Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Bourbon county, Fort Scott sign agreement for ambulance

Bourbon County Commissioners on Tuesday signed an agreement with the City of Fort Scott to provide an ambulance service.

Prior to signing the agreement, Bourbon County Counselor Justin Meeks said many people have been involved in the process of organizing a county-city ambulance service. This has been a fairly quick process, all things considered,” Meeks said.

The county-city ambulance service will replace the existing Mercy EMS as of April 1, when the county’s contract with Mercy expires. The county learned on Oct. 1 it would be responsible for providing an ambulance service after Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closes on Dec. 31.

(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

Plans for controversial wind farm moving forward in Reno County

Plans for a controversial wind farm in Reno County are moving forward. The county commission Tuesday morning decided not to delay the project by imposing a community-backed moratorium.

A moratorium would’ve delayed the project near Pretty Prairie. Some Reno County residents are trying to stop it from happening.

NextEra Energy says it wants to start construction on the wind farm at the beginning of next year in hopes of completing the project by the end of 2019. Because county commissioners for now cleared the project to move forward, those opposed to the project against voiced their concerns Tuesday.

But others support plans for the wind farm.

“Even though the moratorium didn’t pass, we’re still promoting the same message. We are not anti-wind energy. We’re not anti-green energy. We support green energy. We welcome renewable energy sources in any form as long as the citizens of the county have the proper protections and we had the chance to determine the economic impact to our county,” says Reno County resident Kristyn Horsch at Tuesday’s meeting.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Newton planning board votes against senior living zoning change

In a split vote the Newton Planning and Zoning Board voted against a proposed zoning change to allow for the construction of senior living apartments near Sand Creek Golf Course.

Newton Developer Ron Harder asked for a change of the zoning of a combined 13.2 acres to multi-family residential to allow for a 6.73 acre retirement development.

The development would be built south of Highway 50, along S. Anderson Drive and North of Summer Drive.

That didn’t sit well with nearby residents. According to Newton City Planner Ryan Sellers about 15 people showed up to a public hearing at the meeting to voice their opposition to the change.
He said those against the change had concerns the change in zoning and the facility would decrease the value of their homes.

“They also said when they purchased the property they were told that (the area) would all be single family dwellings.”

The zoning board, five out of eight were present, voted 3-2 against recommending the change.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Hutch City Council approves eNGines-LPG incentive package

The Hutchinson City Council gave its approval to the new incentive package for eNGines-LPG, LLC, during Tuesday’s agenda session.

The small engine company is preparing to relocate to the old Betts Bakery and begin the assembly of small engines for generators and other industrial applications.

The company will receive $56,500 over a five-year period. The incentive is similar to one approved by the County Commission last week. The proof of employment by eNGines-LPG to the city and county will be on the same schedule, making reporting easier for the company.

The incentives are employee driven with the company adding 10 jobs in 2020, 15 jobs in the following year, 14 in 2022 and another 17 in 2023 for a total of 56.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Harvey County moving forward with purchase of armored carrier

The Board of Harvey County Commissioners gave its consent Monday for Sheriff Chad Gay to order a $295,000 armored personnel carrier.

Delivery of a custom-built Lenco BearCat will not take place for at least six months, and commissioners can decide how they want to pay for the vehicle at a later date. The three options are to finance the vehicle through Lenco at 3.97 percent interest over five years; search for a lower interest rate from a company that is approved to do lease programs for local governments; or use reserve funds.

About one-third of the expense will be covered by a $50,000 pledge from Friends of ERT, which operates a fireworks stand in Newton and another $50,000 coming from drug-forfeiture funds. Gay previously said that he’s planning on spending $10,000 per year for five years from forfeiture funds for the BearCat.

