By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

NCK Tech President Eric Burks had plenty of good news to share with Hays city commissioners last week as he presented the college’s annual report of the Big Creek Technical Training Center.

The city-owned facility, located at 101 Main, is a partnership between NCK Tech and the city of Hays. The college is responsible for maintaining the building interior and mechanical condition in exchange for free rent. NCK Tech students also perform various carpentry, electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning projects as requested by the city.

Burks is also president of the Kansas Association of Technical Colleges. There are seven technical colleges in Kansas. Burks recently testified in Topeka before the Higher Education Budget Committee, of which Rep. Eber Phelps (D-Hays) is the ranking minority member.

In response to a state funding question from Vice-Mayor James Meier, Burks told commissioners since Fiscal Year 2011 the two-year Kansas technical colleges “have grown 36.9%. We’ve produced 25.7% more degrees and certificates. We have placed 90% of those students into jobs, and 90% of those jobs are in the state of Kansas. So, you’re getting a heck of an investment…a little over $11 for every $1 that’s invested.”

Technical colleges have no taxing authority in Kansas.

“Our entire sector costs $21.6 million to the state,” Burks said, noting he had given the same information to the legislative committee. “But during that same time since FY 2011, they’ve decreased our funding over 11%. And now, we hearing threats of another 6.95% cut. Our problem is we keep doing more with less. That’s what education does and that’s what rural Kansas does. We find a way to do things with less because we have to. But there’s a breaking point. If we don’t find a way to get some more money, we’re going to have some problems,” he predicted.

“Community colleges do have taxing authority in the state. “They can go and raise property taxes. We can’t. We have to put it on the backs of our students,” explained Burks, “or find ways to be more efficient. We try not to put it on the backs of our students, but that’s what we’re relegated to doing.”

When technical colleges first opened in Kansas, according to Burks “students were supposed to pay 15% of their education costs and the remaining 85% was supposed to be paid by state reimbursements. It’s about 50/50 now,” he said.

Burks also reported NCK Tech was ranked seventh in the nation in 2014 among two-year public colleges, with a 70.7% graduation rate within 150% of the normal time to earn a degree. The assessment was reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The seven-year Big Creek Technical Training Center partnership has so far trained 353 full-time students, with 79% of the students who’ve completed a program employed in a related field. Most of the graduates are working and living in and around Hays and Beloit, site of the original NCK Tech campus.

Carpentry students in Hays recently constructed directional signs made of cedar wood for the Parks Department. Electrical Technology students are currently assisting with the remodel of the concession stands at Stramel Ball Park. They will also be replacing worn out equipment at Seven Hills Park, Kiwanis Park and Union Pacific Railroad Park. Plumbing, Heating and Air-Conditioning students will soon be assisting with repairs at the Hays Fire Department training facility.

ELLIS — The annual KAY Snowball Dance will be on Saturday, Feb. 11. Promenade will be at the Ellis Good Samaritan Nursing Home from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pictures start at 7:30 p.m., and the dance begins at 8 p.m. Crowning for Snowball Royalty will be at approximately 10 p.m. 

Snowball Royalty includes:

Back Row (L-R): Derek Pfeifer (SR), son of David & LuAnn Pfeifer; Ashley Mattheyer (SR), daughter of Dustin & Mara Mattheyer; Geoffrey Soneson (JR), son of Rob & Donna Soneson; Haley Reiter (JR), daughter of Allan & Lisa Reiter; Lane Fischer (SO), son of Brian & Melanie Fischer; Cassie Waldschmidt (SO), daughter of Pete & Sandy Waldschmidt; Coby Fischer (FR), son of Brian & Melanie Fischer; and Rylee Werth (FR), daughter of Rod & Cristi Werth.

