ELLIS COUNTY

The Ellis County Joint Planning Commission will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday with the continuation of the Public Hearing from last meeting. It will be held at 7 p.m. at 718 Main Street in the Commission Chambers, Hays, Kansas.

Contact the Ellis County Zoning Office at 785-628-9449 for more information.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday the closure of sections of the Minooka Campsite at Wilson Lake due to anticipated flooding with water covering many sites that had recently been reopened from flooding in May.

“Never expected flood closures in August but Kansas is what it is,” the corps announced on Facebook Tuesday afternoon.

“Much of north-central Kansas received heavy precipitation amounts last weekend with some reports in the five to six inch range,” they said. “Our office has recorded 9.9 inches for August.”

Lake elevation Monday was recorded at 1520.91 according to the United State Geological Survey.

All of section F of the Minooka Campsite, along with portions of section D and B are closed as water is creeping higher at the lake.

Reservations at those sites have been canceled and full refunds are being issued.

“Forecasting the lake elevation crest is not an exact science, but preliminary estimates show concern for public flood impacts during the upcoming Labor Day Weekend,” the corps said. “We have come up almost two feet with another two to three feet expected. Many of the campsites that were just repaired and opened on the 23rd are now going under again.”

The west and east boat ramps are closed along with the spillway boat ramp. The middle ramp is open, but the dock is inaccessible.

The fireworks show that was rescheduled after flooding during the Fourth of July holiday weekend is still planned for Aug. 31, at 8:45 p.m. according to the Wison Lake Area Association.

The Board of Directors of the United Way of Ellis County (Hays, KS), a local affiliate of the national charitable organization, is seeking an experienced and motivated

Executive Director. The Executive Director of the United Way of Ellis County is a visionary with the qualities of effective leadership and ability to lead change initiatives; has a proven track record of successful donor cultivation; is an effective relationship builder with a diverse, wide spectrum of constituencies, including corporate and community leaders and partner agencies.

Reporting to and working cooperatively with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is directly responsible for leading and developing staff, and day-to-day operations including resource development, community investment, and maintaining/strengthening the relationship with partner agencies. This individual must be a powerful communicator in telling the United Way’s story of “lives changed” and “people mobilized” within our community.    

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required
• Must be able to pass a background check
• Must be able to obtain a bond
• Demonstrate integrity and  high energy
• Business insight
• Experience managing and leading an organization or business unit of comparable size.

Salary:  Beginning compensation between $35,000 and $45,000 based on experience with opportunity for bonus pay based upon performance. 

Qualified candidates should send an application, résumé and cover letter including your vision of how to be a successful Executive Director, three references, three year salary history and requirements via e-mail to: [email protected].  Applications are available online at www.liveunited.us.  All submissions will be confidential, and references will not be contacted without the candidate’s approval. Priority deadline is September 6, 2019.  Review of applications will begin after the deadline and continue until the position is filled.

Please visit www.liveunited.us for more information about the United Way of Ellis County.

United Way of Ellis County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KDOT

NORTON – KDOT has started a chip seal and striping project that will reconfigure a portion of U.S. 36 through Norton from four lanes to three between Second Street and the east city limits.

The current four-lane design will be restriped with a dedicated left turn lane in each direction at the U.S. 283 junction, and one lane of traffic in each direction with a center turn lane east of the U.S. 283 junction.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of next week, weather permitting.

Dr. Jen Brull, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, has been named a Top 25 Innovator by Modern Healthcare.

Brull leads Aledade’s accountable care organization (ACO) in Kansas.

A key innovation she’s implemented is the “Roadmap to Awesomeness.” It’s an improvement tool for practices to assess data and follow best practices. The ACO is able to tap into real-time data to address gaps in patient care.

The road map helped Brull’s own solo medical practice in Plainville reduce ED utilization for diabetic patients.

Overall, the ACO cut hospital admissions by 23% for congestive heart failure patients and reduced ED visits by 11% in 2017 for Medicare patients (the most recent year for which data is available). The ACO also saw a 17% increase in breast cancer screenings and a 31% increase in well-child visits.

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