By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

According to Brenda Meder of the Hays Arts Council, close to 1,500 people flocked to downtown Friday night for the Spring Gallery Walk. Throughout the night, people strolled through more than 30 exhibitions — and the weather was nearly perfect.

“There were people that said that they’ve never seen crowds like that,” Meder said, “so it’s hard to say, but I know it’s at least as good, if not better than it ever has been.”

Although the city saw near perfect temperatures for the walk, Meder said that she’s seen success even when the weather isn’t great.

“I’ve had at least 75 art walks in my 24 years here, and there has definitely been other wonderful weather, but I don’t know if you could top what we saw on Thursday night,” Meder said.

Meder said one reason is that, over the years, the Hays Arts Council has worked to partner with almost anybody who wants to get involved with the walks.

“We’ve always been here to collaborate with anyone that wants to get involved,” Meder said. “People aren’t seeing it as a specific, elitist or one-entity event. Everyone understands that they can now be a part of the art walk.”

One addition to this year’s art walk was Hays City Hall. According to Jason Riegel, water conservation specialist for the city of Hays, city staff members ended up handing out more than 40 shower heads and over 70 aerator.

The Summer Gallery Walk is scheduled for June 20, and the Fall Gallery Walk will follow on Aug. 20.

Hays Post

The stretch of 13th Street from Main to Milner will be a topic of conversation at Thursday’s Hays City Commission work session, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

After meeting with stakeholders and having a public meeting on the project, several options were made available to the city by Driggs Design Group. Most of the alternatives, however, would push the city well beyond the $1.5 million budgeted for the upgrades.

Options considered included landscape planters, brick crosswalks, brick pavement, decorative street lighting and traffic signal upgrades.

City staff will recommend commissioners approve the base plan, which is estimated at just less than $1.5 million, with the option of replacing sidewalk, curb and parking. That option would add approximately $200,000 to the price tag, which would be taken out of the reserves collected from past projects that have come in under budget.

Additional portions of the project would include just more than $300,000 in storm sewer improvements, which would be funded by the city’s stormwater management fund, and just less than $40,00 in water service improvements, which would be funded from the water/sewer capital fund.

A complete agenda, along with listings of the alternatives proposed by the designer, can be seen HERE.

Hays Post

Skaters are looking to spruce up their digs at Aubel-Bickle Park, and are asking the city to allow them to begin to solicit private donations.

The request is up for discussion at Thursday’s Hays City Commission work session, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The Western Kansas Skate Park Committee approached the city recently about raising funds for a $250,000 set of improvements at the skate park, which was built in the mid-1990s.

According to Parks Director Jeff Boyle, the city has budgeted for some improvements at the skate park in the coming years, “but the amount of funds would not come close to the $250,000 needed for the full expansion.”

Volunteers from the WKSC are proposing attempting to raise the funds in the community, and deposit them with the city.

A mostly unused roller hockey rink, which had its plywood walls taken down after a lack of interest, makes up about 60 percent of the space of the park and would be used to expand the areas that have ramps and other apparatus.

“Having a nice skate park provides a location for users to go and should reduce the desire to use structures, such as benches in downtown Hays, for skating purposes,” Boyle wrote in a memo to commissioners.

City staff will recommend approval of the expansion concept and authorizing WKSC to begin soliciting funds for the project.

A complete agenda for Thursday’s meeting can be seen HERE.

SCHOENCHEN — A fire that destroyed a Schoenchen mobile home Monday evening most likely was caused by electrical issues, Ellis County Rural Fire Chief Dick Klaus told Hays Post early Tuesday morning.

Klaus said crews were called to the scene at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday. When crews arrived, they found the trailer engulfed in flames.

The trailer was located on Grant Street just behind the Bottle Cap Bar & Grill, 110 Oak. No injuries were reported.

• By KARI BLURTON, Hays Post

 

 

 

 

Two area professionals will help participants better understand end-of-life issues at a presentation next week in Hays.

Ron Keithley of Brock’s North Hill Chapel will discuss funeral planning, and Corinne Petrik, Kansas Legal Services, will offer a presentation on “Getting Your Legal Affairs In Order.”

The presentations will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ellis County Extension office. Register by the end of the day Friday by calling (785) 628-9430.

To learn more about Extension educational events, visit www.ellis.ksu.edu.