Finance Director Dan Bronson said he was hesitant to use reserve funds because they still doesn’t know how much the planned renovations at the Law Enforcement Center will cost. He said payment probably wouldn’t occur until 2020, so commissioners and administration has time to consider options.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Home on the Range: Smith County historical boosters work to put Kansas and US36 on the map

It’s an iconic tune that has made Kansas–and El Dean Holthus–instantly recognized around the world.
But Home on the Range is more than just a song. It also leads listeners to a historic site and an award-winning documentary, things that Holthus hopes will continue to put Kansas, Smith County, and US36 Highway on the map.
…

Holthus shares a dream held by other US36 Highway Association boosters in Republic County: that the Home on the Range log cabin and other sites along the highway will draw tourism dollars to North Central Kansas. Paul Kallman, Belleville, is chairman of theUS36 Association.
“The US36 Association includes communities from Hiawatha clear across the state,” Holthus said. “If we can get day tours to stop at each of our historic properties along US36–those travelers may also buy something in the communities along US36.”

Source: Belleville Telescope.

Crawford County approves funding for County Corrections insurance

After several meetings, the Crawford County Commission has arrived at a temporary solution to help County Corrections provide full-family insurance for its employees.
A day shy of deadline, the county approved a motion to absorb $80 of each County Corrections employee’s single premium per month to help defray health insurance costs. For employees paying for the full-family plan, the county will absorb the same amount off the employee share of the premium. The funding will last to the end of 2019 and come from the Employee Benefits Fund.
This change comes in response to Director Tracy Harris’s request to give County Corrections employees full access to the county’s insurance plan. While full integration was not reached, due in large part to the county’s 2019 budget already being set, Harris said she appreciated the county’s willingness to help.

(Read more: Pittsburg, KS – Morning Sun)

Symbol of Huthinson

A generic, white flag with a swirl and the words “City of Hutchinson” came down and up went a more symbolic flag that a group of community members hopes will bring about a sense of pride.

The Hutchinson flag went up at 23rd and Severance streets on Tuesday afternoon — a few hours after the city council approved it as the official city flag. A grassroots effort started 10 months ago to design a flag using community input from three town hall meetings and specific guidelines.

The result, chosen by a selection committee from more than 50 designs, was the white, gold and blue flag with a gold compass rose designed by Jason Depew.

“I am just so proud that our community was able to take this project this far,” Depew said in a message. “I am honored to have been a part of it. I have been amazed by how much positive support the community has shown thus far.”

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Hiawatha City Commission hears request to plan memorial banners

The Hiawatha City Commission met on Monday evening, and with all commissioners present, heard from Katina Vonderschmidt, who would like to start a program called Hiawatha’s Hometown Heroes.

Vonderschmidt says two other towns in Kansas – Neodesha and Topeka – have similar displays, which feature banners of military veterans on downtown light poles.

The commission agreed that Vonderschmidt could move forward with her plans, which she said would include a small board or committee to help tailor the idea to the community of Hiawatha. Mayor Collins suggested Commissioner Toni Hull as the first board member, and said that Vonderschmidt should stay in contact with City Administrator Mike Nichols.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

Great Bend postpones decision to hire firm to help with retail recruitment

In an effort to take a proactive approach to retail recruitment, the City of Great Bend issued a request for proposals for a consultant to assist with retail development and recruitment. From the four proposals received, city administration recommended going with Retail Strategies for $50,000 in the first year.

City Administrator Kendal Francis wanted to make it clear that hiring Retail Strategies would not be a knock on the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and their effort to bring in new business. The Great Bend City Council voted 5-3 to table the decision until the January 21st meeting when three new council members will be part of the board.

Retail Strategies is based in Alabama and it is their assignment to gather community statistics and represent Great Bend at national and regional retail conferences. Great Bend Chamber of Commerce CEO Jan Peters said having Retail Strategies’ connection at large retail conventions would be helpful because they already have the contacts and connections to talk with national retailers.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Ark City updating fee schedule

The water costs are part of a revision to the city’s fee schedule for a variety of costs, including municipal court fees, franchise fees and rent of city venues.

City Manager Nick Hernandez said the proposed rate jumps for water customers would be 2 percent per year for the next five years.

This would mirror a 2-percent annual hike commissioners approved in 2013, which expires this year.

Hernandez said extending the relatively small, annual increases is necessary to keep up with the cost of inflation in running a water utility and avoids larger increases down the road.

“We want to avoid having those 10-15 percent increases, so we try to have incremental increases each year,” he said.

