Hays city commissioners unanimously approved the 2020 budget Thursday night.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Hays city commissioners unanimously approved the city’s 2020 budget during their meeting Thursday night. The budget total is $$41,966,419.
Following the public hearing which had no participants, City Manager Toby Dougherty reviewed the budget goals.
“We want the budget to be balanced. We want to keep the mill levy at 25. We have not added an employee since 2010. And we want to continue paying cash for large projects,” said Dougherty.
The mill levy for Hays is the seventh lowest in Kansas and the lowest levy outside of Johnson County.
The city’s assessed valuation increased by 1.6% since 2019, with the value of 1 mill equal to $226,802. The mill levy for Hays has been at or below 25.000 for 13 of the past 14 years.
Dougherty was quick to give credit to Kim Rupp, city finance director.
“The budget is his baby to put together and get to me in raw form, then meet with department heads and sort of congeal it into something that we feel will be palatable to you guys. Then you guys finish molding it before it’s passed,” explained Dougherty. “Kim does a lot of the heavy lifting.”
Commissioners also thanked city employees.
“Employees now have buy-in to the budget,” said Mayor Henry Schwaller, “whether it’s their healthcare program or finding some savings (in their department).
“Most of this budget is possible because they’re finding savings, particularly in recent years as sales tax dollars have dropped,” Schwaller noted. “So we’re able to carry those savings forward and fund future budgets.”
Most of the city’s general fund monies come from a local sales tax.
The 2020 budget contains a programmed step and cost of living increase for all city employees.
VICTORIA — The 37th annual Herzogfest is this weekend in Victoria.
The annual celebration of German Heritage gets underway Friday with the grounds at the Victoria City Park opening at 5 p.m. Numerous vendors will also open at 5p.m. Friday.
The highlight of the evening Friday is the concert featuring the Bart Crow Band. Jaron Bell will take the stage at 7 p.m. with Bart Crow to follow about 9:30 p.m.
There is a full day of events again on Saturday with the 5k color run and the Rods and Reels Custom Car show set for 8 a.m. Breakfast will also be served at 8 a.m.
The Herzog Heritage Market will once again return to the Herzogfest grounds. It marks the third year for the market with items for everyone including food and clothes.
Back again this year is the extremely popular corn hole tournament with registration at 9:45 a.m. The tournament starts at 10 a.m.
The kinderfest will again have fun games for the kids with bounces houses and face painting starting at 10a.m.
The vendors will also open at 10 a.m. with free swimming at 11 a.m. and the jam session at bingo at 12 p.m.
Eagle Med will conduct a helicopter landing and a safety demonstration at 3 p.m. followed by the Polka Mass and the Wes Windholz Polka Band.
The day comes to a close with performances by Candice and the Business Casual and DOC.
Ellis County Realizes Tangible Benefits in Preparedness
On July 19, Ellis County Director of Fire & Emergency Management Darin Myers completed the Executive Fire Officer Program and was recognized at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
United States Fire Administrator G. Keith Bryant, Chief Myers and National Fire Academy Superintendent Tonya Hoover
“On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners and all his fellow department heads at Ellis County, I want to congratulate Chief Myers for his achievement,” said County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes.
“Darin’s multi-year work to complete this program is more than simply a feather in his cap. The research projects he undertook as part of the Executive Program have had a direct benefit to Ellis County’s preparedness for wildland fires and other emergency situations.”
As part of his Executive Development coursework, Chief Myers negotiated an automatic aid agreement between Ellis County Fire District #1 and the City of Hays that resulted in improved fire insurance ratings for many areas of the county.
For his course in Community Risk Reduction, Chief Myers performed research on outdoor warning sirens that lead to implementation of new technology across multiple local jurisdictions. And in conjunction with his Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management, Chief Myers worked on improving training and disaster exercises for Ellis County staff.
When the previous owner was ready to sell an established beer bread mix business, four Hays family members saw an opportunity to have fun and maybe even turn a little profit.
The owners, Shaun and Heather Musil, along with Shaun’s sister Tina Hansen and her husband Bruce, make the mix at The Paisley Pear, 1100 Main, after purchasing the business on June 21.
“Long story short, a young lady from Goodland started this when she was 11 years old,” Shaun said.
“If we had not bought this business, she would have closed up shop,” Bruce said.
“We were excited to keep it going,” Shaun said.
Musil is also connected to the area where the previous owner was located and had already sold the product.
