HUTCHINSON— Country chart-toppers, up-and-coming superstars, legends of disco, and iconic rockers will all descend on Hutchinson to headline the musical lineup at the 2018 Kansas State Fair.
The Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand will showcase some of Kansas’ favorite artist and events — every single evening of the Kansas State Fair. From iconic Poison rocker Bret Michaels to country sensation Trace Adkins, there’s something for everyone.
Tickets are on sale now, with an “early bird” deal that waives the $5 per ticket processing fee if you purchase by May 10. Prices include gate admission for the day of performance if purchased by Aug. 20.
Visit www.kansasstatefair.com or follow the fair on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for additional concert announcements, and up-to-date information about your favorite events.
All shows begin at 7:30 p.m., except the Outlaw Truck and Tractor pull, which starts at 3 p.m.
Here are the shows:
Friday, Sept. 7 – KC and the Sunshine Band, $5/$10
Saturday, Sept. 8 – Dan + Shay, with special guest Cassadee Pope $25/$35/$60
Sunday, Sept. 9 – Josh Abbott Band, with special guest Blackhawk, $15/$30/$45
Monday, Sept. 10 – Demolition Derby, $7 all general admission age 13 and up; 12 and under free
Longtime Sharon Springs, Kansas, resident Rita J. Cowles, 78, passed away Thursday, April 26, 2018 at her home in Sharon Springs.
Rita was born on August 10, 1939 in Frankfort, Indiana to Harold C. and Hazel M. (Steen) Ashley. She was one of two children. As a child, she grew up and attended school in Frankfort, and graduated from Frankfort High School in 1957.
On September 18, 1959, she married Marion Michael Cowles in Sharon Springs. To this union, three children, Michael, Michele and Marc were born. She was a housewife and was involved with various activities and organizations throughout her life, including Order of Eastern Star and the Weskan Bible Church.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Harold C. and Hazel M. Ashley, and her mother and father-in-law Helen J. Cowles and Marion Asa Cowles Jr.
She is survived by her husband Michael Cowles of the home in Sharon Springs, her three children; Michael W. Cowles and Debra D. Collins of Colby, KS, Michele (Joe) Noark of Ballwin, MO, and Marion Marc Cowles of Ness City, KS; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and one brother William O. Ashley of Edinburgh, IN.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 30, 2018 at 10:00 AM MT at the Weskan Bible Church in Weskan with Pastor Tim Cress officiating. Burial will follow in the Sharon Springs Cemetery, Sharon Springs, KS. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs.
Memorials are designated to the American Cancer Society or the Sharon Springs Public Library and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
PAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday for the December 2016 murder of his wife.
In February, Jacob Ohnmacht, 27, Larned, admitted to the crime after his wife 21-year-old Kayla Parrett threatened to leave him, according to court testimony. He had told law enforcement he found her hanging in an outside garden shed.
Ohnmacht- photo Pawnee Co.
The physical evidence at the scene, however, did not support the defendant’s story of a self-hanging, according to an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek.
At the plea hearing, Ohnmacht told the Court that when he came home on the night of the murder, his wife confronted him outside and an argument ensued. He said when she started walking away from him he just snapped, grabbed a rope and started strangling her. He then told the Court she went limp in a matter of seconds. He later called 911 telling them to send an ambulance as he had just found his wife hanging.
Ohnmacht was originally charged with of intentional murder in the second degree, three counts of felony Interference of law enforcement and one count of misdemeanor Interference of law enforcement. Under Kansas law voluntary manslaughter is defined as knowingly killing of a human being committed upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion.
The victim’s family was consulted throughout the plea negotiation process and were present in the Courtroom at the time of the plea. Six family members made statements to the Court at the
sentencing hearing.
The defendant then read a statement requesting the Court for a reduced sentence to allow him to be out of prison for the high school graduation of his son, who is currently 6 years old.
After hearing the statements of the families and defendant, as well as arguments of counsel, District Judge Bruce Gatterman denied the request by the defendant for a downward departure and
sentenced Ohnmacht to standard sentence of 216 months prison for the voluntary manslaughter conviction and an additional 6 months for felony inference with law enforcement.
