Hays City Commission to consider additions to two city parks

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Local veterans are hoping to create a veterans memorial in the Hays Veterans Memorial Park, 13th and Canterbury.

Project Director Vance Chartier of the Veteran Alliance will make a presentation about the project during tonight’s Hays city commission work session.

Alexander Hays, Union Army general in the Civil War. Fort Hays and the city of Hays are named after him.

According to Chartier, the group will ask the commissioners for permission to build the “General [Alexander] Hays Veterans Memorial” in the city park and will not ask the city for any money to support the project. The project would proceed only after all funds are privately raised and secured.

The Veteran Alliance is composed of The Society of 40 Men and Eight Horses, Voiture 1543 and Patriot Outreach with the support of American Legion Post 173, Marine Corps League 970 and the Hays Veteran Business Coalition.

Another Hays park, Seven Hills at 33rd and Hillcrest, may also get an addition spearheaded by a non-profit group which will also appear at the meeting.

The Hays Accessible Recreation Complex would be constructed as a fully accessible area with a playground, baseball field, and splash pad.

The project is presented as a joint effort by Sarah Meitner, a local special needs parent, Kathy McAdoo, executive director of The Arc of the Central Plains, and Brent Kaiser, activities director at The Arc who oversees local Special Olympics teams.

The group is not requesting city funding but will seek permission to build in Seven Hills Park and then turn maintenance of the complex over to the City Parks Department.

Other agenda items include a review of the Unified Development Code (UDC) Fence Height and Accessory Structure Height Regulations.

City staff is recommending a modification to the UDC dealing with fence heights and accessory structure height regulations. Currently, the UDC restricts fence heights on a side yard. However, the unintended consequence of the regulation restricts fence height on side yards for corner lots. It’s been the standard practice to allow 72-inch fences on corner lots. City staff believes the regulation is unnecessarily restrictive. The Hays Planning Commission has already endorsed the modification.

The complete Aug. 16 agenda is available here. The work session starts at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.