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Commissioners back April community cleanup that doubles as disaster incident-management drill
Summary
Former mayors and faith groups proposed a countywide cleanup from Scottsbluff to Gering on April 26, 2025; commissioners approved participation in a volunteer-driven event designed to train incident command skills and test logistics.
Scotts Bluff County commissioners voted 5-0 on Jan. 20 to approve county participation in a community cleanup and training exercise set for April 26, 2025, combining neighborhood cleanup work with incident-management training for volunteers and local agencies.
Tony Kaufman and Randy Meininger, both former mayors, told the board the event will run roughly 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cover an area stretching from about 42nd Street in Scottsbluff to the Heartland Express in Gering. The organizers said they are working with local churches, the chamber and emergency-management staff to recruit volunteers, map sectors using GIS and provide training for incident command, public information and liaison roles.
Kaufman described the plan as a —3multifaceted program—4 that will both clean neighborhoods and give hands-on practice for command roles in a disaster. He also said organizers have arranged for a free dump day in nearby municipalities to accept collected debris.
Randy Meininger and other organizers cited prior successful community cleanup efforts and said the event will be open to businesses and to unaffiliated volunteers as well as faith-based groups; volunteers will be given identification for the exercise, and planners will catalog GPS coordinates of pickup sectors as part of the training.
Commissioners moved to approve official county participation and the April 26 date so organizers could finalize logistics and begin outreach to churches and volunteer networks.
Why it matters: The event is intended to improve the county's readiness for natural disasters by practicing the incident-command structure in a low-risk environment while also removing litter and bulky waste.
Vote: The motion to approve participation and the date carried 5-0.
