By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Following some pointed discussion and questions from one audience member, Hays City Commissioners voted Thursday night to extend the contract for sewer cleaning and videoing with Mayer Specialty Services, LLC.

The Goddard company has had the contract since 2013, when the city started a progressive program to pinpoint sewer lines that need to be repaired or replaced.

One third of the town, or 36 miles, is cleaned and inspected each year. According to Assistant Utilities Director Johnny O’Connor, city employees are only able to get to half of that.

“The past two years of cleaning have identified over 140 points of repair in our system. This year the oldest part of our system will be cleaned and inspected. The Utilities Department has existing staff that does emergency call-outs for sewer backups. We also have a semi-annual cleaning route and maintain troubled areas in our system.  We don’t have enough employees to clean one-third of the town (sewers) every year.  That’s why we contract out for half of the one-third,” O’Connor explained to commissioners.

The 2015 contract of $1.23 a foot with Mayer Specialty Services is not to exceed $120,000 and will be funded from Wastewater Other Contractual Services.

Mayer was the low bidder in 2013 at $1.19 per linear foot. Their contract continued the
with a 1.5% increase to $1.21 per foot for 2014. The 2015 contract is a 2% increase to $1.23 per foot.

“That’s still lower than the second lowest bidder we had in 2013,” Utilities Director Bernie Kitten pointed out.

“They have a special recording camera and GPS which has been integrated into our software system.  We had quite a bit of trouble with it the first year; they got it figured out and we’re getting our data (about areas needing repair),” he said.

The Hays Police Department responded to 8 animal calls and 15 traffic stops Thursday, May 28, 2015, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Disturbance – Noise–700 block W 12th St, Hays; 3:05 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–3300 block Willow St, Hays; 5/27 7 PM; 5/28 7:59 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–200 block W 36th St, Hays; 8:33 AM
Found/Lost Property–400 block Milner St, Hays; 11:47 AM
Found/Lost Property–1100 block E 13th St, Hays; 11:58 AM
Wildlife Incident–500 block E 17th St, Hays; 12:24 PM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 12:45 PM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–27th and General Hays, Hays; 1:33 PM
Computer Crime–3700 block Hall St, Hays; 2:05 PM
Animal Call–600 block E 13th St, Hays; 2:44 PM
Burglary/vehicle–1500 block Montgomery St, Hays; 2:55 PM
Drug Offenses–3900 block Vine St, Hays; 3:06 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–500 block E 17th St, Hays; 3:26 PM
Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 3:26 PM
Credit Card Violations; 1700 block Haney Dr, Hays; 4:40 PM
Theft (general)–200 block E 6th St, Hays; 10 AM; 2:30 PM
Battery – simple–100 block E 15th St, Hays; 5:35 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 6:02 PM
Civil Transport–1300 block Kansas Highway 264, Larned; 7:32 PM
Found/Lost Property–300 block W 7th St, Hays; 9:13 PM

A front that moved through the region Thursday night resulted in rainfall reports ranging from 0.4 inches to 0.88 inches in Ellis County.

Eastern Trego Couty had a report of an even inch of rain, while Gove County saw the most accumulation in the region, with 1.62 inches.

To the east, Russell County saw reports ranging from 0.36 inches to 0.49 inches.

Forecasters are calling for the chance for even more rainfall in this wet May of 2015, with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms early Friday evening.

Click HERE for the complete forecast.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was at the Hays Regional Airport Thursday afternoon to talk with city and airport officials about issues currently affecting the airport.

Moran servers on the commerce committee in the senate which oversees the Federal Aviation Administration and currently the committee is holding hearings regarding the reauthorization of the FAA.

Moran said he believes this is an opportunity to “try and advocate in support of midsize, small town airports.”

He also said it was a good opportunity to get a perspective on an airport that “he knows reasonably well.” He said he flew out of the Hays Airport at 5:05 a.m. every Monday morning from 1997 to September 2011 on his way to Washington.

According to estimates by Airport Manager Nathan Marcucci, the airport will serve about 8,200 passengers this year as the airport tries to recover from a lengthy gap in service and the less than adequate service provided by Great Lakes Airlines.

Moran said, “Great Lakes did us a great disservice.” He said once people chose a new way of doing things it will take a while to get them back.

SkyWest Airlines was selected last spring as the new air service provider for the Hays Regional Airport.

City Commissioner Shaun Musil said he has not heard any complaints since the city switched essential air service from Great Lakes to SkyWest but they believe the later departure and arrival time is hurting passenger numbers.

Due to changes in the way the company handled their fleet, SkyWest dropped the 5:50 a.m. departure time at the Hays Regional Airport and the earliest flight out was about 2 p.m. The change was supposed to be temporary but so far Hays still does not have an early flight.

Musil said the change affects people trying to connect to other cities.

“I you’re going to the east coast you almost have to stay overnight in Denver,” he said.

Public Works Director I.D. Creech, who served as the interim Airport Manager for a period of time said last month’s passenger load was “dismal” compared to normal months, about 520 according to Marcucci.

But Creech said he believes there are opportunities for the earlier flight times to return if “we can put people on the plane.”

In the past, the commission and the airport advisory board have expressed frustration with the change in schedule because that was part of the reason SkyWest was selected for air service in Hays.

But Moran said a subsidy creates problems and when you have a subsidy, “it’s about collecting the subsidy (for the airlines) as compared to how do I attract flyers, how do I attract passengers?”

“So while you all will tell me how important the essential air service subsidy is, it creates another set of problems just because it takes some of the market pressures away from an airline,” said Moran.

Currently, airport staff and the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce are working together to try and get more affordable and family friendly trips out of Hays.

The airport is also hosting the PECAN Weather Open House this Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m and Great Planes on the Great Plains Fly in June 13 in an effort to draw more people to the airport.