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When it comes to population, it's good to be in the minority of just 20 Nebraska counties that have grown both during the 1990s and so far this decade, said Cindy Johnson, Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce president.
Johnson said she certainly wasn't surprised at Hall County's continued growth, given new housing starts in the community and the Regional Planning Department's projections that the county would keep growing.
"I'm glad that we're one of the 20 counties that are growing" over such an extended period of time, Johnson said, noting that there are 93 counties in the state. "It's good to be in the minority and experiencing that kind of growth."
She said she believes the city has done a good job of planning for growth by providing infrastructure in the form of roads, sewer lines, water lines and other public utilities.
Johnson said one of the challenges for Hall County is maintaining a quality work force for continued growth. She noted the high proportion of the county's population that is under 18.
She also noted the trend of Hall County losing population to larger counties such as Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy, even while it tends to attract people from smaller counties.
At the same time, Johnson said, the Omaha World-Herald recently published an article that detailed how metropolitan Omaha is losing people to large cities such as Kansas City, Denver and Chicago.
Still, Johnson said she hopes young people forge links to their schools and communities so they stay in Hall County right out of high school or "go on to college and come back."
Johnson said she believes the Grand Island schools have done a good job of planning for growth.
Grand Island public schools Superintendent Steve Joel said he isn't surprised Hall County is growing or that the county has a high proportion of young people.
The school district is considering adding modular classrooms next year to at least three schools and signed a lease for church space to operate preschool classes. It also is planning for an addition of classrooms at Shoemaker Elementary.
Joel said two things are driving such decisions. One is enrollment growth.
"We certainly have families coming to town every day," he said. "It's good for the town, and we'll keep up with it."
Joel said the other factor that has the public schools searching for more space is the new state mandate to keep kindergarten through third-grade classes at fewer than 20 students.
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