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Kansas Municipal News

Johnson County Community College announces four-step ‘return to campus’ plan

Johnson County Community College last week released a four-step return to campus plan. The plan will resume on-campus activities and services while protecting the “health and safety of the campus community,” according to JCCC. “Fully restoring campus operations will require patience, careful consideration and deliberate implementation,” the Return to Campus Plan webpage reads. “As the situation is still fluid, some of these details may change.” The community college will only progress to the next step if there is a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period,” or if there is a “downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total test” within that same time frame.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

GCCC Utilizing CARES Act Funds for Free Student Laptops

Garden City Community College is offering up to 150 new laptops at no cost to students who need reliable computer access for their studies. The new laptops – Lenovo Thinkpads, valued at just under $500 each – will be made available to degree-seeking students who demonstrate substantial need through an online application. Applications will be reviewed in June, and priority will be given to students who are enrolled in courses for both Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 by June 19, 2020. Students must be pre-enrolled in courses for Fall 2020 to be considered. Summer courses started May 26 and a second summer session of classes begins July 6, 2020.
(Read more: Western Kansas News)

A blast from the past, Dodge City’s South Drive-In is getting new life

Drive-ins, often considered a relic from the past, now making a resurgence amid COVID-19. One Kansas community is teaming up to restore their drive-in. What started as a simple Facebook page has now turned into a community-wide initiative as Dodge City residents are coming together to save their drive-in. The South Drive-In Theatre has been in operation since the 1940s making it the oldest drive-in in the state of Kansas.
(Read more: KSN-TV)

Wichita playgrounds, dog parks, rec centers to reopen June 1

Wichita Parks and Recreation will open recreation centers, dog parks, playgrounds, and the Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center, with restrictions, on June 1. Some of the restrictions will include requiring masks in indoor facilities, social distancing of six feet or more, and requiring patrons to clean fitness center equipment after use. Patrons will also have to bring their own balls and equipment at recreation center gyms.
(Read more: KWCH News)

Barton Community College to end fall semester early

Due to the pandemic, colleges have started to make changes to their fall semesters. Barton Community College was one of the first area schools to do so. “We all want to know,” said Elaine Simmons, Barton Vice President of Instruction. “We all want to know what we’re doing to the best of our availability.” Simmons and her colleagues came up with a new plan for the upcoming semester aimed at protecting students and staff from the coronavirus.
(Read more: KAKE – News)

Williams says Fed thinking ‘hard’ about yield-curve control

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said policy makers are “thinking very hard” about targeting specific yields on Treasury securities as a way of ensuring borrowing costs stay at rock-bottom levels beyond keeping the benchmark interest rate near zero. “Yield-curve control, which has now been used in a few other countries, is I think a tool that can complement — potentially complement — forward guidance and our other policy actions,” he said in an interview Wednesday on Bloomberg Television. “So this is something that obviously we’re thinking very hard about. We’re analyzing not only what’s happened in other countries but also how that may work in the United States.” Yield-curve control — where the central bank caps yields on government bonds of a chosen maturity through potentially unlimited purchases — has been used by Japan for years to stimulate economic activity and was recently adopted in Australia. Investors see the Fed embracing the tool in coming months as policy makers turn their attention toward fostering a strong rebound from the severe downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)

Shawnee County to remain in Phase 2 despite Gov. Kelly’s end of Ad Astra reopening plan

The Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team said Tuesday it will remain in the already established phase two, with no additional changes or restrictions. This comes after Governor Laura Kelly announced she’s ending her Ad Astra reopening plan and leaving all decisions on social distancing and business restrictions up to each individual county health officer.
(Read more: KSNT News)

With reopening plans, local businesses express support for shift of control from state to counties

With Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s new emergency disaster declaration, it is now up to each Kansas county to make any restrictions on businesses when it comes to reopening. In Wichita, businesses who spoke with Eyewitness News Tuesday say they’re hopeful with the prospect of having less restrictions in place with the county in control instead of the state. “I think the county has a better feel for the local economy and what’s happening here, even the actual cases of corona,” says Air Strike Martial Arts owner TJ Thomas.
(Read more: KWCH News)

