The extension of Halstead’s Main Street and new housing developments on the south side of town has run into a hiccup. The city recently learned that before it could proceed with its plans for the Cedar Meadows Second Addition and Powers First Addition, it must allow an archaeological survey of the area. City Manager Ethan Reimer explained that when the city pulled a state permit for Main Street to cross the slough, that permit was reviewed by several state agencies to weigh in on whether they had any potential concerns. The Kansas State Historic Preservation Office responded with a letter to the city requesting the area be surveyed by a professional archeologist before construction began. The area caught their attention because it’s been relatively undisturbed over the years, Reimer said. “The letter referenced they feel that gives them a greater propensity to maybe find something because it hasn’t been a farmed field,” he said. They believe prehistoric people may have settled near the area because of the proximity to water running through the slough.
Source: Harvey County Now

Susan still has a copy of the original warranty deed for the tract that her great-grandfather purchased from Abraham Lincoln Hess, who—along with his brother, Amos—founded Hesston in 1886. She said her great-grandparents came from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Hesston to help develop the Holdeman church in Kansas. Susan said she didn’t think most of Hesston’s current residents knew who her father was or his contributions to the city. “The golden oldies knew who he was,” she said. “New people moving in have no conception. They don’t care, and that’s OK.” Susan said after her father invented the unloading augur, he knew he would be bringing in some important people to work at the factory. He wanted the town to look nice so he could impress future employees. “He insisted every street was curbed and guttered and every street paved,” she said. “He wanted it to look tailored.”
Source: Harvey County Now

Verlin and Sonya Siefkes have a year in which they must find a more permanent living situation than the recreational vehicle they call home on North Webb Road. The Board of Harvey County Commissioners denied the couple’s request for a conditional-use permit on Tuesday. Planning and Zoning Director Karen Rothe provided the background for commissioners. She received a complaint from a neighbor that the Siefkeses had been living for years in an RV, which goes against the county’s unified development code. She said the Harvey County Planning Commission considered their application for a conditional-use permit, but it felt approving it would open the door to the whole county to violate the UDC. She recommended that commissioners deny the application and allow them a grace period of one year.
Source: Harvey County Now

According to Jackie Nelson, the Hesston Public Library (HPL) director, HPL has around 40,500 books and 6,300 other items for a total collection of about 46,800 items, not counting their e-collection. And while libraries took a hit during the pandemic, readers are returning. The McPherson Public Library has had over 200 new cardholders in the last two months, according to Director Mckenzie Murphy. Murphy wants people to know that the library is more than a building full of books.
Source: Harvey County Now