By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Construction is complete on three of the four buildings for Early Childhood Connections’ new home on 13th Street.

Fire inspections were set for this week, and ECC is set to start moving into the former Oak Park Medical Complex on Tuesday.

Building 3 should be completed and available for the Munjor program to move into its new home in August. This will include moving playground equipment from the Munjor school to Oak Park. Surfacing for the complex’s playground is being repurposed from Wilson, which received a new playground last year, and O’Loughlin, which is getting new playground equipment next week.

Building 3 lagged behind the rest because it still had a tenant in it when the school district purchased the property.

Once all the programs are moved, the Oak Park Complex will be home to all the early childhood programs for children ages birth through 5 in the district.

The school board approved a $1.76 million contract with Paul-Wertenberger Construction in March for renovations of the former Oak Park Medical Complex. It purchased the complex for $2 million, which will be paid for through a lease agreement out of capital outlay funds.

The district received a $1.47 million federal grant and a $500,000 donation from HaysMed, the primary owner of the complex before it was sold, for the renovations.

The school district signed a contract extension with Overland Property Group on Monday to buy Washington school, where ECC is now housed. OPG hopes to turn the 90-year-old school into low-income apartments. Munjor school is owned by the Catholic Church all will go back to the diocese once the school is vacated by USD 489.

Other capital projects

The school district started the summer with 192 maintenance tickets. One hundred thirteen of those tickets have been completed, Rusty Lindsay, building and grounds director, said on Monday.

The projects included things such as tuck pointing, roof repairs, concrete work, carpet and flooring work, wiring and installation of new clocks at Hays High School and installation of new food service equipment.

The board previously voted to purchase replacement interior door locks. Those were to be installed this summer. However, that project is not complete, because the locks are on backorder from the manufacturer, Lindsay said.

Work on HHS’s greenhouse will begin next week. The building was damaged in a hail storm last fall. Concrete is being poured at HHS this week and work is set to begin soon on the roof at Roosevelt Elementary School.

CTE space

The board heard a request to purchase a new metal storage building for HHS at a cost of $57,250. HHS Principal Martin Straub said items will be moved into the metal building, and the rooms they are now being stored in will be converted to classroom space.

He said he would like to use the storage room for the school’s graphic arts program. He said he hoped to tie the radio/TV pathway with the graphic arts pathway by locating their programs next to each other in rooms 503 and 504.

He said this was a way to better use space for career and technical education without bond money.

“We can remodel and redesign at a limited cost with the structure we have and do so in a very frugal way,” he said. “We can have a nice facility for the kids. It is all about CTE.”

In other business, the board:

• Approved a contract with Russell USD 407 to provide services to its gifted students. The Russell district will pay USD 489 for the services. Russell will handle the transportation of its students to Hays.

• Heard a district financial report. Keith Hall, interim executive director of finance, told the board the district had a year-end balance in its general and supplemental funds of $290,000. That is a little less than 1 percent of the district’s budget. Accountants recommend a year-end balance of 2 to 3 percent. He said the carry over could go into the CTE, special education or contingency funds.

Come and enjoy HOT deals and fun activities for the entire family, during the annual sidewalk sale in Downtown Hays. Shop early because bargains won’t last long! 60 vendors from across the region will be ready for you!

Take this survey for your chance to win $100 in Downtown Dollars & $100 in Hays Market Bucks to spend at this event, July 27th 7am-1pm! See you Downtown at Bazaar on the Bricks!

TOPEKA – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation released an update on the progress of their task force investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by members of the Catholic clergy in Kansas.

The KBI initiated the investigation in February at the request of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. When announcing the start of the investigation, they asked Kansans to report to them any victimization by members of the clergy, church employees, church volunteers, or any others in positions of authority within the church.

Since the launch of the investigation, the KBI has received 119 reports from victims who have contacted them related to recent or past sexual abuse committed by clergy members. Following these reports, task force agents have initiated 74 investigations in 33 different Kansas counties.

