Beginning this week, Safe Ride will be limited to operating on Fridays and Saturdays.
The limited hours will be in place throughout the summer.
“In light of the low numbers during the summer, the Partnership for a Safer Community voted not to provide services Wednesday and Thursday beginning May 22 through Aug. 14,” said Ed Howell, Fort Hays State University director of police and security.
He said the decision to cut service on Wednesdays and Thursdays was made after examining ridership last summer.
“Even though the university is in session, you are not going to have the number of people attending summer session like you do fall and spring,” he said as the likely cause of the lower amount of riders.
Regular service, however, would take place during Wild West Fest.
“We want to have that service available during that timeframe,” Howell said.
“The Safe Ride service was started by the Partnership for a Safer Community in June 2005 as part of an effort to provide alternative modes of transportation for individuals when they believe being on the roads is unsafe,” according to the FHSU website. “It is a collaborative effort between Fort Hays State University, local business and the City of Hays. More than 20 local businesses and agencies support the service offering everything from discounted rates on advertising to monetary donations and free phone lines for riders to call.”
Safe Ride offers rides to anyone in the community free of charge within the city limits from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Social media attention ultimately leads to help being provided — dog is safe
By JAMES BELL Hays Post
After a person who could no longer keep her pet said on social media she intended to put her dog down if it was not adopted, a local animal advocate is speaking out about options for pet owners who can no longer keep their animals.
The dog was rehomed safely, but the post created a stir on social media after being featured on “Ellis County Fails.”
Lisa VanHorn, an animal advocate, provided assistance to the pet owner.
While VanHorn said the person who made the post was “very wrong” in the way she approached the situation, she hopes in the future others can try to get the whole story first.
“Instead of people going, ‘OK, let us get her the help she needs because they are on hard times,’ ” she said people were quick to post negative comments. “It got very out of hand.”
While the posting continued on Facebook and VanHorn was looking for a solution, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office investigated and ultimately found the pet was safe.
“The Facebook post was taken out of context,” said Ed Harbin, Ellis County sheriff. “They were trying to surrender the dog, and they were informed the dog would have to be put down because it had bitten someone.
“The dog is alive and well, and it wasn’t what it was portrayed to be,” he added.
VanHorn said, “She was at wit’s end, she was desperate.”
While VanHorn assisted in the final rehoming of the pet, others had also reached out to assist the family. However, they struggled to secure a meeting with the owner. This lead to commentary on social media that the pet was in danger.
VanHorn did not believe that was the case.
“I honestly feel that she did show up at these places and just chickened out because she did really love this dog,” she said.
While some in the community were quick to judge the family, VanHorn praised the community’s concern for the pet’s welfare.
“It just all fell into place. I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help,” she said.
On the rise
Humane Society of The High Plains , 2050 E. US. Highway 40, 785-625-5252
VanHorn said people asking for money to save a pet is becoming more common, but can often be avoided.
“It seems to be a trend to pull at people’s heartstrings,” she said. “She is not the first, and unfortunately, she is probably not the last.”
VanHorn said in Hays there are options for people that are struggling to keep a pet.
“People fall on hard times. It happens to all of us, and we would rather see that animal stay in that home then go to the Humane Society or a rescue,” VanHorn said.
While this situation found a positive resolution, that is not always the case VanHorn said, especially when families fail to consider how a pet may fit into a new family.
“That’s a lot of the problem with the dogs we get in,” VanHorn said.
“We hold our breath every time an animal is showcased on a show, just like ‘101 Dalmatians,’ ” she said.
“Everybody went out and bought a Dalmatian for their kid, and then when they found out some Dalmatians are deaf, they have a certain temperament, then rescues and humane societies were flooded with Dalmatians.”
However, in situations when a pet must be moved out of a home, there are options in the area.
“In Ellis County, your best bet would be to call out to the Humane Society. There may be a waiting list, but … to find a home or go into a rescue, Betty [Hansen, animal shelter manager] is wonderful,” VanHorn said.
Local veterinarians might also assist a family in need.
“If they can’t take that animal in, and normally they don’t … they have phone numbers for all the rescues, so they will at least give you a phone number of where to go,” VanHorn said.
And, as seen in this case, the community can also assist.
“There is a group of us, you see us on Facebook, you know our names. We are the ones asking, ‘What do you need?’ ” VanHorn said. “We will help you with a bag of dog food until you get on your feet. … We will help you get its shots, or your license down at the city. Just reach out to us and say, ‘I just need help.’ ”
Animal Control in Hays can also be beneficial to families that may be struggling with a pet.
“I can’t say enough about Nikki Houser with animal control,” VanHorn said. “She will bend over backward to help you.”
In general, if anyone needs help VanHorn said the best option is to seek support.
“The help is out there. That’s what makes it so sad. You don’t need to threaten that you are going to shoot a dog or put a dog down if you don’t find a home for it,” she said. “Just ask for help. There are plenty of us out there.”
For families needing support, VanHorn said they should consider their approach in order to avoid negative feedback, especially in a small community like Hays.
