GRAHAM COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the murders of two individuals which occurred yesterday in Graham County, Kan.
According to a media release from the KBI, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a 911 call was made to the Graham County Sheriff’s Office. When first responders arrived at 2756 170th Ave., Penokee, Kan., a Hispanic male and a white female were found deceased. The names of the deceased will be released after positive identifications are made and all next of kin are notified.
As a result of the initial investigation, a subject of interest was identified as 29-year-old Efren Mascarenas, Jr. After a search by area law enforcement, Mascarenas was located deceased Thursday night in northeast Graham County.
There is no longer any threat to the public related to this incident.
The Hill City Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and several other area law enforcement agencies have assisted in this case.
Five registered nurses at HaysMed were honored recently at a recognition ceremony and luncheon. They completed the yearlong RN Residency Program offered at HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System.
The program began a year ago in February 2017 and the nurses spent the first 3 weeks in a classroom setting. The remainder of training focuses on clinical experience, one on one mentorship with their preceptor, high-fidelity simulations and on the job training. Additionally, nurses receive training from professionals in several departments, such as radiology, pharmacy, cardiac care, periop and others.
The RN Residency class included Benjamin Clinkscales, RN, Makenzie Henman, RN, Shaley Knickerbocker, RN, Kourtney Lovelady, RN and Carlie Morris, RN.
The RN Residency Program at HaysMed is one of only two in the state and has been offered since 2008. Shari Hertel, RN heads the program and has oversight of all the training. HaysMed also works closely with critical access hospitals in the region through a rural residency program to provide training to nurses practicing in the rural setting.
“It is so important for new nursing graduates to have a group of peers and mentors who assist them in enhancing their skills and becoming comfortable with the challenges of practice,” Hertel said. “Our program is evidence based, with positive clinical outcomes that will help not only the participating nurses, but also our patients.”
Currently there are three nurses scheduled in the next program, which begins in February. There is also one nurse from Pawnee Valley Community Hospital in the Rural Residency program. The program is open to newly graduated RNs.
GRAHAM COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the murders of two individuals which occurred yesterday in Graham County, Kan.
According to a media release from the KBI, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a 911 call was made to the Graham County Sheriff’s Office. When first responders arrived at 2756 170th Ave., Penokee, Kan., a Hispanic male and a white female were found deceased. The names of the deceased will be released after positive identifications are made and all next of kin are notified.
As a result of the initial investigation, a subject of interest was identified as 29-year-old Efren Mascarenas, Jr. After a search by area law enforcement, Mascarenas was located deceased Thursday night in northeast Graham County.
There is no longer any threat to the public related to this incident.
The Hill City Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and several other area law enforcement agencies have assisted in this case.
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12:02 a.m. update
Multiple law enforcement sources indicated Mascarenas had been found dead.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Department said more information would be released by the sheriff later today.
9:57 a.m. UPDATE
Release from the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office:
The subject Efren Lloyd Mascarenas Jr., who was subject for questioning in the double homicide in Graham County, has been located.
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GRAHAM COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities reported that the suspect in the Graham County homicide is still at large as of 8a.m. Friday.
Deputies have returned to Phillips County and have maintained increased patrol in the Logan area, according to the sheriff’s department.
The Sheriff’s department also reported that they did not have any control over what the area schools do due to this situation.
Residents in the region should remain alert and notify law enforcement by dialing 911 to report sightings and suspicious activity.
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GRAHAM COUNTY —Law enforcement officials in Graham County are investigating an apparent double homicide that occurred Thursday and are looking for a suspect identified as Efren Lloyd Mascarenas. He is described as 5-foot-2, 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
He was last known to be driving a Blue 2005 Dodge Charger with a passenger side mirror broken. Authorities say the vehicle belonged to one of the victims and has been abandoned.
The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Residents in northeast Graham, southeast Norton, southwest Phillips and northwest Rooks counties should secure their property and remain indoors.
Mascarenas has previous convictions for aggravated battery in Ellis and Trego County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Just after 3:30 Thursday, law enforcement were called to an unresponsive male subject in rural Graham County, according to a statement from the Graham County Sheriff
When officials arrived on scene, they found two homicide victims, according to the statement.
Officers from the Graham County Sheriff’s office, Hill City Police Department and Kansas Bureau of Investigation are assisting with the investigation.
