Event venue steals the show during Madison County Commissioner's meeting

MADISON, Neb. -- A eventful subject took center stage during the Madison County Commissioner's meeting on Tuesday.

A proposed event venue just outside of Madison caused many to come to the meeting. The person proposing the construction, Jamie Unkel Wolff, said she had wanted to build the venue for some time.

"I want to do an event center," Unkel Wolff explained. "It's a good time, I think, now to try and do that because it's a needed thing in our community. What I'd like to do is renovate a barn, but we're kind of on a standstill with that, so if we can't renovate a barn we would build one."

Unkel Wolff says she wants the venue to be used for events like weddings and family reunions. However, some living next to the proposed area took issue with the venue's location due to its rural area at the intersection of 840th Road and 550th Avenue.

Two such people were Randy and Deborah Sunderman, who wrote a letter to the board advising against the construction.

"The roads here are narrow curvy and without shoulders, it's a tight fit when farm equipment and vehicles meet on these back roads," they wrote. "Because the location is outside of city limits, any law enforcement would be handled by the Madison County Sheriff or Nebraska State Patrol. Any emergency assistance would have to come from the nearest town. With alcohol being a factor in these events, the need for a quick response is critical. The reality is that there will be a delay because of the location out in the country as opposed to a location within city limits."

Other concerned residents also spoke out during the meeting, many citing noise complaints, drunk driving, and trash as reasons why they were against the venue.

The commissioners awarded a conditional use permit in a 2-1 vote. With the permit, the future venue will have to follow guidelines on how they operate the venue such as hours of operation, keeping the location clean, among other requirements.

If they fail to meet these standards, the permit can be taken away upon review by the county.