Burwell Economic Development Quality of Life

Burwell
Economic
Development

Our
Community

Quality of Life

The City of Burwell is a small community that offers a high quality of life for residents of all ages. From an excellent kindergarten thru 12th grade school system to a vibrant senior citizen center. The Burwell community has much to offer its residents.

The Burwell community has over 160 locally owned and operated businesses. Businesses include 2 grocery stores, a newly opened hardware store, 2 medical clinics, a nursing home facility, 2 physical therapy clinics, 2 chiropractors, a bank and many other locally owned and operated businesses. Community members are excited to welcome a new bank and restaurant facility opening in the community this fall.

Click on the links below for more information about Burwell’s quality of life.

Agriculture Community
The economic base of the Burwell community is predominately agriculture with a large number of people making a living from farm and ranch based jobs. Burwell is home of the Burwell Livestock Market which is one of the largest cattle auctions in the Sandhills. To complement the community’s sale barn the community has 2 veterinary clinics and 2 feed stores. Other agriculture businesses in the Burwell community include Loup Valley Alfalfa which manufactures livestock feed and dehydrates alfalfa. Rowse Hydraulic Rakes located 22 miles north of Burwell has been manufacturing high quality haying equipment for over 45 years. The community is also served by a number of privately owned trucks that haul livestock and hay.

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Burwell Community Fund
The Burwell Community Fund was formed during the fall of 1996 in response to a group of area citizens that were interested in community improvement. The Burwell Community Fund operates under the auspices of the support of community betterment.
The purpose of the Burwell Community fund is to collect and disburse funds for projects that improve our community. Since the funds inception, over $100,000 has gone through the Burwell Community Fund for projects that are highly visible in the community.
A local advisory board oversees the collection and disbursing of funds. Individual groups such as the Friends of the Library, Field of Dreams, Garfield County Historical Society and Burwell Schools have written mission statements and have been recognized by the Nebraska Community Foundation in Lincoln, NE. People can donate money to the various groups through the Burwell Community Fund-tax deductible. The individual groups not the Burwell Community Fund, then decide how the money will be spent. www.burwellcommunityfund.com

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Churches

Assembly of God
210 North 6th Street
Phone: 308.346.5358
Sunday Services: 10:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Burwell Baptist Church
137 I Street
Phone: 308.346.4119
Sunday Services: 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Burwell Gospel Hall
420 Grand Avenue
Sunday Service: 11:00 a.m.

Congregational United Church of Christ
657 H Street
Phone: 308.346.4622
Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m.

Evangelical Wesleyan
1019 H Street
Phone: 308.346.4970
Sunday Services: 11:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.

First Christian Church
817 J Street
Phone: 308.346.5185
Sunday Services: 8:30 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.

Sacred Hearth Catholic Church
727 I Street
Phone: 308.346.4456
Sunday Service: 8:30 a.m.

St. John’s Lutheran
350 North 8th Street
Phone: 308.346.5060
Saturday Service: 7:30 p.m. (1st & 2nd Saturday of the month)
Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m.

United Methodist Church
917 I Street
Phone: 308.346.4318
Sunday Service: 11:00 a.m.

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Education
The Garfield County Schools consists of 3 elementary schools (K-6) and 1 junior/senior high school (7-12). It is the mission of the Garfield County Schools to educate students, with parent and community involvement, so that challenges presented by an ever changing society can be addressed with confidence and success.
The first school in Garfield County was started in 1936 and served as the High School and Elementary. As the communities population grew it became necessary to build an addition in 1952 and eventually built a new high school in 1970. The residents of Burwell opted to create a Class VI/Class I system in 1971. There are 159 students in grades K-6 and 176 students in grades 7-12. District #15 currently covers 175 square miles.

Burwell Elementary School
Burwell Elementary offers a Core Curriculum of classes that not only meets Nebraska Department of Education Rule 10 requirements, but also boasts many years of student success. The core subject classes of reading, language, math, science and social studies are instructed on a daily schedule in each classroom, including all day Kindergarten.

Burwell Elementary School has 2 special programs to recognize our outstanding students; the first is the Longhorn Pride program. This program is designed to reward students for positive behavior characteristics in the areas of; respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, perseverance and compassion. The 1st Friday of the month, students assemble in the gym and are given small prizes such as t-shirts, water bottles, gift certificates, etc. Only students who have been identified as showing one of the positive character traits listed above are eligible for a prize. At Christmas time and the end of the school year student’s that have been eligible throughout the year are put into a drawing container for an opportunity to win a larger prize. The second recognition program is the Burwell Elementary Student of the Month program. This program has been created to reinforce the good things students are doing at our school and recognize them for their positive actions. Each month teachers nominate 2-3 students in their class to receive the honor. Those students are recognized with a certificate from the principal and have their picture displayed in the trophy case for the duration of the month in honor of their accomplishments. http://teachers.esu10.k12.ne.us/burwellelem/

Burwell Junior/Senior High School
Burwell Junior/Senior High School (BHS) is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and the State Department of Education. BHS operates on a block schedule system. BHS strives to offer students a complete high school education experience. Along with a strong education curriculum, BHS offers the following extracurricular activities:
• Sports including football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track & cross country,
• National Honor Society,
• Speech & drama,
• Band & choir,
• Youth leadership team,
• FFA,
• FCCLA,
• Student Council and
• Other non-school sponsored activities including B-Club, Rodeo Club and Drill Team.