Harvey County staying in ‘Phase 2’ of reopening plan, at least through June 2

The Harvey County Commission in a special meeting Tuesday night (May 26) voted to remain in the second phase of its local reopening plan. The local decision followed Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s announcement earlier in the day that she would veto a House bill related to the state’s COVID-19 response, limiting the governor’s executive power when it comes to emergencies. This ended the state’s executive order concerning Kelly’s phased reopening plan as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. It’s this decision that. moving forward, passes restrictions and guidelines with reopening businesses on to the county level.
(Read more: KWCH News)

Decisions with reopening guidelines now up to individual KS counties

With changes Tuesday, the state of Kansas could be returning to the same situation in mid March in which each county has its own guidelines when it comes to plans for reopening businesses and placing restrictions to safeguard against COVID-19. In Sedgwick County, the commission will have a meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday (May 27) in which county leaders will have to decide if they want to change the existing guidelines set by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly in her Ad Astra plan to reopen the state’s economy.
(Read more: KWCH News)

Johnson County says it won’t impose new restrictions, but strongly recommends adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines

Following Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that would have capped her emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, Johnson County health officials say they’re strongly recommending local businesses and residents follow the state’s Ad Astra reopening plan even though the county won’t impose new official limits. With Kelly’s veto of the bill, the authority to set and enforce public health policies to stem the spread of the virus effectively falls to the counties. While Johnson County’s top health officers say they don’t plan to put any new restrictions in place given current conditions, they stressed the need for businesses and residents to be responsible in exercising social distancing and hygiene practices.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Kansas counties in charge of COVID-19 restrictions after Gov. Kelly vetoes emergency powers bill

Kansas no longer will impose a statewide phased-in reopening plan, Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday. In deciding to veto a bill that would have restricted her powers to respond to the coronavirus, she issued a new emergency declaration. “This legislation creates more problems than it solves,” Kelly said. She argued it would ultimately delay coronavirus aid from the federal government. “This would only prolong the economic pain of this crisis.” Kelly’s new order makes her phase-out of the economic shutdown and limits on mass gatherings an advisory guidebook for county officials — not a statewide command.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Roeland Park ‘bans the box,’ eliminates criminal history question from employment applications

The Roeland Park City Council last week signaled support for the “Ban the Box” effort and agreed to remove a question about criminal history from employment applications not related to public safety. “Ban the Box” is a movement to level the playing field for applicants with a criminal background, according to city documents. Assistant City Administrator Jennifer Jones Lacy said Johnson County removed the question from job applications in 2016 and former Gov. Jeff Colyer signed an executive order removing it from executive branch jobs in 2018.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Winfield Aquatic Center to open June 12

The Winfield Aquatic Center will be open to the public beginning June 12 under current timelines released by the State of Kansas. The experience at the facility will be different this year, reflecting changes in operations to adapt to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “One of the best places a person could be this summer is outside in the fresh air and sunshine. At the same time, it is important that we provide a safe environment for both our employees and the patrons who choose to come to the aquatics center. We have developed a plan of action to minimize the risk of COVID-19 at the aquatics center,” said Scott Schoon, facility manager.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Labette County to discuss business restrictions

Labette County commissioners will meet early Wednesday morning to discuss their response to Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that would have limited her authority to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the issues commissioners will decide is if they want restrictions on businesses and individuals to continue in the county.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

City of Newton appoints Kelly McElroy as city manager

The City of Newton Tuesday named Kelly McElroy as its new city manager. McElroy steps into the leadership role after serving as Newton’s interim city manager since the retirement of Bob Myers at the end of last year, the city says. The city says McElroy served as assistant city manager/development director for Newton since October 2016. “Commissioners, City staff, and community members who have worked with Kelly during her time in Newton know her to be knowledgeable, committed and trustworthy,” Newton Mayor Leroy Koehn says. “During this time of unprecedented challenges, Newton is fortunate to have Kelly leading our City organization.”
(Read more: KWCH News)

Municipal Bond Trends for May 26, 2020

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

AG Derek Schmidt to Congress: Protect rural broadband access as part of any additional COVID-19 relief legislation