Specific counties are not being released at this time, said KBI Communications Director Melissa Underwood.

The KBI continues to take reports of sexual abuse via phone at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or by email at[email protected]. Victims are asked to report all incidents of sexual abuse that involve a member of the clergy, no matter how long ago the incident occurred, and even if it was previously reported to law enforcement or the church.

ROOKS COUNTY — A small earthquake shook Rooks County early Tuesday. The quake just before 7a.m. measured a magnitude 2.7 and was centered northwest of of Zurich, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.

Tuesday’s quake follows a magnitude 3.3 quake June 21 and a magnitude 5.4 quake in Rooks county June 22.

The Rooks County Sheriff’s Department said they had received no phone calls about Tuesday’s quake.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

It was cooler than usual Monday night in Hays.

The temperature dropped low enough to set a new record low for July 22 – just barely.

According to official records from the K-State Agricultural Research Center, the overnight low was 52 degrees.

That beats the previous low for July 22 of 53 degrees set exactly 100 years ago in 1919.

Monday’s high in Hays was 83 degrees.

One year ago it was 89 degrees with an overnight low of 69 degrees.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The city of Hays is among 23 Kansas towns selected for grants from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for projects to improve intersections and roads.

Norton, Colby and Phillipsburg will also receive KDOT grants.

KDOT’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP) funds improvements to state highways that extend through cities.

John Braun, project manager for the city of Hays, says the Hays award of $1 million will be used for reconstruction of south Vine Street/Highway 183 in state fiscal year 2021 – a $4 million dollar project.

“This will start south of 13th Street – about where McDonald’s is – south through the intersection with the Highway 40 Bypass.

“It will also involve adding pedestrian crossings at 8th and Vine.”

The city applied for the grant in March, according to Braun.

“The pavement is starting to get really bad. We did a concrete patch 15 to 18 years ago. After consulting with engineers and with KDOT about doing a patch again, we decided it would be money better spent to completely replace the pavement,” Braun said.

The city of Hays will provide $3 million in matching funds for the grant, which is in the Capitol Improvement Projects portion of the city’s budget.

The work will be a KDOT project.

“It would be coordinated with KDOT with a KDOT bid letting in Topeka and they would manage the project,” Braun explained. “We would get it designed and then basically turn it over to them, paying our share up front.”

The cities will receive a combined total of approximately $18 million in funding under the CCLIP for the 23 projects. The total includes $7 million in state fiscal year 2021 and $11 million in state fiscal year 2022.

“KDOT was able to add $5 million into the CCLIP because of the additional $50 million that the governor provided as a one-time transfer from the State General Fund,” said Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas in a Tuesday news release. “Communities then provided an additional $6.5 million in matching funds to create a total of $11.5 million beyond the initial plan to expand the amount invested in various projects.”

Under the CCLIP, a city is required to contribute up to 25 percent of the project cost based on its population, though some cities contribute significantly more. Cities under 2,500 in population aren’t required to provide a match. Projects in this program may fall into one of three different categories including Surface Preservation (SP), Pavement Restoration (PR) or Geometric Improvement (GI).

SP projects involve maintenance work such as resurfacing and are funded up to $300,000 per project. PR projects typically involve full-depth pavement replacement without changes to the overall geometric characteristics and may also address drainage issues. GI projects address geometric issues such as adding turn lanes, improving intersections or modifying the lane configuration to address capacity. The PR and GI categories are funded up to $1 million per project.