“If she would have gone on any of the social media and said ‘Hey look, I’ve fallen on hard times. I really need placement for my dog. I would like to have this for a rehoming fee,’ people would have bent over backward for her,” VanHorn said.
Hays Post reached out to the author of the original Facebook post but did not receive a response.
Construction is finished and now NCK Technical College, 2205 Wheatland, is getting ready to sell a custom-built house at public auction at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, for the first time in four years.
The project was overseen by Doug Marrs, NCK instructor of construction and cabinet making, once again this year.
Almost all aspects of the custom-built home — from design to finishing — were completed by NCK Tech students under the watchful eye of Marrs, who served as the general contractor on the project.
“It is a pretty good-sized home,” he said.
With the two cantilevers, the three-bedroom, three-bath house measures 1,960 square feet and was built to specifications of the latest International Resident Code.
“This house could be moved anywhere in Kansas,” Marrs said, adding it likely would be able to be moved to other states by the winning bidders.
The house was built to be extremely energy efficient, with an abundance of insulation and low-wattage lighting.
Insulation installed in the walls and attic goes far beyond minimum requirements.
“So this house is super-insulated, with very little air infiltration,” Marrs said. “Turn on every light in this house on, let it run 24 hours, it might cost you a quarter. Half a breaker is all it takes to run the lights.”
The usage of the urethane foam was one of only two aspects of the build that were not completed by the students, due to the specialized equipment needed and time constraint.
The trusses were brought in from a local company as a way to save time on the project as well as allowing the project to skip the building certification process that would be required in Hays when building trusses.
With the completion of construction last Friday, the house is ready for the move and to be plugged into its new location, with power and water fully functional inside the house and heating and air conditioning duct work in place.
“This house is pressure checked,” Marrs said. “Everything on this level works.”
Completely ready to go, the house utilizes some of the best materials along with side high-tech touches.
“All the cabinetry is done in solid cherry. There are not too many houses that have solid cherry cabinetry,” Marrs said. “There is 1,300 square feet of solid cherry in this house.”
Several pieces of the kitchen cabinets are integrated in a way that could not be purchased and gives the area a unique design.
“It gives it a lot more character and is prettier that way,” Marrs said.
While he approves of the features put into the house, Marrs points out almost all aspects of the build are specified by his students.
“In essence, when it comes down to it, is not my house. It is their house, and they will take possession of it,” he said.
The project started with 14 students coming up with individual plans.
“From there, the students all get together and make a determination as to which plan they like,” Marrs said.
They then take all the elements from the plans they like and combine them into the final plan for the house.
“That is how we end up with a floor plan that is buildable and sellable,” Marrs said.
While the house was built using classic materials, giving it a unique look, the students included some high-tech features.
“We are a tech college, so we try to throw in some of the new and more innovative things that are out there in the industry today,” Marrs said.
Some of the features of the house included a fireplace integrated into the living room with a drop-down television mount above the mantel, another television mount in the ceiling of the master bedroom, Bluetooth connected bathroom lights and a ring doorbell.
(Story continues below)
Funds from the sale are used to cover the cost of the materials and taxes, with the intention of the project being, at minimum, revenue neutral.
Any profit from the sale will go back into the college.
“The whole intent is to sell this for what we have got into the materials, so we can go back next year and do the same thing over,” Marrs said.
Monetary concerns aside, the entire project must also fit into the academic school year, giving the students approximately eight months to complete the house.
“We don’t let any grass grow on our feet, because we do not have time,” Marrs said.
While the only reward for the fast and furious work is course credit, he believes it gives the students a leg up in the job market.
“A lot of businesses and business owners know that coming out of this school they have some background, they are not green off the street,” Marrs said.
That experience, he feels, is invaluable for his students as they enter the job market.
“Technical education is on the increase and has been for the last four or five years. It will continue, we are so far short on people,” Marrs said. “This is probably the best learning situation you can have when it comes to house building.”
There are not many schools left in the state that build a full house, he added, with most teaching individual construction elements on a modular basis.
“This is the real deal. You make a mistake, you will have to fix it, you will have to deal with it in the end, just like you would out there in the real world,” he said. “We feel there is nothing that compares to it.”
Wednesday, the Kanas Board of Regents released tuition and fee proposals for the 2019-2020 academic year, with Fort Hays State University seeking no tuition increases.
However, students still may see higher costs next year from fee increases.
Cost increases are expected to be absorbed by a 2 percent growth in enrollment, according to the proposal to the regents.
“Fort Hays State University will be the lowest cost four-year institution in the State, and is expected to continue to be the fifth lowest in the nation as reported in U.S. News and World Report,” the proposal said.
“The University believes it has a responsibility to operate as efficiently as possible as is evident by its utility management operations, blended use of full-time and part-time faculty, and continued use of internal construction resources.”
Fort Hays is the only school in the Regents system seeking no tuition increase.
Despite the request to keep tuition the same, on-campus students may still see higher costs next year.