Congress should ensure that all Americans have the home internet connectivity necessary to participate in telemedicine, teleschooling and telework as part of any additional COVID-19 relief legislation, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt told U.S. Senate and House leadership in a letter sent last week. “Large portions of rural America, including here in Kansas, currently lack broadband access at a time when many of our critical needs are being fulfilled online,” Schmidt said. “It’s essential that Congress take action to prevent government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from worsening the existing digital divide and ensure access to work, school and healthcare for all Americans.”
(Read more: Kansas Attorney General News Releases)

Nearly 75% of COVID-19 patients in Sedgwick County have recovered

Sedgwick County reports that out of the 559 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, nearly 75% of them have recovered. The county’s website says that as of 4 p.m. Monday, 409 patients have recovered and 21 of them have died. That leaves 129 cases that are still active. The first case in Sedgwick County was reported on March 16. Across the state, data compiled by the Reno County Health Department shows 9,133 total cases with 3,867 recoveries and 207 deaths. However, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports 9,218 total cases and 188 deaths.
(Read more: KAKE – News)

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes pandemic bill, hands counties more power and calls special legislative session

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Tuesday a bill passed by the Kansas Legislature to snatch from the Kansas governor direct control of $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid and alter state law to weaken the executive branch’s emergency power during the pandemic. Kelly, a Democrat working with a Republican-led House and Senate, said she would sign a revised, 15-day state of emergency declaration to provide legal footing for a streamlined set of executive orders issued during a pandemic that has killed at least 188 and infected more than 9,200 in Kansas. Officials in all 105 counties will be granted the right to set health, business and mass gathering limits, she said. Her plan to continue with phasing in reopening of economic activity will become advisory to counties, she said.
(Read more: State Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Sedgwick County health officer encouraged, but would like to see more wearing masks

Medical experts at every level say we are far from out of the woods when it comes to risks associated with COVID-19 and dangers the virus poses. At least locally, there are positive indicators that most are following guidelines to safeguard against COVID-19, but many out in public choose not to wear masks as health professionals at every level recommend. Eyewitness News went out Tuesday and spoke with people about their decisions to either wear a mask or go without. At least Tuesday, the majority of people who spoke with Eyewitness News did so through a mask. This is a positive sign to Sedgwick County Chief Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns, although he says he would like to see more people wearing masks in public. “Now we’ve had another week and again,we haven’t seen any peak, or even significant rise in cases, so it’s reassuring to me,” Dr. Minns says. “Again, I want to hope that’s because of everybody being so obedient about those things we’re asking.”
(Read more: KWCH News)

Wichita workforce center reopens to public

Unemployment in Kansas hit 11.2% for the month of April. Anthony Newman was one of those that were laid off from their job, in part, due to COVID-19. He is now trying to find a new job with help from the Wichita Workforce Center. Newman said he wants help from the center to get his CDL license. “I came here to not only have a job, but give me a career,” Newman said. The Workforce Center opened its doors Tuesday morning for the first time since the end of March. Workforce Center CEO Keith Lawing said having the ability to meet face-to-face with job-seekers will be a big benefit.
(Read more: KAKE – News)

Wichita officials weigh options for opening pools while demand for home pools increases

Will public pools in Wichita open this year? It’s a possibility, but city officials are also weighing the benefits of not opening pools until next year. “There are still cities still struggling just for health reasons on whether or not they’re going to open,” said Robert Layton, Wichita city manager. Public pools in Wichita sit empty and could remain that way depending on the city’s decision. “The problem isn’t just the people in the pool,” said Layton. “How do you social distance also outside of the pool?”
(Read more: KSN-TV)

McPherson Water Park proposes plan to city

Members of the McPherson High Swim Team and McPherson Water Park director Kyle Roberts proposed a plan to open the water park to the McPherson City Commission Tuesday morning. Roberts proposed an opening of the water park to occur on June 15, during Phase 3 of Gov. Laura Kelly’s Ad Astra Plan to reopen Kansas. Phase 3 of Gov. Kelly’s reopening plan is expected to start on June 8. Roberts said a poll was created on the water park’s Facebook page and has nearly 2,000 votes, with the majority voting yes to open the water park.
(Read more: McPherson Sentinel)