Partnership Agreement Between Fort Riley and the City of Manhattan

August 21, 2018) Fort Riley Garrison Commander, Col. Stephen Shrader, and Mayor of Manhattan, Linda Morse, will formally sign an InterGovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA) at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 21 in City Hall. This agreement is the first of its kind between the two agencies and represents many months of planning and discussion.

The purpose of this IGSA is to reduce costs for the yearly purchase of bulk salt used in winter months to treat roadways in Manhattan and on Fort Riley. The agreement will require the City to procure bids and purchase bulk salt that will be delivered to both locations. The City of Manhattan will invoice Fort Riley for their portion plus an administrative fee of 3% of the total cost of the product delivered to Fort Riley. This partnership is estimated to save Fort Riley roughly $89,000 per year over their previous procurement methods.

As part of the agreement, the City will be allowed to use excess salt reserves from Fort Riley if needed. In severe winter conditions, additional salt purchases may not be available as suppliers provide salt first to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), then to local jurisdictions. Building additional salt storage facilities, which would allow for greater emergency reserves, would be costly for the City. However, Fort Riley has a large amount of available space and typically keeps three years of salt reserves on hand. Each ton of salt used by the City in an emergency situation would be replaced.

“To our knowledge this is the first ever commodities procurement Intergovernmental Support Agreement in the Army. This is a testament to the innovation, persistence, and strong relationships that exist in the Flint Hills between Fort Riley and our surrounding communities.” says Col. Shrader.

(Read more: Manhattan – News Flash)

Wichita city council approves demolition of Mead’s Corner

The building which once house the popular coffee spot, Mead’s Corner, will come down.

The Wichita City Council voted, 6-1, to move forward with demolishing the building. Councilman Brandon Johnson voted against it.

The city’s historic preservation board had recommended denying that demolition request.

The city also approved a community improvement district for the project which will replace the current building with a new, four-story mixed-use space.

The CID allows special taxes imposed in the district to be used to pay for the development.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Wichita council balks at picking developer for baseball stadium

Wichita will have to wait at least a week to learn who will build the new stadium to house the city’s Triple-A minor league baseball team.

City Council member Bryan Frye asked for additional time to study a design-build agreement for the ballpark, which will cost an estimated $75 million with at least $2 million of accompanying street and infrastructure work.

Frye’s request passed on a 4-3 vote.

Frye objected that he got the contract the morning of Tuesday’s council meeting and said he wanted additional time to verify that the group recommended to design and build the stadium has the required experience in constructing Major or Minor League ballparks.

(Read more: Local News |)

Visitors report “first impressions” of Washington, KS

Thirty-one people attended the First Impressions presentation of Washington last week. The presentation shared the opinions of three volunteers from Wakefield who visited the town in October. Those visitors took photos and provided comments from their visits. The common themes from those reports included the clean and well-kept appearance of Washington, the visitors’ love of the brick streets, the helpfulness of City Hall, the town’s lack of a noon-time restaurant and the negative impression of three of the town’s four entrances, among other things.

Source: Washington County News.

City Council to Consider a Non-Discrimination Ordinance on Dec. 10

Merriam City Council will consider a draft non-discrimination ordinance at its Dec. 10 meeting at City Hall.

The ordinance would provide uniform legal protection within the City of Merriam, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, familial status, or veteran status. In addition, the ordinance would provide a complaint and enforcement process.

(Read more: Merriam, KS news)

Overbrook sets comprehensive plan for geese control; schedules controlled hunt

For the past year, the city of Overbrook has been looking at ways to control the goose population as well as the blue-green algae issue at the Overbrook City Lake and the Kid’s Fishing Pond. The city received input from Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the lake steering committee, Overbrook Parks and Recreation, and the public. Using that information, the Overbrook City Council formulated and approved the following comprehensive plan to control the geese population:

Finney County GIS Director Phillips earns Esri certification

Finney County GIS Department Director Trey Phillips recently was awarded Esri Technical Certification, which recognizes superior skill levels utilizing Esri’s software for geographic information systems (GIS).

Esri is the global market leader in GIS, and developed ArcGIS the world’s leading mapping and location analytics platform.

Phillips earned the Esri ArcGIS Desktop Professional Certification, which is the highest level of professional software certification in this field. Only 200 GIS professionals in the United States are registered with this certification. Phillips is the only Esri ArcGIS Desktop Professional listed for the state of Kansas.

