PIERCE OFFERINGS
Quality of Life:
The City of Pierce is a growing community with a population of 1,774. The City’s population has increased by 159 persons since the last census was taken in 1990. This rate of growth indicates people are attracted to what Pierce has to offer as a community. People from Norfolk and other larger communities have decided to move to Pierce because of its small town feeling, and the smaller school system. They are attracted to Pierce because it’s a nice and safe place to raise a family.
Location:
Pierce is located in Northeast Nebraska fifteen miles northwest of Norfolk along Highway 13, or 53 miles south of Yankton, South Dakota just off of Highway 81. Highway 13 connects Highway 81 and Highway 20. Pierce is located two miles north of Willow Creek State Recreation Area. Pierce is the County’s seat.
New Housing Availability:
There are three new housing subdivisions consisting of around twenty lots for sale with access to City utilities. There are also several 2.5 acre lots surrounding city limits available for building.
Housing Contractors:
Pierce has a unique advantage of having four experienced private building contractors in the area that can build a custom new home (SEE Business Inventory).
Tourism:
Pierce offers several attractions for visitors to enjoy. Within city limits is beautiful Gilman Park known for its Statewide Arboretum. Also, within Gilman Park is the Pierce County Historical Museum open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Three miles west of town is Cuthills Vineyard, Nebraska’s First Licensed Winery. The Vineyard hosts a Wine & Wings festival which attracts thousands of visitors each August. Also, two miles away from Pierce is Willow Creek Recreation Area which covers 1,600 acres and offers camping, fishing, boating, swimming, and water skiing. For more information about our tourism attractions, visit the community’s web site at www.piercenebraska.com
Education:
- Pierce High School built in 1996.
- Pierce Elementary School last addition built in 1982.
Pierce Public Schools has a PreK-12 student population of 730 in a public school district that encompasses over 200 square miles. The district operates separate elementary and high school state of the art attendance centers, both located in Pierce. The district provides a comprehensive program of instruction, supplemented by a wide range of co-curricular activities. The School is very proud of its core/elective and extra curricular programs, and the students perform well on local, state, and national assessments.
Pierce has a private school, Zion Lutheran (Preschool – 8th Grade) with a current enrollment of 84 students and six full-time teachers. Zion Lutheran School, now in its 100th year, was established to assist parents in the Christian training and educating of their children. Zion’s state certified teachers provide a quality, Christ-centered program of education for the children of Zion and for the children of the Pierce community.
- Northeast Community College (15 miles away; Norfolk, NE)
- Wayne State College (30 miles away; Wayne, NE)
Infrastructure:
1 Communications
- Pierce Telephone Company (locally owned)
a. Telephone
b. Internet – Broad Band High Speed Access
c. Fiber-Optics
d. Capability of meeting any distribution needs
-Cable One
a. Cable Television b. Internet – Broad Band High Speed Access
c. Fiber-Optics
2 Water
- Water Tower constructed in 1972
- Three Quality Wells (All wells have been upgraded in the past three years)
- Water Mains 4” or Bigger
- Pumps 1,330 Gallons/Minute
- Max. Capacity 1.9 Million Gallons/Day
- Static Pressure is 74 psi
- Residual Pressure is 83 psi
3 Sewer
- Four Cell Lagoon System – 600,000,000 Gallon Storage
- Three Lift Stations – Meets all State NPDES Standards
- 12” Main – 4,800 ft.
- 10” Main – 800 ft.
- 8” Main – 24,800 ft.
- 6” Main – 7,600 ft.
4 Electricity
- Electric system is City owned and operated
- Electricity is purchased from the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska
- New Substation built in 2000
- Substation capacity is 7200/12470 serviced by 69 KV line
- City services rural area west of town to Village of Foster
5. Natural Gas
- The pipeline servicing Pierce is owned by Kinder Morgan
- Aquila is the retail supplier of natural gas based out of Norfolk
- The community is served by a 4” line at 40 pounds of pressure.
- An average value of 1,000 BTU is available for residential, commercial, and industrial customers for base and peak use on a firm basis.
- Interruptible service is available for customers with alternate fuel capability.
- Aquila assists large volume users with customized services tailored to their specific needs.
Churches:
- Christ Lutheran Church
- St. John’s Lutheran Church
- St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
- United Church of Christ
- United Methodist Church
- Zion Lutheran Church
Fire/Rescue:
The City of Pierce has a strong volunteer base. This is evident with the City’s superior fire and rescue personnel. The Fire & Rescue departments take great pride in their services and possess the adequate training for any kind of an emergency.
Services:
1. Dentist
2. Medical Doctor
3. Physicians Assistant
4. Physical Therapist
5. Prescription Drug Delivery
6. Veterinarian
8. Grocery Delivery
9. Fire (40 Volunteers), Rescue (25 EMT’s), City Police (3 Full-Time Officers)
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
Mobile Society: The proximity of Pierce to a first class city (Norfolk) is that it is difficult to have citizens spend their money in Pierce that work in Norfolk.
Floodplain: Pierce is limited in which direction it can grow. For the most part, the City can only grow to the northwest and west because of the dike located to the north and east of town, and Willow Creek located to the south of town.
Property Taxes: Due to the city’s growth over the last twenty years and the close proximity to Norfolk, property taxes are higher in Pierce compared to surrounding communities such as Plainview and Osmond.
Housing Costs: One negative attribute of the community is the lack of moderately priced housing in the community. The housing market in Pierce compares favorably with Norfolk.
Rental Housing: There is an inadequate supply of quality rental housing in Pierce. Besides the trailer court, there is only one apartment complex which is available for rent. The two other apartment complexes are available only for those persons who qualify as lower to moderate income. There are a minimum number of homes and duplexes throughout town that are available for rent.
Approved by the Pierce City Council on April 5, 2004.
Kelly Heath, Mayor
Bob Bates
Bud Druyor
Tom Maas
Shannon Stuchlik
