Henderson Chamber of Commerce Director Nicole Mierau starts the April quarterly meeting on Monday at The Hatchery.
The Henderson Chamber of Commerce had a packed agenda at its quarterly meeting on Monday, April 6, at 12 noon, held at The Hatchery. The meeting was sponsored by Perennial Public Power, with 42 attendees enjoying a lunch catered by Dutch Kitchen.
The meeting was called to order by President Zach Richert, and the previous minutes and treasurer’s report were approved. He thanked Perennial for sponsoring the meal and introduced Perennial’s Customer Service manager, Lisa Jacobsen, who gave an update on what’s happening at Perennial.
She reminded everyone that Perennial offers a 20% rebate on electric lawn and garden purchases, and residential and commercial incentives for cooling units, heat pumps, water heaters, smart thermostats, and induction cooktops.
“We have additional budget and invoice billing options available with a Smart Hub for recurring payments, paperless usage, and notifications. You can contact customer service to inquire about setting this up,” said Jacobsen. She added that the deadline for changing irrigation load control for 2026 is April 15.
The “Moms on a Mission” group presented updates on its fundraising progress for the proposed downtown park playground equipment. They have submitted a grant application for up to $100,000 with the York County Visitors Bureau and highlighted the urgency of raising funds due to a rate lock-in until the end of the year. They hope to break ground for the project in 2027.
A report was given by Jenni Harrington representing the York County Historical Association. She explained the purpose of the group, which serves all of York County, and the budget challenges they are facing since relocating to the Chapman building in downtown York.
Previously, they were housed in a county-owned building at the Fairgrounds, but had to relocate and now have rent expenses. The association faces a budget challenge due to a $4,000 limit on tax levies, prompting a call for an evaluation tax increase of 62 cents per $100,000. They are seeking community support for this levy, which will appear on the upcoming Primary ballot.
Henderson Chamber Director Nicole Mierau introduced the two candidates for the District 3 York County Commissioner seat, which will be on the May primary ballot. Incumbent Andrew Bowman is currently serving as the District 3 York County Commissioner, and Willard Peterson will also be running. They both spoke about their qualifications and concerns for serving in this position.
Lisa Hurley was on hand with a York County Development Corporation update. “Our national talent campaign is going really big right now. We’ve had over 28,000 people in the last six months look at job opportunities here in York County,” said Hurley. She told the group to look at their website and use their business analytics tool, which runs reports for businesses and startups, helping them build on their strengths.
“What’s really exciting is our York Regional Workforce Development Center that we’ve been working to get going for the past two years, partnering with Southeast Community College as well as York public schools and the business community. As of Thursday, we have raised over $2.5 million, which is huge, because once we hit $3 million, the project will go to Southeast C. College, which is providing the rest of the funding, and then, after their approval, the project will get going. ”
The new building will be located across the street from the York Public Schools district headquarters, where adults and students will be able to train and take classes, said Hurley. It will be a 20,000 sq. ft. building with the capacity to expand up to 40,000 sq. ft.
“This is a game changer for our economy and a way to keep our kids at home and help adults who can’t travel to Lincoln or Grand Island for nursing classes,” said Hurley. She explained that Allied Health Services will be moving to York next fall, and this new facility will “allow us the ability to provide nursing training and do clinical hours in our hospitals and nursing homes.”
A new business, The Mercantile, will launch in Henderson on Tuesday, April 7. Sheree Goertzen said a group was organized to meet the community’s needs since the closure of Henderson Foodmart. “As a result, we quickly transformed part of the Service Press building into a mercantile, and we are excited to open up this week. It will operate Monday – Friday from 3-6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.” according to Goertzen.
“It’s going to be a smaller footprint than the other grocery store, but we wanted to do something small but be able to meet the needs of the community, so you don’t have to run to Walmart.” She added that they will be working to provide local produce and meat in the future, and other unique goods and items.
The meeting was adjourned, and the next quarterly meeting will be held on Monday, July 6.