“Trey is a valuable employee with an abundance of skills,” Randall Partington, Finney County Administrator, said in a news release. “His recent certification solidifies how essential he is to our organization and as a community partner. We are proud of Trey’s professional accomplishments.”

(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

Ellis County Commission approves extra IT position

Despite some financial concerns, the Ellis County Commission approved a request to hire a network technician before a retiring staff member leaves the department next spring.

Ellis County IT Director Mike Leiker made the request for the overfill position at Monday night’s commission meeting. The request was approved 2-0; Commissioner Barbara Wasinger was absent.

A staff member will be retiring at the beginning of April, and Leiker told commissioners he wanted to help retain that individual’s 20 years of knowledge by hiring a replacement as soon as possible so that person can be trained by the retiring employee.

Most of the new employee’s training will focus on cross-training with other staff so they can cover for each other in case of vacations or illness, Leiker said, but he wants a new employee with knowledge of security issues.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

Prairie Village considers plans to deal with flooding along Mission Road

Prairie Village officials are considering a plan to raise the elevation of Mission Road between 67th and 69th streets to alleviate flooding from nearby Brush Creek that has stranded motorists and damaged nearby homes.

Valley Center to start housing fix-up incentive

The City of Valley Center will unveil a program in 2019 designed to provide incentives for homeowners to fix up their properties.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program, which will run from 2019 through 2022, gives qualified owners of single-family residences a property tax rebate.

The program applies to certain properties that a recent survey has determined are in need of help.

To be eligible for the program, owners of such properties must spend at least $5,000 or 10 percent of existing assessed value, whichever is greater, on the improvement. The five-year, 100 percent rebate is for the city portion of the increase in property tax that results from the improvement.

Shawnee County Commission listens to public comments, defers action on permits

After a pair of public comment sessions that became emotional at times, the Shawnee County Commission on Monday morning voted unanimously to defer action on two conditional use permit resolutions, each of which would allow for wedding and event centers on private properties in the eastern and southwestern parts of the county.

The meeting, which drew a standing-room only crowd in the council chambers in the Shawnee County Courthouse basement, lasted about two hours and 15 minutes.

‘Leave the trees’: Public expresses concerns over Topeka Zoo’s drainage project

Members of the public expressed concern Monday during a meeting about a storm water management project at the Topeka Zoo.

Zoo director Brendan Wiley said the development of a detention pond and drainage swale, a shallow ditch with sloping sides, is necessary to meet the minimum standards laid out in the Clean Water Act. The pond will collect water and slowly release it toward the Kansas River. Plants will surround the pond and run along the swale, which will help filter pollutants out of the storm water.

The plants, including native grasses, will also form wetlands.

The project will require about 43 trees to be removed, according to Wiley. Some of the trees may be relocated while others will be recycled.

Don Moler asked why the pond couldn’t be placed in an area where fewer trees would have to be removed.

Wiley said they made efforts to minimize the effect on trees.

Michael Hooper proposed bulldozing Helen Hocker Theater and putting the pond in its place.

“Helen Hocker’s not natural — cut that down, tear it down, leave the trees which are beloved and used by us every day of the year,” Hooper said. “We need more trees in this world, not less. We are in a polluted world that is losing its ozone layer and you destroying these trees is contributing to the demise of our earth.”

Wiley said he could guarantee the project benefits the environment from a storm water perspective and that more trees will be planted than are there now.

“We can’t continue to shirk the responsibility of managing storm water,” Wiley said, “and unfortunately that means something like this has to fit into the landscape.”

Saline County to consider special tax fund disbursement

Saline County Commissioners will be asked Tuesday to consider a request to disburse money in a special tax fund.According to information in the commission meeting packet, “the 1979 Kansas Legislature established a 10% gross receipts tax on the sale of alcoholic liquor in clubs. The legislation required the revenue be distributed as follows: one-third to Special Parks and Recreation programs, one-third to Special Alcohol programs, and one-third to the County General Fund.

