The Hays Police Department conducted five traffic stops and received 11 animals calls on Thursday, July 17, according to the HPD activity log.

Drug Offenses/ Driving under the Influence, 3600 block Vine, 12:45 a.m.
Driving under the Influence, 1000 block Vine, 2:20 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident/City Street/Alley, 900 block Allen, 7:45 a.m.
Drug Offenses, 1000 block of East 15th, 8:16 a.m.
Animal at Large, 1000 block of East 15th, 8:30 a.m.
Driving while Suspended/Revoked, 500 block of East 14th, 9:51 a.m.
Animal at Large, 700 block East 8th, 10:52 a.m.
Animal at Large, 200 block East 18th, 11:05 a.m.
Domestic Disturbance, 2500 block Sherman Avenue, 11:21 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident/City Street/Alley, 2600 block Vine, 1:45 p.m.
Welfare Check, 2:04 p.m.
Animal Call, 1 Enersys Road, 3:21 p.m.
Warrant Service, 100 block West 12th, 3:53 p.m.
Warrant Service, 100 block West 12th, 3:53 p.m.
Suspicious Activity, 2500 block General Hancock Road, 3:58 p.m.
Abandoned Vehicle, 500 block Milner, 4:00 p.m.
Welfare Check, 2700 block Elm, 4:33 p.m.
Welfare Check, 3400 block Vine, 6:09 p.m.
Animal Call, 1700 block Main, 8:11 p.m.
Theft, 500 block West 36th, 8:24 p.m.

By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

Charles Comeau, president of Liberty Group, Inc. in Plainville,  presented a downtown hotel concept to Hays city commissioners at Thursday’s commission work session.

The main building of the hotel will be located at 12^th and Main and will feature 48 hotel rooms. The second floor of some adjacent buildings will also be utilized for loft-style hotel rooms. The properties to be utilized are 1107-1111 Main Street, 1013 Main, 1012 Main and 1102 Main.

“(The second floor rooms) offer the opportunity of an extended stay. They will have amenities that are a little bit more than what’s in the main building such as a kitchenette,” Comeau said. “They would allow somebody or a family to lease a whole entire floor for family that all wanted to be together.”

Liberty Group chose to name the hotel “Hays City Proper” due to the historical significance the name has to the city.

“We knew the name had to be grounded in Hays history,” Comeau said. “So we went to an old plat map and we noticed right away that there was this term called ‘Hays City Proper’ which referred to the area where the original plat was.”

“We felt like it is referential to the area that it’s in and it’s grounded in Hays history.”

The concept also calls for the renovation of the old Strand Theater, located next to the proposed hotel, into a 6,000 square foot events center.

Amenities at the new events center include a full catering kitchen and seating for approximately 350 people for dinner or standing room for approximately 1,000 guests. There is 3,000 square feet of additional room for breakout sessions. The main hotel building will feature a bridge with an overhead for people to cross over into the new events center.

The main hotel building will include a café and a cocktail lounge. “Molroy Café” will provide occupants with breakfast and light lunches and dinner. Its name comes from the name of a long-ago hotel that sat across the street from the proposed building. The cocktail lounge will be called the “Blue Light Lady Lounge” which comes from the legend of Elizabeth Polly who lived at Fort Hays.

The main hotel building takes the form of a grain elevator, honoring the significance of the structure in western Kansas. The architectural work was done by Lake Flato, San Antonio, Texas.  According to Comeau, the group has a “well-known reputation for adaptive reuse, design, and their specific ability to design ‘indigenous architecture.’

Liberty Group is currently working on creating parking space for the hotel.

The entire project is projected to cost between $15-17 million and will be financed through private investments. Liberty Group does plan on asking commissioners for some tax incentives if the plan goes through.

Comeau said the project will be completed in two phases. The first phase will include construction of the main hotel building and events center. Phase two will include renovation of the second floor lofts.

“Even if people don’t come to stay in the hotel, they’ll come just to see the structure, ” mayor Henry Schwaller said.

“This is something that will garner a lot of national and international press just because of its unique look…… This is certainly something that we haven’t seen with any other convention center project and I commend you and I look forward to seeing this happen,” Schwaller added.

Liberty Group hopes to begin tearing down the old bank building currently occupying the main hotel site at the end of the year and they plan to open for business in 2016.

