It might only be a temporary location, but the Downtown Hays Development Corp. celebrated the move to its location at 109 E. 11th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.
The DHDC moved from the Hays Welcome Center at 2700 Vine in February.
“We’re doing the ribbon cutting for a couple of reasons,” said Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director.
“DHDC is very excited to finally be downtown. As the Downtown Development Corp., we always knew there was a need for us to be downtown. We’re very happy to finally be here,” she said.
Liberty Group, a major developer in downtown Hays, suggested the building to the DHDC while the group was searching for a downtown location.
“Myself and my board really fell in love with the space, and we approved the move to go down here,” Bloom said.
Knowing the cost of moving to the new building would create a significant impact on the DHDC budget, Liberty Group helped facilitate the move by donating six months rent to DHDC.
But even going into the new location, Bloom knew it would not be permanent. Development plans for a proposed hotel and restaurant nearby would use the building location as a breezeway, but another opportunity arose that will move the DHDC to another location much sooner than expected.
“We knew this location was going to be temporary. We just didn’t know how temporary,” Bloom said, announcing the DHDC will move to a new location in the 100 block of West 12th on July 1.
“This is a great location for us, but 12th Street is just a lot better,” Bloom said. “It’s a little bit more visible. It’s got a lot of windows. It feels more like a welcome center.”
During the event, Bloom said another reason for the sudden move was the another business expressing interest in the location.
“We were approached about the location on 12th Street, and we were really torn because we just moved in here and we were really contemplating whether we should make another move,” she said. “But there is very likely a new business coming in right after us and, when we found out there was interest from this new business to move in here, we felt it was our duty to go ahead and move to 12th Street.”
On Monday, the Hays USD 489 Board of Education interviewed its third candidate for the superintendent position, Fred Dierkson.
During his hour-long session with the public, he said it was likely his length of service at other schools would set him apart from other candidates.
“My intention in any move is not to be a job hopper, and so I think my continuity is what I can offer,” Dierkson said.
He also cited his familiarity with the area as a benefit.
Dierkson has family throughout western Kansas, including a son who teaches in La Crosse, and has spent time at Fort Hays State University, earning several endorsements and a master’s degree from the school.
“I’ve always loved Hays. It’s been a place I’m very familiar with and have enjoyed my time here today,” he said.
He also said his professors at FHSU had a lot to do with the direction of his career.
Dierkson currently serves as the Sterling USD 376 superintendent, a position he has held since 2003. He previously served as principal at Jetmore Grade School for eight of his 15 years in that district.
While the appreciation for the area is a driving factor his interest in Hays, Dierkson said, more importantly, a move to Hays would be a way to further his professional goals.
“I desire for personal and professional growth, and I see that opportunity here,” he said, noting he loves the Sterling district, but at only 520 students opportunities for growth are limited.
But that smaller size, he said, is not a factor in the difference between Hays and Sterling district operations as processes and procedures are the same.
“The size of the school isn’t as important as making sure all of the accomplishments are met,” he said.
An additional bonus Dierkson would bring to USD 489 is his familiarity with bond issues, after passing a bond to build a new K-6 facility in the Sterling district.
“It was just a matter of timing, but the need was definitely there,” he said as community members in Sterling weighed facilities needs against the fondness for the old building.
Hays, too, he said, was in a similar situation, but the need to pass a bond issue to address facilities was evident after touring the district.
“In going through the district, I saw facilities and the maintenance and facilities crews were doing the best that they can, doing all that they can, but I have no question now having seen it that the need exists for the bond issue,” he said.
Dierkson said people in the Hays community who might doubt the need for the bond to pass should visit the facilities to see the needs for themselves.
“You’re to a point that Band-Aids are not going to solve all the problems, and I definitely hope this is something the community is aware of,” he said.
A signing ceremony of House Bill 2610 by Gov. Sam Brownback at 9 a.m. June 1 will officially designate the interchange of Interstate 70 and Commerce Parkway in Hays as Chief Warrant 5 David Carter Memorial Interchange.
