The Hays USD 489 Board of Education approved a contract with it custodians’ union at its meeting Monday night.
The contract with the Service Employees International Union, which is also known as SEIU, includes a 4.6 pay percent increase and an increase in longevity bonuses.
“It was good news that the process of working with SEIU came up with an agreement, as far what was being offered on both sides,” Superintendent John Thissen said. “They are definitely in agreement.”
The district also made several changes to bring the SEIU contract in line with other staff on insurance and severance benefits.
The board voted in April to opt out of the Public Employer-Employee Relations Act, which means this is the last year it will bargain with SEIU.
The Hays USD 489 Board of Education approved its 2018-19 $48.7 million budget at its meeting Monday night at the Rockwell Administration Center.
No one from the public spoke during the public hearing, and the budget was approved with little comment from the board.
The budget includes a .767-mill levy decrease, which was the result of the end of a special mill levy of 0.646 mills for declining enrollment and an increase in assessed valuation.
The total mill levy for the school district will be 42.799 mills.
The school district also levies taxes for the Hays Recreation Commission. The rec commission’s general mill levy will stay at 3 mills, but its employee benefits and special liability levy will increase from 1.141 mills to 1.391 mills.
The school district has no control over the HRC levy.
Assessed valuation for the district increased by almost $1.3 million to more than $316 million. The districts bonded indebtedness also dropped by more than $1.3 million.
The State of Kansas passed a school funding plan that will increase school funding by more than $500 million statewide over the next five years.
Hays’ total state funding increase will be about $2.1 million. The district also is forecasting it will see a federal funding increase of $156,040. However, once the loss of the declining enrollment levy, which was a temporary program, is figured into the budget, the district will gain less than $1 million in additional revenue for the coming school year.
The district will be investing its additional money back into personnel this year. Six new certified staff and seven classified staff have been added for the 2018-19 school year at a cost of about $500,000, Superintendent John Thissen said.
The special education cooperative, which Hays administrates added one certified staff member and 10 classified staff.
The board raised pay for its custodial staff. It is still negotiating with the Hays NEA teacher’s union.
In other business:
• Board president Many Fox submitted her board and committee appointments for the year.
Monday was the first day of classes for Fort Hays State University students. Campus organizations and local businesses lined the quad to welcome students to campus during the annual Back-to-School Picnic. There were demonstrations and tons of giveaways for the students.
About 135 youth attended the 21st annual Outdoor Youth Festival on Saturday at the Hays City Sportsmen’s Club.
Youth were able to practice casting, shooting skeet, shooting a paintball gun, shooting different bow types as well as air rifle, muzzleloader and small-bore rifles.
A free lunch was provided by Eagle Communications and the Hays Chapter of Pheasants Forever.
Youth were awarded prizes, including guns, fishing tackle and outdoor equipment.
The Hays USD 489 Board of Education will conduct the public hearing for its 2018-19 $48.7 million budget at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.
The budget includes a .767-mill levy decrease, which was the result of the end of a special mill levy of 0.646 mills for declining enrollment and an increase in assessed valuation.
The total mill levy for the school district will be 42.799 mills.
The school district also levies taxes for the Hays Recreation Commission. The rec commission’s general mill levy will stay at 3 mills, but its employee benefits and special liability levy will increase from 1.141 mills to 1.391 mills.
The school district has no control over the HRC levy.
Assessed valuation for the district increased by almost $1.3 million to more than $316 million. The districts bonded indebtedness also dropped by more than $1.3 million.
The State of Kansas passed a school funding plan that will increase school funding by more than $500 million statewide over the next five years.
Hays’ total state funding increase will be about $2.1 million. The district also is forecasting it will see a federal funding increase of $156,040. However, once the loss of the declining enrollment levy, which was a temporary program, is figured into the budget, the district will gain less than $1 million in additional revenue for the coming school year.
The board’s regular meeting will directly follow the budget hearing.
In other business, the board will:
• Vote on board president appointments
• Vote on negotiations with Service Employees International Union, which is also known as SEIU and represents the district’s custodians.
• Hear a report on projects that were completed this summer
On the map: Lucas, Kansas Distance from Hays: 65 miles Drive time: one hour
So for this week’s road trip, we are going to flash back a year to my first trip to Lucas and Luray last fall.
I am an art lover, and there is a lot of weird and wacky art in Lucas to love.
Lucas is only 16 miles north of Interstate 70 off the Wilson exit.
Lucas is probably most famous for the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is on the National Register of Historic Places and was named a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art. I am neither an art critic nor enough of a student of history to make any educated comments about the Garden of Eden. It is just something you need to see and evaluate for yourself.