In running the counts consecutive, Judge Gatterman noted that the defendant’s lie to law enforcement had allowed him to remain free six months longer than had he acknowledged his role in Kayla’s death from the beginning.
As part of the plea agreement, the defendant also agreed to waive any right of appeal for his voluntary manslaughter conviction and additionally agreed to waive a pending appeal from his August 16, 2017, conviction for criminal threat related to texts regarding spitting in a law enforcement officer’s pizza.
“My heart breaks for the victim’s family as there is no sentence that will truly feel like justice for the death of Kayla. In my negotiations, I wanted, however, to ensure there would be a legal closure for the family. The waiver of all appeal rights by the defendant reaches that end,” stated Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett in response to why his office agreed to reduce the charges.
The case was designated as a domestic violence offense and Ohnmacht will be required to register for a period of 15 years as a violent offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act
following his release from prison. By operation of law he will be able to earn up to 15% goodtime credit.
The defendant remains in the custody of the Ford County Jail pending transfer to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
ANDERSON COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident during a chase by law enforcement just before 5:30a.m. Friday in Anderson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Luke Lennon Rea, 21, Ottawa, was being pursued by the Anderson County Sheriff and was attempting to pass a semi.
Upon passing, Rea lost control of the motorcycle when a tire went off the right shoulder. The semi ran over Rea and the motorcycle.
Rea was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. The semi driver William D. Metcalf, 57, Dallas, Texas was not injured.
The Anderson County Sheriff did not report what prompted the chase.
Dollar Tree has signed a contract with Big Creek Crossing to open a new store on the south end of the mall.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Big Creek Crossing announced today it signed national chain Dollar Tree as a new tenant.
The store will occupy about 10,000 square feet where Fashion Bug and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore were located at the south end of the mall. There will be no door to the store from the mall; the Dollar Tree will only have an exterior entrance.
The ReStore moved last weekend and now occupies a space in the former G&L Tire at south end of the mall parking lot.
Construction began today on the remodel of the mall space for Dollar Tree. The chain hopes to open its new Hays location this fall.
Dollar Tree is described as a variety store where all products cost a $1 or less.
According to its website, some of the product departments you’ll find at Dollar Tree include housewares, glassware, dinnerware, cleaning supplies, candy, snacks, food, health and beauty, toys, gifts, gift bags and wrap, party supplies, stationery, craft supplies, teaching supplies, books, and seasonal décor.
James Younger, Big Creek Crossing manager, said he thought Dollar Tree will be a positive addition to the mall and the community.
“This is something that we have been working on for quite some time,” he said. “We are very happy to see the project finalized, and we have it underway. We can’t wait until the project is completed and it is open and to bring another great shopping choice to the city of Hays.”
Big Creek has other projects in the works and hopes to make further announcements before the end of the year, Younger said.
He was unsure how many workers the Dollar Tree will employ.
The Habitat for Humanity ReStore has moved to 2900 Vine at the former G&L Tire location in the south Big Creek Crossing parking Lot.
Leslie Wyatt, Habitat for Humanity executive director, said the ReStore will be open its regular hours 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in its new location, 2900 Vine, on Saturday.
She said the organization is thankful Big Creek had a new location for the store. The store is in a slightly larger space with better visibility.
The ReStore takes donations and sells thrift items, construction surplus, household goods and furniture. ReStore proceeds support Habitat’s mission of providing affordable housing in the community.
Wyatt wished to thank all the volunteers who showed up Sunday to help move the store’s merchandise, including the Fort Hays State University football team.
Habitat and the ReStore are always in need of volunteers. To learn more about volunteering or about Habitat, call 785-623-4200, visit the Habitat website at www.hfhec.org or connect on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HFHEC/.
Workers lay bricks on the exterior of the new Old Chicago restaurant, 383 W. Mopar Drive, across from Walmart.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The building looks like a construction zone now, but franchise officials said they are confident Old Chicago in Hays will be open by May 14.