The interchange will serve as a memorial to Carter, who was the co-pilot of a Chinook helicopter – Extortion 17 – that was shot down on Aug. 6, 2011, killing 30 American soldiers during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The interchange of I-70 and U.S. 183 in Hays was previously designated the CW2 Bryan J Nichols Fallen Veterans Memorial Interchange in honor of Nichols, the pilot-in-command during the flight.
“It’s an amazing coincidence that two boys from Hays, Kansas, one a TMP grad, one a Hays High grad were in the same helicopter on that same expedition,” said Sue Boldra, Republican Representative for the 111 District. “I even had him when I was teaching at the junior high. He went through Hays Junior High, Hays High School and then Fort Hays State.”
The bill originated on Feb. 3 in the Kansas House, to designate the interchange, but before being approved by Brownback three other designations for memorials had been added.
“Since we started this, there were several other similar bills that were identifying other roads and so our bill has probably three or four different ones, but we were the start,” Boldra said.
The other memorials include:
• US-400 in Labette County, between Queens Road and Udall Road near Parsons, as the John Troy, Pete Hughes and Earl Seifert Highway, to honor gentlemen who were instrumental in the effort to have US-160 redesignated as US-400.
• The junction of I-235 and Central Avenue in Sedgwick County, as the Captain Chris Norgren Memorial Interchange, to honor a pilot who died in Nepal while delivering relief supplies in 2015.
• K-148 from the intersection with 23rd Road in Washington County north to the Nebraska state line, as the SGT Lavern W. Tegtmeier Memorial Highway, to honor the first soldier from Washington County to die in the Vietnam War, in 1968.
The bill also authorized the Kansas Secretary of Transportation to increase speed limits on some Kansas highways to 70 mph.
“I guess it has to do with transportation and roads so they figure anything was fair game when they start bundling,” Boldra said.
Now that the bill has passed, funds must be raised to cover the cost of the signs that will be placed at the interchange.
The estimated cost of the project is $15,750.
Boldra is now working to help secure funding for the project, contacting people from the Veterans Association and the U.S. Army, with the assistance of Operation Hawkeye – a group started by Virgina schoolboy Will Thomas – that works to raise awareness for fallen Special Operations Forces and their families. The group was formed as a way to honor the victims of the Extortion 17 attack.
“Obviously, the people of Hays will want to have a buy-in also, but they will also hook us up with some people and some organizations,” she said.
Fundraising for the Nichols interchange took over a year, Boldra said, but hopes securing funding for this newer memorial will be faster.
“We’re seeking donations. Nothing is too large or too small,” she said.
In an effort to address a shortage of homes available to medium-income families in Ellis County, the Ellis County Development Corp. has announced the development of a rehabilitation program in an effort the renovate existing housing stock through the county.
“We have available older, poor-quality housing, but we don’t have anything much in the middle, so the idea behind this program is to fill that gap,” said Aaron White, Coalition executive director.
The program was conceived after White realized there was a serious need for housing rehabilitation after speaking with local contractors and real estate agents.
The program, created with a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, will provide loans to real estate agents and contractors through a seven-person loan committee.
If the board approves a request, the parties can then use those funds to rehabilitate a house anywhere in the county.
“We can take some of the old, dilapidated houses and poor-quality houses and turn them back into prime housing stock,” White said.
But for applications to be accepted, developers have several requirements that must be met: a minimum of $10,000 in renovations, the project has to be completed in six months, and the home is capped at a $145,000 for sale price – right about the middle of the range of housing that is difficult to find in Ellis County, according to White.
Further, the remodeled home cannot be used for rental property.
“Our hope is that this will open up some new housing options in Ellis County,” White said.
While the ECDC will provide funding, they will not select housing for rehabilitation.