Garden of Eden
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor was the grand architect of the Garden of Eden. He was a retired schoolteacher, farmer and Civil War nurse. His art was influenced my the Populist movement as is evident in some of the sculptures in the garden, including “Crucifixion of Labor.”
Of course, as the name of the Dinsmoor’s art experiment indicates, the Garden of Eden also had biblical influences with appearances of the Devil and Adam and Eve, who were originally naked, but Dinsmoor later clothed them — to the relief of his neighbors.
Dinsmoor makes a comment on the predatory nature of both animal and human kind. In the garden, a fox chases a cat who pursues a bird who stalks a worm, which is eating a leaf. A Native American is aiming at the fox with a bow and behind a solider aims a rifle at the Native American. A woman reaches to stop the soldier from firing the rifle.
Dinsmoor also constructed a mausoleum for he and his wife. His remains can be viewed by visitors today in a glasstop concrete coffin that he constructed. I skipped that part of the tour.
He started constructing the 150 sculptures outside of his home in 1907 when he was 64. During the next 22 years, he would use 113 tons of concrete and tons of limestone to construct the Garden of Eden.
You can also tour the inside of the home, which is decorated as the Dinsmoor would have lived prior to his death in 1932.
The Garden of Eden is open 1 to 4 p.m. daily in March and April and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily May through October. November through February, tours are available from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only. Admission is charged for tours.
The weirdness does not end there. Lucas is a hotbed of folk art.
Just east of the Garden of Eden is Miller’s Park. Roy and Clara Miller built miniature Lucas buildings from rocks and sea shells they collected while traveling in the 1930s through ’60s. They also made towers of slag glass and barite roses. The collection resided in Hays for a time before being moved back to Lucas in 2013.
Along the same vein as Garden of Eden and the Miller’s Park, the Grassroots Art Center, whose exhibit space was opened in 1999, was created to preserve the art of untrained artists in the Midwest. Grassroots has both permanent exhibits like Herman’s Drivers’ car and life-size motorcycle made of pop tabs as well as temporary exhibits.
Herman’s Drivers’ pop tab art.
Herman’s Drivers’ pop tab art.
“Button Masterpieces” by Charles Berendt
“Button Masterpieces” by Charles Berendt
“Button Masterpieces” by Charles Berendt
Dennis Clark’s “Imaginary City”
You can see portraits made out of grapefruit rind by Betty Milliken or painted limestone sculptures created by auto mechanic, truck driver and traveling evangelist Inez Marshall. Ida Kingsbury spent the years after her husband’s death decorating her yard with anything she could repurpose, including teapots, two liter pop bottles and plastic animals.
“Button Masterpieces” by Charles Berendt from Denver is on temporary display through Sept. 25, and Dennis Clark’s “Imaginary City” will be on display through November.
Limestone carving in the Post Rock Courtyard in Lucas.
Metal work in the Post Rock Courtyard in Lucas.
Limestone carving in the Post Rock Courtyard in Lucas.
Metal work in the Post Rock Courtyard in Lucas.
The outdoor Post Rock Courtyard in the rear of the Grassroots Art Center exhibits a tribute to the limestone carvers of the area and also incorporates metal and glass for a dazzling display of color, texture and light.
A visit to Lucas would not be complete without visiting the restroom that was named the nation’s second best place to flush.
Mosaic on the walls of the restroom at Bowl Plaza.
Mosaic on the walls of the restroom at Bowl Plaza.
Mosaic on the walls of the restroom at Bowl Plaza.
A wall of glass bottles in the wall of restroom at Bowl Plaza.
Mosaic on the walls of the restroom at Bowl Plaza.
A mural on the side of Bowl Plaza.
Bowl Plaza is in the 100 block of South Main Street. The public restroom is covered inside and out with a mosaics of tile, glass, dominoes and glass bottles. The local effort to create the fancy porcelain palace was led by Mri-Pilar and Eric Abraham.
Mri-Pilar also created 15 colorful fork sculptures in the art park next to the Bowl Plaza.
A Lucas sign in the in the art park next to the Bowl Plaza.
Brant’s Meat Market is back in Lucas after a short hiatus. Brant’s, which has been in business since 1922, specializes in homemade bologna and sausages and was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce.
The Facebook post announcing the store’s closing earlier this year reached over 77,000 people, and the store was inundated with telephone calls and messages from customers hoping to get one last order in before they sold out.
Adam and Ashley Comeau of Plainville stepped in to help save the Lucas staple.
Other notable stops in Lucas are the Florence Debbie Sculpture Garden, 126 Fairview. Debbie created concrete and rock sculptures based on famous landmarks, such as Mount Rushmore. The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World Largest Things is the brain child of Erika Nelson. She has a gallery of these oddities in her new downtown storefront at 214 S. Main St. The attraction is open by chance or by appointment.