The franchise is remodeling space in the former Golden Corral building, 383 W. Mopar Drive, across from Walmart.
The interior is already unrecognizable from its former self, with a large bar, patio area and brick facing on the exterior. OC Restaurants gutted the kitchen and brought in all new equipment. With the patio, the restaurant will seat about 220 people.
Old Chicago has completely gutted and remodeled the interior of the old Golden Corral building.
The restaurant will offer a full bar with 40 beers on tap and another 70 beer labels in bottles, including some German beers.
Old Chicago offers menu options for everyone, said Jeff Daley, director of operations.
“The thing that I like about Old Chicago the best is the menu is so diverse,” he said.
They are known for their pizza, which includes ale-crust and gluten-free options. However, the restaurant also offer a variety of pastas, sandwiches, salads, wings and burgers.
He said the atmosphere is great for a family dinner, a night our with friends or a business meeting.
The restaurant will offer catering and takeout. Online ordering will be available a couple of weeks after the opening.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
The restaurant will employ 105 people and, as of Thursday morning, still had slots open for another 20 employees.
“The workforce, we are very excited about that and all the employees we have hired,” Daley said.
Old Chicago will have a full bar with 40 beers on tap and another 70 other beer labels available in bottles.
Old Chicago is a national franchise that was founded in Colorado in 1976. It already has a strong Kansas presence, including locations in Wichita, Great Bend, Liberal and multiple restaurants in Kansas City.
“We like the community. We are very excited about the growth. We are excited about the interstate location,” Daley said.
Ross Olsbo, opening operations manager, said, “You asked why Hays. This is just a great Midwestern community. It is a feel-good place coming here. Everywhere we go, we get treated with that great Midwestern hospitality. I was over at the CVB yesterday, and everyone made me feel like I was welcome and part of the community. It is nice to have that feeling. … I am glad that we are coming here and going to be a part of that community.”
Old Chicago is only using about 6,600 square feet of the old Golden Corral building. The other 3,600 square feet of the space will be leased. It will be closed off from the restaurant with a second entrance. The business has had some interest in the space, including a gym, retail or professional office space. No contracts have been signed.
Old Chicago’s kitchen was completely redone in the remodel, including adding this pizza oven. The restaurant is known for its pizza, but also serves sandwiches, salads, pasta, burgers and appetizers, such as wings.
Jim Gardner, operating principal on the project, also said the OC Restaurants would consider dividing that portion of the building into two smaller rental spaces.
The restaurant is doing a fundraiser in conjunction with its opening. Several training meals will be served by invitation prior to the restaurant opening on May 14. One hundred percent of the proceeds from those meals will go to Big Brother Big Sisters of Ellis County.
“We expect to raise a significant amount of money. The other thing that is important is that when we are doing our opening functions and training, we will have representative here from Big Brothers Big Sisters. We also think we can help raise the awareness of their organization and what they are trying to do,” Daley said.
A high-stakes gambit initiated by Kansas lawmakers Thursday could prove to be the checkmate move that blocks Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer from imposing new Medicaid eligibility restrictions.
Lawmakers are on the verge of passing a bill that would force Gov. Jeff Colyer to back off on tighter restrictions for Medicaid or losing federal funding for the program. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Colyer wants a four-year extension of the federal waiver that allowed the state to privatize its $3 billion Medicaid program and re-name it KanCare in 2013. It currently covers more than 420,000 low-income, elderly and disabled Kansans
Early in the legislative session, lawmakers added language to a budget bill to stop Colyer from seeking federal approval for the eligibility changes. But they worried that the governor could still use his line-item veto to strike the proviso and move forward with KanCare 2.0.
To prevent that, the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday approved an amendment authored by Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt that ties all Medicaid funding to the survival of the proviso.
“The governor could still line-item veto (the proviso), but the consequences would be dire,” said Sen. Laura Kelly, the top Democrat on the committee and a candidate for governor.