Middle Row (L-R): Bryce Keithley (SR), son of Ron & Kim Keithley; Ashton Johnson (SR), daughter of Kip Johnson & Celeste Johnson; Dawson Sproul (JR), son of Chad & Jennifer Sproul; Abby Burton (JR), daughter of Corey & Amy Burton; Thomas Shepard (SO), son of Robert & Jennifer Cimmiyotti and the late Lance Shepard; Cameryn Kinderknecht (SO), daughter of Tim & Rhonda Kinderknecht; and John Gamez (FR), son of Domingo & Martha Gamez.

Front Row (L-R): Dalton Hensley (SR), son of Kent & Shelly Hensley; Jessica Gamez (SR), daughter of Domingo & Martha Gamez; Bryce Younger (JR), son of Bobby & Toni Younger; Blakely Bittel (JR), daughter of Blake Bittel & Kristi Bittel; Logan Shaw (SO), son of Doug & Jill Shaw; Tara Woodworth (SO), daughter of Jeff & Denise Woodworth; Lauryn Becker (FR), daughter of Chris & Brandy Becker; and Breonna North (FR), daughter of Travis & Ava North.

                               Video by: COOPER SLOUGH

By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

Sometimes a bright idea just clicks. Or, in the case of Bonnie Pfannenstiel, owner of Popt Gourmet Popcorn, a bright idea just pops.

That’s what happened with Pfannenstiel, who left the real estate life behind her in Phoenix, came back to Hays and started a gourmet popcorn business that has surpassed all her expectations.

“Its been overwhelming,” Pfannenstiel said. “When you first start a business, you expect it to slow down after six months. I expected it to slow down after the first Christmas.”

Originally, Pfannenstiel was just looking for something part time as a bit of a hobby and had no plans on hiring any employees. But as business continued to expand, it turned into a full-time venture with three full-time employees, three part-time employees, and a new store front at 1106 E. 27th, Ste. 2, next to Trio’s Tap House and Gutierrez Mexican Restaurant.

“It just completely blows my mind. I never thought it would get like this,” Pfannenstiel said.

The idea of Popt came to Pfannenstiel in 2014 when she moved back to Hays and was looking for something to do.

That is when she said she was approached by Russ Pfannenstiel, owner of Cerv’s, during the remodeling phase of the 27th Street store about adding original items that would be unique to the store.

Russ had brought back some gourmet popcorn from Colorado, and Pfannenstiel tried it — and was not overly impressed with it.

“It was just OK,” Pfannenstiel said.

Pfannenstiel began doing research online when she came across a company in Dallas that said “Own your own popcorn store.”

“That’s really where it all started, and it just went from there,” she said.

Pfannenstiel went to Dallas to train in July 2014, and the first Popt opened in September the same year. Training took two days in Dallas, she said. Once she was ready to do the hands-on activities such as the popping, carmelizing and making the cheeses, Pfannenstiel was off and running.

“They teach you where to get your equipment, seasonings and oils. Once you know the basics, you can pretty well make any flavor,” she said.

Popt would start in the back of the Main Street Cerv’s, where she expected to stay long-term.

“I never thought I would leave where we started, but the fact of the right timing and that I found this new building and it was available … it was just perfect timing,” she said.

Pfannenstiel has kept the same vision of Popt intact even as it continues to grow.

Everything is done in house, which is what makes Popt unique and different from other gourmet popcorn stores, according to Pfannenstiel.

The popcorn is all popped and seasoned inside the store, and they can make up to 70 flavors at anytime upon request. Popt also has added homemade fudge items, roasted nuts and other candies to its offerings.

“Our initial goal was to make the fudge,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were making roasted nuts over at the Hall Street store, so we wanted to bring everything under one roof as well have a retail store that offers candies, taffy, the old-time nostalgic candies, Jelly Bellies, bulk candies, and sugar-free candies and bring it all in.

“We always compare ourselves to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.”

Popt also offers many different types of soda brands such as Black Cherry, Sioux Falls Root Beer, Jones Soda and Mr. Cola.

Popt products are available in all Cerv’s locations, as well as inside the new storefront.