Newton Rec Commission eyes June 15 opening of municipal pool

The hopes of swimming in the municipal pool this summer are treading water — delayed, it seems, by each new announcement from Gov. Laura Kelly as she has signed executive orders moving the state through a phased reopening plan in attempts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, published in black and white on a revised reopening plan, there is a date for the pool to reopen. The plan given to the Newton Recreation Commission by Rec Commission staff lists June 15 as the day to get into the water. If the plan stands, the pool will be open for four hours a day, with likely two evening swims a week for families. It will not be available for group rentals, though local swim teams will be able to use the pool.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)

Wyandotte County to continue following Kansas Phase 2 reopening plan

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the Ad Astra Reopening plan has transitioned away from being a statewide requirement and into a statewide guidance document. Gov. Kelly further announced that county health officers remain empowered to issue local orders adopting the Ad Astra Reopening plan if they choose. The health order signed by the Unified Government’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Greiner, on May 20, adopting Phase 2 of the Ad Astra Reopening plan, remains in effect in Wyandotte County, according to a UG spokesman. The county will not need to issue another order on following the plan this week.
(Read more: Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!)

Keeping Lawrence outdoor pools and rec centers closed ‘first of many difficult decisions,’ leaders say

As businesses across the city begin to open their doors, the City of Lawrence recreation centers and outdoor pools will remain closed to public. Those facilities are allowed to open with restrictions under state health guidelines, but as city leaders keep a wary eye on the budget, the calculus of when to reopen is more complicated. The city has released a reopening plan for the Parks and Recreation Department, and the plan calls for the city’s outdoor pool and wading pools to remain closed all summer. Recreation centers will also remain closed to the general public until all health orders and restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic lift. Parks and rec officials say those decisions were based in part on direction from elected leaders.
Read more: LJWorld.com.

Municipal Bond Trends for May 22, 2020

Smaller Lyon County communities share life during pandemic

The smaller Lyon County communities are also enduring the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Gazette spoke with the mayors and city clerks of these communities to glean insight into how the small city, rural life is continuing. 2020 marks Reading’s sesquicentennial, and its birthday party has been postponed until gatherings are safer. Mayor Todd Hensley said Reading has seen a lot of things in its 150 years, “but I don’t believe we’ve ever seen anything like this,” he said. The community is resilient, though that is apparent whether or not the world is enduring a pandemic. The local Miracle Cafe is offering curbside service, and the bank and elevator are still doing business. The local beauty shop and park are still closed, and “it’s kind of sad not to see the kids down there playing,” Hensley said. “We spent a lot of time and effort putting all of that stuff up, and now it’s closed off to them, but it will open back up, and kids will be able to go down and play again.” Otherwise, “Reading doesn’t have a lot to reopen,” he said.
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Sedgwick County correcting speed limit conflict on 159th Street East

Sedgwick County is correcting a problem with conflicting speed limits on a section of roadway that borders Butler County. Sedgwick County commissioner Jim Howell called attention to safety concerns with 159th Street East, between Harry and Pawnee. The west side of the roadway is under the jurisdiction of Sedgwick County, and Howell said no speed limit was posted there for southbound traffic. By default, that would mean that cars could travel up to 55 miles an hour under state statutes. On the east side of the road, controlled by Butler County, the speed limit is 40 miles an hour for northbound traffic. Howell there has been construction in the area along with an increase in traffic, and that creates a safety issue. County commissioners have approved a change to post a speed limit of 40 miles an hour for southbound traffic.
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)

Projects chosen for new Kansas highway program

Preliminary engineering work is getting started for 40 major highway projects across the state of Kansas. The projects are the first ones to move forward under the Eisenhower Transportation Legacy Program, also known as IKE, which was created in March. Major modernization and expansion projects will be selected every two years rather than once a decade under previous highway programs. The change allows the state to address the most pressing needs and adjust to changes in state revenue.
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)