A simple pat on the shoulder would not bother most people, but for a child who has experienced abuse, it might trigger a feeling of intense fear. They might yell or hit or run away.
The Hays USD 489 school district has formed a committee to make schools better adapted for children who have experienced trauma. Instead of punishing children for acting out, they are trying to respond to children in positive ways and give them coping skills to deal with fear and stress.
Childhood trauma can come in many forms. Some of these include sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect—physical and emotional, household dysfunction, domestic violence, a parent or guardian with severe mental illness, domestic violence (especially against a mother), divorce, an incarcerated relative, substance abuse and death of a close family member.
School psychologist Kyle Carlin described what a child who has been traumatized may experience.
“In a child who has experienced trauma, a neutral stimulus now is something that creates this fear response in them that they now act out. With a fear response, you might see that fight, flight or freeze, or they might act out, they might try to run away, they might become more aggressive either verbally or physically or they might completely withdraw within themselves and have trouble interacting within the classroom and with everything else that is happening around them.
“Those triggers can be things that we normally would not think would make someone upset, but it is because it brings back that traumatic experience. They go into this re-experience of it and are trying to cope with this scary situation for them.”
Raj Sharma, director of special education, said children who experience abuse at home might re-enact that behavior at school.
“If they are seeing that abuse over and over in the family, seeing their dad or mom involved in the violence. … Our children model what we do at home. They are going to be modeling that in the school. They might see that as a norm. That might not be a norm in our community or society,” Sharma said.
Trauma-informed education is not only a new effort at USD 489, but it is a movement occurring in school districts across the country and is being studied at major universities, Sharma said.
He said an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of a school’s student population likely has suffered at least one traumatic event. Statistically, that would be one to two children in each Hays classroom.
Some children might have experienced more than one of these experiences, which not only hinders their ability to perform well at school, but also can affect them into adulthood.
A long-term study of 17,000 people who experienced trauma as children demonstrated the connection between childhood trauma exposure and high-risk behaviors (e.g., smoking, unprotected sex), chronic illness such as heart disease and cancer, and early death, according to the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network.
“If they have any type of trauma — physical or sexual abuse or neglect — that affects their whole life,” Sharma said.
Instead of punishing children who have experienced trauma for their behaviors, new policies seek to help children deal with the intense emotions they feel.
“They don’t require punishment. They require teaching on how to cope with the stress,” Sharma said. “We know now that brain functioning is impacted and this person needs help with how to cope with the stress level. If we punish them, they are going to have more stress.”
Carlin described several techniques he and others teach kids who are dealing with trauma. The child can draw a square on his or her palm. He or she inhales with the first line of the square and exhales with the second line and repeats for the third and fourth lines. Carlin also might ask a child to focus on a sound in the room, such as the whir of a fan.
He said it helps ground the children so they are not so overwhelmed by their thoughts and their body’s physical response to stress.
Some programs are exploring meditation for children who have experienced trauma — in-school meditation instead of in-school suspension, Sharma said. He said meditation programs have been inked to increased math scores, it is believed because it helps students be calmer, more relaxed and more focused.
Establishing routines and clear expectations help children who have experienced trauma. Carlin said the district began to implement new positive behavior programs last semester for all children known as Foundations on the school level and CHAMPS on the classroom level.
Carlin gave an example of how the system works. Instead of reprimanding a student for running in the hallway and saying, “Don’t run,” the teacher would ask the student to walk. They might also ask the student to return to the other end of the hallway and practice walking.
Sharma said building positive relationship with students is key.
“If you have that relation and you provide that positive environment in the school, that is the only way they can overcome from the situation,” Sharma said.
The district has conducted two trauma-informed schools trainings for teachers and staff. It will continue to not only work with individual students, but also a committee is working on district-wide policies.
The district is using a Trauma Sensitive School Checklist that was developed by the Lesley University Center for Special Education, Massachusetts Advocates for Children and the Legal Services Center for the Harvard School of Law. There are 26 criteria on the checklist, dealing with school-wide policies and practices and classroom strategies as well as how the school interacts with mental health services, families and the community.
The Fort Hays State University cheerleaders and Tiger Debs are combining to host the FHSU Kids Spirit Camp on Jan. 15 for girls and boys in grades K-8th grade. Participants will get the opportunity to learn things such as routines and stunts from both FHSU spirit teams in the all-day event.