In an effort to grow the business, Popt has launched a website where online orders can be made and shipped right to your house. According to Pfannenstiel, they have already shipped coast to coast.

Pfannenstiel also believes the location of the new Popt store and not being that far off of interstate has helped with business.

“We have so many people coming through town driving on I-70, and we have some billboards up and they stop in and get addicted — and then share it with their friends,” Pfannenstiel said.

Right now, Pfannenstiel said there is more foot traffic than traffic on the website, but she has goals on beefing up the website and growing that side of the business.

“Right now, all we have is popcorn on the website, but I want to get the fudge, the candies and the sodas on there that we offer,” Pfannenstiel said.

The additions to the website will be added later this year.

Pfannenstiel is always looking for new ways to grow Popt and gave credit to her staff on getting Popt to where it is today.

“I have a great crew. My employees are just amazing, and we have a lot of fun together,” Pfannenstiel said.

Popt is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Some Ellis County Sheriff Deputies will be sporting new technology, in the form of body cameras, in the new year.

According to Sheriff Ed Harbin, over the next year the department will purchase eight new body cameras.

The VISTA WiFI body cameras from Watch Guard work in conjunction with the in-car systems already installed in patrol vehicles.

Harbin said they had been looking into purchasing body cameras and said they made the decision to purchase the body cameras and update the in-car systems at the same time.

Ellis County will purchase a total of eight body cameras and six new in-car systems. Two of the in-car systems were new enough that, according to Harbin, they only had to purchase the body cameras and software to go with those systems.

Harbin said they included money in the 2017 budget to purchase both the body cameras and in-car systems.

The eight body cams and six new in-car systems are estimated to cost a total of $7,300 after trading in the old systems.

The body cameras will most likely be attached to the officers chest and work in the same way the in-car systems do — once the cars emergency lights and sirens are activated, both cameras automatically begin recording. The cameras can also be turned on manually by the officer.

The officer involved shooting in November did not weigh on their decision to purchase the body cameras, according to Harbin.

In his opinion, if the officer would have had a body camera, it would not have changed anything and that they already had evidence to determine what happened.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the KBI’s portion of the investigation into the Nov. 8 shooting death of Kenton Kobza by an Ellis County Sheriff’s deputy is complete. It has been handed over to the office of the Ellis County Attorney, which is now conducting its own investigation.

Harbin said he believes the body cameras are just another tool for law enforcement officials.

“Some people thought that that (a body camera) was going to be the thing that was going to take of everything and things wouldn’t happen anymore,” Harbin said. “(But) let’s face it, all this is going to do is give you a recording of what’s happening.”

With the new technology will also come some new challenges. Harbin said among those are privacy concerns. Oftentimes, officers go into situations where people be in vulnerable positions.

“We don’t want to go into a situation where there’s something at your residence and we go in there,” Harbin said, “and a year later that’s on YouTube because of who you are.”

They are currently working on developing a policy dealing with camera use.

“They know when they use the car cams, so we really don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Harbin said. “We just want to make sure, using these, that we don’t invade privacy.”

He admitted that there will be times that that will happen and said that is “an unintended consequence.”

There is also concern that the video could be released by defendants in a case in an effort to humiliate a victim.

According to Harbin, at one time in-car cameras were a luxury item for law enforcement departments, but now he believes most departments have them. The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office has had in-car cameras for more than 20 years.

Harbin said they have had people make complaints about an incident, but they are able to go look at the video and proved the person was exaggerating their version of the story.

Currently, officers burn any video captured onto a DVD, and it is kept as part of the evidence into the incident.

The department is looking into a cost-effective way to store the footage, Harbin said. Storage and the cost is a large concern for small departments. But Harbin said they are looking into sharing storage devices with other departments in an effort to save money.

The eight marked Ellis County Sheriff mark patrol vehicles will be equipped with the new cameras and officer body cameras.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

“Cooperation began breaking down” between the city of Hays and CDM Smith, the Wichita firm hired in January 2016 for the Phase 1 design services and development of a GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) for rebuilding the city’s aging wastewater treatment facility.

