.

This project has been in the works for several years in order to solve issues related to overtime parking by downtown residents without off-street parking and the enforcement of long-standing parking regulations. For example, the City prohibits parking on downtown streets from 2 to 4 a.m. every morning as indicated by signs in the area.

Parking spaces in the 12th and Norman lot will be leased for a term of up to two years at a rate of $50 per space, per month, with a security deposit of $40 per space. Residents who lease spots will be provided with mirror tags, assigned a specific spot, and be required to provide information on vehicles authorized to use each parking spot leased. Contact the Public Works Office at City Hall for more information, 402.826.4312.

Providing accessible, off-street parking for downtown residents and enforcement of current parking limits allows for more efficient and effective street cleaning and clearing of snow. 

Vehicles parked in violation of posted parking limits will be subject to enforcement with citations. Any vehicles receiving three (3) citations in any 30-day period will be subject to tow. 

12th Street and Kingwood/Linden Ave.

City Park is located on the south side of City Hall, bordered by 12th Street from Kingwood to Linden Ave. There are restrooms, greenspace and a large playground, which includes slides, swing sets, a teeter totter, circular climbing tower and a large play structure. City Park is also home to several historic features which highlight the park as a beautiful and well-used community space.(Go to Parks and Recreation Department Main Page)

Fountain

The fountain at the southwest corner of the park was originally dedicated on Nov. 13, 1915 as a gift from the Bohemian Ladies Park Club. It was manufactured by J.L. Mott Iron Works in New York City with a basin, two bowls, and a Grecian maiden statue called the “Goddess of Liberty,” holding a lighted globe.

The fountain was rededicated in October 2015 after vandals nearly destroyed it a year earlier. The fountain was restored for placement in a new, larger basin with a walkway and benches, insuring it continues to be a well-loved icon of Crete and City Park.

Bandstand

The bandstand in City Park was constructed in the summer of 1924, in time for an August concert by the 110th Medical Regiment Band, which formed in Crete the same year.

The bandstand continues to be the centerpiece of many family and community events held in City Park, including Crete Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, visits by Crete Elementary and St. James school classes, meals and gatherings.

Veterans Monument & Sherman Tank

The City Park veterans area, at the northwest corner and south of the Post Office, includes the M4 Sherman tank and a place to honor local veterans with recognition bricks. 

The Veterans Monument took shape in 2018 with decorative, stamped concrete around the tank and the construction of two oversized, wooden easels and concrete frames in which bricks are placed. (Recognition brick order forms are available at the Utility Office at City Hall or can be downloaded and printed here.) Read more about the Veterans Monument.

The Sherman tank was originally placed in the park in July 1960 by members of the National Guard. Maintenance in recent years was performed by guard members from the Combined Support Maintenance Shop at the Lincoln National Guard base.

About 50,000 M4’s were produced during WWII and Crete’s is an M4A3E8 produced in 1944. Many tanks of this configuration also served throughout the Korean Conflict. The tank was repainted to reflect its accurate service numbers and insignia. 

 Living Christmas Tree

The first Living Christmas Tree in Crete was placed on the north side of the current library in 1923 to promote a giving spirit all year long, a concept created by Crete resident Florence Hazen Miller. The idea persevered as several trees replaced the original over the years. Crete community members rededicated a new tree in December of 2012 in City Park.    

Miller’s idea later reached the wife of President Calvin Coolidge and a National Christmas Tree was planted on the White House lawn in 1925. Many trees have been distributed around the world as a symbol of peace and unity.

Rose Garden

The City Park rose garden is located along Linden Ave.

"Of Nebraska" Heart

The heart sculpture was part of a public art project, Nebraska By Heart, for which dozens of hearts were painted or adorned with designs by artists and citizens from around the state and auctioned for charity in October 2017. The heart was placed in City Park in May 2018 in the circular area once occupied by the fountain. 

Michelle Hrbek's design features twelve women portraying cultures and ethnic groups, which relate to the state’s pioneering heritage and present day immigration. The women remain faceless to allow viewers the opportunity to see themselves within the representation. Hrbek teaches art at Lincoln Northeast High School and her husband’s parents are former Crete educators.