The Superior Express -

Effective Oct. 1, residents of Superior will have one less option when it comes to how they will receive television programing.

When television first came to Superior in the early 1950s, it was free. All a community resident had to do was have an antenna that would some how grab the mysterious signal out of the air and direct it to their television set. While most people bought a manufactured antenna which they mounted either on top of their house or on a tower placed in the yard, there was some creative folks who attempted to capture the signals via other methods. Some tried a commercially manufactured device known as rabbit ears. The “ears” were located on top of the television set. Some tried to make their own antennas out of copper tubing. Some people even tried to use bed springs in their attic. Many of the attempts were not successful.

In the 1960s, a Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company subsidiary strung cable throughout the community and began offering cable television.

The cable system was popular but the system had a series of owners, the most recent of which was Glenwood Telecommunications.

When Glenwood installed fiber optic lines throughout the community in 2018, the cable service was discontinued in favor of an internet based system known as G-TV.

Now that system is going away.

A Glenwood representative, Jennifer Reiman, appeared before the city council Monday evening to discuss the company plans.

When the decision was made to discontinue the television operation, Glenwood had about 80 customers subscribing for its television option. Reiman said the service had long been an unprofitable operation and the company decided to instead focus on improving and expanding its internet service.

Company representatives are available to meet with local customers and help them find alternatives of which there are several including satellite and internet based providers.

She said the companies providing the television service keep raising their prices and had reached a point where Glenwood did not feel it should charge a sufficient amount to make their service profitable.

Reiman assured the council that Glenwood was not going away. The company is continuing to expand it service area and is currently planning to add a redundant service feed into Superior.

The company serves Superior with one fiber optic line coming in from the north. Should that line be cut, Superior customers would lose service. A second line feeding Superior from the east is now in the planning stage.

In other action Monday night, the council approved a contract with the Superior Public Schools to allow the use of the city owned restrooms located in the parking lot east of Brodstone Memorial Field.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic sanitation rules, public restrooms located in the Superior parks have not been open this summer. With the rental contract in place, the Superior Schools will be responsible for opening, supplying and sanitizing the restrooms on football game days. The rest of the time the restrooms are to remain closed.

Members of the council agreed to request a $53,000 recreational planning grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. If awarded, the city will provide a $12,500 match. A consultant would be hired to study and prepare a master plan for the community’s recreational needs.

After Nuckolls County refused to fund the annual dues for South Central Economic Development District activities in Nuckolls County, the council approved contributing $1,000 with the understanding the Nelson and Lawrence communities would both contributed $750. However, when the Lawrence board met it was determined that community did not benefit from membership in the district and declined to contribute. Monday evening the Superior City Council agreed to chip in another $750 to bring the total contribution of $1,750.

With the retirement of Brad Erickson, the water department foreman, on Aug. 31, the council named a 13-year water department employee, Larry Wilhelms, to serve as foreman and promoted Randy Johnson, a 12-year department employee from water operator 1 to water operator II. In addition the department will advertise for a third department employee.