That’s what Project Manager Stan Christopher of HDR Engineering, hired as Owner Representative by the city in April 2015, told city commissioners Thursday night.

CDM failed to meet the required deadlines and failed to stay within the city’s $27.6 million budget, Christopher reported. “They were way over their head in their submittals. I truly believe they did not have the resources to do the job and get it done in five months. They were behind in the first milestone,” he said.

CDM’s winning bid included engineering fees about half a million dollars less than the other two finalists. CDM Vice President Bruce Barnes appeared before the commission Dec. 10 and said he expected the project to be completed 45 days ahead of the deadline. Barnes was fired from CDM four months into the project, according to Christopher.

Commissioners were pleased with the agreement at the time, but Thursday night, Vice-Mayor James Meier said now “it feels like a ‘bait and switch.'”

“(Barnes) also said it was going to be under budget…So, I don’t know how you sit here now looking back on that from a year ago and not feel like it was just a complete bait and switch and we were just bald-faced lied to,” Meier said.

The city notified CDM Aug. 18, 2016, it would not accept the firm’s $30.7 million GMP.

Commissioners agreed to the recommendation from Christopher and Water Resources Director Johnny O’Conner to  issue an RFP (Request For Proposal) to the two other finalist design-build teams, Burns & Mac/CAS Construction and Black & Veatch/Garney, asking them to submit lump sum proposals for the Phase 2 construction agreement. The recommendation will be voted on during the Feb. 9 commission meeting.

“We dodged a huge bullet,” said Commissioner Henry Schwaller. He pointed out the decision to use the Design/Builder process for the $30.26 million makeover–the city’s most expensive project ever undertaken—was a good one. “We would have gotten that plant. We would have paid for it and been litigating if not for Stan and city staff following through,” he said as the other commissioners nodded in agreement.

The Hays wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was built in 1953. The rebuild to meet stricter effluent discharge requirements is being financed by the city’s State Revolving Fund loan from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The work was to have been completed by July 1, 2018. KDHE has agreed to extend the deadline until August 1, 2019. “They were very accommodating,” said City Manager Toby Dougherty. “They even asked if we needed more money. We told them ‘no,’ we’re okay on the money side.”

City staff has reported they are “confident any added costs can be absorbed without increasing the amount borrowed from the State Revolving Loan Fund or increasing wastewater rates.”

There have been major equipment repairs made recently at the WWTP, according to O’Conner, who assured commissioners “we’ve got it in our budget to maintain the plant and trying not to purchase new equipment to keep it running and repaired.”

Commissioner Lance Jones was absent from the meeting.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Wichita firm hired by the city of Hays a year ago for Phase 1 design services to rebuild the city’s aging wastewater treatment plant did not do the job to the city’s satisfaction.

According to a memo to city commissioners from Water Resources Director Johnny O’Conner, CDM Smith failed to meet required deadlines and failed to stay within the city’s budget for development of a GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price).

“At the 90% (completion) milestone, CDM Smith was at $35 million, well over the City’s budget of $27.6 million,” O’Conner wrote in his memo. “We did not receive a formal GMP until August of 2016. When we did receive the GMP proposal, it was for $30.7 million. CDM was aware of the budget from day one.”

City staff, along with Project Manager Stan Christopher of HDR Engineering, want to issue an RFP (Request For Proposal) to the two other finalist design-build teams, Burns & Mac/CAS Construction and Black & Veatch/Garney, asking them to submit lump sum proposals for the Phase 2 construction agreement. O’Conner included in his memo to commissioners that “HDR immediately noticed CDM trending over budget and made every effort to keep them on track.”

Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood said “we had to go back to the drawing board a little bit with the process.”

