​YORK – What was a dark, dingy, cluttered storage area in the basement of the York County Courthouse is now a clean, bright, large workout area where county employees can lift weights and exercise.

The transformation of this area – from an array of smaller rooms and storage cages to a large open space with state-of-the-art equipment – is incredible.
It was just a few months ago when the York County Sheriff’s Department went to the York County Commissioners asking for permission to change the usage of that space so deputies – and other county staffers – would have a place to work out. They noted how many other law enforcement agencies have in-house exercise spaces – and with this space not really being fully utilized in the courthouse, it seemed the perfect place to create one.
Once the commissioners got on board with the idea, employees with the sheriff’s department put in about 50 hours of their own time to help move items owned by the treasurer’s office and the veterans service office. The items those offices retained were moved to different spaces in the courthouse basement. Then deputies painted the walls and ceilings -- Sgt. Samek credited Captain Gillespie for painting the ceiling himself.
New lights were installed, creating a bright space which no longer feels like it is a basement.
A wall was removed and special flooring was installed.
Then the cardio and strength equipment was purchased and installed.
“We are hoping to get it finished next week and have it open to county employees for use,” said York County Sheriff’s Sgt. Taylor Samek.
YSO Captain Josh Gillespie said the equipment cost about $40,000 – which was paid for using federal drug seizure funds, meaning it cost taxpayers nothing.
The paint, flooring and water fountain cost about $12,000, which will be paid for by the county as all staff members will have access to the space. The county was already in the process of using ARPA (federal COVID relief) funds to replace flooring/carpeting, etc., throughout the courthouse so this project fell within that scheme of work.
Captain Gillespie said ironically, this space was designated as a gym for employees back in the 1980s when the courthouse was first built -- it's actually designated as such in the original courthouse plans. Sheriff Paul Vrbka remembers using that gym space back when – Vrbka said he and other deputies brought in their own gym equipment and weights, so they could work out during downtimes and in the middle of the night when they weren’t on shift in order to keep their physical routines intact.
“We have a lot of shift workers who will really utilize this,” Sgt. Samek said. “A lot of us maintain our shirt hours even when we have time off because it’s better for us physically.”
​“Having this workout space is good for everyone, it will help our people stay healthy and that’s good for everyone,” Sheriff Vrbka said.
Sgt. Samek said the space will be secured and all county employees will have access through a keypad code.
“We are very happy and thankful the commissioners said yes and we could move forward,” Gillespie added.
“And we can’t wait until we have it completed,” said Sgt. Samek. “We are nearly there.”
Editor's note: The first three of the following photos are of the new space, the next four are of what the area looked like before, and the last two show more of the finished space. 

YORK COUNTY – On Sept. 28, at 11:41 p.m., a sergeant assigned to the York County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Interstate 80 near the Henderson exit for multiple traffic violations. During the course of the stop, the sergeant developed probable cause to search the vehicle and during that search, they uncovered two firearms, three ounces of methamphetamine, a small amount of fentanyl and Adderall. 

​YORK COUNTY – The York County Sheriff’s Department will be increasing traffic enforcement on Highway 81 during the month of October, as part of the department’s Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) campaign. 

YORK COUNTY – The York County Sheriff’s Department recently applied for and received grant funding through the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office’s Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), according to York County Sheriff Sergeant Taylor Samek. 

YORK – The York County Sheriff’s Department awards Employees of the Quarter to staff whose conduct over the evaluation period is deserving of recognition. 

YORK -- For the second year in a row, the York County Sheriff's Office K9 Unit was fortunate to host Nebraska Police Service Dog Program Administrator Mike Kerby at one of their training sessions.

YORK COUNTY – One person was injured in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 81 and Highway 34 at approximately 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12.

​YORK -- Information regarding a vehicle fire which caused the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 in York County to be closed for four hours has been released by the York County Sheriff's Department.
On Monday, Sept. 2, a RV was proceeding east of York when the driver saw in the rearview mirror that a fire had erupted in the engine compartment of the pickup they were pulling behind, according to York County Sheriff's Sergeant Alex Hildebrand.
He said eventually the RV driver was able to pull over and all the people inside, as well as their pets, were able to safely exit the RV. However, the fire quickly escalated and the entire rig -- RV and pickup -- completely burned. Fortunately no one was injured.
Hildebrand stressed the situation was not caused by a crash, but was due to the pickup fire and eventually the RV fire.
Responding to the scene, along with the York County Sheriff's Department, were Waco Fire, Utica Fire as mutual aid and the Nebraska State Patrol.
The closure of this stretch of interstate, during the afternoon hours of Labor Day, also caused a traffic bottleneck at the intersection of Highway 81 and Highway 34, as motorists were rerouted at the York interchange.
 

YORK – The York County Sheriff’s Department is reminding drivers in the rural areas of the county to exercise caution due to high corn and visibility issues that come with this time of year.

​YORK -- York County Sheriff Paul Vrbka says he has been informed the Nebraska Department of Transportation will be conducting engineering/traffic studies at several problematic intersections along the Highway 81 bypass around York.