For the state fiscal year 2021, the city, category and amount awarded include:

Concordia                 Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Gardner                     Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Hays                       Pavement Restoration             $1,000,000

Independence          Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Norton                   Geometric Improvement        $1,000,000

Pratt                            Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Winfield                     Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

For the state fiscal year 2022, the city, category and amount awarded include:

Cimarron                   Pavement Restoration                    $800,000

Colby                       Surface Preservation                $300,000

Dodge City                Geometric Improvement                 $1,000,000

Ellsworth                   Geometric Improvement                 $600,000

Emporia                     Geometric Improvement                 $600,000

Garden City               Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Gardner                     Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Garnett                       Pavement Restoration                    $1,000,000

Herington                  Surface Preservation                      $300,000

Lyons                         Surface Preservation                      $300,000

McLouth                    Pavement Restoration                  $500,000

McPherson               Geometric Improvement               $1,000,000

Minneola                   Geometric Improvement               $1,000,000

Newton                      Surface Preservation                      $300,000

Phillipsburg        Pavement Restoration             $1,000,000

Yates Center             Surface Preservation                      $300,000

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board approved a contract extension Monday night for a developer who wants to buy the Washington school building.

Overland Property Group presented an addendum to its contract to allow it to reapply for tax credits to turn the school into low-income apartments.

The school is being vacated by the Early Childhood Connections, which is moving to the Oak Park complex next week.

The addendum will allow the school district to re-market the building for two months. The school district can take an offer equal to or higher than the $500,000 purchase price being offered by Overland Property Group.

Board member Greg Schwartz said he did not think the school district would find a buyer that will offer more than $500,000. He supported signing the addendum to the agreement.

“The risk is if we don’t sign it, they can yank it at any time,” he said.

A representative of the Overland Property Group told the board at a prior meeting he is hopeful his organization will be able secure the tax credits needed for the project next year.

The developer received a letter form the director of Housing Development supporting the project. The department indicated the developer’s application had scored well on all aspects of its application with the exception of the rent structure. Overland Property is working to restructure its application to meet this requirement.

Overland Property Group has another housing complex on Main Street in Hays. That complex is consistently full, according to the developer.

FHSU University News

The Fort Hays State University Alumni Association Board of Directors has announced the addition of three new board members for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

New members announced at the June 8 board meeting in Hays were Dr. Kendall Krug, Hays; Eric Norris, Lawrence; and Mari Tucker, Topeka.

Krug, an optometrist, graduated from FHSU in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in general science. He will serve a two-year term on the board and serve on the Awards and Recognition Committee.

Norris, librarian for the state of Kansas, received a Master of Arts degree in 2009 from FHSU. He will serve on the Membership and Marketing Committee.

Tucker, a partnership liaison for registered nurse education at the Washburn School of Nursing, has earned two FHSU degrees, a Bachelor of Science in computer information systems in 1986 and a Master of Business Administration in management in 1987. She will serve on the Finance and Operations Committee.

“These highly talented Fort Hays State alumni bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the FHSU Alumni Board of Directors,” said DeBra Prideaux, executive director of alumni and governmental relations. “We are fortunate to have such expertise added to an already talented board as we continue our commitment to strengthen Fort Hays State University.”

The 2019-20 Executive Council is comprised of Betty Johnson, Lawrence, board president; Mike Koerner, Hays, vice president; Dr. Mike Slattery, Hays; Lance Tilton, Chapman; Dr. Jennifer Brantley, Wichita; and Chelsey Ladd.

Johnson, a 1980 FHSU graduate, received a bachelor’s degree in communications. She is president of Betty Johnson and Associates. This will be her second one-year term as president.

Koerner, operations and systems manager for Eagle Communications, has two degrees from FHSU, a bachelor’s degree in information networking and telecommunications, 2000, and a master’s degree in INT in 2005. He is vice president of the board and holds a position on the Finance and Operations Committee.

Slattery is a retired FHSU professor of education administration. He received three degrees from FHSU: a 1973 B.S. in physical education, a 1977 M.S. in education administration (secondary), and a 1989 Ed.S. in education administration (superintendent). He will serve as chair of the Awards and Recognition Committee.

Tilton, market president and ag/commercial lender for Astra Bank, is serving as chair of the Finance and Operations Committee. He graduated from FHSU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Brantley, director of Sedgwick County Research and Extension Center, will serve as chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from FHSU in 1993.