“We want to get another design/build firm on board to do Phase 2 of the project which will actually be 100% of the design. So the new firm would complete the design that CDM started and then they would actually go in to the construction part of that process,” Wood explained. “We’re going to talk to commissioners (at Thursday’s work session) about opening up bids for that process. There’s still two firms that were in the running when we initially did the search that we will ask if they’re interested in bidding for the second phase of that project.”

“CDM Smith’s failure will likely add cost to the water treatment plant project,” O’Conner wrote in his memo. “Although several items will have to be re-engineered to bring down the total project cost,” city staff has reported they are “confident any added costs can be absorbed without increasing the amount borrowed from the State Revolving Loan Fund or increasing wastewater rates.”

In September 2015, city commissioners voted for a triple-increase of rates for sewer customers over a period of six years in anticipation of the $30.26 million dollar wastewater treatment plant upgrade and replacement of aging sewer lines.

Click here for the complete agenda of the Feb. 2 work session.

Hays Medical Center

Hays Medical Center has unveiled its new official name and logo after finalizing its partnership with The University of Kansas Health System.

Visitors to the campus will see temporary signage proclaiming “HaysMed,” co-branded with The University of Kansas Health System. HaysMed will be referred to as “part of The University of Kansas Health System” from this point forward.

“Now, the excitement begins,” said John Jeter, MD, chief executive officer at HaysMed. “We are discussing many areas of cooperation to help us serve the people of this region even better than we have before.”

Jeter said a joint oversight committee with leaders from The University of Kansas Hospital and HaysMed has been exploring a variety of new collaboration areas. Early targets include expanded telemedicine support, improving information technology alignment, efficient patient transitions between The University of Kansas Hospital and HaysMed and closer strategic planning. He said the oversight committee is also exploring a variety of clinical care collaboration opportunities.

“Things are off to a great start. We knew we had a patient-focused culture in common as the foundation to our partnership. We continue to learn more about what makes each of our organizations excel. We begin to open doors for new opportunities,” said Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Health System.

By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

Parents or guardians of students at Hays USD 489 who were unable to make it to the volunteer  bond issue meeting last week, or who have more questions, will have the opportunity to have lunch with Superintendent John Thissen and ask questions about the upcoming bond issue.

There are six lunch meetings scheduled at the different schools in the district. Thissen spoke briefly on the luncheon meetings at Monday’s Board of Education of meeting.

“This is my way of just making myself more available to talk with parents and answer any questions that they may have,” Thissen said.

Luncheon meeting dates:

• Tuesday, Feb. 7 at noon at the Lincoln Cafeteria
• Wednesday, Feb. 15 at noon at the O’Loughlin Cafeteria
• Tuesday, Feb. 28 at noon at the Roosevelt Cafeteria
• Thursday, Mar. 9 at 12:30 p.m. at the Hays Middle School Cafeteria
• Wednesday, Mar. 15 at 12:30 p.m. at the Wilson Cafeteria
• Wednesday, Mar. 29 at noon at the Hays High School Cafeteria

The district will cover the cost of the meals, and the meetings will last approximately one hour. USD 489 requests RSVPs ahead of time by calling Sarah Wasinger at 785-623-2400.

RSVPs are required by Thursday for the Lincoln lunch meeting and Friday, Feb. 10, for the O’Loughlin lunch meeting. Check Hays Post as the other RSVP dates are released.

By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

Brews on the Bricks is a festival that is more than just a celebration of good craft beer, but rather a spotlight on the art of brewing.

The second annual Brews on the Bricks, an event hosted by the Downtown Hays Development Corp. and sponsored by Eagle Communications, was such an overwhelming success in its inaugural year that it is back, better and bigger, according Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director.

“Its the biggest craft beer festival in the area, and we will have more brewers than we did last year,” she said.

The festival is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8 at 10th and Main in downtown Hays.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 1, and Bloom is expecting to be sold out in just hours.

Last year, Bloom said, 500 tickets were sold in less than four hours and the VIP tickets sold out in 15 minutes.