Friday night’s Ellis County Fair concert featuring the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has been moved to the Midway at the fairgrounds.

The concert was originally scheduled for the RPM Speedway but because of the recent rains and mud the concert has been moved.

Ellis County Fair Board President Jill Pfannenstiel said there will be some bleacher seating but they are encouraging concert goers to bring their own chairs.

The Wild West Fest Committee has provided the fair with chairs.  They will be available to rent for $1.

Friday night’s Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with opener Logan Mize starts at 7:45 p.m.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Blues, BBQ and Bargains returns to downtown Hays this weekend.

The events kick off Friday with the sixth annual Kansas City Barbeque Society Contest. Megan Colson, executive director of Downtown Hays Development Corp., said more than 30 teams already have signed up for the event.

The event at Municipal Park at the south end of Hays opens to the public at 5 p.m. Friday night with blues music, a kid’s barbecue contest and an opportunity to taste some barbecue from some of the participating teams.

Colson said people can once again take part in the Taste of Blues, BBQ and Bargains where BBQ Bucks can be used to purchase food from vendors.

The bucks can purchased in advance at the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, or at the park Friday night.

Friday night will feature a cruise-in and car show with registration start at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion and ending at the park.

There will also be live blues music, featuring ToneMeister, and a beer garden at the park until 11 p.m. Friday.

Saturday morning starts with the Burnt Butt 5K with registration at 6:45 a.m. and the race beginning at 8 a.m.

Shoppers will get a chance to find some deals once again with this year’s Bargain on the Bricks, which runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in downtown Hays.

Colson said there will be about 20 businesses taking part in the sidewalk sale in the Chestnut Street District.

The event the wraps up Saturday afternoon with the KCBS awards presentation at 3:30 p.m.

For more information and registration form log on to haysbluesandbbq.com.

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

We have all heard the stories – the days when kids actually walked to school, sometimes five miles and uphill both ways.

Now, through a grant funded program, staff at O’Loughlin Elementary School are taking steps to help bring walking to school back in style.

O’Loughlin Elementary is one of 15 schools in the state awarded a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to implement the Walking School Bus Program.

PedNet Coalition consultant, Robert Johnson, Columbia, MO,  is helping start the program in Kansas.

“The best way to think about the Walking School Bus is to imagine the yellow school bus program without the bus,”  Johnson said.

“You have routes that are pre-determined for safety and efficiency, you have kids that are registered for the program and then you have adult volunteers who travel along these routes in the morning picking up kids right at their front door usually –  although there are different ways to do the program – and walking with them to school.”

Johnson added many parents do not let their kids walk to school because of safety concerns and the Walking School Bus, “is a way for the moms and dads to feel safe about the idea of their kids walking to school.”

O’Loughlin Walking School Bus Coordinator, Terri Tramel says the program will not only help alleviate the morning traffic on Hall Street when parents drive their kids to O’Loughlin, but said it is also good for the kids.

“Lots of times, kids have a lot of energy in the morning and (walking to school) will give them a chance to walk and talk with their friends and help get some of that energy out, so the students are ready to focus on solid course work in the morning, “ Tramel said.

The $2,000 dollar grant will be used for buying orange reflective vests for the adult volunteers, informational materials and incentives for the students who participate.

Tramel said she is currently looking for adult volunteers and hopes O’Loughlin will have their first Walking School Buses ready to take off in early September.

FHSU University Relations

HAYS, Kans. — Karl Pratt has gone from student worker to graduate and alumnus and now to full-time employee of the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association.

Pratt, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance, worked in the alumni office throughout his undergraduate years. This week he began work as the Alumni Association’s program coordinator for communication and chapter development.

“He is sure to excel in his new role,” said DeBra Prideaux, executive director of alumni and governmental relations. “He is versed in almost all elements of the association operations, including providing support materials for FHSU Magazine, designing the FHSU-TigerTalk electronic newsletter  and serving as a trainer for students and board members.”

Pratt said that he is most looking forward to working with the FHSU Magazine and meeting people that he has previously only known through e-mail and phone conversations.

He said that an upcoming renovation of the Alumni Association website will play a crucial part in its advancement.

“I am very excited to continue developing my non-music-related skills in the realms of communication and publication,” said Pratt.  “I look forward to extending my knowledge of Tiger alumni and friends throughout Kansas and the USA.”