The Hays Police Department responded to 22 traffic stops and 9 animal calls Fri., Nov. 18, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Assist – Other (not MV)–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 1:02 AM
Driving While Suspended/Revoked–1300 block Allen St, Hays; 7:50 AM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–200 block E 18th St, Hays; 8:12 AM
Animal At Large–33rd and Hall, Hays; 8:22 AM
Civil Dispute–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 8:50 AM
Animal Cruelty/Neglect–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 9:21 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–1400 block Main St, Hays; 11/17 5 PM; 11/18 9 AM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–7th and Elm St, Hays; 11:59 AM
Parking Complaint–500 block Mission Mt, Hays; 12:41 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–1200 block E 27th St, Hays; 1:34 PM
Bicycle – Lost,Found,Stolen–1200 block Maple St, Hays; 1:52 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–Allen and Vine St, Hays; 2:07 PM
Animal At Large–1700 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 3:18 PM
Civil Dispute–400 block Oak St, Hays; 11/17 6:38 PM
Credit Card Violations–2900 block Walnut St, Hays; 4 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 4:51 PM
Mental Health Call–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 5:21 PM
Suspicious Person–1500 block Main St, Hays; 11/17 8 AM; 11/18 7:30 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–3300 block Hall St, Hays; 8:30 PM
Driving While Suspended/Revoked–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 9:18 PM
Criminal Transport–1300 block Kansas Highway 264, Larned; 10:40 PM
Drug Offenses–200 block W 7th St, Hays; 11:28 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–500 block W 12th St, Hays; 11:38 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 11 traffic stops and 5 animal calls Sat., Nov. 19, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Suspicious Activity–1300 block Haney Dr, Hays; 12:06 AM
Driving Under the Influence–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 2:10 AM; 2:15 AM
Criminal Trespass–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 3:24 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–1700 block Henry Dr, Hays; 9:38 AM
Juvenile Complaint–500 block Vine St, Hays; 10:32 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 5:15 AM; 5:45 AM
Harassment (All Other)–500 block W 12th St, Hays; 8:45 PM
Burglary/storage unit–1100 block E 13th St, Hays; 11/13; 11/19
Lost Animals ONLY–200 block E 14th St, Hays; 6:12 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–1200 block E 27th St, Hays; 6:12 PM
Found/Lost Property–1100 block E 41st St, Hays; 6:46 PM
Found/Lost Property–3700 block Vine St, Hays; 7:38 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 13 traffic stops and 3 animal calls Sun., Nov. 20, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 11/17 11:29 PM; 11/18 12:44 AM
Assault–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 11/20 2:05 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–200 block W 16th St, Hays; 8:47 AM
Custody Dispute–1100 block E 17th St, Hays; 11:50 AM
Harassment (All Other)–1000 block W 28th St, Hays; 12:46 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 5:16 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1200 block E 27th St, Hays; 6:08 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 16 traffic stops and 6 animal calls Mon., Nov. 21, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

MV Accident /DUI–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 1:47 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–3000 block Barclay Dr, Hays; 8:46 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9:57 AM
Civil Dispute–2500 block E 21st St, Hays; 12:00 PM
Found/Lost Property–800 block Vine St, Hays; 1:38 PM
Criminal Threat–4400 block Vine St, Hays; 2:14 PM
Civil Dispute–600 block E 6th St, Hays; 3:18 PM; 3:19 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–2900 block Barclay Dr, Hays; 3:57 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–6th and Fort Street St, Hays; 4:39 PM; 4:40 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–200 block W 13th St, Hays; 8:18 PM; 8:19 PM
Civil Dispute–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 10:04 PM

PLEASANTVIEW — One person was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Pleasantview in a two-vehicle crash.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, David L. Miller, 89, Partridge, was northbound on Dean Road at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday and reportedly failed to stop at a stop sign at U.S. 50. His vehicle was struck on the driver’s side by a vehicle driven by Samuel Fritzemeier, 20, Hutchinson.

The KHP said Miller was killed in the accident. Fritzemeier received only minor injuries.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Hays City Commission will meet tonight, Tue., Nov. 23, rather than Thursday because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Three public hearings are on the agenda.

Commissioners will conduct two hearings for Community Improvement District (CID) requests from Hays Extended Stay Hotel Partners LP which seeks two 1% sales tax CIDs related to construction of a Marriott Town Place Suites west of Home Depot.