The university asked for fee increases that would raise the cost of attendance by up to 2.8 percent or to $70.80 per semester.
The majority of the proposed fee increase was approved by the University Student Government or by referendum. Additional fee increases are based on a matching a three-year rolling average of the Higher Education Price Index.
The report lists Fort Hays as having the lowest cumulative tuition increase for resident undergraduate students over the last decade with an increase of 35.7 percent, with all other Regents schools’ tuition increasing over 50 percent since 2010.
The Uptown Fox, 1202 Main St., has reopened, bringing with it something new to Hays while restoring the classic feel to the historic downtown building.
During the next two weekends, the establishment will be open for dinner reservations only, giving a taste of what is to come when the restaurant will open for regular hours later this month.
“We do an inspired menu,” said David Proffitt, owner. “We decided instead of trying to create a menu we just took all the best restaurants we had ever eaten at or ever heard of and we would bring them all into Hays.”
A Hofbräuhaus Pork Knuckle sandwich will also be served along with a selection of beer from the Munich, Germany, tourist spot.
“We’ll have that great German beer on tap,” Proffitt said.
The menu will continually change, bringing something new to repeat customers.
“You’ll be able to come here and have some of the best dishes and drinks from around the country, and we will be constantly be changing it,” he said.
Along with the re-creations, the restaurant will feature steak and seafood unique to the area.
“They are easily the greatest steaks you will ever have,” Proffitt said.
Fish served in the Fox will come from a market where the restaurant can look at what was caught and have them shipped in the next day.
“We will be able to bring in a lot of great fish dishes to the middle of Kansas,” he said.
But great food is only part of the appeal of the new location.
They offer memberships that include a personal locker with an included humidor, a $100 restaurant credit every month, first right to show tickets and access to the cigar and private lounge.
“We have a $50,000 in-house cigar inventory,” Proffitt said, along with extremely high-end liquors.
Service is also a part of Fox’s appeal.
“We want to provide a level of service that you would get a steak house in Chicago, Dallas or New York,” Proffitt said.
Proffitt said he plans to schedule acoustic musical sets in the location and hopes to bring in notable comedians.
While the old theater has been restored to its original look, the technology in the space is cutting edge, including integrated phone app door locks, new lighting and enhanced sound dampening.
The Fox also has the largest movie theater screen in Hays, Proffitt said, with access to first-run movies.
“We will be able to give some cool experiences,” he said. “That’s what it is really about.”
Restoration work to create the original look in an old building was a challenge, but important to Proffitt.
“We really wanted to keep that ’50’s vibe,” he said, calling the people that worked on the building “artists.”
Proffitt hopes this is just the first project that will help to establish downtown Hays as a regional destination.
“There is no reason Hays is not a shopping capital and restaurant capital of the area,” he said. “We have monster visions with what we want to do with downtown.”
“There is not any place to go nearby that can offer more than Hays can in such a safe, great community.”
If things go well Proffitt hopes the Fox will be a launching point to demonstrate the value of Hays to the area.
“It’s a place you can bring people from out of town and show them Hays can do it as well as anybody,” he said.
Following the limited dinner weekends, the Fox will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with hours extended until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
At 9:31 p.m. Tuesday, Ellis County fire crews responded to a structure fire at 1125 Fairground Road.
The structure was described as a mobile home by law enforcement on scene.
“Upon arrival, the home was found fully engulfed in flames,” according to a news release from Ellis County Fire and Emergency Management.
Within 19 minutes, the fire was contained, but the home was a complete loss.
“One one occupant was transported to Hays Medical Center by Ellis County EMS,” the release said.
Crews remained on scene until 1:18 a.m. ensuring the fire was out and to begin an investigation.
The Ellis County Fire Department was assisted by Ellis County EMS and sheriff’s deputies, along with six firefighters from the Hays Fire Department.
The location is within the automatic aid response area.
Detectives believe the fire was caused by lighting, according to a press release from the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, but the cause will be officially listed as undetermined.
No injuries were reported.
Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to contact the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office at 785-625-1040.
-This story was updated to include the results of the investigation.
Moving the retailer into the shopping center will require major changes to the facility with the retailer moving into a 15,364-square-foot space on the south side of the facility.
Construction is set to begin June 3.
“We will losing both entrances on the south end … access to Harbor Freight will only be the exterior facing Vine,” said Branson Hoffman, Big Creek Crossing marketing director.
“It definitely is a difficult thing, but we felt it best to serve an exterior entrance at this time. … It serves us a better option for future development,” Younger said.
Moving the entrances and changing the flow of traffic will be a challenge, but there will be signs around the facility to help make sure people know where to go, Younger said.
Restrooms and office space will be permanently relocated on the north side of the building, a move seen as positive by the center’s management.
“It gives us a little bit more of a better location,” Younger said.
During construction, a temporary restroom will be placed in the former Vanity location, while the new office and restrooms are being built in the former Regis space, Younger said.
But the moves are seen as generally positive, if inconvenient in the short term.