Some eclectic items to create your own folk art may be found at Aunt Gertie’s Art and Antiques, 304 E. Second. Check their Facebook page for current hours and to see new goodies for sale.
If you’re hungry, you can grab some eats at the K-18 Cafe, 5945 Kansas Highway 18 or Backstreet Bakery at 208 S. Main St. One look at their Facebook page and I was ready to drive to Lucas for a piece of fresh peach pie.
For a side trip, keep going north on K-18, and you will come to the little town of Luray. At the K-18 rest area across from Main sits a log cabin built by Civil War veteran Jonathan Wesley Van Scoyoc.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, Luray will host Craftique. Every possible spare space in the small community is opened for crafters. Last fall, I had a pleasant stroll downtown, popping in and out of buildings to pick up some fall decorations and get a head start on Christmas shopping.
Other links to check out while you are planning your trip:
Tickets are now on sale for the ninth annual Downtown Hays Development Corp.’s Wines and Steins, which will be Friday, Sept. 7.
Only 300 tickets will be sold for the event and more than 100 have already been sold. Tickets are $50 each. You must be 21 years old or older to attend. Participants must check in and show ID. Each attendee will receive a commemorative Wines and Steins glass.
The event will feature hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine at downtown business. The event will be 6 to 11 p.m. with alcohol and food served from 6 to 9 p.m. at 15 downtown stops and an after party from 9 to 11 p.m. at the Fox Pavilion to include a silent and live auction.
Six locations will be premier stops and will feature selections from a specific brewery or vineyard.
“You are actually able to visit with the vineyards or visit with the brewers about the process and what you are drinking and why they choose it and maybe why the food is paired with it,” said Sara Bloom, DHDC director, “so it is more of a prestigious stop that you get to interact with the people who actually created the drinks that you are drinking.”
This year’s theme is Jazzin’ on the Bricks. The Brad Dawson Ensemble will be featured at the Fox. DHDC is still looking for a saxophone players to walk up and down Main and play during the event.
There will be a raffle this year. The prize is a gift card basket worth more than $400.
“This is an event that is looked forward to every year,” Bloom said. “We do sell out of tickets very quickly, and we are excited to feature new wineries and breweries as we can and to have a another wonderful year.
“We want to thank all of our sponsors whether they donated monetarily or in kind or with auction items. We really couldn’t do this without the support of the community. This is our second biggest fundraiser. Since we only have two (Brews on the Bricks is our biggest), it is vital to our organization’s continued operation, and we appreciate our community’s support as well as our sponsors’ support.”
Tickets can be purchased online on the DHDC website. You can also buy tickets in person at the new DHDC office on the first floor of the Chestnut Building, 1200 Main St.
Main Street will be closed for the event. The city will start placing cones to block downtown parking about noon. Streets will close to through traffic about 4 p.m.
Big Creek Crossing will again this year bring Food, Football and Fashion to Hays on Saturday, Aug. 25.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the mall will sponsor an outdoor food truck rally and vendor fair.
Among the foods offered will be Mexican, barbecue and snow cones.
From 1 to 3 p.m., the Fort Hays State University football team, 2017 MIAA champions, will sign autographs. The team will be joined by Coach Chris Brown, the FHSU cheerleaders and Victor E. Tiger.
At 3 p.m., several Big Creek Crossing stores will present a live fall fashion show.
After the fashion show, mannequins will replace the live models on the catwalk to display the latest fall fashions throughout the weekend.
Admittance to the event is free and open to public.
“It is something that is cool to go see and meet and greet the football team and Victor E. Tiger and all those guys,” Branson Hoffman, Big Creek marketing director, said. “This year we are especially excited because they are all champs, MIAA champs, and that is a pretty big deal. We are hoping for a pretty good turn out. We are really glad we can show off the football team and show our Tiger pride here.”
A Hays man was arrested for driving under the influence Thursday morning after the truck he was driving veered off of the roadway and struck a light pole near the corner of 27th and Hall.
Tobias A. Taylor, 23, of Hays, was southbound on Hall Street just after 10 a.m. when he veered to left off the roadway and struck a utility pole in the right of way in front of Wyndham Place Senior Residence, said Lt. Brandon Wright of the Hays Police Department.
Taylor was arrested for DUI and unlawful use of toxic vapor under what Wright referred to as the “huffing law.”
No one was injured in the accident, and no one lost power as a result of the downed pole.
Taylor was driving a GMC Sierra registered to Hays Ready-Mix, according to Wright.