“We grew up in that area,” he said. “Since we’ve been open, we’ve been buying the beer bread from her. My mother-in-law brought it down to me and I sell it at my market.”
When she was ready to sell, Shaun thought it would be a good opportunity to capture another local product to sell at The Paisley Pear, but also do something together as a family.
“We like to sell Kansas stuff, so on our days off we make beer bread,” Shaun said.
“This is crazy but we bought it for fun,” Heather said. “We hope to go on some adventures, the four of us.”
“We always have such a good time doing things together,” Tina said. “This is a good way to do it again.”
The mix is currently sold wholesale to a few area shops outside of The Paisley Pear, and Shaun hopes to expand the product’s reach.
“We’re trying to gain wholesalers and, in time, we will try and sell it online,” Shaun said. “But there’s a somewhat different process to that.”
Currently, the mix is also sold at Hideout Coffee in Osborne, Mr. K in Plainville, the Oasis Travel Shop and Kansas Country Store in Colby, and the Cowboy Corner in Goodland.
The mix is made in The Paisley Pear after hours by the group after they got some training from the previous owner.
“That was funny,” Heather said. “She was the one-man show. She did it all, and she would do 300 bags at a time — and we did 50 in four hours.”
Since then, they have figured out how to speed up the process.
“We’ve learned,” Musil said.
Their first production run filled 300 bags in about four hours and sold out.
So far, feedback on the product has been encouraging.
“It is a really good product,” Shaun said.
He also said the store staff is proud to offer something made right there in the shop.
“Everybody that we have given it to to try, or they have tried it, we have had nothing but good reports coming back that they think it is delicious,” Tina said.
While the venture is a way for the family to connect doing something they enjoy, it is a business and they hope to steer their investment in the right direction.
“It would be nice to show a little profit,” Bruce said.
“And grow distribution,” Shaun added.
As they work to find the right mix of distribution and sales, they said there is no difficulty in making the bread.
“We put all together in the pack, you mix it up with a can of beer or Sprite or pop and then you just bake it and it’s done,” Shaun said. “Forty-five minutes later and you’ve got a loaf of bread. I mean if I can do it, anybody can.”
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Attending Fort Hays State University is a family tradition for Isaiah Blackmon. So even when contemplating a change in majors, he knew he would continue his education at his hometown university.
Experience from summer construction jobs during high school led him down a different path than he had intended when he started college in 2016. Now a year and a half from graduation, Blackmon says that switching his major to construction management was life changing.
After just one year in the applied technology program, the Hays native landed a summer internship with McCownGordon Construction out of Kansas City, Mo. He had never even heard of the company before it participated in a career fair at FHSU’s Center for Applied Technology last fall.
He didn’t know much about the Department of Applied Technology at FHSU, either, before checking it out his sophomore year. While considering whether or not his current major (athletic training) was for him, Blackmon called on his experience in the construction field while looking at his options.
He spoke to professors in the Applied Technology Department, enrolled in some construction classes, and “after one semester, I was hooked,” he said.
Students taking classes in the applied technology building this past year witnessed firsthand the success of Fort Hays State graduates.
The general contractor for the art and design building across the street from the Center for Applied Technology is Paul-Wertenberger, a local construction company owned by two FHSU alumni, Steve Paul and Bob Wertenberger. Fort Hays State’s newest academic building – scheduled to open this fall – is the latest of several campus buildings that Paul-Wertenberger has either built or remodeled.
Paul and Wertenberger graduated in the late 1970s and started their own company soon afterward. The applied technology program has changed a lot from the days of industrial arts, and it has seen a significant growth in recent years – from 117 majors in 2012 to 190 last year.
A couple of reasons for that growth was the addition of the construction management emphasis in 2012 and the addition of the 58,000-square-foot, two story CAT facility, which opened in 2017.
The degree has several areas of study: construction technology, construction management, engineering design technology, manufacturing technology, and technology and engineering education.
“We give them the foundational skills, and they are the ones who go out and find their niche,” said Kris Munsch, assistant professor of applied technology.
The variety of curriculum and options for job opportunities was attractive to Blackmon.
After a summer of working as a project engineer intern for McCownGordon on a job in Topeka, Blackmon will return to campus with a lot of enthusiasm.
He is a member of the Tiger football team that has won back-to-back MIAA conference titles, and he will have a much better understanding about commercial construction.