“You can expect little things like that, but it’s nothing that we are not able to work around,” Younger said, noting occasionally construction may impact traffic flow.
Layout showing the location of Harbor Freight in Big Creek Crossing. (Click to expand. Photo Courtesy Big Creek Crossing)
“While there may be a few growing pains here and there, we definitely think that the pros in this situation outweigh the cons.”
The addition will also create a major change to the layout of the facility, but Younger said it will be beneficial to Big Creek Crossing.
“We are adding a little more value to our shopping center. As anybody can tell you, the retail environment has been evolving and has been changing here over the past decade and with those changes we are adopting as well,” he said.
According to the Harbor Freight, the company is currently adding two new stores every week and Younger said it doesn’t just bring value to Big Creek Crossing, but to the community as well.
“We are extremely excited about Harbor Freight moving in. The fact that we are bringing more employment opportunities, more tax revenue to the city is something that we like to do. It’s definitely a big deal.”
Younger hopes to the location will drive even more regional traffic to Hays.
“We feel this entity is something that would be in high demand here in western Kansas,” he said. “We feel that there is going to be immense support from the public.”
Other Big Creek Crossing tenants are eager to see how this will increase traffic to the facility, even as it is a departure from what they are familiar with.
“Our tenants are excited about another tenant moving in,” Younger said. It is a little unorthodox compared to what they are used to but, “It is our brave step into the ever-evolving world of the shopping center.”
This announcement is another feather in the cap in the rehabilitation of the center in recent years.
“When we really look at how far we have been able to come here, especially in the past two to three years, between the Starbucks and the HaysMed location that we have built,” Younger said. “The first Glik’s in the state was opened in our center back in 2016, with the addition of Gordman’s, the addition of Dollar Tree, now the addition of Harbor Freight, we are definitely making progress and we are very excited about that, in a community mindset as well, just being able to bring in that extra tax revenue, to bring in that extra employment and extra places of draw for individuals out in western Kansas to stop here in Hays. That’s a very big win for everybody.
“We definitely take it as a victory, but there is a lot more work that we recognize that we need to do,” he added. “We will take a moment and celebrate this addition to our center, but the work definitely goes on.”
“The 15,000-square-foot store will stock tools and accessories in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools, and more,” the company said in a news release Tuesday.
“The timeline is tentative, but we are extremely hopeful for a July 30 grand opening,” Younger said.
On Saturday, Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine, will host “Thank You Mom For Helping Me Grow,” allowing area children an opportunity to plant a flower as a gift to moms.
The free come-and-go event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south side of the Kaw Valley Greenhouse.
The event is an opportunity for “kids to come out and say thank you, mom, for all you do,” said Branson Hoffman, marketing director.
Big Creek Crossing is also preparing for its annual Spring Craft Fair on May 25.
Vendor applications can be submitted through the event page on Facebook or in the BCC office. Booth rentals start at $50.
James Younger, property manager, said events like these are designed to benefit the community.
The “promo budget is made and spent here,” he said of the revenue generated by their events.
All revenue generated by events at Big Creek crossing goes directly back into promoting and running other events through the year he said.
“We feel it is a vital part of the community,” Younger said. “It’s events that help people come together.”
The events provide a way to keep the shopping center and its tenants involved in the community as well as benefiting the mall’s tenants.
Events make “our mall a little bit more up to date, a little bit more modern,” Hoffman said.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in the area, according to the National Weather Service, with up to 3 inches possible and upwards of 1 inch likely through the evening.
Storms in the area are expected to regenerate through the day in southwestern Kansas, with the most severe threats forecasted near the Oklahoma border, possibly reaching as far north as Dodge City.
Heavy lightning is expected with the storms, but there is little threat of tornados in the area.
A flood watch has been issued for much of western Kansas but does not currently include Ellis County.
The Ellis County Emergency Management Department is currently assessing road conditions from Monday night’s storms with an update expected later Tuesday. The 400 block of Feedlot Road reportedly was closed after the storm.
Reported rainfall totals ranged from 0.4 inches to .96 inches in Hays at 7 a.m.
Across the county upwards of 2 inches of rain was also reported. There was a report of 1.5 inches north of Ellis.
In case of severe weather, check Hays Post or tune into Eagle Radio stations.
Local music fans are sure to know Hannah Norris, and now her audience is about to get a bit larger as her band — Hannah Norris & the Band — is set to open for nationally recognized singer/songwriter Neko Case during her stop in Kansas City at 8 p.m. May 10 at the Uptown Theatre.
“We are really excited,” Norris said. “That has been our main thing for the moment.”
Norris, who grew up in Hays, currently resides in Lawrence after relocating to study psychology at the University of Kansas.
The gig took shape after a booking agent in Lawrence submitted Norris’ band for the spot earlier this year.
“It’s pretty wild,” she said.
While this will be her first outing in a setting this large, she has performed with other well-known bands locally.
“Previously in Hays, I had the opportunity to open for Jefferson Starship and Warrant through Wild West Fest, so it’s not my first interaction with bigger acts like that, but it’s definitely my first interaction with one at a venue of that scale,” she said.