This will be the first year that the FHSU Spirit Teams combine their camps. Courtesy photo
“We will be learning cheer and dance techniques like turns, jumps tumbling and stunting,” said Tiger Debs Assistant Coach Lauren Solzman. “They will also learn a routine that they will perform at halftime of the men’s basketball game on Jan. 20, and we will also do some games, arts and crafts, and (have) snacks provided.”
The camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 15 — a day that kids will have off from school.
“Since it’s on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the kids should be out of school, we figured instead of their parents having to find babysitters and stuff, this could be a good alternative,” Solzman said.
The FHSU Kids Spirit Camp will be at Cunningham Hall on the campus of Fort Hays State University. The camp is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the FHSU spirit teams and registration by Jan. 8 will be $50. Registration after Jan. 8 and walk-ins will be $55.
Hess Services of Hays is in the process of hiring 50 new employees to add a night shift at the company.
Allyssa Kraich, Hess director of human resources, said the company has seen an increase in business and needs the extra shift to meet the demand.
Some of the new positions have already been filled. Hess currently has 285 employees.
Hess Services designs, fabricates, repairs, grit blasts and paints oilfield and industrial equipment. This equipment includes storage tanks, pressure vessels, piping truck mounted service rigs, well servicing rigs and drilling rigs. The company services multiple business segments including: blasting, painting, trucking, crane and rigging service, welding and fabrication, engineering, quality control, sales, fiberglass tank manufacturing and machining.
Hess hopes to have the new night shift up and running by mid-January, Kraich said.
Kraich said two of the most difficult positions to fill at this point have been drivers and welders. A complete list of openings can be found on the Hess Services website. Go to the Career tab. Kraich said applicants can apply using the online application link. Applications can also be dropped off in person at Hess’ south location at 2670 E. Ninth, Hays.
Rob Nahmensen, the new CEO of the Russell Regional Hospital.
Hays Post
The new CEO of Russel Regional Hospital has been concentrating the first two months in his position on a $3.5 million infrastructure campaign, including the construction of a new physicians clinic.
Rob Nahmensen began as the Russell Regional Hospital CEO Nov. 1. He came from Stanton County Hospital in Johnson, Kan., where he was the COO and CFO.
The new clinic, which will have room for eight physicians and mid-level providers, such as physician assistants or nurse practitioners, is set open in late January or early February.
The new facility will provide more space for the providers and a more central location, Nahmensen said. The clinic is connected to the hospital by a hallway that begins at the main entrance of the hospital.
The old physicians clinic will be renovated as a speciality clinic. The new speciality clinic space should open in March or April. This will allow the hospital to terminate a lease on a downtown building for its speciality clinic and consolidate all its services on one campus. The project also will expand the hospital’s therapy department.
New Russell physicians clinic.
“It will be really great to accommodate our patients,” Nahmensen said of the consolidation. “It will give them one place to come for all of their health-care needs here in the community. We offer a lot of great speciality clinics, and it will be great to have those located here again. It will be great to have a brand new clinic to provide that care to the patients.”
He said he thought the addition of the new clinic should help the hospital with recruiting new providers and specialist services.
“I think when you recruit physicians and mid-level practitioners, they like to see forward-moving facilities,” Nahmensen said, “and I think having that new clinic really shows that we are committed to providing care to the community now and into the future.”
A nursing station of the new physicians clinic.
Also a part of the capital campaign is equipment purchases that will allow the hospital to resurrect its surgery service in January. The hospital has not had a surgery department for about 10 years. The 25-bed hospital will be equipped to do minor surgeries such as gall bladder and tonsil removals.
“I think it will be great to be able to accommodate our patients locally,” he said, “and being able to provide care within our community is something that the residents of Russell really deserve, and it will be nice to have that option available for them here.”
With all the renovations, Nahmensen said he has not had time to set any long-term goals for the hospital. However, he said he wanted to continue to offer high-quality care to the community.
“The hospital is in a wonderful position,” he said. “Rural health care seems like it is struggling, and it seems like Russell is in a very good place financially, and with the providers we have and with our infrastructure, we have a lot of great things coming up on the horizon.”