BHS students are served by a dedicated and well-trained staff. BHS boasts 17 classroom teachers, a special education teacher, a guidance counselor, a media specialist, a technology coordinator, a principal, a superintendent and 13 support staff members.
Special technology in the BHS include; 4 modern technology labs, a teacher workstation in every room, automated library circulation, a distance learning center, a satellite programming system and a PowerSchool student information system. http://teachers.esu10.k12.ne.us/burwellhs/

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Health Services
The Burwell community serves as a medical destination for residents of central and north central Nebraska. Located in the community are 2 medical clinics which practice general medicine. McMeen Physical Therapy and Sandhills Physical Therapy are both located in the Burwell community and serve patients from as far away as 60 miles. Staff at Sandhills Physical Therapy specialize in the myofascial release treatment approach. Also located in Burwell is 1 massage therapist, 2 chiropractors and a dentist.

Community Memorial Health Center is a long-term care facility in Burwell. The facility strives to achieve the best quality of life for its residents and provides a place where people can live and enjoy life. Residents are treated with respect, dignity, freedom and the ability to make choices about their lifestyle. CMHC provides scheduled activities daily as well as pet therapy. CMHC provides a nursing staff, physical therapists and 2 in-house physicians that visit regularly. Located at CMHC is the Friendship Home Assisted Living Center which offers an independent living environment.

The Loup Basin Public Health Department (LBPHD) is also part of Burwell’s medical community. The LBPHD provides guidance in promoting environmental and personal health through health promotion, disease prevention, education, and surveillance. LBPHD works together to promote and support healthier lifestyles for all persons within its 9-county service area. http://www.loupbasinhealth.com/index.htm

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Housing
The Burwell housing stock has a mixture of owner-occupied and rental housing units. In the last 2 years 2 new single family housing units were built in Burwell. Average cost per square foot for construction was $55 for the housing units. Average monthly rental cost for a 3-bedroom house in Burwell is $275, average monthly rental cost for a 2-bedroom apartment in Burwell is $250.

Burwell Housing Authority (BHA) has been serving the housing needs of central Nebraska for over 20 years. The BHA manages a total of 78 rental units including affordable housing for families, the elderly and disabled individuals. http://burwellnebr.com/bha.html

For a current list of housing units for sale in the Burwell area visit Gumb Auction & Reality. http://www.gumbauctionandrealty.com/

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Our Senior Citizens
Burwell has a vibrant group of senior citizens in the community. In the mid-1980s after the communities’ only shoe store closed a group of older citizens decided to create an opportunity for this vacant building on the community’s main street. A group of energetic community members created the Burwell Senior Citizens Center.

The Burwell Senior Citizens Center offers a place for the older residents of our community to gather and socialize. Wednesday afternoons at the center are reserved for cards and every Friday is “Pie Day”, where community members are encouraged to take a break and enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of pie for $1. In the back of the center the senior citizens have a second-hand store, which community members are encouraged to donate items to and shop at. Proceeds from the Burwell Senior Citizens Center’s “Pie Day’ and second-hand store, along with other fundraising activities help financially support the overhead costs of the center. Members of the Burwell Senior Citizens Center Board of Directors are very community minded and are continually investing their proceeds into community projects including the downtown street project, holiday decorations for the downtown business district, Celebrate Burwell and the track improvement project, etc.

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Professional Services
The Burwell community is home to a number of professional providers including 2 attorneys, 4 independent insurance agencies and an accountant. The Burwell community is currently serviced by 1 bank and a second bank is scheduled to open in October.

Shopping
The Burwell community has a variety of shopping opportunities available for its community members and visitors. The community has 2 grocery stores which offers a full line of products to choose from, other stores in the community include a pharmacy, a variety store, 2 lumber yards and a hardware store. Dry Creek Western Wear located in Burwell provides a wide-variety of western and non-western clothing attire. Burwell Floral & Bridal Loft has a professional florist and wedding consultant on staff trained to assist in any brides wedding day needs. Earthjunk’s Historic Butter Factory joined the Burwell community in the fall of 2004 and provides over 10,000 square feet of antiques.

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Relocation Packet
The Burwell Chamber of Commerce provides relocation packets to those looking to relocate to the Burwell area, either to live or to do business. Items we include in the Relocation Packet are a city map, information about local businesses, utilities, services, educational facilities and recreational opportunities.
To request a Burwell Relocation Packet complete and submit the following form.

If you do not have an email client and cannot email this form, please call our office at (308) 346-5210 and request a Relocation Packet.

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Promoting economic growth by retaining, growing, and expanding businesses in the Burwell area.