By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

City crews are working hard to clear city streets but “cannot be everywhere at once,” according to I.D. Creech, public works director for the city of Hays.

After the first round of winter weather dumped 6 inches of snow, last week on the city crews have been busy clearing snow routes, but they won’t clear the side streets.

Creech said the city’s snow removal policy is to only clean the emergency snow routes. There are no plans to clear side streets and residential streets because, he said, “We do not have the resources to address all the neighborhoods.”

He also said crews need places to put the snow, which “is a big problem and a primary reason we do not go into residential areas.”

Crews are spreading salt brine in the residential areas with the anticipation of warmer weather on the way later this week.

Salt brine does not work when the temperatures drop below 15 degrees, and the recent string of extreme cold temperatures has hindered the city’s efforts to clear the snow-packed roadways. Creech also said the snow the area received Sunday night into Monday also slowed efforts to clear the streets because the extra snow will take longer to melt.

Creech said every time it snows crews make an effort to make sure people can get around on the city streets but he said, “our people know that we cannot do all that some would like during a snow event.”

According to Assistant Director of Public Works John Braun:

• City crews started clearing the roads at 8:00 a.m. on Feb. 4 and worked 24 hours a day until Feb. 6
• 580 man hours
• 468 hours of equipment
• 19,300 gallons of salt brine
• 20 ½ tons of sand and salt mix
• 922 gallons of fuel
• The city also hired M&D Excavating and APAC dump trucks to haul off snow in the downtown area

On a statewide basis, the Kansas Department of Transportation said:

• They plowed and treated 565,000
• Used 8,600 tons of salt
• 345,000 gallons of brine
• All at a cost of $3 million

The Hays Police Department conducted 11 traffic stops and received 10 animal calls on Monday, Feb. 10, according to the HPD activity log.

Driving under the influence, 500 block West Seventh, 2:07 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident, 2700 block Vine, 6:40 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident, Seventh and Main, 9:46 a.m.
Theft, 500 block of West 36th, 9:56 a.m.
Animal at large, 2000 block Allen, 11:03 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident, 100 block West Third, 11:02 a.m.
Disturbance, 400 block Walnut, 12:38 p.m.
Animal at large, 13th and Milner, 1:24 p.m.
Abandoned vehicle, 1100 block Cody, 3:09 p.m.
Disturbance, 1300 block East 21st, 3:19 p.m.
Theft, 2200 block Canterbury, 3:30 p.m.
Counterfeit currency/documents, 1000 block East 27th, 3:41 p.m.
Animal at large, 200 block East 20th, 3:52 p.m.
Motor vehicle accident/hit and run, 1100 block Ash, 3:55 p.m.
Animal at large, 300 block West 17th, 5:38 p.m.
Child in need of care, 1700 block Hall, 6 p.m.
Motor vehicle accident, 300 block West Eighth, 5 p.m.

SCHOENCHEN — Ellis County Rural Fire responded to a structure fire in Schoenchen on Monday afternoon.

Ellis County Rural Fire Chief Dick Klaus said a blaze at a garage at 207 Church, owned by Earl Gottschalk, began approximately 4:15 p.m.

“The garage was not a total loss, about $5,000 in damage,” Klaus said.

It was Klaus, a Schoenchen resident, who actually reported the fire.

“I was getting ready to go to the (Ellis) County Commission meeting and looked over and saw it,” he said. “(Earl) was in his house and didn’t even know it.”

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Hays USD 489’s school board is planning on doing some “self-evaluation” this spring.

At Monday’s USD 489 work session, Superintendent Dean Katt said the self-evaluation tool from the Kansas Association of School Boards  can be beneficial.

Katt,who underwent the process as an administrator in Scott City, said the evaluation tool comes in the form of an online survey. Katt and each board member would participate.

According to Katt, the tool serves to gauge the board’s strength’s and weaknesses in several areas.

“Board member interactions, meetings of the board, vision and policy, finance and board-and-superintendent relations — whatever the desirable practices are, (the evalutation tool) would tell us and we would set goals accordingly,” said Katt.

The board will vote on the item at Monday’s USD 489 board meeting.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

As the Ellis County Commission continues to look for ways to cut costs for the EMS/Rural Fire building, commissioners have created a list of questions to be sent to the architect before they advance the project.

With the changes the architect has proposed, approximately $707,000 worth, and the move to a pre-manufactured metal building, the estimated cost is $3,240,200. Initial low bid for the building was $3.9 million — between $400,000 and $500,000 higher than the county had projected.

The new 0.5 percent sales tax was approved by voters in May to fund a series of building renovations, ranging from EMS/Rural Fire to extensive improvements at the courthouse and jail.

At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said he would like to know the cost of the metal building, adding he believes the estimate should be less than $3 million. He requested the commission receive more updates from the architect because they “don’t want surprises as a commission.”

One of the areas of concern, brought up by Ellis County EMS Director Kerry McCue, was the decision to leave the fitness room unfinished; a change the architect estimated would save approximately $6,000.

McCue said he is afraid that is something that could get “lost in the shuffle.”

“There are all sorts of things that would be nice to have but we’re talking about trying to get within the budget we have,” said Barbara Wasinger, commission chairwoman.

The building still would have a room that can be used for working out, but the room wouldn’t be finished — instead it would be four concrete walls.

The placement of the generator was another point of discussion. Moving the transformer and the generator closer to the building would save approximately $15,000.

There was some question about the noise and fumes from the generator if it was close to the building. The commission decided to look into a cost-effective form of insulation to see if that would be a solution.

In other action:

• The commission held a public hearing and also approved a resolution endorsing an Economic Development Tax Exemption for Hays Fire and Rescue Sales and Service LLC.
• A conference call with the architect to discuss the 718 Main administrative center project was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday.
• Commissioners also held a 25-minute executive session with County Counselor Bill Jeter, County Administrator Greg Sund, Public Works Director Mike Graf and Environmental/Planning and Zoning Director Karen Purvis. No action was taken.