“We anticipate that, in one day, the tickets will be sold out again and sold out fast,” she said.

With the anticipation of the high numbers for this year’s festival, DHDC has increased the number of tickets available.

Bloom said the number of VIP tickets has doubled this year so now there are 150 VIP tickets available. Also, the general admission tickets was raised from 500 to 600, she said.

This year, VIP tickets will be $75.

A VIP ticket gets you a Q&A with the brewers, a four-course meal, pairings with four brewers that will not be available via general admission and a full beer stein sampling glass. VIP tickets also allow entry an hour prior to general admission.

General admission tickets are $35, which gets you into the sampling tent from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a sampling glass.

There is also a designated driver ticket, Bloom said, that will allow entry to the event — but also comes with a wrist band that will bar beer tasting.

Tickets can be purchased at downtownhays.com and DHDC offices at 106 W. 12th. Or call (785) 621-4171 for tickets or more information.

Bloom said there are already people who have notified her they will be camping out outside of the DHDC offices to get an early jump on purchasing tickets.

Last year, there were 13 breweries from seven states coming from as far as Indiana, but this year Bloom expects 25 brewers.

“Last year, they found out about this event and wanted to be a part of it, and we are anticipating the same for this year,” Bloom said.

Registration has been open for less than a week and already three breweries are on board for the festival, but Bloom knows of at least 15 more that will be participating.

“Defiance is doing a collaboration with 15 Kansas breweries that have agreed to come to Hays the Friday before the event, and they will actually spend that day coming together and making one beer that will then be distributed all over the state,” Bloom said.

The 15 breweries working on the collaboration then will participate in the festival the next day.

Live music and food will also be a part of the festival.

As of now, Bloom said a band has not been booked, but the hope is to have them booked by the end of the month. They do plan to invite the McPherson Pipe Band to kick off the ceremony.

The food will be provided by several vendors throughout the state, she added.

For more information, check out the Brews on the Bricks 2017 Facebook page.

By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

On Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center, Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen spoke on more details relating to the bond issue campaign and the timeline that has been put into place.

The busy week starts now for USD 489 as the Board of Education officially approved the contract of DLR Group, the architectural firm hired to handle the new bond issue for the district.

With the approval of the contract, DLR will have representatives spending time at every building in the district for the rest of week. The purpose of the visits is to get to know the district, become familiar with every building and to assess needs.

A $94 million bond issue designed to fund facilities improvements was overwhelmingly defeated last summer by USD 489 patrons.

Thissen shared the timeline at the meeting on Monday, but mentioned it was finalized and shared two weeks ago.

The timeline shows seven different meeting categories grouped together starting Thursday, Feb.2, and lasting until Tuesday, May 16.

Each meeting day, there will be three separate meetings involving three different groups, each having their one job in mobilizing at bond issue to give it its best chance to pass.

“The work starts now,” Thissen said. “It is important that the individuals assigned to these different groups show up as many times as they possibly can with there only being seven total meetings.”

The different teams are District Executive Team, District Planning Team and District Vision Team.

One of the key dates on the timeline is in March, Thissen said.

He said that, by March, DLR Group hopes to have three options to use as potential plans for a bond issue and then present them to community members to get a feel on which option would best serve the community and has the best chance on passing.

The next important date comes the last month of the school year in May when DLR hopes to have the options narrowed down to one that could then be presented on and voted on in November.

“The hope is to have something ready to vote on by November, but if that does not work, they are looking at January of next year,” Thissen said.

DLR officials have told Thissen they will not move too quickly with the bond proposal as they are committed to getting it passed.

“They don’t want to force it,” Thissen said. “So if that means they believe the best option is that we move on into January of next year for a vote, then that’s what we will do.”

DLR has a vested interest in the bond passage.

“The way the contract is actually written is that they only get paid if they are able to get a bond issue to pass,” he said

The board also approved Performance Solutions as the new Facility Improvement Planner, which would be used to map out needed upgrades should the bond issue fail.

