A short stretch of asphalt cutting under a few dozen feet of nondescript railroad track is causing quite a stir.

During last week’s regular city council meeting the Chestnut Street underpass and its planned renovation--project STPB-71-2(110) on the docket--were once again the topic of the day. The council voted to proceed with restructuring based upon an architectural design submitted earlier, incorporating an aesthetic approximation of the existing stonework. But it was not that simple a matter.

The project has been under consideration for several years now. The current sense of urgency was prompted by a note from the state insisting the work move forward or funding would be rescinded.

“We need to get something going, make a decision tonight on which direction we want to go, and get this out to bid, “  mayor James Schnell informed the council. “We need to move forward, because we are running out of time.”

The state has promised to pay 80 percent of project costs.

In the previous meeting, Schnell had requested that city administrator Harold Farrar look into two different options for the underpass--one being the original plan with concrete retaining walls and the other a redo with the existing stones in place. Some residents consider the flat rocks lining the retaining wall important to the historic look and feel of the underpass, constructed shortly after the Lincoln Highway was routed through town in 1913.

“I thought my direction was to talk to the engineer and see what it would cost to re-engineer a plan to reuse the stones, and if we could get an estimate on what that would cost,” explained Farrar. “They got back to me, and he estimated that it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $200,000, give or take--and additional engineering on top of that.

“I think you guys just need to decide which design you want to go with,” he continued.

According to Larry Stahla, however, “There was an engineer estimated in 2010 of $60,000.00 to remove and replace the stone slope protection on the slopes.”

Farrar explained that elements of the existing underpass considered historically significant by the Nebraska Historical Society include the hand rails, the pillars that hold up the hand rails and the slatted posts, but not the stonework. The city must follow state guidelines in preserving historic structures and fittings.

“These stones are what the farmers used to pull out of their fields, isn’t that what they are? Limestone?” asked councilwoman, Kim Christiansen. “We want to make sure we’re not using something that we can’t maintain.”

Plans for the renovation replace the existing rock with concrete.

“I’ve had an onslaught of people say ‘get it done, get it done now--we’re sick of that ugly stuff and we want it new and fresh,’” said councilwoman, Kim Baliman. “I know that’s not what my friends from the historical society want to hear, but that is what they are saying, but I appreciate your passion.”

Stahla asked the council to reaffirm that the required public hearing be held before final approval and that the state historical society be allowed to ensure the preservation of worthy elements. Farrar explained that a public hearing is part of the timeline. There must also be another environmental assessment, as the previous study is outdated.

Stahla, who with Joe  Hernandez has long voiced concern over the project’s scope, then asked if the renovation would be altered should the public desire that stones remain in place on the slope.

“I don’t think that we will face an overwhelming amount of people that would disagree with a new and improved version,” Christiansen responded.

“From a chamber point of view I think it would be very nice if we had a much nicer looking entrance and exit to the town from the North, to draw people in,” observed Rod Horton, director of the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce.  “Not to be insensitive, but what makes it [the stone facing] ‘historic?’”

In a conversation afterward, Stahla addressed his concern. “The City is not doing what they should be doing, as far as getting the public involved in what they should do with this thing,” he said. “There will be a public hearing, but we need to make sure that people have a choice, instead of saying ‘this is what we’re going to do.’”