“Monies in the Special Alcohol Fund are to be used ‘for the purchase, establishment, maintenance, or expansion of services or
programs of alcoholism and drug abuse prevention and education, alcohol and drug detoxification, intervention in alcohol
and drug abuse or treatment of persons who are alcoholics or drug abusers or are in danger of becoming alcoholics or drug
abusers.’

“Monies in the Special Parks & Recreation Fund are to be used for the purchase, establishment, maintenance, or expansion of park and recreational services, programs, and facilities.”

According to the agenda, commissioners will consider the following distribution of funds.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

City of Pittsburg to celebrate completion of Safe Routes to School Project

The City of Pittsburg will celebrate the completion of its Safe Routes to School Project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:00 pm Tuesday, December 4, at Westside Elementary School. The event celebrates the construction of new multi-purpose trails at Westside Elementary School, Pittsburg Community Middle School and George Nettels Elementary School.

The project was made possible thanks to a grant for $187,183 from the Kansas Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School program and $53,000 in matching funds from the City of Pittsburg.

“These trails give children and their parents a much safer route to school, and provide additional destinations to the City’s existing trail system,” says City of Pittsburg Public Works Director Cameron Alden. “These new connectivity points are part our active transportation plan, which will connect residents to schools, businesses, recreation, retail and healthcare resources throughout the community.”

(Read more: City of Pittsburg)

Shawnee planning commission to consider Veterans Park senior housing development plans

New plans continue this week for a senior housing development near Veterans Park in Shawnee. The developer’s plans call for the creation of an independent senior residential development with 60 attached villa units in 30 buildings as condominiums and 240 apartment units in five multi-story buildings. The property is zoned as planned unit development mixed residential, with a final plat of six lots and three tracts on 28.66 acres. The developer intends for the 60 villa units to be marketed to “empty nesters” age 55 or older. Each unit will range from 1,558 to 2,300 square feet and have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two car garages. All homes will have basements with some walkouts.

Why have there been so many water main breaks?

A flood of water main breaks in Topeka this year has left some local residents wondering about the system of pipes tucked beneath the surface of the city that carry clean drinking water to homes and businesses.

One reader asked #TopCity What? for a breakdown of materials and the schedule for replacement.

Topeka has about 870 miles of water lines, including 265 miles of transmission mains that carry water to storage towers and 605 miles of smaller distribution pipes, according to Braxton Copley, deputy director of utilities for the city of Topeka.

Most of the original water mains are cast iron, and some of those lines are still in service and well over 100 years old, Copley said. In the 1940s and early ’50s, the city shifted to ductile iron pipes. In the 1960s, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes joined the mix of materials. The city moved away from ductile iron toward more PVC pipes in the past 15 to 20 years. Today, the city’s system of pipes is about 39 percent cast iron, 27 percent ductile iron, and 25 percent PVC, with the remaining made of various materials such as concrete and Transite.

Finney County becomes latest local government to raise tobacco-buying age

More local governments in Kansas aren’t waiting for the state to raise the legal age to buy tobacco or e-cigarettes.

Finney County Monday became the 23rd county or city in Kansas to raise the legal age to buy tobacco or e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. The county commission approve the change with a 3-2 vote.

This change was already implemented in April 2017 in Garden City with the passage of a city ordinance. Holcomb then took similar action.

Other jurisdictions in northeast Kansas, including Lawrence, have adopted the ordinance known as T-21. Monday Eyewitness News spoke with one of Garden City’s leading proponents of T-21 and asked if the movement could come to Sedgwick County.

Donna Gerstner works with Garden City High School students to spread awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. Gerstner says she was part of the group that lobbied to pass the ordinance in Garden City, then Holcomb, and finally, Finney County.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Neighbors file protest petitions against tax districts; Lawrence city staff says that isn’t enough to stop the process

About 250 homeowners in the special taxing districts set to pay millions of dollars for improvements to Queens Road have signed onto protest petitions opposing the districts, but the city says the petitions are not enough to stop the process.

According to state law, 51 percent or more of property owners — whose properties also represent more than half of the geographic area of the taxing district — must sign a protest petition to prevent a taxing district from being established. A review by the city indicates the Queens Road petitions did not meet those requirements.

Lawrence city leaders to consider new ways to manage speeding, other traffic issues in neighborhoods

Lawrence city commissioners will soon consider whether to adopt a more comprehensive approach to neighborhood traffic problems that would go beyond adding speed bumps or other devices to streets.