“We leave the project to come to us,” White said. “It’s up to professionals – contractors and Realtors. The loan committee will basically analyze each application to look to see if the projections if they feel like they are realistic.”
The seven-person board will be selected from leaders in the construction and lending industry, according to White.
Applications are expected to begin this summer, and funding available will allow for up to three housing projects to be carried out at the same time.
“The loan fund will rebuild itself as projects turn, and we’re hoping we can turn between six and 12 houses a year under this program,” White said.
While the impact will not be exceptionally large, White said it will assist the housing crunch as the city of Hays and Fort Hays State University continue to grow and new residents seek affordable housing.
“We have had a lot of employers have told us that housing has impacted their ability to recruit talent they need,” White said, adding he has heard from employers that employees recruited to come to Hays sometimes leave after failing to find housing.
“You don’t want housing to be another reason why you are potentially struggling to fill certain types of positions with employers in the area,” he said.
The second of four candidates for the Hays USD 489 superintendent position spent the day Wednesday meeting with staff and community members before a formal interview with the Board of Education.
Brad Rahe, currently serves as the superintendent at Mulvane USD 463. He has been in that position since 2009.
During his time at Mulvane, the district passed a bond issue, and said he felt facilities throughout the Hays district was one of its biggest challenges.
“The facilities are old, and any time you have facilities like this, they get a little tired,” Rahe said.
But during his tour of the district, he said he was impressed with what was going on inside the building academically.
“A lot of folks, they never see the inside of a school building. They see the outside,” he said. “When you go on the outsides of these buildings and look at them, they’re gorgeous.”
But he warned there is more to a school than what you see when you drive by.
“Trying to do a bond issue and that’s all people are seeing, so their first comment is, ‘Well, we don’t need all this, because look at it.’ ”
Proper maintenance and cleaning, he said, also plays a big part of the perception of why the district building might be seen as in better shape than they really are.
“When you go around these buildings though, they’re so clean and the staff at times probably do too good a job,” Rahe said. “You walk in these buildings, they’re clean, they’re not dirty, the floors are waxed.”
He said his experience with passing a bond issue would be beneficial to Hays, after working with the Mulvane community to establish a relationship built on trust that ultimately led to a successful bond issue.
After the first failed bond, Rahe said the district sought input on what the community would be supportive of and found success in proceeding with community input.
“We have a lot of trust, and we have worked hard to build that trust,” he said.
However, trust seemed to be a concern for some after an incident involving Rahe’s son in Mulvane, after the district remained quiet during an investigation of Kenneth Riley Rahe, who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Sedgwick County District Court last year.
It was reported at the time that dozens of parents were concerned about a perceived lack of cooperation from the district, and Mulvane Police Chief Dave Williams told media at the time he felt part of the reason for a lack of cooperation by the district during the investigation was the relationship of the student to school administration.
Rahe said the district since has worked to improve information delivery to the community.
“One of our goals that we are working within Mulvane is communication,” he said, noting utilization of social media, weekly newsletters to teachers and frequent visits with community members.
“It’s been one of the things we have been addressing,” he said.
Overall, Rahe said he has desired to return to Hays over the years, having graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Supervision in 1987.
“That’s one of the reasons I am wanting to come here. I always had great experiences with Hays,” Rahe said.
“I always said if you’re going to do a postcard and you wanted the picture of what a town in Kansas, small rural town in America should look like, it’s Hays.”
And at least for now, he said he would not change a thing at USD 489.
“You don’t come in and change everything, but you come in and you listen, you talk to people, you see the strengths, you see the weaknesses, then you start,” Rahe said.
“I don’t like to talk, but I really love to listen. That’s how you impact change.”
The next candidate for the superintendent position will interview Monday, with a public meet and greet again scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th.
Brad Rahe will be interviewing for the position of superintendent with the board of education on Tuesday evening.