“I had always done residential construction, so I didn’t know what commercial was like until this internship,” Blackmon said. “I like the big projects and the idea of being able to put a lot into something and watch it progress. Seeing what goes into estimating and scheduling really opened my eyes.”
Blackmon also will continue promoting Fort Hays State, much like his family before him. Numerous members of his family are FHSU alumni, dating back two generations.
“The environment at FHSU was just right for me, not too big, not too small,” he said. “Now that I found what I want to do, there are so many great opportunities here.”
Blackmon earned the internship after impressing McCownGordon representatives at the 2018 campus career fair. He interviewed with several companies at the fair and got the internship offer from McCownGordon just a few days later.
That came as no surprise to Munsch, Blackmon’s advisor.
Each semester, Munsch awards one of his students the “Hustle Award.” Blackmon won the award last spring.
“That’s the only verb you need to know when describing that award,” Munsch said, “and Isaiah fits that so well. He never wants to know what the minimum is of an assignment. He’s a hard worker, and he will apply that no matter where he goes.”
Earlier this week, I was visiting with my daughter who has 3 school age kids. Her challenge of the day was to move the bedtime up as the first day of school approaches. That’s right folks, school bells will be ringing soon. Families with kids adapted to a summer schedule filled with ball games, camp, swimming lessons and 4-H activities and now the schedule is about to change again.
With the start of school, it is the perfect time to call a family meeting and get everyone on board with the new routine.
Research shows that kids ages 3 to 6 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep each day. As youngsters begin pre-school or the early grades it is important to have a set bedtime with a routine that encourages success. Perhaps you want to target 8 p.m. as bedtime. If so you will want to begin the wind down process around 7. Perhaps a warm bath and bed time story would help your child to relax. Planning what will be worn the next day or eaten for breakfast also encourages a less hectic morning when the alarm goes off.
Whatever you want to adopt as a routine, now is a good time to start working toward your final goal. If the summer schedule has been lax, start moving the bedtime up a few minutes each day until your target is reached. That should help make the first day of school a success.
If you live close enough to school can your children safely walk or bike to school? Research shows that starting your day with some physical activity (i.e. walking to school) encourages better concentration and behavior in the classroom. If your schedule allows it, do a trial run with your child; either walking or biking on a safe route to the front door of the school.
Here’s hoping your school year gets off to a great start!
Donna Krug is the District Director and Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
I have a 22-month-old grandson, Alex. It seems like yesterday he was born. Every time I see him he is different. In late September of last year my wife and I got to keep Alex for a week while his parents were on a trip. Then he was just a little over a year old. We had a pretty good idea about what all he wanted.
Recently, my wife and I desperately wanted to have some time with Alex, so we talked my son and daughter-in-law into “loaning” him to us for a week. But this time, in July of 2019, we knew we were dealing with a different person.
As the time came near, I think my wife and I both got more and more nervous. We knew Alex now had opinions; he was a lot more mobile; and half his life was no longer spent sleeping. Indeed, most of his life was consumed with zooming around.
We met my son and daughter-in-law in Salina, took “possession” of Alex (or perhaps he took possession of us), and away we went. My daughter-in-law, Caley, gave us a bag full of stuff for Alex.
I realized then how much this was going to be like camping. As with a camping trip, the biggest thing that you have to do is plan it, and then get everything set up.
We pulled out a crib, put it in the appropriate place, put sheets on it and got out blankets (it was the equivalent to his tent). We put in his favorite blanket, his Teddy bear, and the things he likes to sleep with (the equivalent of his sleeping bag).
We set up a video machine, so we could watch his movements while he was asleep and hear him if he became upset. We began planning food choices.
We started making plans for “entertainment”: there would be trips to the Sternberg Museum, the library, the municipal swimming pool, the county fair, walks with the dogs, trips to the park, playing throughout the house, reading books, and the like.
We had to child proof the house by putting locks on cabinets and by placing fragile things out of reach.
Finally, it was that first night. We got him fed, and kind of like camping, hoped that he liked what we fixed. We had spent the day rushing around trying to be sure he was happy, and not missing his parents too much. He seemed to be adjusting better than we.
After dinner we had our first bath. Caley had given us some pretty good instructions about what he likes to have happen. On knees, we played with him in the bathtub.
Finally, the ultimate test: rocking him to sleep and getting him into bed. We had one surprise when we picked Alex up. Caley announced that Alex was no longer on the bottle! We were not allowed to use a bottle.
But we got him to sleep, and kind of like that first day of camping, it was such a relief, yet still kind of a restless sleep that night as I kept one eye on the monitor and listened for Alex.