Rob Nahmensen in the reception area of the new clinic.
The hospital ended its last fiscal year in the black and anticipates that it will end its next fiscal year, which will end July, in the black.
Nahmensen noted, however, federal and state legislation could have an effect on that bottom line. Expansion of Medicaid in Kansas would have a positive effect on the hospital’s finances.
Possible cuts in swing-bed funding for rehabilitation services would have a negative effect. The hospital could also lose funding from a pharmacy drug program titled 340B, a program in which the hospital receives money back from local pharmacies.
Nahmensen,31, also worked as the CEO at Hamilton County Hospital in Syracuse, Kan. He is originally from St. Louis and has also spent time working in nursing homes.
Nahmensen earned a bachelor’s degree in history and theology from Concordia University in Nebraska with the goal of being a pastor and attended seminary in St. Louis for several years. He felt he was being called in another direction and earned an MBA in health care management and a master’s degree in accounting.
If you are looking to reduce stress in your life or are trying to make yourself a little healthier in 2018, a new health educator in Hays will offer classes that may be able to help.
Jessica Moffitt is a certified health education specialist who moved to Hays earlier this year.
She will offer a series of classes through the Hays Recreation Commission on techniques for stress reduction beginning in January. She also has a series of four lunch and learn classes set at Professor’s, 521 E 11th St., in January that will look at healthy eating and cooking.
Moffitt has a private service through her and her husband’s business, Prospectively Healthy in Hays, where she offers clients individual help setting goals for better eating and making healthy life changes.
Moffitt has a degree in public health from Portland State University with an emphasis in physical activity and exercise in addition to her 2016 national certification as a health education specialist.
For her lunch and learn classes, Moffitt will discuss the benefits of certain foods, how they can be incorporated into your diet and will provide recipes and samples to participants.
She will offer Nuts & Seeds for Energy on Jan. 4, Chocolate: It’s Good for You on Jan. 11, Health & Lifestyle: Headaches on Jan. 18, and Recipes: Healthier Desserts on Jan. 25. All classes are at 12:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. Thursdays. Cost is $15 at the door. There is a $5 discount if you buy lunch at Professor’s. This is a continuing series, check out Professor’s Facebook page for a list of upcoming events.
In the Healthier Desserts class, Moffitt will talk about the benefits of using honey instead of processed sugar as a sweetener. The Jensens, who own Professor’s, process and sell their own raw honey and use it in their dishes.
Honey can be used in much smaller quantities than sugar. Moffitt has a recipe for icing that replaces two cups of powdered sugar with two teaspoons of honey. Honey can reduce inflammatory responses in the body and help people with allergies because of the pollen in the honey.
Moffitt also uses stevia, which is a natural sweetener from a plant, and apple sauce as sweeteners. She recommends against using artificial sweeteners, which are not recognized by the body and may be retained for the body to get rid of latter.
Do you think chocolate may be out of your life as a part of your New Year’s resolution? Moffitt said not necessarily. Dark chocolate has health benefits if you eat it in moderation. She will offer up a dark chocolate truffle recipe made with honey on Jan. 11.
If your emphasis is on maintaining energy through the day, Moffitt suggests adding an afternoon snack of nuts and dried fruit.
“It will provide you with the energy you need and will be a healthy tool you can use through the day,” she said.
Stress is not just something we feel, Moffitt said, it is something that affects our bodies and our hormones. Stress can have effects on weight management, fertility, growth patterns and the health of your hair. Severe stress can affect blood pressure and cardiac health and even contribute to heart attacks, stroke and death.
“I think the goal of all of the courses is first and foremost to understand biologically what causes stress,” she said. “We need to know what stressors are and the reaction in our body. If we are unfamiliar with the reactions, we don’t know how address it.”
In her Hays Rec classes, Moffitt will focus on natural ways to address stress. She will have classes that address sleep, the use of essential oils, deep breathing, using teas and drinks to relax and reducing stress in the work place. See the Hays Recreation website for a complete list of class dates and to sign up online. Her first class of the quarter will be De-Stress Your Sleep on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
“My classes are meant to be informational. Attendees can either use the information or save it for later. The information provided will help each individual make one better choice at a time. Each better choice provides fuel for the next, creating a cascade of health effects, ultimately leading to a stronger version of you,” she said.