Ladd will serve in an at-large position on the Executive Council and as a member of the Membership and Marketing Committee. Ladd is the manager of constituent services for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

Other members of the board:

• Leo Lake, Manhattan, retired educator.
• Rob Schocke, Castle Rock, Colo., senior implementation analyst for VISA Inc.
• Larry Daugherty, Russell, retired.
• Dean Lavielle, Newton, retired high school principal.
• Brooke Oleen Tieperman, Denver, program manager for the Environment, Energy and Transportation, National Conference of State Legislatures.
• Dr. Doug Wright, Humboldt, clinical director of the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center.

Brad DeMers, Osceola, Neb., president of the FHSU Student Government Association, will also serve on the board in an ex-officio position along with FHSU President Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke, and Jason Williby, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation – all of Hays.

Retiring board members were recognized for a combined 29 years of service: Cathy Domsch, Atwood; Angela Gaughan, Wichita; Mitch Hall, Harper; Denise Riedel, Overland Park; and Dave Voss, Colby.

Established in 1916, the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association serves the population of FHSU graduates by identifying needs and providing solutions. More than 69,000 graduates live throughout the United States and approximately 77 foreign countries.

The board sets the policy and direction of the association in developing life-long relationships between the university and alumni.

Board nominations are accepted as positions become available. For more information, visit www.goforthaysstate.com, email [email protected] or call 785-628-4430 or toll free 1-888-351-3591.

Editor’s Note: This story originally was published May 8, 2018. Tom Hanks will star as Mr. Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which is scheduled to open in theaters this Thanksgiving. Watch the trailer above.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The United States Postal Service recently released a stamp featuring children’s show legend Mister Rogers.

The photo used for the stamp was taken by a graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian, Walter Seng.

Seng, 74, who now lives in Arizona and has retired from photography, spent over a decade creating promotional images for Fred Rodger’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Seng, TMP class of 1961, said he made some lifelong friends at TMP and still keeps in touch with some of his classmates.

Seng drew and painted from the time he was young. He learned to paint from his grandfather, but he fell in love with photography at Carnegie Mellon University, when he attended his first black and white photo exhibition.

“The spirit of those images really drove home to my particular personality and my psyche. It picked me. I didn’t pick it,” he said.

Seng attend TMP as a residential student because his uncle was a priest and teacher at the school. However, he was from Pittsburgh, where “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was filmed, and Seng became connected with the show there.

Seng began taking marketing photos for the show in 1972 and worked with Rogers through the 1980s.

Seng was notified by the USPS about the stamp more than two years before its release March 23. However, he had to keep the release a secret.

The USPS receives more than 20,000 applications each year for new stamp designs and picks only a handful for publication. The photo that was chosen for the stamp features Rogers in a red sweater with one of the puppets from the show, King Friday.

Seng said the photo was one of a number of publicity photos that was taken in about 1985 to showcase Rogers with all the neighborhood puppets and props, including Queen Sara Saturday, X the Owl and Daniel Striped Tiger. All the puppets lived in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and children were transported there via a trolley. The show aired nationally from 1968 to 2001.

For those with younger children, Daniel Tiger now has his own animated series on PBS.

Rogers was known for starting the show by donning a sweater and putting on his sneakers as he sang, “Won’t You be My Neighbor,” one of many songs Rogers composed for the show. Besides composing for the show, Rogers also voiced most of the puppets. Seng said there was a reason behind the sneakers. When he first starting working on TV, he found sneakers made less noise when he was walking backstage during filming.

Seng said Fred Rogers the man was much like his TV persona — kind and professional. Rumors Rogers was a former marine are not true. He was actually a minister, who found his calling in TV and working with children.

Rogers also had a sense of humor, which Seng said helped the two work together. Soon after Seng started taking photos for the show, he was set to take a series of photos with Rogers on various emotions, including love and anger.

For the love photo with King Friday and Queen Saturday, he placed a pencil under King Friday’s robe. Rogers came in and laughed and said, “Why King Friday, aren’t we feeling amorous today?”

“It was really what connected us in terms of irony and humor,” Seng said.