Norris is currently taking a break from school to focus on music but is keeping active with two bands and a full-time job.
“I work at The Roost. Currently, I am a barista up there and just focus on trying to get out, play some shows and write some tunes. Between those two, I keep myself pretty busy,” she said.
Norris hopes this will kick off a summer filled with other opportunities.
“We just recently submitted for the NPR Tiny Desk contest…getting somewhere with that would be great,” she said.
“Now we are just looking forward to booking more shows.”
On Hays
While Norris no longer lives in Hays, she hopes her local fans will get the chance to see her perform nearby soon and recognizes the music scene in Hays remains strong, despite her absence.
Hannah Norris performs at the 2015 Wild West Festival in Hays.
“We are trying to get back to Rockalooa,” she said. “It’s a really great way to bring different bands into Hays and get everybody connected.
“I feel like we have made a lot of progress for a small town, and I think I’m very fortunate to be able to be a part of that scene and to have grown up in it,” she said. “Hays actually has a lot going for it for a small town … I think it’s really important that people understand we are very fortunate to have that.
“I definitely think I would not have gotten this far, even today if I didn’t have those types of connections.”
As established as the music scene is in Hays, Norris hopes to see it expand in the future.
“Absolutely there should be more bands getting involved in Hays, but for the size, I think we are doing great,” she said.
Along with the community, Norris credits her parents for helping her to come so far already in her music career, first learning to play the guitar around age 12, and taking some piano lessons with her grandmother soon after.
She said there are no musicians in her immediate family but they were instrumental in getting her to where she is today, noting that starting at the age of 14 they were helpful in getting her into some of the local venues that normally would not allow minors.
“I am very fortunate to have the family I do. They have been very supportive,” she said.
The Music
While Hannah Norris & the Band is getting ready for the Kansas City show, Norris is working on the lineup and sound of a second band.
“I’m working on getting that redirected right now,” she said, keeping focused on the music she wants to release. “For my band, my goal is to write music that I am happy with and that I feel like that I connect with … It represents me and it represents the people that I play with and I want to make sure that it fits us as people.”
While she describes Hannah Norris & the Band as rock, she said they have been “experimenting” lately.
“We’ve had a lot of different influences in the mix.”
The current lineup has released a single, but Norris says the hope to have a full album out this summer and is looking forward to more shows.
“Keep an eye out we’re trying to hit the road a bit more often,” she said.
One-hundred thirty-nine years ago, a man laid a large cut stone onto the empty dusty plain. He had a dream, not only of a house but of a culture, a town and a university — a dream that wouldn’t be fulfilled in his lifetime, but after 139 years, we are all living in the realization of that vision.
That man was Martin Allen, and brick by brick, just like his home, Hays City would take shape, modeled after his vision. But much like the city, his home would see decades of prosperity, dampened by periods of grief.
Allen built his home a mile north of the few hundred residents that called Hays City home, a stalwart of modernity in an area that was anything but.
Sketch of Martin Allen Home from 1887 Kansas Atlas pg 294. Courtesy of Ellis County Historical Society
Accounts over the years attribute many dates to the home’s construction, but recent research by the Ellis County Historical Society, verified by contemporary news stories say work on the house began in 1877. At the time, Hays City had not yet been incorporated, and still mostly devoid of the Volga Germans that in the following years would leave an indelible mark on the area.
Originally, the home was known as Contest Grove, a moniker given after the battle to secure the land and home by Allen, but for most people today it is known as the Cody House, named for a man who is a local legend in his own right.
By the time Cody secured ownership, the colorful name had been dropped in favor of a pedestrian-sounding address, 2704 Woodrow Court, but his impact on the historic house remains to this day.
“Our family moved to hays in 1965,” said Loren Shaiken, daughter of the late Dr. John Cody, who recalls moving into the home at around 9 years old, after a summer of staying with friends of the family while the young family was looking for a permanent residence.
“At that point, it was in, as I recall, quite disrepair,” she said.
Before ownership by the Cody family, the home had been rented out by the Miller family. They obtained ownership and, by most reports, cared little for the house or its history.
But Cody would quickly bring the house back into shape adding a wrap-around porch and garage with a workshop above.
He would use that space as his studio over the years painting and writing on various topics, work that would make him known worldwide.
Cody also tore out the attic, adding an upstairs bedroom — accessed by a spiral staircase in the center of the room — and finished the basement, adding another bedroom and bathroom, completing that work by 1970. Until recently, that was the last time major work had been done on the home.
While living in the home, Cody founded the High Plains Mental Health Center and became world renowned as the Audobon of Moths.
He also spent time teaching at Fort Hays State University, a school that was first dreamed by Allen. Cody’s wife Dorothy was also affiliated with the university, serving as its first physician.
Dr. John Cody
Mural inside the Cody House, painted by Dr. John Cody in the upstairs bedroom.
Mural inside the Cody House, painted by Dr. John Cody in the upstairs bedroom.