Earlier this year, the city announced it was re-evaluating its traffic calming program, which attempts to address issues such as speeding and cut-through traffic by adding physical devices such as speed bumps or traffic circles. At its meeting Tuesday, the commission will consider a new traffic calming policy that also includes traffic enforcement and monitoring, among other ways to address problem traffic.

Lawrence officials to consider city’s legislative priorities

City leaders will consider adding three issues to their list of legislative priorities, including a statement opposed to making the South Lawrence Trafficway into a toll road.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider approving its Lawrence Legislative Priority Statement, which it sends annually to the state legislative delegation. The proposed statement comprises 21 priorities, three of which are new additions: one against using tolls to fund the expansion of the SLT; one in favor of giving municipal court judges greater flexibility to consider defendants’ ability to pay when imposing penalties; and one against changing property valuation methods for commercial property.

New City Administrator in Greensburg: From Big Well to City Hall

The city of Greensburg has a new city administrator coming in and a longtime mayor exiting.

They’re related.

At a special Greensburg City Council meeting Oct. 25, Mayor Bob Dixson presented a letter of resignation, effective immediately. It was his understanding his daughter, Stacy Barnes, the Convention and Tourism director and director of The Big Well Museum & Visitors Center, had submitted an application for city administrator. “I felt it was the ethical thing to do, so there was no sign of collusion or impropriety or nepotism,” Dixson told The News recently.

The city received approximately two dozen applications for the advertised opening at City Hall, said new Mayor Matt Christenson. They interviewed three finalists and on Nov. 19, the council approved a three-year contract with Barnes. She starts the job on Dec. 10.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Governor Orders Flags to be Flown at Half-Staff Honoring Former President George H.W. Bush

In accordance with Executive Order 10-12, and following the proclamation of President Donald J. Trump, Governor Jeff Colyer has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff immediately for 30 days due to the death of former President George H.W. Bush.
“I was saddened to hear last night of the passing of President George H.W. Bush, whom I had the privilege to serve under as a White House fellow. His hard work and dedication over decades of public service was matched only by his love and devotion to his wife Barbara and his children. His contributions at every level of his personal and political life have truly made our country and our world a better place. My prayers are with the Bush family during their time of grieving.”

The many changes to downtown Salina

From Santa Fe being torn up and rebuilt to buildings being removed and new ones taking their places, the look of downtown Salina has been rapidly changing over the past months.

The flurry of activity is part of a major downtown revitalization program that includes both private and governmental entities. And while some people continue to complain about the initiatives, many others are excited about the future possibilities for downtown Salina.

Following are many of the enhancements planned, according to Salina 2020, the master developer for downtown Salina’s revitalization.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

Decisions on property can affect the community, not just the owners

There has been much talk of late about how Wichita is losing its “commons.” That’s not the word usually used, to be sure. Instead, when Wichitans mourn Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, express frustration at the closing of the Palace Theater or watch with concern the changes at Naftzger Park, they talk about how these were sites of fond memories, how they found and strengthened friendships at and through them, how in these places people could come together, interact, learn, engage in commerce and have fun. To see them change or close is felt as a loss of something once commonly held, but perhaps no longer.

In a society where private property is basic to public life, the language of the commons is rare. Still, it’s not just public parks, Riverfest, open-source software or the Ogallala Aquifer that can be considered “common” possessions. There are ways to describe those places, events and things — including those which exist through privately owned businesses — that people lovingly organize their lives around, and thus sometimes feel a claim to. But when claimants conflict, owners regularly hold all the cards (as the noble but thus-far failed attempts to keep the Starlite Drive-In alive demonstrate).

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

City public works director to answer questions about streets in podcast

Topekans still have a lot of questions about their streets.

The Topeka Capital-Journal consequently asked city public works director Jason Peek, who responded to 35 queries about that topic in July, to answer about 40 more.

Peek agreed to do that during a podcast/Facebook Live event, which will be held at noon Tuesday at CJOnline and The Topeka Capital-Journal Facebook page.