The rest of the week went great. Sure we had some small meltdowns here and there, but overall it was great. My wife had to carry the water during the day, but early in the morning and after work I was able to pitch in and spend a lot of quality time with Alex. I took a Friday off work, so he and I could just spend some quality time together.
It did remind me of camping. So much of the work of camping is just getting ready to go. You are packing food, bedding, and tents. You are planning for good weather, and for bad weather. You bring bandages and first aid kits, and then you venture out. Just like with camping there are bruises, cuts, bites and burns. As you go camping, your car is just full of stuff. You wonder if you need all of that or if you have overcompensated. But then, you are camping and having a great time.
Let me turn this to the law for a moment. A lot of times when I visit with a family, and we talk about what their goals are, some are very specific and some are general. Those decisions are not always easy.
But for many families the tough part is “getting in the weeds.” There is so much stuff that we need to gather together: deeds, bank account statements, investment information, titles, lists of property, and much more. In fact, I can tell you that most of the time that our office spends is involved in gathering information, listing that information, and getting that information transferred and/or titled correctly. Drafting of the actual documents is not the most time consuming thing. It is all the other stuff.
Why? Just like it is with Alex or with camping, you never know what is going to happen. All that stuff, and all the precautions that we put in the documents, is so that if something happens we are prepared. All the stuff we have to gather together is so that we do not have problems later on.
Planning can be exasperating. I understand that. For some families it is more exasperating than others. For many families, they just have never organized anything before.
I have to admit I was amazed at my daughter-in-law’s organization. Almost everything that we needed was in the pack. Oh, we still needed the “tent,” and some other camping tools, but most everything else was there available for us.
So, estate planning is like camping. A lot of the work that you do is just getting ready before you actually spend that first night. Do not get discouraged. With a good guide you will be able to get everything together, and enjoy the “trip.”
Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.Kansas’s share of federal dollars has been dropping precipitously in recent years.
According to research conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, federal grants in Kansas as a portion of state revenues fell from 33 percent in 2011 to 23 percent in 2017. That steep drop, due largely to rejecting federal dollars, represented a shocking loss, estimated at $382 million in the 2017 state budget.
In the same time frame the four states surrounding Kansas maintained their share of federal dollars at 33 percent. The average share of all 50 states has grown over the last four years to 32 percent.
Kansas now ranks third in the nation in refusing federal dollars as only two states—Hawaii and Virginia—report slightly smaller shares than Kansas.
Should Kansans be cheering or booing state lawmakers for refusing available federal aid? The answer is a no-brainer!
Nearly 80 percent of all federal money to the states comes through grants for Medicaid or income security. In the period 2011 through 2017, Republican lawmakers, led by former Governor Sam Brownback, began denying available federal aid to the state’s most vulnerable residents—poor families, children, seniors, the unemployed, and the disabled.
They blocked the extension of Medicaid coverage 130,000 low-income working Kansans and their children.
They repeatedly restricted eligibility of the poorest Kansas families for federal aid through TANF (cash assistance) and SNAP (food stamps). The number of TANF recipients, over three-fourths being children, was slashed by over 70 percent from 2011 to 2018. The number of beneficiaries of food assistance, roughly half being children, declined over 30 percent from 2013 to 2018.
They privatized Medicaid in 2013 and cut Medicaid reimbursement rates in 2016. Medicaid cuts reduced health care services for 400,000 children, seniors, and disabled individuals. A private contractor backlogged, delayed, and too often denied applications of eligible seniors for nursing home care.
This rejection of federal assistance represents a dramatic departure for Kansas. In the early decades of the 20th century Kansas lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, campaigned successfully for constitutional changes, as well as new taxes, that allowed state government to accept and match federal aid for roads, social welfare, unemployment compensation, and relief during the Great Depression. These actions set critical precedents for Kansas officials to accept and actively pursue available federal grants for public health, environmental protection, criminal justice, housing, workforce development, and wildlife conservation, among many other public purposes.
That changed with Brownback’s vow to remake Kansas into a national model of red-state governance by refusing federal aid to vulnerable residents. His tax experiment failed and has been abandoned, but his assault on poor Kansans and their children continues in state law. Any attempts to change the law are fought off by the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce and its dark money ally, Americans for Prosperity—organizations that despise spending on social safety nets. For the past seven years they have targeted lawmakers and legislative candidates who support such spending.