A veto, Kelly said, would “un-fund our entire Medicaid program.”
Colyer’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
At issue are Colyer’s proposals to impose lifetime benefit caps for some KanCare recipients and to require that others work or undergo job training to maintain their eligibility. Federal officials consistently rejected such restrictions since the inception of Medicaid in the mid-1960s.
But the leaders installed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by President Donald Trump reversed that policy as part of an effort to lessen dependency on government assistance programs.
“People moving off of Medicaid is a good outcome,” Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in defense of work requirements at a January press conference at the White House.
“We hope that means they do not need the program anymore, that they have transitioned to a job that provides health insurance or that they can afford insurance on their own,” she said.
Critics of the tighter restrictions say Medicaid’s primary purpose is to provide health coverage to low-income, elderly and disabled people — not vocational services.
“There is no independent data that shows that work requirements do anything except reduce the number of people who get health care,” said Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat running for governor.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
The crash happened around 4:30 a.m. Friday in Harrisonville, which is about 30 miles south of Kansas City. Police say the truck was pulling a trailer with 80 to 100 head of cattle.
A man and woman in the truck were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Police say the surviving cattle were rounded up and taken from the scene in trailers. Police say some are expected to be looked at by a veterinarian. It’s unclear where the cattle were going.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. It caused major traffic delays on northbound Interstate 49.
Coleta Elizabeth Haberman, 91, passed away April 25, 2018, at Woodhaven Care Center, Ellinwood. She was born July 13, 1926, at La Crosse, to Joseph and Rosa (Herrman) Schafer. Coleta married Francis Joseph Haberman November 19, 1952, at Liebenthal.
Graduating from Sacred Heart High School, Wichita, and Fort Hays State University, Coleta had been a resident of Great Bend since 1961, moving from the Heizer area. She was a teacher for 34 years, starting her career at District #45, rural Barton County, continuing at Heizer School District, then retiring from Lincoln Elementary School, USD 428, in 1988. Coleta was a member of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Great Bend, Altar Society, Daughters of Isabella, Pilot Club, and Pi Kappa Pi Sorority. She enjoyed dancing, crossword puzzles, playing bridge, mission trips, and above all, time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Survivors include; husband, Francis Haberman, of the home; one son, David Haberman and wife Elaine of Hays; one daughter Debbie Tracy and husband Geoffrey of Great Bend; two sisters, Leola Gottschalk of Hays and Ann Dechant and husband Virgil of Leawood; six grandchildren, Audrey Rummel and husband Jeff, Joseph Haberman and wife Breanna Ellison, Kimberly Georgeson and husband Wesley, Jacob Haberman, Matthew Tracy and wife Letecia, and Spencer Tracy; and eleven great grandchildren, Nathan Rummel, Jesse McDougal, Jared Rummel, Jade Rummel, Jet Georgeson, Stella Georgeson, Whitley Georgeson, Aiden Tracy, Christopher Tracy, Carver Tracy, and Declan Tracy. Coleta was preceded in passing by one brother, Berthold Schafer; and two sisters, Rose Mary Simpson and Geraldine Schafer.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 1, 2018, St. Patrick Catholic Church with Father Don Bedore officiating. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery, Great Bend. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday, April 30, with an Altar Society Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a Vigil with a D of I Rosary at 7:00 p.m., all at Bryant Funeral Home. Memorial funds have been established with Holy Family School Endowment Fund or KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
BARTON COUNTY — A 13-year-old student is in juvenile detention following an arrest Thursday for an alleged school threat in Hoisington.
Authorities arrested the boy off campus after USD 431 officials learned of the alleged verbal threats to shoot students at school, according to Police Chief Kenton Doze.
Police did provide additional security at the school Thursday and USD 431 canceled a track meet due to safety concerns, according to Doze.
We are giving away the Chicken Soup for the Soul book “My Crazy Family.”
Listen during a KZ Country Morning with Theresa Trapp Monday, April 23 – Friday, April 27, 2018 for the sounder with a rooster and chickens. Call 785-628-2995 when you hear the sounder. Caller three will be the winner.