Streets have been the topic of many of the questions the public has provided The Capital-Journal this year through its reader engagement program ”#TopCity What? You ask. We answer.” Details about the program are at www.cjonline.com/topcity-what.

Tuesday’s podcast comes at a time when Topeka streets have been a common topic of conversation.

Lake Shawnee Campground intentionally free of individual sewer connections

Shawnee County Parks and Recreation has intentionally left the Lake Shawnee Campground without individual sewer connections to discourage long-term stays there, said department spokesman Mike McLaughlin.

He responded to a question a Topeka Capital-Journal reader posed as part of the newspaper’s reader engagement project, ”#TopCity What? You ask. We answer.”

The reader, who asked to remain anonymous, asked: “Why won’t the county put in individual sewer hook-ups at the Lake Shawnee Campground? It’s considered a top 10 fishing lake in Kansas.”

McLaughlin, the parks and recreation department’s marketing and communications director, said the Lake Shawnee Campground is intended to be a short-stay facility accommodating patrons enjoying such activities as fishing trips, short-term getaways or visits to relatives living in the area.

“Campgrounds that are intended for longer stays are more likely to have individual sewer connections,” he said.

Lyon County Commissioners hear blizzard response update; praise county employees, city of Emporia and Melvern FD

Sheriff Jeff Cope and Emergency Manager Jarrod Fell praised the work of local first responders in the midst of Sunday’s blizzard — which resulted in a complete shutdown of a portion of Interstate 35 — during a meeting of the Lyon County Commission Thursday morning at the courthouse.

More than 50 wrecks were reported by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office between 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, with calls coming in one after the other for the duration of that time. Only four injury events were reported.

Emporia Police Adminstrative Sergeant Lisa Sage told The Emporia Gazette in an email that 21 non-injury accidents and one injury call were reported within city limits on Sunday. Cope said he made the call to shut down the highway at the BETO Junction exit, about 25 miles east of Emporia, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

“We started calling the State [Emergency Operations Center] and it was, ‘We’ll have to check on that and get back with you,’” Cope said. “[A little before 1:30 p.m.] they called and said, ‘Yeah, but if you need to shut it down, you need to do it locally because we don’t have any resources.’”

Cope said City of Emporia Public Works crews responded quickly to set up barricades at exits and divert traffic, though it was a struggle to get assistance from crews in Coffey County.

“We shut down the northbound turnpike gate and then it was a struggle getting Coffey County to participate,” he said. “Jarrod was talking to his counterpart and I wasn’t overly excited about the response we got there, so I called the sheriff. He said he was trying to get there … but he goes, ‘It’s not that bad in Coffey County.’”

Cope said Lyon County responders were putting their lives on the line dealing with travelers who should have stayed home. Eventually, volunteers from the Melvern Fire Department were dispatched to assist.

New Assistant City Administrator eager to get started in Spring Hill

A people person, team builder and proud Kansas Citian, Spring Hill’s newest leader has found a home in the Public Works and Community Development departments.

Jose Leon was appointed by Mayor Steven Ellis at the Nov. 8 City Council meeting to fulfill the role of Assistant City Administrator for Public Works, Community Development and Physical Plant. And he’s eager to begin the new position.

“Spring Hill is a very nice community with a great reputation,” Jose said. “It is a growing community and provides the opportunity for me to continue building on the skills and experience I have but also teach me a couple things along the way. I want to be a part of the growth in Spring Hill and that is what initially attracted me. After interviewing and meeting staff members, I knew this was a great fit.”

(Read more: City of Spring Hill news)

Parsons may buy new public safety radios

The Parsons police and fire departments may receive new hand-held radios at a cost of over $200,000.

Parsons city commissioners plan to consider the request from Fire Chief Jay Hawks and Police Chief Robert Spinks during their Monday evening meeting.

Hawks presented the proposal during a Thursday work session.

The radios would be purchased from Motorola Solutions at a cost of $212,378.80, which would be paid from a sales tax devoted in part to public safety. Hawks and Spinks want to buy the radios through a state contract to get a discounted price that they otherwise couldn’t find through the city’s bid process. City Attorney Ross Albertini alleviated commissioners’ concerns Thursday by saying the purchase would follow the city’s bid policy.