Lance Bickle, board president, opened up the discussion by saying he knows there are questions on overlapping spending.

Sarah Rankin, board vice president, raised the same concern. She made a motion to table the issue for up to six months until the board could get a clearer picture of what the Facility Improvement Planner would actually do.

However, the motion failed 5-1 in favor of moving forward with the plan of hiring a Facility Improvement Planner. It was later passed 5-1 to name Performance Solutions to the position.

KHS

TOPEKA–Twenty-four students were recognized Friday for their photography at a program at the Kansas State Capitol in celebration of Kansas Day. The program for the winners of the Happy Birthday, Kansas! Student Photo Contest included Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, state legislators, Jennie Chinn with the Kansas Historical Society, and Marearl Denning representing legislative spouses.

The following students and art were recognized:

Uncle Darin & Lorelei by Noah Hilbert, Seneca, first grade, first place;
Little Apple by Tyson Habhab, Fort Riley, first grade, second place;
A Hungry Caterpillar by Nathaniel (Nat) Goscha, Leawood, second grade, first place;
Growing Food for Others by Oliver Stephan Simmonds, Newton, second grade, second place;
Farmers by Owen Sime, Lenexa, third grade, first place;
Kansas Barn by Nora Hein, Hillsboro, third grade, second place;
The Beauty of a Kansas Oil Field at Sunset by Cole Keeten, Phillipsburg, fourth grade, first place;
Hometown Patriots by Reese Hestrom, Cheney, fourth grade, second place;
Gentry Farm Silo by Keera Lacock, Rossville, fifth grade, first place;
Kansas Tree of Life by Reagan Fitts, Overland Park, fifth grade, second place;
Time for Supper by Ethan Kneisler, Lyndon, sixth grade, first place;
Presentation by Johanna Walker, Franklin, sixth grade, second place;
Bird at Dusk by Ashlan Nicole Brooks, Pittsburg, seventh grade, first place;
Sunflower Fun by Hannah Koepp, Overland Park, seventh grade, second place;
County Living by Dylan Koehn, Bennington, eighth grade, first place;
From the Hand of a Child by Sadie Grimm, Morrill, eighth grade, second place;
Somewhere Over the Rainbow . . . by Katie Glenn, Burlington, ninth grade, first place;
Downtown KC by Justin D’Silva, Shawnee, ninth grade, second place;
Little Harvest Helpers by Sammie Strnad, Wellington, 10th grade, first place;
Wind at Dusk by Kevin Isaac Towry, Bucklin, 10th grade, second place;
Coming Home by Ashton Faith Imel, Bucklin, 11th grade, first place;
Sunflowers by Katherine Cunningham, Merriam, 11th grade, second place;
Beautiful Kansas Bison by Chance Parker, Topeka, 12th grade, first place;
Row of Trees by Marissa Kaye Vaughn, Salina, 12th grade, second place.

Students who placed first received iPads; students who placed second received Kindles. Denning organized the statewide contest, jointly sponsored by the Historical Society, which invited students in first through 12th grade to visualize Making a Differences in Their Kansas Community. Photographs from the 24 winners will be on display in the Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center until February 6, and online at kshs.org/18622.

The Happy Birthday, Kansas! student contest received 437 entries this year. The Kansas Day cake was provided by Dillon’s Store #88 at 10th and Gage in Topeka. The University of Kansas KU Chamber Singers provided music.