On Monday evening, Aug. 27, Hays High School will host its annual V.I.P. Night (Very Important Parents’ Night), a special Open House just for them.The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Gym A.
After a welcome and introductions, parents will walk through their students’ class schedules hearing brief presentations from their teachers. The evening will give parents a real feel about the day in the life of a Hays High student.
HHS postsecondary planning for junior and senior parents
In conjunction with the annual open house, Hays High School will also host post-secondary planning presentations for junior and senior parents at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27.
The presentations are designed to help parents assist their students in navigating the college and technical school selection, admission and financial aid process.
All parents are welcome, but the program is especially timely for parents of juniors and seniors.
The programs will begin at 6 p.m. with junior parents meeting in the HHS lecture hall and senior parents meeting in the HHS cafeteria.
The postsecondary presentations will conclude at 6:45 p.m. so that parents may attend the open house, which starts at 7 p.m. If parents have questions, they can contact the HHS counseling office at 623-2608.
ELLIS — Volunteers, including Thomas More Prep-Marian faculty, worked Tuesday to help make repairs to St. Mary’s Catholic School after a portion of the roof was ripped from the school on July 25.
School Principal April Pfeifer said many volunteers have helped with the work at the school, including putting in new surfacing on the school’s playground, which was not part of the storm damage.
The school still anticipates it will be open for classes on Sept. 10. However, the gym, which lost a substantial portion of its roof and had a portion of its rear wall collapse, will not be open to students until at least January, Pfeifer said.
“It is taking a lot of hours, but luckily with all the volunteers we have, it’s going very well. We have spent quite a few hours painting and pounding in staples in the floor,” Pfeifer said.
The preschool kindergarten, third, fourth, fifth and sixth-grade classrooms as well as the office all received damage during the storm.
Carol Brull, former St. Mary’s teacher, helps paint a wall in her former classroom.
Carol Brull, current TMP teacher, used to teach in the very room she was helping paint on Tuesday. She said she jumped at the chance to aid St. Mary’s rebuild.
“People in the parish really work hard to keep this school going,” she said.
The school is still in need of volunteers to help ready the school for classes. People interested in volunteering can call the school or the rectory to work out scheduling.
The diocese still does not know how much of the damage will be covered by insurance. It is still taking donations to cover the cost materials that were damaged in the storm.
Monetary donations can be sent to Equity Bank, Attn: St. Mary’s, PO Box 255, Ellis, KS 67637.
The St. Mary’s gym still needs significant repairs and won’t be ready for students until January.
As summer winds down, the American Red Cross urges individuals to give blood now and help end an emergency summer blood shortage that began last month.
A critical need remains as many regular donors delay giving to take final summer vacations and prepare for school to start. To ensure lifesaving treatments remain available for patients in the coming weeks, donations are needed now, especially type O.
In thanks for helping at this urgent time, all those who come to donate blood or platelets July 30 through Aug. 30, 2018, will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email. (Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. More information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together.)
Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Those who donated blood earlier this summer may be eligible to give again. Blood can be safely given every 56 days, and Power Red donations can be given every 16 weeks.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities Aug. 16-31
Cheyenne
Saint Francis
8/21/2018: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Peace Lutheran Church, 202 N College
_______________
Ellis
Hays
Hays Blood Donation Center
208 E. 8th
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Fridays: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
8/31/2018: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., USD 432 District Office, 323 W 12th
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
Fort Hays State University and JCPenney are teaming for an event to help students purchase professional clothing for the next stage in their careers.
The event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at JCPenney at Big Creek Crossing in Hays. The event is open to any current FHSU student. You must bring your Tiger Card to be admitted.
Students will be able to shop for both men’s and women’s professional attire and accessories, get makeovers at Sephora or services from the store’s hair salon.
Staff will be on hand to assist students with their measurements, and they will receive a 40 percent off coupon toward professional clothing and accessories.
If students bring canned goods for the Tiger Food Exchange, they will be entered to win prizes.
The event will also have a selfie station where students can take pictures of themselves in their new outfits.
JC Penney launched the Suit Up program within the last year, but this is the first time the Hays JCPenney has partnered with the FHSU on the Suit Up project.
Karen McCullough, director of FHSU Career Services, said professional dress is still important in some professions, including business and accounting. Most professions also expect new employees or interns to dress up for interviews.
The university will provide a shuttle from campus to the mall on the night of the event. Vans will run from 5:30 p.m. with the last shuttle leaving from campus at 8:30 p.m. Students can catch the shuttles at the corner by the kiosk at Victory E. Village.
The Hays USD 489 Board of Education approved a contract with it custodians’ union at its meeting Monday night.