The commission will also consider approving ordinances and development agreements for the project.

The third public hearing is for a 1% CID sales tax request from Hays Investors for a proposed 73,000 square feet retail development directly north of Home Depot. Again, if commissioners vote to proceed with the request, they will next consider the Development Agreement and ordinance adoption.

Other agenda items are the issuance, payment, and security of $5.9 million in General Obligation Refunding Bonds. City Finance Director Kim Rupp expects the refunding will lower the debt service on the bonds approximately $58,000 per year for the remaining term.

The complete agenda may be seen here.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The discussion over a proposed residential subdivision south of Hays quickly turned to a discussion on water and septic systems at Monday’s Ellis County Commission meeting.

In an effort to resolve the issue of the Blue Sky Acres residential development south of Hays on Highway 183, the county commission placed the final plat back on the commission’s agenda for Monday’s meeting. The move was made, at the request of the commission, even after a motion on the measure failed to get a second at a prior meeting.

After much discussion and input from the public, the commission voted 1-to-1 on the final plat, defeating the measure. Commissioner Barb Wasinger and County Counselor Bill Jeter recused themselves because of conflicts of interest.

At the meeting, Commissioner Marcy McClelland, who chose not to second a motion to vote on the final plat the Nov. 7 meeting, read a prepared statement saying she has concerns about the environmental impact.

“Where is the water from these six new septic systems going?” McClelland said. “We all know it goes down in the ground.”

McClelland said she has suffered times without water and has a well contaminated. She said she “chose to look beyond the dollar signs to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Ellis County.”

County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst estimated the six new houses would generate approximately $20,000 per year in tax revenue.

McClelland added the septic systems could possibly contaminate the existing water wells used by residents in the VonFeldt Addition, which is directly east of the proposed residential subdivision.

Haselhorst said he has not experienced any problems and added the new systems are much more efficient than the systems put in in the 1970s in the VonFeldt Addition.

“I still have a septic system on Canterbury, along with seven other homes along Canterbury. They have been there since 1976,” Haselhorst said “We’ve had no issues with that.”

Property owner Mary Alice Unrein said she has consulted with the Kansas Water Office, and they have told her the proposed septic systems would not contaminate the groundwater. Unrein even changed the layout of the plat from eight lots to six – increasing the size of the lost from 2 acres to 2.5 acres at the urging of the County Zoning and Planning department in an effort to avoid any issues with septic systems.

Unrein claimed the current property owners in the VonFeldt Addition “will contaminate themselves first” because they do not have the updated septic tanks in place.

“There’s no way, they (KWO) told me, that I will be contaminating any of their property, at all, or their water,” Unrein said.

Terry Krannawitter lives in the VonFeldt division and disputed Unrein’s claim about the septic systems and said he has a new system and knows of another resident in the area with one as well.

He is also concerned with the amount of water available in the area.

“That’s one of the reasons we are fighting, to try to keep our survival out there,” he said.

Krannawitter, when asked, said he does not have a plan at the moment to deal with the possibility of running out of water. He said if that happens that will have to connect to another water source.

“That’s my concern,” said Krannawitter “That this doesn’t happen before we run out of water. … If the wells go dry or there’s contamination, all we have left out there is firewood.”

Unrein has talked with the Trego County Rural Water District about bringing water from the line just a mile west of the property to that area.

Haselhorst suggested the residents in VonFeldt reach out to Unrein and the RWD and work together to bring water to that area. It could be an answer to their water issues.

“If that option was available, I think I’d want to get on board with Mary Alice,” he said.

But McClelland and her husband, Tom, contend if drought conditions persist, the RWD could shut off water to the residential locations in the district.

Haselhorst said that after talking with the RWD, they have connected more than 300 homes to water and Doonan Peterbilt north of Hays is also on the Trego RWD.

Haselhorst said, “I think rural water would be a much more sustainable source than what a water well is.”

Unrein says she had a water well service test a well on the property that can provide water to 10 homes. She also owns 135 acres in that area and can “do what I want” with water on her land and “drill as many domestic as I want to on my land.”

“They’re going to have to start solving their problem theirselves,” said Unrein.

Tom Drees, serving as legal counsel for the commission, said the proposal has been approved by the county zoning and planning department, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the KWO.