Mural inside the Cody House, painted by Dr. John Cody in the upstairs bedroom.
Cody had worked as a medical illustrator early in his career, a talent that can be seen in the murals in the upstairs bedrooms with knights and princess painted with meticulous precision.
“He’s a remarkable man, probably the most interesting man that ever lived in Hays,” said Hays resident Pete Felton, also known worldwide for his unique stone sculptures.
As with all things, the Cody’s long ownership of the home came to pass in June of last year and the home went on the market, again sparking interest in the home and its unique history.
“The history alone of that house makes it very desirable,” said Kris Munsch, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Technology at FHSU, who calls himself and old house “connoisseur.”
“When you look around and you imagine in your mind, whoever’s lived there over the years, coming in you think of the days when it was horse and carriage up to the last people that lived there. All the stories those walls tell. I hope that isn’t lost in that house, whoever buys it,” Munsch said. “That’s important because it’s so historical to our community, to our university. It just tells such a story. That’s why it’s worth the time and effort to rebuild.”
If the home could share its story, it would likely tell of its stretch as a solitary pillar overseeing Hays as the town crept toward it, eventually enveloping it within its boundaries. Empty space around the home, in fact, is still in the memories of longtime Hays residents.
“When I was a kid, it would be in 1943, during World War II, I went out there with a friend of mine and there was nothing there. I mean the house was bare, there was no grass, there was no trees, no plants, nothing,” Felten said.
Looking back, he said, he wishes he had taken a picture to contrast with what is there now.
From the time of that old memory, until the Cody’s ownership, building in the area began. When Shaiken lived in the home, Wilson Elementary School was already nearby and homes began to surround the house.
“At that time 32nd Street was the very last street. After that, is was fields,” Shaiken said. “That was pretty rural out that direction.”
“The problem was, after World War II, Realtors starting building houses on everybody’s front lawn,” Felten said. “All the big lawns are gone. It was out there pretty much by itself after the war, and then they said we have all this space, let’s build houses around it — so it became crowded. It’s a shame, but it happens all the time.
“Now it’s just crowded onto a little street there and you have to find it.”
“It was just like this stone house that nobody was tending to when my parents bought it,” Shaiken said.”It was really a desolate looking place,” she said of the big two-story stone structure with ranch style homes all around. “I remember a sense of pride because the house had been so neglected when we bought it and then pretty quickly my parents did a lot to it.
“This house is so much a part of my life.”
Inside the Cody House.
Inside the Cody House.
Inside the Cody House.
Inside the Cody House.
Inside the Cody House.
DAMAGE, REPAIR, DAMAGE, REPAIR
A home of any age needs constant repair, and even a home made from 3-foot-thick cut stone has, over the years, become wanting of some exterior work.
Many of the limestone lintels have fallen out over the years, cracks along the exterior walls have grown larger as parts of the house are settling faster than others, and plaster and woodwork inside shows its age.
But, structurally, it is sound and, despite many cosmetically unappealing aspects, the house still stands ready to be a home.
“That house is absolutely worth saving. That house has sat there for over 100 years with a limestone foundation. It’s not going to go anywhere if some steps are taken to make sure it can last another 100 years,” Munsch said.
He received a call last year to evaluate the home with a couple that was interested in purchasing the property.
The deal ultimately did not go through, but it left him full of ideas of what could be done with the house, through renovation or restoration.
To the outside renovation and restoration may be the same, but Munsch notes there is a very big distinction.
“There’s been some things have been done to that house over the years that they’re cool, but they don’t fit the period,” he said.
If the home were his project, he said, there are some things he would take out to return the house to its original look.
“There’s a fine line that you draw that becomes too modern and with a house like that. I hope that somebody can get that house and do a combination of restoration/renovation,” Munsch said.
“So let’s say a couple that has moderate skills go in there. They could hire some of the major work done,” he said, noting a major project like a new roof and installing drainage systems would likely need to be hired out.
“What you have got to really do look at the mechanical. Those things that are going to save the house. … It doesn’t do a lot of good to have nice pretty cabinets if the roof is leaking,” he said.
Despite that, Munsch said the house is in livable condition and could last another 500 years if proper repairs take place, but modern conveniences must be considered, as well.
“It’s kind of like somebody that restores an old vehicle. It doesn’t have a purpose because it’s too nice. I would never want that house to be so nice you can’t live in it. It’s the same thing with cars — you want a car that you can take out and use,” Munsch said.
Shaiken also equated the home to an antique vehicle.
“It’s like the chassis of a classic car. You would like somebody to come in and put a motor under the hood and still have that beautiful classic car on the outside,” she said.
“You have to balance,” Munsch said.
The cost of bringing the home into the modern age depends on the difference of restoration or renovation he said.
“If a person was going to go in there and make it a renovation project, you may spend a little less because you may not do the things that I would do.”
Many of the additions over the years, Munsch noted, are not in line with the original build, but the historical aspect of the tenants after Allen should be considered in renovation or restoration plans.