Rahe is the second of four candidates that USD 489 Hays board of education will be interviewing. Candidates were selected for interviews based on their fit with desired characteristics that were developed with input from focus groups that were utilized throughout the search process.
Rahe is currently serving as the USD 463 Mulvane superintendent. Rahe has served in his current position since 2009. Rahe has also served as superintendent of USD 336 Holton and USD 258 Humboldt. Rahe has also served as a middle school principal in Wellington and Valley Center and an assistant middle school principal at Independence, Rahe began his career as a seventh-grade language arts teacher in Great Bend.
Brad Rahe Schedule
May 18, 2016
9:30 a.m. Arrive at Rockwell Administration Center.
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Meet with Superintendent Katt for coffee. Receive schedule for day and information prepared by clerk for all candidates.
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Roosevelt Elementary School – facility tour and meet and greet
11:00a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Hays Middle School – facility tour and meet and greet
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Lunch with building administrators
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Hays High School – facility tour and meet and greet
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Rockwell Administration Center – facility tour and meet and greet
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Community and Parent meet and greet – Toepfer Board Room
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Free time for the candidate (the district will provide transportation to and from the motel for the candidate and/or guest.
USD 489 Superintendent candidate John Thissen speaks with area residents during his interview day Monday.
The first of four candidates for the superintendent position at USD 489 spent Monday meeting staff and residents, along with a formal interview with the Board of Education.
John Thissen currently serves as the Herington USD 487 superintendent, a district of about 450 students southeast of Salina.
During his meeting with community members, he spoke about how his experience – especially a series of bond issue elections – could suit the Hays district.
“At Herington, when I was hired there nine years ago, they were in the process of studying (a bond issue),” Thissen said.
There were three bond elections in 18 months, ultimately securing $15 million in funding for a new elementary school, he said.
“It was fun. It really was,” he said, but acknowledged how challenging a bond issue is.
Thissen had positive things to say about the Hays school district, calling it “really amazing.”
“I knew that Hays had a very good district, that was where the interest was,” he said.
While Thissen has never lived in Hays, he said he is familiar with the area, as many of his family members graduated from Fort Hays State University, including his wife, Kelli, who also works in education as a physical education teacher in Junction City.
Thissen also served as a principal at Great Bend Middle School.
During his community session, he also spoke about the success his district has had with putting graduates on track for good-paying jobs, even without a four-year college degree.
“There’s so many of them, they’re not going to go four years in college, they’re not going to go six years in college and we changed our plan,” he said, “(to) courses after high school that allows you to get a job. If it’s 12 months, if it’s 18 months, if it’s an electrician, a plumber, but the idea is getting them a job and a good one,”
He said Hays is well-geared for those types of programs, as well.
The second candidate will interview with the district is set for Wednesday, with a community session again planned for 3:30 p.m. in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th St.
Check Hays Post for more on superintendent candidates as details are released by the district.
As if the last day of school for students at Lincoln Elementary School wasn’t exciting enough, a special guest with a big surprise brought a palpable energy to the students as they prepare for summer vacation.
At a morning assembly Tuesday, students found out their school, 1906 Ash, was the recipient of a $100,000 prize that will be used to purchase new playground equipment, with prizes also awarded to a winning student and homeroom teacher.
“When you participate … we put your name in the hat and the student wins, the classroom teacher wins and the school wins,” said Elijah Collard, president of Reading For Education.
The prize was part of a promotion from Reading for Education in conjunction with GameTime, a manufacturer of playground equipment.
The 35-year-old Tennesse-based company works with schools to develop nontraditional fundraisers that work exclusively through electronic communication to raise funds for schools.
“We are a company that works exclusively with schools. Ninety-five percent of our schools are elementary schools,” Collard said.
GameTime is an Alabama-based playground equipment manufacturer.
“Playgrounds are a wonderful opportunity to build healthy bodies, healthy minds, it provides opportunities to meet your friends and also to make new friends. Best of all, it’s a great opportunity to promote family and family values,” said Rodney Born, Cunningham Recreation, who will oversee the installation of the playground equipment as a representative of GameTime.