Kansas Cosmosphere reopens

The Kansas Cosmosphere has reopened in time for Memorial Day weekend. The space and science center in Hutchinson has taken steps to help keep visitors and staff safe and prevent possible exposure to Covid-19. All staff will be wearing masks and visitors are encouraged to as well. Disposable masks will be available for visitors and temporary Plexiglas shields have been installed at all points of sale. There are markers on the floor at 6 feet intervals to allow visitors to maintain social distancing and hand sanitizing stations have been set up across the facility. Seating inside the Digital Dome Theater, Dr. Goddard’s Lab, and the Planetarium is limited and every other row will remain unoccupied. Visitors are also being encouraged to purchase all tickets online rather than in person. To see all the precautions the Cosmosphere is taking, click here. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit their website.
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)

US communities face tough choices on opening public pools

Public pools will look very different this summer if they open at all with the coronavirus threat still looming, as teenage lifeguards will be tasked with maintaining social distancing and spotting COVID-19 symptoms in addition to their primary responsibility of preventing drownings. Pools that do plan to open will take precautions, including screening temperatures on entry, requiring lifeguards to wear masks and significantly reducing the number of swimmers allowed in the water and locker rooms, said Dr. Justin Sempsrott, the medical director for the lifeguard certification program Starguard Elite and executive director of Lifeguards Without Borders, which works to reduce drownings worldwide. “It’s definitely not going to be business as usual this season,” he said.
(Read more: KSN-TV)

‘We’ve got to know who they are’: Contact tracing vital as county reopens

Who were you with on Mother’s Day? Did you go to a restaurant? Did you carpool to work with someone? These questions may seem personal, ones that you would most likely discuss with a friend or family member. But for contact tracing nurses to accomplish their job, these are inquiries they must make to determine who is a potential contact for a positive COVID-19 case. Contact tracing nurses have to be nosy. To successfully slow the spread of COVID-19, nurses must learn how to be a detective and dig into every minute of someone’s life. It is not a cutting-edge method of tracking down people who have been in contact with a positive case, but instead one that historically has been used in Shawnee County to identify those who are a contact for someone who has measles and chicken pox.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Merriam police officers save owl stuck in soccer net

Merriam police officers demonstrated their ability to adapt to any situation last weekend and saved an owl stuck in a soccer net at Waterfall Park, 5191 Merriam Drive. After a concerned citizen alerted the police department about the owl, four officers responded to the scene as there were no animal control officers on duty at the time, Captain Chris Brokaw said. The officers took it upon themselves to free the owl, although saving wild animals isn’t a regular occurrence for police, he said. “Nothing in our day is routine, you just never know what you’re going to get,” Brokaw said. “I’m sure they never thought in a million years that they were going to have to come across something like this. You kind of roll with the punches and adapt to it, and try to handle it as best you can.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Newton Rec Commission eyes June 15 opening of municipal pool

Neosho County to assist Erie 101 district

Neosho County Commissioners voted Thursday evening to assist the Erie school district with improperly-installed air conditioning at the high school. Erie’s USD 101 Superintendent Troy Damman requested assistance from the funds Apex Clean Energy, developer of the Neosho Ridge Wind electric generation project, is paying in lieu of property taxes (PILOT funds). Commissioners voted to provide $200,000 to correct improper installation of Erie High School’s ground-source heat pump. The funds will also assist with curriculum and textbook updates and safety at the Galesburg Middle School, which is part of USD 101.
(Read more: www.chanute.com)

Survey finds 32 states withholding CARES aid to local governments

The National League of Cities reports that 32 states are withholding federal funding to local governments that was approved under the CARES Act that was signed into law March 27. The survey completed May 18 found most municipal governments have received “no indication when, or if, funds will ever be made available,” the NLC said. Many congressional lawmakers have been under the impression that local governments already have received a share of the CARES Act funding, but that’s not the case. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act established a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund that dispersed $8 billion to tribal governments, $3 billion to territories and the District of Columbia and the remaining $139 billion to all states as well as counties and cities with populations over 500,000.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)

Centura Health – St. Catherine Hospital, LiveWell Finney County work together to distribute much-needed supplies