He added the objection by McClelland based on the possible contamination from a septic system is “almost a policy decision.”

McClelland said she is not opposed to septic systems and said they will have to be used for future development in the county.

During the vote, Haselhorst voted in favor of the plat and McClelland voted in opposition, causing Wasinger to say “oh, my God.”

County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the commission will send a letter to the city informing them of the county commission’s decision.

Because the property is in the extraterritorial jurisdiction the city’s planning commission already approved the plat.

In other business, Director of Fire and Emergency management Darren Myers updated the commission on the process of updating the dispatch equipment. He said some of the equipment is more than 20 years old and must be replaced. They plan to bringing information to the commission next month.

The Hays Police Department responded to 20 traffic stops and 7 animal calls Tue., Nov. 15, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Water Use Violation–600 block E 13th St, Hays; 12:04 AM; 12:09 AM
Battery – simple–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:09 AM
Driving Under the Influence–600 block W 8th St, Hays; 1:53 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–2200 block Vine St, Hays; 2:37 AM; 3:24 AM
Animal At Large–20th and Allen St, Hays; 8:43 AM
Found/Lost Property–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 8:59 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 10:02 AM
Drug Offenses–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 11/14; 11/15
Found/Lost Property–27th and Canterbury, Hays; 11:50 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–500 block Elm St, Hays; 2:53 PM
Phone/Mail Scam–500 block W 33rd St, Hays; 10 AM
Suspicious Person–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 4:21 PM
Mental Health Call–200 block E 7th St, Hays; 5:07 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–1400 block Fort St, Hays; 5:46 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–2900 block Willow St, Hays; 7:13 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 12 traffic stops and 8 animal calls Wed., Nov. 16, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

MV Accident-City Street/Alley–27th and Hall, Hays; 7:50 AM; 7:51 AM
Theft of Services–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 8:24 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–1400 block Montgomery St, Hays; 8:24 AM
Animal At Large–300 block E 22nd St, Hays; 9:07 AM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–4300 block U183 St, Hays; 11 AM; 11:02 AM
Animal At Large–200 block E 13th St, Hays; 11:38 AM
Burglary/storage unit–1100 block E 13th St, Hays; 11:44 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1400 block W Granite Rd, Long Island; 11:52 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–1100 block E 13th St, Hays; 12:50 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–1100 block E 13th St, Hays; 11/11 3 PM; 11/16 12:51 PM
Animal At Large–1100 block Centennial Blvd, Hays; 1:23 PM
Juvenile Complaint–300 block W 12th St, Hays; 1:40 PM
Disturbance – Noise–500 block E 6th St, Hays; 3:25 PM
Civil Dispute–2200 block Drum Ave, Hays; 4:08 PM
Burglary/vehicle–300 block E 19th St, Hays; 11/14 3 PM; 11/16 4:25 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 5:15 PM; 5:30 PM
Suicidal Subject–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 4:30 PM
Civil Transport–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 8:24 PM
Drug Offenses–200 block W 27th St, Hays; 8:25 PM
Civil Dispute–1100 block Downing Ave, Hays; 8:44 PM
Aggravated Battery–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 10:30 PM
Drug Offenses–1200 block Donald Dr, Hays; 8:25 PM; 10:35 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 22 traffic stops and 11 animal calls Thu., Nov. 17, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Traffic Stop–400 block W 27th St, Hays; 1:05 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block W 11th St, Hays; 8:01 AM
Civil Dispute–300 block Main St, Hays; 8 AM
Animal At Large–2900 block Hillcrest Dr, Hays; 12:15 PM
Dead Animal Call–Hays; 1:39 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–2300 block E 13th St, Hays; 3:02 PM
Animal At Large–3300 block Hall St, Hays; 3:57 PM
Animal At Large–2500 block E 13th St, Hays; 4:30 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4400 block Vine St, Hays; 4:46 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–400 block W 18th St, Hays; 4:30 PM; 4:35 PM
Animal Bite Investigation–1700 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 5 PM; 5:40 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 6:25 PM; 6:45 PM
Disturbance – Noise–500 block Halladay St, Hays; 7:48 PM; 8 PM
Theft (general)–3500 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 10:10 PM; 10:18 PM
Driving Under the Influence–400 block W. 7th St, Hays; 11:25 PM