The pool of potential winners came from students across the country that participated in a school fundraiser through Reading for Education.
“There were 8,557 schools in this drawing — Lincoln Elementary won. This one, there was about 1.7 million home rooms,” Collard said.
As the homeroom teacher for the winning student, Monica Dreiling was presented with $5,000 to be used for classroom materials and supplies.
After announcing the winning room – and letting the excitement build – Collard announced the winning student of $10,000 as Timothy Hals.
The Hals family won out of 8,459,928 entries according to Collard.
The school will now determine the most suitable equipment for the playground, with installation being overseen by Born.
“I always say Lincoln Elementary School is the best-kept secret in town. Well,I think that’s about to end when we get our new playground,” said Principal Elaine Rohleder.
Change is constant in education. Teachers come and go, students move on and technology proliferates the classroom as it becomes more accessible. But this year, the administration at Hays USD 489 is undergoing major changes as the Board of Education and current administration worked to replace key administrators through the district in recent weeks.
The largest of those changes is the replacement of Superintendent Dean Katt, who will end his tenure with the district at the end of June.
“Hays has been very good to me. It’s been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, but also the hardest,” Katt said earlier, announcing his move to Independence, Mo., to work in the district’s human resources department.
In early April, the board announced the search to find his replacement was underway, but as personnel transactions do not fall under open meetings requirements, much of the work went on behind closed doors.
On April 11, the board met with Gary Sechrist, Kansas Association of School Boards leadership specialist. Sechrist has worked with the district since that time to develop a list of candidates.
On Monday, the board heard candidate recommendations from Sechrist selecting four candidates to be brought to Hays for interviews. Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday this week and Monday and Tuesday next week.
Those interviews will include meetings with faculty and a tour of district facilities through the day with a formal interview with the board for each candidate set for 5:30 p.m. on interview days.
Community meet and greets are scheduled on those same days at 3:30 p.m. in the Toepfer Board Room, 323 W. 12th St.
After the completion of interviews, a superintendent a candidate is likely to be offered the position by the board on May 24, according to Lance Bickle, board president.
While the superintendent search is the most visible of positions being re-staffed, the replacement for a number of other administrators has also been announced in recent weeks.
Longtime district staff member Shanna Dinkel was selected to replace outgoing Mark Hauptman as Assistant Superintendent, and Raj Sharma will serve as the new Director of Special Education for Hays-West Central Kansas Coop.
Open principal positions for two schools have also been selected with Anita Scheve, Learning Center director, moving into a principal position at Wilson Elementary School, vacated by the retirement of Tom Meagher. Vicki Gile was selected to replace Shannon Demel as the principal at O’Loughlin Elementary School.
Gile currently serves as the principal of Plymell Elementary School in Garden City.
After 23 years of serving as a District Judge, Edward Bouker has announced his resignation from the 23rd Judicial District to serve as a Kansas Senior Judge.
Bouker had previously announced his he would not seek re-election for another term for his current seat, but due to the timing required to become a Senior Judge, he will have to resign a bit earlier than expected.
“I had expressed interest in becoming a Senior Judge in the State of Kansas and heard … that I had been asked to do that,” Bouker said. “And because the senior contracts run from June 4 I had to resign the day before that to take that contract.”
While the position will allow Bouker to take on cases from around the state, he said cases he would be assigned would likely be very similar to his current case load.
“I think it would be an extremely broad type of case load as it is with a District Judge. you handle virtually everything from traffic matters up through murder,” he said.
Requests for a senior judge are assigned by the Supreme Court on an as-needed basis.
“There is someone from the office of Judicial Administration – which is the business arm of the Kansas Supreme Court – will call and say ‘we need a judge here for this type of case involving these parties and these attorneys and we would like you to take it,’ ” Bouker said.