Corrected 9:24 a.m. 1-2-18: Her first class of the quarter will be De-Stress Your Sleep on Tuesday, Jan. 9. … All Professor’s classes are at 12:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. Thursdays. … Moffitt has a private service through her and her husband’s business, Prospectively Healthy in Hays …
Burns and McDonnell and CAS Constructors made holiday donations to the Hays Area Children’s Center, OPTIONS, and First Call For Help. (Pictures courtesy Talon Rice, CAS Constructors)
CITY OF HAYS
Burns and McDonnell and CAS Constructors have maintained a partnership on construction projects over the last 20 years.
These two companies are currently in the process of rebuilding the Hays Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP).
On all of the projects they work on together they make it a point to help support the local communities in which they work, especially during Christmas time.
This year collectively they donated at total of $1,000 to three local organizations:
Hays Area Children’s Center-$250
Options for Domestic and Sexual Violence Services-$250
First Call For Help-$500
Mike Hafling President of CAS Constructors, Linda Mills First Call for Help Executive Director, Tom Mies Board Member, and Adam Bogusch Senior Project Manager Burns & McDonnellMike Hafling President of CAS Constructors, Susan Bowles Executive Director Hays Area Children’s Center, and Adam Bogusch Senior Project Manager Burns & McDonnellMike Hafling President of CAS Constructors, Jennifer Hecker Executive Director Options: Domestic & Sexual Violence Services, Jason Werner Board Member, and Adam Bogusch Senior Project Manager Burns & McDonnell
The Kansas Merci Boxcar now sits in Veterans Park. Hays will donate matching funds from Commission Capital Reserve for a roof and permanent fencing. (Photo courtesy city of Hays)
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Hays city commissioners were more than happy Thursday night to approve using funds from the City Commission Capital Reserve Fund to put a roof over the Kansas Merci boxcar, now located in Veterans Park.
The 40 & 8 boxcar is one of 49 from France donated in 1949 to thank Americans for sending much-needed supplies to the French at the end of World War II. The Kansas boxcar, which settled permanently in Hays, is considered one of the top five of the 39 that remain in the nation.
The volunteer 40 & 8 non-profit group, led by Ed Holzmeister, 87, grand director of the Kansas Merci Boxcar, and Vance Chartier, 40 and 8 Chef de Train, has raised $11,000 for a roof, concrete, and permanent security fencing. The city will match funds up to $13,565 to finish the project.
According to Parks Director Jeff Boyle, much of the labor and supplies has been donated.
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“In addition to the $11,000, the group did receive confirmation of donation to install electrical and lights from RDH Electric, which is a value of $2,000. Also, Darrel Christin from Advanced Land Surveying provided the land survey and the design layout to us free of charge, a value estimated at $1,500,” Boyle told the commission.
“That’s awesome,” Mayor Shaun Musil said. Commissioner Sandy Jacobs also thanked the volunteers and donors.
“In visiting with Mr. Holzmeister,” Boyle said, “I understand this boxcar is top five in the nation on its aesthetics and the way it’s been maintained. When other folks come to Hays to see this boxcar, they’re amazed at the condition it’s in.”
“A lot of them don’t have the coat of arms anymore,” Commissioner Lance Jones added, saying he’d done some independent research about the Merci boxcars. “This looks exactly like it did when it came over from France, so it’s been very well taken care of. It’s beautiful and the stories behind it are amazing. I’m proud to have it in our community.”
Musil praised the volunteers. “Over and over again, they make this community what it is.”
Boyle related that other towns in Kansas showed an interest in obtaining the boxcar. “When they were talking about having to move it, they had some large cities that were trying to get this boxcar during this process,” he said.
Hays city commissioners Thursday night unanimously approved the first steps towards development of a new Hilton Garden Inn hotel and convention center on west 43rd Street.
They voted 4-0 (Commissioner Henry Schwaller was absent) to execute a Transient Guest Tax (TGT) between the city and Hays Hotel/Mitra Developers, Wichita, and also set a public hearing on Feb. 8, 2018, for the establishment of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district.
The city’s financial director Kim Rupp presented the resolutions. Mayor Shaun Musil wanted assurance that “none of this goes into effect until the facility is built and going.” “That is correct,” Rupp confirmed. “There’s really no risk to us,” Musil said. “It’s pay as we go. It should be a win-win for the community.”