“The Codys are just as important as the Martin Allens because of their history with the house. You don’t want just eliminate them out of the middle,” he said. “You want to keep that historical part of them living there as well, so I think there is a lot of combinations that could be done over the years.”
BUILDING THE HOME TODAY
The main reason the home still stands in solid shape is the material with which it was built. While homes today are built with wood, at the time of construction, the stone bricks were a more practical solution that would be difficult to reproduce.
“It would be possible,” to build a house like this today, Munsch said, but difficult.
“Where would you find a mason that is willing to set those kinds of stones? You’re not going to find it.”
The building materials would also be hard to find on the market today.
“You could get the limestone probably, but you’re not going to find limestone with that character,” he said.
But at the time of the homes construction, the stones used would have been easy to acquire, and the most cost-effective material of the day.
In 1872, a quarry was opened about a mile west of the college, and it quickly became in high demand because lumber was very expensive, according to Felton.
The stone was used to build homes, business in the area, including the college.
Those local quarries are no longer in operation, so stone would need shipped – a costly proposition in itself — and the stone now has become expensive.
“It’s an expensive material instead of a cheap material,” Felten said.
The skills need to build a home out of stone, however, are relatively simple.
A builder during the time of the home’s construction would often begin by placing stones directly on the ground.
“It was a technique that was low-tech and a lot of the people around here had some experience. You can learn about all there is to know about it in one day,” Felten said.
He recalls a story of a man who worked at the nearby quarry and would bring a brick or two home every day. In five years, he had a house.
That building still stands as is currently used as a dentist office in Hays. And work on those old homes requires little training, as well.
“If somebody hasn’t already fixed it up, it’s going to be a burden, but kind of a fun thing because you can always do it yourself. It’s not complicated,” Felten said.
Despite the time and effort required a home made with stone offers something rare in new construction.
“They are really great, because if you have a stone house, you don’t feel the wind. It just protects you from the wind all of the time,” Felten said. “They’re really nice for calmness. … They feel secure.”
Martin Allen. Photo courtesy Ellis County Historical Society.
MARTIN ALLEN: HIS HOME, HIS LEGACY
The truly unique history of the house is felt by every resident in the area. When Martin Allen arrived in Hays City, there was little in the area outside of the nearby military fort, but quickly it became more — in no small part to his efforts as a real estate agent, horticulturist and champion for the university that would later become Fort Hays State University.
“Martin Allen was really influential in Hays, in order to promote himself a little bit he gave land for the courthouse in Hays,” Felten said.
Although that gift wasn’t entirely altruistic — he owned land around the area and wanted to sell it — the courthouse became, and remains the center of government for Ellis County.
While buildings and the school are impressive reminders of his vision, one of the more pressing issues facing early settlers was finding a stable source of food.
“He tried to grow everything he can find. He said if you’re gonna live out here on the plains, you gotta learn what grows,” Felten said.
Allen planted a large number of plants and trees around his home, meticulously testing suitable plants for the area. A bit of that legacy can even be seen today, with many trees still lining Fort Street having been planted by Allen himself.
His most lasting legacy, however, is none other than the university that has grown into a regional center for higher learning. Now called Fort Hays State University, when the idea was presented it was known simply as “Allen’s Folly.”
“When the word came out they were going to sell the land that the old Fort Hays was on, he ran for the Legislature to prevent that. So they could keep it in one piece and start an agriculture experiment station,” Felten said.
That land is still used by the university, with another large parcel becoming Frontier Park.
While the idea for the college directly came directly from Allen, he would be forced off of his land by mortgage holders in 1898 and soon moved to land owned by his son in Colorado. He would die months later, four years before the founding of the university.
His efforts, however, did not go completely unrecognized as one of the first buildings on the campus was named in his honor – a name that remains to this day.
His name is also attached to another well-known, but less cheerful piece of property in Hays – Mount Allen cemetery.
One of his daughters, Clara, died of scarlet fever in 1874, leaving Allen to search for a final resting place.
“He wasn’t about to bury her on Boot Hill, where all the desperados were, so he gave a piece of land to the city and they named it Mount Allen and it became our cemetery,” Felten said.
Clara would be the first burial in the cemetery, and his wife, Elizabeth would also be laid to rest there.
Inscription on the exterior of the house at 2704 Woodrow Court.
Inscription on the exterior of the house at 2704 Woodrow Court.
Inscription on the exterior of the house at 2704 Woodrow Court.
Inscription on the exterior of the house at 2704 Woodrow Court.
Inscription on the exterior of the house at 2704 Woodrow Court.
A NEW LIFE FOR THE HOME<
As the home sat empty after John and Dorothy Cody relocated, several ideas were floated. Munsch hoped FHSU would purchase the home to be renovated by students as a project, then used as a home by the university. The Ellis County Historical Society thought it could be a museum to share the history of the area.
Ultimately, fate stepped in and the house will continue as a private residence, just as it was intended so long ago.
As Jayson van Wooten was searching for a home he noted a listing that he believed to be the Cody home, not immediately recognizing the house with the overgrowth of plants and trees that had popped up over the years.