Prizes and support for this event were made possible by these sponsors:

Gold: $500:
Representative J. Stephen Alford, Kansas House District 117, and Peggy Alford;
Bukaty Companies;
Chris Carroll, AT&T Kansas;
Senator Jim Denning, Kansas Senate District 8;
Marearl Denning;
Kansas Association of Medicaid Health Plans;
Reach Out Kansas, Inc.;
Smithyman & Zakoura;
Sunflower Health Plan

Silver: $200:
Representative Barbara Ballard, Kansas House District 44;
Senator Elaine Bowers, Kansas Senate District 36, and Charles Bowers; Representative Rob Bruchman, Kansas House District 20;
Whitney B. and Kathy Damron;
Senator Tom Hawk, Kansas Senate District 22, and Tamara Hawk;
Ron and Julie Hein;
Senator Garrett Love, Kansas Senate District 38;
Representative Charles Macheers;
Kansas House District 39, and Diane Macheers;
Senator Rick Wilborn, Kansas Senate District 35

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Hays city commission added its stamp of approval Thursday night to the final plat of Creekside Estates Addition in northwest Hays.

The property, located south of 27th Street west of Hall Street, is already annexed into the city and zoned for residential development.

The 12.17 acre plat includes 12 lots ranging from 0.6 acres to just over 1 acre, as well as right-of-way dedication for the extension of Englewood Street. The property was originally platted as Arbor Valley Estates Addition, a portion of which is being vacated. It had already been reviewed and approved by the Hays Area Planning Commission and city staff in the utilities and water resources departments.

Although it was a unanimous vote approval by commissioners, Henry Schwaller wondered about the size of the lots. “In the past we’ve been concerned about lots this big and I know there’s been some background discussion with the Planning Commission. Are we okay with big lots again?” Schwaller asked City Manager Toby Dougherty.

Dougherty reminded the commission it “pretty well set that precedent when you authorized the combining of four lots into one up by the Smoky Hill Country Club to create 0.85 acres there.”

Still, Dougherty said the commission needs to have a discussion about maximum lot size.

“When you discussed the Blue Sky Acres addition (south of Hays), the commission said we don’t want the 2 to 3 acre lot subdivisions in our city or next to the city.

“Everybody can spot a very large hamlet-type lot but where do you draw that boundary?  We do want to have a future discussion on whether or not to draw those boundaries,” Dougherty confirmed.

In the past, Schwaller recalled, “we had plats that had very large lots and the specials were onerous. I think there’s some economies of scale here (in Creekside Estates Addition) because half of the development is already done.”

Public Works Director Greg Sund pointed out that Creekside is “starting to go along the way our discussions have been going where these lots are deep but they don’t have a lot of frontage, so it doesn’t take as much (city) water, sewer and street to service them.”

“I was a little concerned about the lot sizes,” Commissioner Lance Jones said, “but where the flood plain runs through there, I understand why. Plus, this addition does align that street up (Englewood) which is another discussion we’ve been having, so I think you give a little, you take a little.”

The proposed plat aligns the new street with the existing Englewood St. located north of 27th St. and eliminates the dead-end on West. 26th St.

The city doesn’t necessarily “hate large lots,” said Vice-Mayor James Meier. “I think the concern originated out of taxes generated by those large lots are not paying for the (city) infrastructure that has to go in to service them. In this instance, I think that is not really a concern,” he added.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Liquor sales on Sundays will be allowed in Hays starting no later than April 8, 2017, unless a petition is filed requiring a public election about the issue.

Hays city commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance Thursday evening with no public comment.

A similar ordinance was approved in 2005 and then overturned in an election by Hays voters.

Commissioner Lance Jones, who brought the issue to the table this time, noted he “thought it’d be a kind of controversial issue but so far I still haven’t received any emails or phone calls in support or against this item.

“It’s just something we ought to do, just getting rid of some regulation that shouldn’t have been there to start with.”

Jones pointed out “there will be a fiscal note to this,” although he acknowledged it may not be that much. He supported the change as a way to help bring in more money to the city’s general fund, which is financed solely by the city sales tax.

The sale of cereal malt beverages and alcoholic liquor in the original package will be allowed Sundays in Hays–except Easter Sunday–from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the same Sunday hours as allowed by Kansas law since 2005. Such sales are allowed 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. the other days of the week.

Sunday liquor sales are already allowed in incorporated areas of Ellis County, including Ellis and Victoria.