Cases are assigned to Senior Judges in areas where sitting judges may have a conflict of interest or a high case load creates a need.
“I think I would be likely to be assigned to almost anywhere in the state where I was needed, so I expect to travel quite a bit,” Bouker said.
But even with travel, Bouker expects a lighter caseload, allowing for more personal time with family, while at the same time allowing him to continue contributing to the judicial system.
Senior Judges have a case load about 40 percent lower than District Court Judges.
With Bouker approaching 65 years old next April, he said he could take judicial retirement, but becoming a Senior Judge will open more options.
“This will allow me to have some more options about not taking social security right away,” he said.
But more importantly, Bouker wants to continue being an active member of the Kansas Judiciary.
“The biggest thing is simply being young enough that I feel like I can contribute, and I’d like to continue to do that,” he said.
The lower case load will also allow him to pursue other activities that a full-time judge would struggle to find time for.
“I would like some more time to do what I like to do. I have two granddaughters I’d like to spend time with them. I’d like to travel to see my children that are spread out across the United States,” Bouker said. “I have some home projects and some hobbies that I would like to spend time with, but I don’t want to be totally disconnected from everything.”
Leaving, however, means losing something special – a close relationship with associates in the district.
“I have been very, very proud and happy to be a district judge in this area. I have enjoyed it very much and it is very much of an honor. I feel like I work with some very amazing people who have done an outstanding job in the face of some very difficult challenges,” Bouker said. “I don’t have a better word for it than remarkable. I’ll miss being with them every day, but it’s time to see what else is out there.”
The Hays USD 489 Board of Education heard from two potential consultants at Monday night’s board meeting as they continue evaluating staying with the state insurance plan.
The board first heard from Julie Yarmer from Freedom Claims Management.
She informed the board she would be hands-on with the board to pull information together to seek alternatives to the state plan.
Yarmer is also a consultant for the city of Hays.
In response to Lance Bickle, board president, informing Yarmer that information about claims is not available to the board in order to obtain other quotes, she said she works directly with carriers and could get accurate quotes.
“We would be able to get firm numbers from carriers, even though we can’t get the claims utilization,” she said, adding that in a perfect world having that information would be helpful.
She also told the board that, if hired, she would look at other types of insurance funding that could help cut costs, including partially self-funding.
The fee for Yarmer’s services is $15,000, which would take the board through the evaluation to transition to the new plan.
Scott Sachse and Jon Roberts from McInnes Group presented the board a radically different plan that would be substantially more expensive, but also might offer significantly larger cost savings.
“We try to take the guess work out of your renewal,” Sachse said, telling the board the group uses in-house analytics to try to project what rates should be.
He informed the board that without being able to shop the market, the board has no realistic idea of what the district’s insurance rate should be.
With an average staff age of 44 years old, Sachse said the rate appears to be higher than expected, warning USD 489 seems to “subsidizing this pool instead of being subsidized.”
“We think there are real savings here,” Sachse said.
While he informed the board that he cannot guarantee cost savings, he said without collecting information, it is impossible to know if the rate they have is either too high or too low.
“You kind of have to rip this Band-Aid off,” Sachse said, and find out what the rate should be through data collection.
The way around the lack of claims information, Sachse said, is to collect data from staff directly. By doing so, the district could then shop for a more competitive plan.
But doing so is significantly more expensive, with Sachse telling the board that service from his group would cost $52,000.
Spending that amount without a guarantee of cost savings did not sit well with board member Josh Waddell, who questioned Sachse about spending a large amount of money without a specific amount of savings being offered.
“It’s not real comforting to hear that were going to spend $52,000 to find out we have a competitive plan,” Waddell said.
“There’s no way of doing this without some sort of a leap of faith,” Sachse said.
He also informed the board they could provide a list of quotes, but without the data, no insurance company or independent agent could provide a real benefit to the district.
“That’s wasting your time,” Sachse said.