Seng described Rogers as a genuinely warm, approachable, considerate, kind person.

“He was quiet in spirit and really strong in intellect,” Seng said. “He was a brilliant person.”

Rogers also had a knack for listening.

“Fred was one of the best listeners on the planet,” Seng said. “When you spoke to him, he wanted you to talk, not him. It was very disarming because people when they are talking to someone, they are thinking about what they are going to say next. Fred thinks about what you are going to say next. It puts it on you to carry a lengthy and well-thought-out conversation with him. He draws out the best in you that way.”

Rogers throughly researched his shows and tackled tough topics for kids, including anger, divorce and death.

Seng said Walters was very responsive to the children who watched the show. A blind girl who listened to the show sent a letter in saying she was concerned Rogers was not feeding his fish. When he fed the fish on the show after that, he talked about it so she would know he was taking care of the fish and sometimes mentioned her name. Rogers also worked with children off screen and frequently visited a nearby school for disabled children.

In addition to getting to work with Rogers, Seng was often brought in to take photographs of visiting celebrities. One of his favorite celebs was Wynton Marsalis, who brought his whole family to the set. Others included Yo-Yo Ma, Big Bird and Peggy Fleming. For the visit from Olympic gold medalist, Seng photographed Fleming and Rogers skating at the Pittsburg Civic Arena.

The favorite project he did with Rogers was a book titled “Who Am I?” The story was about an African-American girl who wore hearing aids. The book taught children to embrace differences. They shot photographs of the girl playing and jumping rope. Another photo depicted the girl whispering something into a friend’s ear and then him whispering something into her ear.

Seng said Rogers was a good subject.

“He once said to me, ‘Walt, you are the only photographer that I give myself to.’ I said, ‘That is a good compliment. Don’t make me cry. I won’t be able to shoot.'”

Rogers died in of stomach cancer in 2003, but Seng said he thinks he would have appreciated the Postal Service honoring him with a stamp.

Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan dedicated the stamp honoring Fred Rogers where it all began 50 years ago — WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio in Pittsburgh.

“Mister Rogers and his Neighborhood of Make-Believe made the ups and downs of life easier to understand for the youngest members of our society,” said Brennan in a USPS press release. “In ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ children learned, in a safe space, how to be a friend and create relationships. He shaped generations with his kindness and compassion. It’s why we honor him today.”

Seng continued to work commercially and artistically after he stopped photographing Fred Rogers.

“I liked photographing people on the street,” he said. “I always had my camera with me.”

Seng, who was an avid biker, said his favorite image is a picture of four bikers under Mount Rushmore.

“It was a coincidence. It helped me believe in God once again,” he said. “That there could be four guys — a Mexican, an Indian, an Irishman and a Norwegian — just like the faces of the presidents and they were bikers. I thought about doing a shot just like that, but thought it would take months to find the right models and there they were. They were all there. They were friends right there at the base of the mountain waiting for my camera.”

He said the best part of being a photographer was meeting people.

“I could work with a homeless guy sitting by a garbage can and an executive making millions a year and have a rapport with all of those people. That is why I got along with Fred so well. It was not about me, and it was not about him. It was about the process. It was about getting the best out of both of us without wearing it as a label on your chest to do a good job. I loved it. I loved photography.”

20 individual grants distributed to recipients across Kansas

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Waste Management has announced the recipients of solid waste reduction grants. These annual solid waste grants are awarded to cities, counties and private entities across the state. The grants total nearly $390,000 for 2020 and establish recycling and composting programs that will divert recyclable material from landfills.

In northwest Kansas, grants were awarded for projects  Colby, Smith Center, Atwood and Oakley.

The Solid Waste reduction grants go toward funding waste reduction education, recycling and composting. This year’s 20 individual solid waste reduction grants range from $1,275 to $83,211.23. The grants are funded through a $1/ton waste disposal fee.

For more information on KDHE’s waste reduction grant opportunities and application procedures, visit www.kdheks.gov/waste.

— KDHE