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Rupp pointed out the TGT rebate agreement is “a little bit cart before the horse. However, this enhances the developer’s capability of securing financing.” Rebate of the city’s 5% hotel guest tax is a first for the city. The developer will receive an annual rebate of all 5% collected on site for 20 years. It’s projected to generate about $1.82 million over the first 10 years and will be used for upgrades and ongoing maintenance at the site. The TGT is used by the Convention and Visitors Bureau to market and promote Hays.
Outgoing Commissioner Lance Jones was attending his last regular meeting. He described the recent changes to the city’s economic development policy and financial incentives “flawless” in this project. Commissioner Sandy Jacobs agreed. “I think it worked really well in this situation.”
“People will remember us losing the truck stop a couple years ago. The system in place at the time did not work,” Jones said. “The system we’ve worked on and kind of tweaked for the last couple of years has everything ready to come to us, as this developer did. If things were in place then as they are now, we’d have a truck stop out at Exit 157 (on Interstate 70). People are talking about this. They really do want a truck stop here. I hope somebody comes in and re-looks at this process and sees how easy it is.” The commission requested the changes in the process.
“This new project is going to bring people to Hays and we’re going to make sales tax off it. It’ll be another venue to have events around town,” Jones added.
The city’s General Fund is financed primarily by sales tax revenues.
Vice-Mayor James Meier is glad the city has no responsibility in running the convention center, something the city hoped to do back in 2012 by imposing an additional tax on much of the retail business on the north side of I-70 for a new facility. The project was tabled in 2014 when Walmart changed its stance about the proposed Community Improvement District (CID).
“This is a way to get all the benefits without having to build it, maintain it, run it,” Meier said, “that’s somebody else’s problem.”
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Meier still had a slight reservation about the TIF district but “you can see the schools are getting their outlay portion and things like that.”
The new project includes a request for a CID which is scheduled to be addressed by commissioners in late March.
“I think the folks who are building it are going to win because this is a facility we need. I definitely think the city overall is going to be winning,” Meier said. “I really think over the next couple of years the changes in our economic development process are going to bear more fruit than just this.”
“I’ve not heard one negative word about us doing this,” Commissioner Jacobs said. “A $19 million investment in this community is pretty exciting right now.”
Hays bond counsel Kevin Wempe, Kansas City, talks about the hotel/convention center project as incoming city commissioner Chris Dinkel looks on from the audience.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Hays city commissioners will vote on two resolutions tonight regarding a proposed new $19.375 million hotel and convention center west of Walmart in an undeveloped section of the Ottley Addition.
The Wichita developer, Hays Hotel and Mitra Developers, is asking for a financial incentives package from the city. It includes tax increment financing (TIF), a community improvement district (CID), and a rebate of the city’s 5% transient guest tax (TGT) generated by the project.
Phase One of the project involves construction of a full-service four-story Hilton Garden Inn, with 100 rooms, a 8,400 square foot conference center/event space, and a restaurant and lounge. Infrastructure improvements required to serve the site include water, sewer, street, utilities, and pedestrian infrastructure. The developer, Raju Sheth, will also finance costs of those improvements to 43rd Street.
Phase Two of the project involves construction of a new restaurant and/or other commercial retail to be located on the two outparcels of the site. There is no specific time frame for Phase Two.
City Manager Toby Dougherty says the city would benefit with public infrastructure, increased sales tax revenue, a new convention center and the addition of badly-needed hotel rooms if the project is approved and built.
The first resolution to be considered during tonight’s city commission meeting would set a public hearing for Thu., February 8, 2018, for the establishment of a TIF District. The second resolution would approve the execution of a TGT agreement.
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The TGT agreement provides for the city to rebate to the developer the 5% TGT generated by the project for an initial term of 20 years.
“This is a straight rebate of five percent of the funds collected just on this site, generated at the hotel,” explained Kevin Wempe, of the city’s bond counsel Gilmore & Bell, Kansas City. “It would be effective upon approval of the entire project as a whole, expected to be at the end of April 2018.”
The rebated TGT funds would be used for “upkeep, capital improvements, and general running of the convention center and hotel,” Wempe added.
During the Dec. 21 work session Mayor Shaun Musil asked if the TGT agreement addressed a guarantee the property would be kept in good repair.