Hawks said the city would save $16,800 with the state contract price as well as a loyalty discount.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

After a rough patch due to former director stealing funds, Lyon County Commissioners hear positive report on Senior Center

Emporia Senior Center Board President Karen Hartenbower gave Lyon County Commissioners a brief update on how things are running at the center Thursday morning.

Hartenbower said the center had been treading water over the last year. Lannie Lyman, former director of the Emporia Senior Center, was charged with stealing more than $100,000 between May 2014 – Sept. 2017 from the organization in July.

Hartenbower said Ian Boyd was recently hired as the new director of the Emporia Senior Center, and things are starting to improve.

“He’s been with us three-and-a-half months and he’s doing really well because, for a year we floated,” she said. “We did what we had to do to stay open. He’s kind of rattled our cages and he’s putting us on track.”

The center has been renting space out for events to bring in revenue. Improvements made to the Sertoma shelter outside will allow the center to rent out that space next year, too.

“Things are looking better,” Hartenbower said. “A lot of things are going on at the senior center.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Judicial center to get beefed up security in Labette County

Later this month, the Labette County Judicial Center in Parsons will undergo a security upgrade in the court clerk’s office, Labette County commissioners heard Friday.

Bullet-resistant glass will be added the week of Dec. 17 and the front counters and cabinets replaced to accommodate the heavy material. An existing security door will be moved as part of the upgrade.

Advantage Computer of Iola submitted a quote for the work, $37,920.

Court Clerk Terri Thurman said she contacted local contractors and none expressed interest in doing the work. Advantage is the computer vendor used by court offices.

Now, the clerk’s office is open, no barriers to stop an angry citizen, which has been a security concern at many county buildings. The commission is considering security upgrades in other county offices in Oswego and perhaps Parsons, to create a solid barrier between citizens and county employees.

The court clerk’s office has state employees working in it, but the building is owned by Labette County.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Hallmark inspired by Ark City fire truck

A former getaway car used in a bank robbery in the early 1930s is now a Hallmark Christmas ornament.

The 1932 Buick Rag Top was set on fire by the robbers and later purchased by the City of Arkansas City and refurbished as a fire truck.

After several years of fire service, the truck was retired from the Ark City Fire Department fleet and today it serves as a showpiece for the department. For years it has appeared in special events, including the Arkalalah parade.

“Hallmark contacted us in January 2017,” said City Manager Nick Hernandez, who said Hallmark contacted the city in January 2017 after finding a picture of the truck on the city’s website.

The company “thought it met what they were looking for,” Hernandez said.

The ornament, a detailed miniature of the historic fire truck, can be purchased for $30 at the Arkansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau, 106 S. Summit St. It also is available in Hallmark stores or online.

(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com)

Shawnee County residents can now text 911 during an emergency

Shawnee County residents can now text 911 if there is an emergency, although an official said voice calls remain the top choice.

The new NextGen 911 system was installed earlier this week at the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center.

Melanie Bergers, director of the Emergency Communications Center, said the new system will provide a lot of benefits to residents and dispatchers.

The new system gives people calling 911 the ability to send a text message to 911 as long as the sender has a data plan and the cellphone isn’t in roaming status.

Bergers said the system can be effective in situations where a voice call may endanger a caller, such as in domestic violence incidents or in reporting of human trafficking.

NextGen911 also has the capability to pinpoint the caller’s location on a map.

The system also gives community members who are hearing impaired the opportunity to communicate more effectively with dispatchers.

Manhattan levee awarded $18.4 million in federal funds for improvements

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has notified the City of Manhattan that $18.4 million is being awarded in fiscal year 2019 to fund improvements to Manhattan’s levee system. The total cost of the project will be approximately $26 million and city officials will have several options to cover the remaining $7.5 million.

The levee system provides fortification to 1,600 acres of land, 7,600 residents and protects a total economic impact estimated at $1.2 billion. The project intends to raise the levee along the Big Blue River from the intersection of Casement Road and Hayes Drive, south to the confluence of the Kansas River and Big Blue River, and wrap around upstream to the just west of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Once finished, the levee project will increase the level of protection from flooding events along the Blue and Kansas rivers, as well as replace several structures and equipment along the levee installed in the early 1960s.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)