No age requirement to win.
Winners will need to pick up their books at the KZ Country Studio, 2300 Hall, Hays, KS within 30 days of winning.
Remember, one win per household per 30 days!
Everyone thinks their own family is crazy. In these 101 stories of crazy, embarassing, annoying and dysfunctional families, Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors humorously and lovingly share those special moments that have become cherished memories.
Family. It’s a cast of characters with whom we walk through life – complicated, crazy, annoying and sometimes embarrassing characters who we can’t help but love. In these 101 stories, you’ll read about those characters, the moments they’ve shared and the memories they’ve made. You’ll nod in recognition, laugh out loud, and maybe even tear up a little as you see yourself and your own family in these stories of sometimes dysfunctional, but always loving, families.
Winners: Pat Sauer, Don Burlison, Linda Palmberg, John Braun and Lily Kingsley
WASHINGTON – The United States Olympic Committee has announced the 2018 winners for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games, recognizing Team USA’s outstanding performances and awe-inspiring achievements from the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 in the following eight categories:
Female Olympic Athlete of the Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods – Chloe Kim, snowboarding
Male Olympic Athlete of the Games – Shaun White, snowboarding
Olympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow – U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team
Olympic Coach of the Games – Jason Cork, cross-country skiing
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Games – Oksana Masters, Nordic skiing
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Games – Dan Cnossen, Nordic skiing
Paralympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow – U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team
Paralympic Coach of the Games – Gary Colliander, Nordic skiing
The awards were presented during a live recording of the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games ceremony, held Thursday at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. The awards show – which featured NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico as host – will be televised as a 90-minute feature for the first time ever, and will run from 6-7:30 p.m. ET May 12 on NBCSN.
The six athlete and team award winners were determined by online fan voting at TeamUSA.org/Awards, where nearly 600,000 fan votes determined 50 percent of the final tally. Members of the Olympic and Paralympic family – including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists – accounted for the other 50 percent. For coaching awards, National Governing Bodies selected their nominees and the winners were determined via selection committee.
Female Olympic Athlete of the Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods Chloe Kim (Torrance, California), snowboarding In her first Olympic Games, Kim nailed a 98.25-point victory lap run in halfpipe after posting a 93.75 on her first run to secure the gold medal. She is the youngest woman from any nation to win a gold medal in snowboarding.
Male Olympic Athlete of the Games Shaun White (Carlsbad, California), snowboarding With an impressive 97.75-point final run to claim gold, White became the first snowboarder to ever win three Olympic gold medals and is the first American man to win gold medals at three Olympic Winter Games. He now owns the second most gold medals among U.S. men in Olympic Winter Games history.
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Games Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kansas),Nordic skiing In his second Paralympic Games, Cnossen medaled in each of the six cross-country and biathlon events he entered, winning one gold, four silvers and one bronze. He also made history as the first American man to win biathlon gold at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.
Olympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team For the first time since 1998, Team USA defeated rival Canada for the Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey. The U.S. women bested the four-time Olympic champions, 3-2, in a shootout after tying the game with 6:21 remaining in regulation.
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Games Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky), Nordic skiing After fracturing her right elbow three weeks prior to the Paralympic Winter Games, Masters overcame unsurmountable odds to win five medals (two golds, two silvers and one bronze) in biathlon and cross-country competition. She left PyeongChang as the most decorated athlete on the team and in the history of the Para Nordic skiing program.
Paralympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Powered by the late shooting heroics of Declan Farmer, Team USA claimed an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
Olympic Coach of the Games Jason Cork, cross-country skiing As a coach for the U.S. National Cross-Country Ski Team and the personal coach of two-time Olympian Jessie Diggins, Cork was instrumental in leading Team USA to its first-ever Olympic medal in women’s cross-country skiing and the first U.S. gold medal in the sport. In addition to the historic gold medal in team sprint, Cork also guided Diggins to three individual top-five finishes – the best-ever for an American woman in Olympic cross-country skiing (prior to the gold medal).
