Our Town Stamford taking steps toward the future with local projects

STAMFORD, Neb. (KOLN) - The village of Stamford is moving forward on several community improvement projects, including a park rehabilitation and a proposed fire hall and community building.

We caught up with village clerk Teresa Youngquist to talk about the many projects that are going on. She said the village was recently awarded a Nebraska Game & Parks grant to fully rehabilitate its local park. The project will include new playground equipment, ADA-accessible features, new sidewalks, native Nebraska species plantings and an outdoor classroom.

“Right now, it’s probably 40 to 50 years old as far as the playground equipment is concerned,” Youngquist said. “We’re going to work and get all new equipment for our kids in the area.”

A new fire hall and combined community building is also in the preliminary planning phase. Youngquist said the village is working with the Stamford Rural Fire Board on the project, which would include new village offices, meeting spaces and storage for fire department vehicles.

She said the current facility houses approximately 10 trucks in a two-bay space with no dedicated meeting, training or storage areas.

“We’re just kind of crammed in there like sardines,” Youngquist said. “It is a very much needed project.”

A community meeting is scheduled for March 5, 2026, bringing together the village board and the fire department to discuss the project.

Youngquist said Stamford has also worked on a significant nuisance cleanup effort in partnership with the South Central Economic Development District. The effort resulted in the removal of approximately seven tons of garbage, four houses and 52 trees.

Under the program, property owners who agreed to a development plan were allowed to keep their land while the village covered the cost of demolition and cleanup.

Additional projects include a Little Free Library, established through a grant from the Nebraska Library Commission. The library is free and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Youngquist also noted several active businesses in Stamford, including Community Bank, Rusty Spur Bar & Grill and the local service station, which offers fuel, automotive maintenance and feed sales. “I love this town,” Youngquist said. “I have never seen a town support themselves so well.”

We will continue our coverage of Stamford in future segments here on Pure Nebraska. One of the segments will focus on the Stamford Newsletter, and the volunteers who work hard to keep people in the community informed.

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