The board took no action on the proposals during the meeting and will now evaluate options in the upcoming months.
The renew deadline for the current state plan is Oct. 1.
During the second day of a preliminary hearing that began in February, District Court Chief Judge Edward Bouker found there was probable cause on all counts against Holliann Marie Stramel, 24, and Trevor Jay Calvin, 27, stemming from a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of Ellis County resident John J. Befort, 67, on July 18, 2015.
With probable cause being established the case will now proceed to arraignment – where the defendants will enter pleas of not guilty, guilty or no contest – to be scheduled at a later date through the office of Ellis County Attorney Thomas Drees.
After the case was ordered to proceed, lawyers for the accused argued for changes to the no-contact order that was a condition of both defendants bonds.
Stramel’s attorney Ian Clark argued that despite Stramel and Calvin previously breaking conditions of their bonds, – including a no-contact order – that Stramel’s pregnancy should be taken into consideration.
The court had previously ordered that Calvin could attend medical appointments and the birth of the defendants’ child around June 22.
“It’s not rewarding them,” Clark said. Pregnancy “is hard work.”
Further, he argued that the purpose of keeping the two apart has run its course.
Drees, however, argued the order was put in place for reasons that are still viable concerns, including collusion in creating a defense and public safety.
Further, he argued previous violations of court orders should be considered.
Ultimately Bouker left the decision in the hands of Community Corrections after the birth but kept the order in place until that time.
He also noted Drees could request changes at that time if needed.
Calvin is charged with two counts: Concealing or altering evidence of a crime and impeding or obstructing an officer’s duty.
Stramel is being charged on three counts: Failure to stop and render aid at a fatality accident, concealing or altering evidence of a crime, and vehicular homicide.
The first two counts are felonies in Kansas and the third is a Class A misdemeanor.
Under Kansas sentencing guidelines the three counts together carry a punishment of 38 to 129 months in a state penitentiary, fines up to $402,500 and up to a year in county jail.
Two weeks after a partial roof collapse closed Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine, business is starting to return to normal, with all but three stores open throughout the facility. And while work is being completed on the damaged section of the roof, the shopping center’s management is getting ready for a big weekend.
Four events are planned for the shopping center this weekend — a home-based business fair, a Mommy and Me event, a DECA MDA car show, and with a Cross Point Church, 1300 Harvest, flea market.
During Saturday’s Mommy and Me event, children 12 and younger will receive a free flower and pot as a way for children to say thank you to mothers on Mothers’ Day at the Kaw Valley Greenhouse from 10 a.m. to noon.
The greenhouse is located on the south side of the Big Creek Crossing parking lot.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a home-based business fair will also be held with over 30 vendors participating, giving shoppers an opportunity to check out home-based businesses from Hays and the surrounding area.
Courtesy Big Creek Crossing
Courtesy Big Creek Crossing
Courtesy Big Creek Crossing
Repair work continues
As the shopping center prepares for the weekend events, work continues on the roofing section that collapsed and within affected stores.
“We have contractors down there right now. We’re working on replacing the roof that was damaged,” said Josh Vickery, DP Management development investment specialist. “The contractors have been fantastic, the city has been fantastic and (property manager Katie Dorzweiler) has been fantastic to work with.”
Christopher Banks is expected to open this week, Hallmark is expected to open by the end of the month, and Bling is currently undergoing a full remodel and will have a grand reopening soon, according to Dorzweiler.
Roof work began Tuesday with trusses being put in place to repair the damaged roof section.
Throughout the process, Dorzweiler said she has been humbled by the community response.
“The outpouring of community support was heartwarming,” she said. “We really had good support through this.”
Cleanup and repair work has been almost exclusively done with local contractors, and Dorzweiler said she could not be more grateful. Clean Rite, Rohr’s Carpet Mechanics, Servicemaster, Ralph’s Electric, Glassman, Commercial Builders, High Plains Roofing, American Sprinklers, Hess Services and Big D’s Rent All all assisted with the repair and cleanup, she said.