Paralympic Coach of the Games Gary Colliander, Nordic skiing With Colliander’s biathlon expertise, the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing Team concluded the PyeongChang Games in record-setting fashion with seven biathlon medals. Prior to the PyeongChang Games, the U.S. had only garnered one biathlon medal in Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games history. He also coached the team to nine medals in cross-country races, bringing its event total to 16 medals – including six golds.
Building Dreams Award, presented by USG Tom Kelly, vice president of communications at U.S. Ski & Snowboard In a career that has spanned 32 years and nine Olympic Winter Games, Kelly has dedicated his life’s work to telling the incredible stories of Team USA athletes and highlighting the historic milestones that have made U.S. Ski & Snowboard a perennial power on the world’s biggest stage. In a pioneering move that reimagined media coverage at the Olympic Games, Kelly was the mastermind behind the USOC’s Managing Victory tour, which is designed to help Olympic medalists capitalize on their success and promote their sport in the immediate aftermath of their podium performance. Now a cornerstone of both summer and winter versions of the Games, Team USA celebrated the sixth installment of the program at the PyeongChang Olympics, which also marked the final Games for Kelly in his current role with U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic gold medalist (figure skating) Yamaguchi embodies the word champion, both in her athletic achievements and dedication to giving back to the community. Since being crowned the women’s figure skating Olympic champion in 1992, she has continued to define excellence and inspire others through many philanthropic efforts. Yamaguchi’s personal motto inspired her to establish the Always Dream Foundation, which aims to support disadvantaged children in her native Bay Area. Later, she launched the Always Reading program, which focuses on the development of early childhood literacy skills by integrating e-tablets, digital and traditional books in the classroom. Yamaguchi also established the Always Dream Play Park, offering play equipment designed for children with disabilities, and the Always Striving scholarship, awarded annually to an individual or pairs figure skating team that reflects the dedication, potential and character of an Olympic hopeful.
About the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games
Formerly known as the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year awards, the Team USA Awards began in 1974. The impressive and diverse collection of past winners represent nearly 30 sports on the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic programs. Their collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements throughout history. Beginning in 2014, the Team USA Awards began recognizing the incredible performances of Team USA athletes and teams during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information on the Team USA Awards, visit TeamUSA.org.
The Hays wastewater treatment plant, 1498 E. Highway 40, is undergoing reconstruction.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Reconstruction of Hays’ updated wastewater treatment plant is running 45 days ahead of schedule.
A progress report was presented Thursday night to city commissioners by Stan Christopher, HDR Engineering.
Most of the work is now taking place above ground. Christopher likened the current status of the $28.4 million project as “builders having a new house roughed in.”
He showed photos of the site including a 185-foot diameter aeration basin which will replace two smaller ones.
“It’s not that the plant capacity is being increased, but the quality of water coming out of the new plant is much tighter than what your current plant,” explained Christopher.
“In order to achieve that you need to be able to treat the wastewater for a longer period of time and that’s why this structure is bigger than what you have currently.”
The biosolids, or wastewater, will go from the aerator into two clarifiers and settled out, is filtered and disinfected, and then discharged into two reclaim/reuse water tanks.
“That effluent water is fully treated,” said Christopher, “and can be either discharged to Chetolah Creek or be pumped out for use on the Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and the ball fields for irrigation reuse.”
Christopher noted there have been no change orders on the project, and was quick to compliment the city employees working with the contractor.
“We’ve seen tremendous support out of your staff at the plant,” he told the commission.
“Any modification of a plant requires you to make connections to the existing plant at numerous times. That usually requires shutting down the entire facility for four to five hours, sometimes up to eight hours. Obviously, those have to be timed when wastewater’s not being discharged into the sewer, or at least, very little of it, and that’s usually 1 o’clock in the morning. Your staff is working with the contractor with those shutdowns and fast-tracking it into three or four hours, and putting the plant back into operation well before most of us are up for the day.”
The final completion date is projected to be August 1, 2019.