The ideological experiment with the lives of vulnerable Kansans is failing and continues to cost the Kansas economy hundreds of millions in federal dollars every year, even as we pay taxes that benefit all other states. Lawmakers should reclaim the state’s rightful share of federal grants and for starters, approve the extension of Medicaid and reestablish reasonable guidelines for providing assistance to the poorest Kansans and their children.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University and served with former Kansas Governors Bennett and Hayden.
The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and conducted 26 traffic stops Mon., Aug. 5, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Civil Transport–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 12:35 AM
Found/Lost Property–800 block Vine St, Hays; 8:15 AM
Found/Lost Property–800 block Vine St, Hays; 8:18 AM
Found/Lost Property–800 block Vine St, Hays; 8:20 AM
Theft (general)–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 7/30 10:22 AM; 8/1 11:30 AM
Found/Lost Property–1300 block Harvest Rd, Hays; 1:54 PM
Search Warrant–2700 block Epworth St; 2:50 PM
Urinating in Public–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 4:45 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–1300 block Eisenhower Rd, Hays; 5:40 PM
Animal Call–1300 block Lawrence Dr, Hays; 8:09 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–100 block Ash St, Hays; 11:33 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 8 animal calls and conducted 17 traffic stops Tue., Aug. 6, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–29th St and Vine St, Hays; 5:46 PM
Domestic Disturbance–100 block E 18th St, Hays; 2:25 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–500 block W 24th St, Hays; 6:59 AM
Animal At Large–2200 block Downing Ave, Hays; 7:05 AM
Shoplifting–500 block W 36th St, Hays; 7:32 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2400 block Lincoln Dr, Hays; 8:35 AM
Animal At Large–3400 block Summer Ln, Hays; 9:40 AM
Phone/Mail Scam–1300 block Schwaller Ave, Hays; 9:50 AM
Water Use Violation–1700 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 2:10 PM
Found/Lost Property–1100 block E 8th St, Hays; 3:01 PM
Suspicious Activity–2000 block Vine St, Hays; 3 PM; 3:08 PM
Bicycle – Lost,Found,Stolen–27th and Walnut, Hays; 3:21 PM
Phone/Mail Scam–Hays; 12 PM; 12:05 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 5:58 PM
Urinating in Public–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 6:03 PM
Battery – simple–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 7 PM; 7:20 PM
Suspicious Activity–3300 block Skyline Dr, Hays; 8:54 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and conducted 22 traffic stops Wed., Aug. 7, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1100 block Cody Ave, Hays; 12:56 AM
Animal At Large–500 block E 19th St, Hays; 7:49 AM
Animal Call–300 block E 18th St, Hays; 8:28 AM
Animal At Large–400 block W 19th St, Hays; 8:43 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–200 block Circle Dr, Hays; 9:18 AM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–2000 block E 22nd, Hays; 10 AM
Drug Offenses–Hays; 8/6 11:50 AM
Water Use Violation–500 block W 32nd St, Hays; 12:44 PM
Disorderly Conduct–500 block Commerce Pkwy, Hays; 8/6 12 PM; 12:30 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–3800 block Hall St, Hays; 2:03 PM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–Hays; 4:09 PM
Parking Complaint–2500 block Pine St, Hays; 4:09 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 5:56 PM
Drug Offenses–2000 block MacArthur Rd, Hays; 7:01 PM
All visitors to Hays High School during school hours will enter the school through this new breezeway at the main entrance and sign in at the office.Visitors to HHS will now have to enter the school through the far left door of the main west entrance during school hours.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
New secure entrances have been constructed at Hays High and Hays Middle School.
Each school now has a breezeway through which visitors will enter the school during school hours. The breezeways funnel visitors through the schools’ offices.
At the middle school, visitors will have to ring a door bell at the far left door of the main entrance, which is located on the south side of the building. HMS Principal Tom Albers said eventually the school will install a camera in the breezeway. Visitors will enter the breezeway and be buzzed into the office.
Beginning this fall, the middle school will require all students to enter through the west gymnasium door in the morning. Albers said this will allow him to greet students in the morning and better control students’ movement through the building.
Visitors to Hays Middle School will need to ring the door bell at the far left door of the main entrance to enter the school during school hours.
Parents can still drop students off in the morning on the south side of the building, but the students will need to walk around to the west side to enter the school.
Albers said for fire safety, students and staff can exit through doors throughout the building, but they are not accessible to people entering the buildings and they lock behind the person exiting the building.