“Yes,” replied Dougherty. “They have to open their books up and show us they’re making the necessary investments. If they’re not doing that, the city commission can terminate (the agreement.) It’s a 20-year term and it can be renewed if the city commission chooses to renew it.”
“The conditions to the rebate include the continuing operation of a hotel and convention center under a Hilton flag. If the flag were to change were to change for a pending sale down the road, that would be subject to city approval whether the TGT would continue,” Wempe said.
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The developer estimates a little more than $4 million would be collected over the term of the TIF.
“Currently this is a green field site and generates relatively low property taxes. When the improvements are made and the project is constructed, the TIF would capture all incremental property tax revenues within the TIF District,” said Wempe. “The TIF revenues would be used to reimburse the developer for TIF-eligible expenses on a pay-as-you-go basis. Approximately $3.9 million of the total project costs are TIF-eligible expenses under Kansas law and the Hays economic development policy.”
Wempe pointed out the developer is not requesting the city issue any bonds in connection with the TIF.
The commission will also vote on a proposal to donate funds from the Commission Capital Reserve to finish the 40&8 Boxcar project.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
“Family.” As the football team comes running out of the locker room, the word “family” is displayed on a wooden block held up high by the players. Lots of athletic programs use the word family to describe their relationship with the fans. Today we’ll meet a family which literally has family members playing in not one, but two, college sports at the same time.
Kelly and Kristi Schoen are the parents of this athletic family. Their two sons are making their marks in college athletics in two different sports.
Kelly Schoen is originally from a farm near the rural community of Downs, Kansas, population 873 people. Now, that’s rural.
Kelly went to K-State and got a finance degree. Kristi is from Manhattan and also went to K-State where the two met and ultimately married. Kelly got an MBA at Creighton and went to work for a large accounting and consulting firm in the Kansas City area. He later became CFO of another company and started Freedom Bank in Overland Park with some partners in 2006. Today he specializes as a consultant in strategic planning, corporate transactions, and mergers and acquisitions.
“I really enjoy it,” Kelly said. “Our bank serves the community and works a lot with small- and medium-sized entrepreneurial businesses.”
Kelly and Kristi have three children. “They don’t send you home from the hospital with an owner’s manual,” Kelly said. “When you start to raise your own kids, you reach back to those values of faith, family and hard work that you learned from your parents and grandparents. We were taught to value education and to always do your best.”
Their older daughter Chandler learned the value of caring for others. She is a nurse in Kansas City and is working toward a doctorate in nursing practice.
The Schoens’ two sons also excelled in academics as well as athletics. Mason, the older son, was a two-year letterman on the Blue Valley Northwest High School basketball team. As a senior and team captain, his team went undefeated and won state.
Mason chose to go to K-State and earn a finance degree while walking-on with the K-State basketball team. Today he is the lone senior on the K-State basketball roster. He has made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for six straight semesters, was a National Association of Basketball Coach’s Honors Court Recipient, and made the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
His younger brother Dalton was a standout multi-sport athlete as well, but his college sport of choice was football. He considered the Ivy League and then looked at the top engineering schools in the Midwest, including K-State. When a walk-on position opened up on the K-State football team, he made that his choice.
For years, there has been a pattern of Kansas kids who develop remarkably in the K-State football program. Dalton Schoen seems to be another example.
2017 was his break-out year as a wide receiver. The season started with a bang. In the first game, he took his first catch of the year 70 yards for a touchdown. That sounds like a lot, but his next touchdown catch was for 82 yards against Texas! (This has to make for a pretty good average.)
During the 10 games in which Dalton played, he averaged more than two catches per game. It was especially exciting to see the catches he made in crunch time. Against Texas Tech, for example, he caught five passes for more than 100 yards, including the two-point conversion that sent the game to overtime for an eventual win.
The two Schoen brothers lived together in the summertime and now get to see each other at the athletic training table. “All that work and preparation has paid off,” Kelly Schoen said. “From a parent standpoint, I’m just happy that they get to live their dreams.”
Family. That’s a good term for the relationship of sports teams and fans. We commend Kelly, Kristi, Chandler, Mason and Dalton Schoen for making a difference with their values and hard work. It’s good to see that it’s all in the family.