He had been searching for homes within his price range and, as a designer, wanted to find a home he could renovate, but loved the idea of a house with history attached to it.
“All of a sudden, this one popped up,” he said.
After realizing it was the Cody house, he immediately texted his real estate agent and was anxious to tour the property.
“I have to come see it,” he told her. “It’s mine. I knew instantly this is gonna be the house.”
When he first arrived, even in need of repair, he said the house “instantly felt like home.”
Even before talking to a bank, he put in an offer on the home that was accepted. He then secured funding and began planning.
“The thing that I liked about it is the Codys have had it for 40 maybe 50 years and hadn’t done a whole lot since they moved in,” van Wooten said.
His vision for the house recognizes the history the Allens and the Codys left behind, noting the unique features added by the Codys.
“It was pretty bare bones, because they had a pretty minimalist ascetic too, it seems like,” van Wooten said. “The things they had done to the home had given me liberties to do a little more exciting things.”
Normally, a home of such importance would be on the National Register of Historic Places, which would limit the amount of changes that could be done on the property.
“I can mix elements that speak of the home, but also of contemporary living and, at the same time, preserve the character of the house,” van Wooten said.
He moved into the home recently and has already tackled the project identifying exterior and interior work that will preserve the home for the foreseeable future. So far, the repairs are only cosmetic in nature, as experts who have toured the home have noted how sound the structure remains, despite its age.
“Everybody that has seen the house, all of the contractors, are surprised how good of shape it is in,” van Wooten said. “They have had great stewards and caretakers of the house living here.”
Perhaps 100 years from now, the home will be known as the van Wooten house after he adds his own history to the impressive stone building. But for now, looking back is enough to inspire awe and humility.
“I’ll move into the old house any day in that condition than I would a brand-new one, because that one has the character, the stories, the history. Martin Allen sitting in that house saying we should build a university or a school. That’s where we’re sitting right now. You can’t buy that,” Munsch said.
“The good days the bad days, the storms, the tornadoes on the horizon. That’s why that house is cool.”
“Expanding KanCare is a really critical issue across Kansas,” according to David Jordan, executive director, Alliance for a Healthy Kansas.
Thursday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hays Sternberg Museum, 3000 Sternberg Drive, members of the community will have the opportunity to gather together in open discussion of the benefits of expanding the system to cover the medical coverage gap that currently affects 150,000 Kansans.
“So you have these 150,000 Kansas who are hard working friends, family and neighbors that are in this coverage gap,” Jordan said. That gap includes people who do not qualify for financial assistance on the healthcare marketplace and earn too much to qualify for KanCare.
As an example, Jordan said a single mother who earns $6,600 a year makes too much money qualify for the KanCare program.
The state has forfeited $1.4 billion since 2014 by not accepting federal funding as a part of the Affordable Care Act, according to Jordan, money that would not only benefit those in need of medical care but would also be an economic motivator.
“Just next door to you guys in Russell, taxpayers are paying twice for care,” he said. “They are paying their federal taxes and, since we’re not expanding KanCare, we are not getting that money back, so the hospital is providing a lot of charity care. They can’t afford to do that, so they have to tax people locally in Russell to keep their hospital open.”
He estimates every day KanCare is not expanded Kansas taxpayers lose $1.9 million in federal funding.
“That’s our tax dollars,” Jordan said.
Legislative inaction is now spurring the group to host conversations directly with the public in a hope to encourage citizens to approach their legislators.
“Since we haven’t been able to have a discussion about why it’s important to expand KanCare in Topeka in the last year, we have launched a series of community events across the state to be talking about this and to help people to understand how important it is to expand Kan Care,” Jordan said. “The goal is to have a community conversation with folks who attend to talk about how this impacts them, how it impacts the people they work with every day and really have a discussion how it impacts people in Hays and Ellis County.”
Jordan said roughly 1,025 people in Ellis County would gain health coverage with the expansion of KanCare.
“So we want to make sure people are saying these are our friends, these are our neighbors that would get coverage,” he said.
An expansion would also create jobs, according to Jordan, 27 on the low end in Ellis County and over 3,800 statewide.
Around $4.3 million dollars in health care spending would also be brought into the county.
In general, the argument for the expansion is not well understood, he said, prompting even more need for the conversations to take place.
“I think it’s just a matter of an ideological divide, not wanting to be part of Obamacare. The truth is this isn’t Obamacare, it’s KanCare, the Kansas-specific solution,” Jordan said. “I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around ideology and that is part of the reason why we are doing this event.”
Among the members and supporters of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas expected to attend Thursday’s meeting are:
John H. Jeter, MD, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hays Medical Center
Bryan Brady, CEO, First Care Clinics, Inc. in Hays and Victoria
Sheldon Weisgrau, Health Reform Resource Project
David Jordan, Executive Director, Alliance for a Healthy Kansas
By JAMES BELL
He estimates every day KanCare is not expanded Kansas taxpayers lose $1.9 million in federal funding.