Albers said he liked having the breezeway at the main entrance to the building. Students who need to stay after school for an activity or homework help can wait in the breezeway out of the weather and can watch out the front windows for someone to pick them up at the front of the school.
At the high school, all of the doors will be unlocked as students arrive in the morning. While school is in session, all of the doors will be locked except the far left door at main west entrance. Visitors will enter the breezeway, and then they will be buzzed in by office staff and enter the school through the office. The high school is also in the process of upgrading its camera system at the front entrance.
The school board approved the project in April. The district received more than $86,000 in grants for the secure entrances project. The district’s portion was $16,693.
Both principals said they thought the new entrance configurations will improve safety at the schools.
Visitors to HMS will now half to enter this new breezeway and check in at the office before entering the school.
“We have so many, whether it is UPS or FedEx or students coming in from off campus. We have a lot kids who go to NCK. We have a few kids who take advanced classes at Fort Hays. We have parents bringing up shoes for practice — any number of situations,” Martin Straub, HHS principal, said. “Almost always people have good intentions, but if one out of a million is not a good intention, it will allow us to screen them before that person is allowed in. I think it is a good step in the right direction.
“I think it will definitely change the way we do business, but that is not a bad thing either.”
Straub asked visitors to be patient with the school staff as they adjust to the new routine.
Albers said, “It is much more safe because we have controlled access to our building. … Now you have to go through a direct entryway to our building. From that standpoint, it makes it much more secure for us.”
HMS parents and guardians should have received an email about the entrance change. They will receive a notice by mail if they do not have email.
A new pedestrian crosswalk with flashing lights has been installed at Hall and 19th Streets in Hays.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
As back-to-school traffic picks up later this month in Hays, drivers and pedestrians on Hall Street near Thomas More Prep-Marian school will need to pay extra attention.
A new pedestrian crosswalk with flashing lights has been installed on Hall at the intersection of 19th Street.
A Kansas Department of Transportation Traffic Engineering Assistance Program study was awarded several years ago to the city of Hays. TEAP awards provide engineering services for small areas with things such as access problems or pedestrian issues.
The city looked at Hall Street between O’Loughlin Elementary School at the 14th Street intersection and TMP-M at 19th.
“We have a challenge at certain times of the day with pedestrians, with cars, with overloading access when people are dropping off or picking up their kids at O’Loughlin, and when school is getting out at TMP. There are short-term congestion problems,” City Manager Toby Dougherty said.
One of the suggestions made in the TEAP study was a pedestrian crosswalk.
The city met a while ago with TMP-M administrative staff and both groups agreed to the 19th Street location.
“We think that’s the best option right now. I think they’re very happy with the outcome,” Dougherty added.
TMP-M Principal Chad Meitner is so happy about the crosswalk he went to a Hays City Commission meeting to tell them about it.
“John Braun (Hays project manager) had worked with us and the administration at O’Loughlin … The (TEAP) findings made us look at how we could make the traffic flow there safer for the students, the families, and just for citizens in general going through that area especially in the mornings and afternoons,” said Meitner. “I thank the city for installing the crosswalk. It looks great. We’re excited not only for our students but even the folks who use the campus for walking their dogs or jogging (who) can now cross there.”
The new crosswalk aids pedestrian traffic on the campus of Thomas More Prep-Marian school.
The TMP location was chosen for the crosswalk because O’Loughlin uses a staffed crosswalk when the school day opens and closes.
“The majority of those kids crossing Hall Street are doing so under controlled circumstances,” Dougherty said, “but TMP doesn’t have anybody posted there … so this actually gives them some kind of controlled access.”
The new pedestrian crosswalk is similar to the one further north on Hall Street in front of Cervs convenience store and another on 22nd Street near Roosevelt Elementary School. Each is activated by pedestrians.
“They’re very bright flashing lights that will get the attention of the vehicles so they can slow down and yield to the people in the crosswalk. … Traffic is usually pretty good about stopping for the kids. … But you never know with people on their phones not paying attention. That flasher adds another (safety) measure.”
Dougherty said he believes the city will look at installing a crosswalk at O’Loughlin sometime in the future, “but given the fact that they have no intention of doing away with their crossing guard right now, we feel it’s protected.”
There is no crossing guard station at Roosevelt.
Classes at TMP-Marian start Monday, Aug. 19. Hays USD 489 classes start Wednesday, Aug. 14.
By JAMES BELL