Dorzweiler was also thankful to the Hays Police and Fire Departments for their quick response to the incident and for the HPD providing 24-hour security for the shopping center.
While BCC is certainly happy to have the majority of the facility open and serving customers, behind-the-scenes work is still being done to determine the cause of the initial roof collapse.
“The roof was under warranty and so the insurance and the warranty (company) are working out the specifics on who’s at fault,” Vickery said. “All we knew was that the roof was in good shape.”
He called the collapse a “freak accident,” but said he will know more once the insurance company completes its investigation.
“When we do a new roof, we do go up there and look at it,” Vickery said and, unless there is a leak, they assume everything is fine. In this case, they had no indication there was a problem on the roof.
Ultimately, he said, the insurance company will find the fault of the collapse as investigators work to uncover what went wrong and who may have done work on the roof that led to the incident.
Claire’s closing
Despite the reopening of most of the retailers in the shopping center, Claire’s, a fashion boutique catering to young women and girls, has decided to permanently close its Hays location within the shopping center. The news came Monday to store employees as they have waited for the word on a reopening.
Store employees are currently packing merchandise to be shipped to other Claire’s locations, according to Shannon Christen, store manager.
While the news was disheartening, it was not completely unexpected to Claire’s staff.
“We were kind of prepping ourselves for it,” Christen said, but “we didn’t think it would happen.”
The store has been closed since the roof collapse.
“I can’t say it was a day’s notice because we’ve already been closed for two weeks,” Christen said. “After the first week went by, we’re like OK it’s a week, but then it was two weeks, now there’s something going on.”
The closure was not just a surprise to local employees, but to many of the higher ups through the company as well.
“My (district manager) didn’t know, my regional (manager) didn’t know, my territorial vice president didn’t know. They were all very shocked,” Christen said.
The closure, however, was not as big a surprise to DP Management as they had already been struggling to get a lease signed with Claire’s.
“We were in the process of negotiating a lease with Claire’s when the incident happened with the flood and the roof,” Vickery said.
The store was self-insured and made the decision to permanently close the location after a significant expense would have been needed to reopen, according to Vickery.
“It was a way out really,” he said, noting it was a marginally profitable store.
Further problems through the chain likely contributed to the decision.
“They aren’t doing very well as a company,” Vickery said. “They found it to be a way to jump out.”
Before the roof incident, DP Management was negotiating with Claire’s to retain its location and were currently running a month-to-month lease for space.
Because of the lack of insurance at Claire’s, Vickery estimated work in the location would have cost $20,000 to $30,000 and with marginal profits they would not have been able to continue making a profit in the location.
Despite the loss, BCC management is hopeful to keep Claire’s employees within the shopping center.
“We truly value every Claire’s employee,” Dorzweieler said. “They will be a true asset to whoever snatches them up.”
Claire’s is owned by Apollo Management, with headquarters in Illinois and Florida. Messages left with Claire’s headquarters had not been answered as of Tuesday afternoon.
Facility upgrades continue
Even with the repairs being completed at the shopping center, the second stage of facility improvements is still on schedule and new stores are likely still on the way.
“We’re full bore ahead. This little setback…this unfortunate setback, in regards to the roof, has not delayed us on going forward on phase two,” Vickery said. “We’re hoping to get construction underway by July 1.”
The final approval for exterior improvements is being concluded this week.
Along with the facility upgrades, DP Management is expecting to announce two new major tenants soon.
“We’re in the middle of negotiating some pretty major leases right now,” Vickery said.
The leasing group is “making some pretty major headway not only on one of the out lots, where Montana Mike’s was, but a major retailer that would be taking about 23,000 square feet,” he said.
The second of four candidates for the Hays USD 489 superintendent position spent the day Wednesday meeting with staff and community members before a formal interview with the Board of Education.