With the number of positive COVID-19 cases continuing to rise rapidly in several southwest Kansas communities, Centura Health – St. Catherine Hospital saw a growing need for supplies and community outreach in the region. After identifying the need, Centura Health, a health system covering Colorado and western Kansas, rounded up supplies to the tune of 25,000 masks, 2,000 eight-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer, and gloves and deployed them to Garden City. In Saturday and Sunday, a team of leaders and caregivers from Centura Health-St. Catherine Hospital and representatives of LiveWell Finney County rolled up their sleeves and began distributing the supplies, as well as informational handouts about COVID-19, to residents in some high-risk neighborhoods in Garden City.
(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

April passenger traffic decreased 95% at Eisenhower National Airport

Wichita’s Eisenhower airport reports a 95% decrease in airline traffic in April of 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019. The monthly passenger total this April was 7,363 people. Last year’s April numbers stand at 136,125. For the year, passengers are down 36%. COVID-19 has devastated air travel around the country and the world as passengers have virtually stopped traveling. Fear of catching the virus, stay-at-home orders and closures have kept people home. As required by the CARES ACT, airlines reduced flights to a bare minimum. At ICT, capacity for quarter two of 2020 has been slashed 50% compared to Q2 2019.
(Read more: KAKE – News)

Kansas unemployment surges to 11.2% in April, number out of work up 130,000 from year ago

The Kansas unemployment rate quadrupled in April to 11.2% as coronavirus infection and the government’s response to the pandemic reverberated through the state’s economy, officials said Friday. The Kansas Department of Labor reported unemployment in Kansas escalated as COVID-19 spread. The state’s jobless mark was 2.8% in March. The comparable figure was 3.2% in April 2019. The seasonally adjusted estimate showed total Kansas nonfarm jobs declined by 130,400 from March. Private-sector employment, which is a subset of total nonfarm jobs, fell by 121,600 from the previous month, while government decreased by 8,800 jobs.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Rose Hill music festival cancelled

Rose Hill’s summer music festival, which is usually held in June, has been cancelled. The event’s organizer, Gerald Amato, said that “with the uncertainty of public gatherings we faced this year, we decided that this event would not be able to take place this June. There is a lot of planning that takes place, [and] it was very difficult to know when we would be able to have the event.” The music festival will return in 2021.
(Read more: DerbyInformer.com – news,news/)

Derby disc golf course a popular destination

Before the current pandemic situation drove up traffic even further, Derby’s Disc Golf Course at Stone Creek Park was already a prime destination given the number of attractions that appealed to the sport’s enthusiasts. Established nearly two decades ago, it’s hard to imagine the course turning into what it’s be-come, according to avid disc golfer and Derby Parks and Urban Forestry Board member Marty Hunt. “You would be amazed what that looked like before the disc golf course was put in,” Hunt said. “There were two or three old outbuildings. It was basically the dump of a farmer. They hauled off tires, appliances, just all kinds of junk.”
Read more: DerbyInformer.com – news,news/)

Gardner’s pool closed for 2020

The 2020 pool season at the Gardner Aquatic Center is cancelled. The decision was based on the current CDC and Reopen Kansas Plan guidelines;it would be very difficult to follow social-distancing and safety recommendations while operating the GAC; and there was insufficient time to rehire and effectively train seasonal staff to help patrons try and follow state guidelines. About 140-150 seasonal employees are used each year, according to Jason Bruce, parks and recreation director. The proposed 2020 pool budget was $451,105. There were also a financial consideration due to the economic impact the pandemic has had on the city’s revenues. “Pools lose money every year,” Bruce said.
(Read more: Gardner News)

Hillsboro adding a digital sign

When Hillsboro’s digital sign is installed later this week it will be the culmination of a four-month campaign by Lions Club president Larry Funk. “I thought it would be interesting to have a more localized deal to advertise or broadcast local events besides our sign by the highway,” he said. “It’s nice for what it is, but I thought we needed something a bit more modern and upscale for in-city advertising of local events.” Competing with other sources of advertising doesn’t concern Funk since sign use will be a free service meant to promote Hillsboro events like graduation, car cruises, or sporting events.
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)