Drug abuse evokes images of cocaine, pot, heroin and meth — but the most common type of overdose locally begins at the medicine cabinet, according to an Ellis County Sheriff’s detective.

And Detective Chuck White, also a member of the multi-agency Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit, is among the organizers fighting to get those prescription drugs off the streets.

The seventh annual National Takeback Day, conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26. Local law enforcement has participated all seven years of the program.

“It’s important community members have a way to dispose of unused or unwanted drugs,” he said, noting the rates of prescription drug abuse are “alarmingly high.”

As in years past, authorities will collect the drugs in the north lot of the Law Enforcement Center, and organizers have added a second location, as well — the front driveway of Good Samaritan Society, 27th and Canal.

The amount of drugs collected at the local takeback has increased each year. National, 3.4 million pounds of prescription drugs have been taken off the streets during the seven years of the program.

At last April’s takeback day, authorities collected 136 pounds of medicine for disposal.

White said pills, tablets, capsules and liquids in a sealed container can be turned in, however syringes cannot be accepted. Drugs can be left in their prescription containers or put into a single container such as a sandwich bag or grocery sack.

“It’s free and totally anonymous,” White said. “We’re not interested in knowing who the medicine belongs to or where it comes from.”

Many of those taking part in previous years are disposing of medicine unused by a deceased relative — sometimes by the trunkful.

“More often nowadays, people are being prescribed more drugs for more illnesses,” White said. “The word’s getting out, and the community really appreciates (the medicine disposal).”

But medicine used outside of the prescribed purpose is a growing problem, he said.

“Drugs are immediately available in the medicine cabinet, hallway closet. You don’t have to be involved in the drug trade or know a drug dealer,” White said. “There’s quite a market for it, pain

But the time-release nature of prescription drugs can make them more dangerous than many other illicit drugs, especially if smoked or injected, and can lead to overdose.

There also will be a fall prescription drug takeback, which usually is held in September.

The takebacks are organized by the Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit, which is made up of representatives from the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department, Hays Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Ellis County Attorney’s Office.

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Like most public schools in Hays, administrators at Hays Middle School are preparing for next year with an eye on proposed staff cuts agreed upon Monday by the USD 489 school board.

At Hays Middle School, two language arts/reading teachers, one math teacher and one music teacher were cut for the 2014-15 school year.

HMS principal Craig Pallister said the administration is working on “shifting people around” and said classroom size most certainly will increase, but to what extent is not yet known.

According to Pallister, the average class size currently is 23 students per classroom.

Pallister admitted the cuts are not easy.

“Every principal thinks (the staff cuts) are not good for staff … for students,” he said, “and I wish there was another way, but it is just something we are going to have to deal with.”

Pallister said Hays Middle School will not cut any programs other than a Spanish language class, which was a pilot project using the software program Rosetta Stone.

The district as a whole is expected to lose 16 positions after the resolution passed Monday — cuts board members agreed to in order to make a dent in the $1.3 million budget deficit the district is facing for the 2014-15 school year. The staff cuts are expected to trim approximately $975,000 from projected expenses.

Board President Greg Schwartz said Monday the cuts are not set in stone. Should other cuts or new revenue be found in the form of transportation changes or other ideas, some positions could be refilled. The board is considering decreasing the number of bus  routes or imposing a $150 fee for students who ride the bus, but who live within 2.5 miles of the school they attend.

Schwartz said the staff cuts were passed now in order to meet a state deadline requiring teachers not coming back the next school year be notified by May 16.

The following is a list of cuts to other schools in Hays:

Hays High School: Two foreign language
Wilson Elementary School: Fifth grade, third grade
O’Loughlin Elementary School: Music, art, fourth grade, fifth grade
Lincoln Elementary School: Third grade, second grade
Washington Elementary School: Fourth grade, first grade

For a complete list of personnel transactions, click HERE.

Related story: Board of education approves staff cuts.

While the slots on the course for the annual Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament are filled, there’s still room left for lunch.

In an effort to offer something for the non-golfing crowd, the chamber will have a special lunch at the fifth annual tournament, sponsored by Eagle Communications. The event is May 2 at Smoky Hill Country Club, and will feature door prizes, games, a silent auction and a slider bar.

The $20 lunch will offer a chance for networking for employees, individuals and families.

Tickets can be purchased at the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

As planning continues for the renovation project at the Ellis County courthouse, jail and Law Enforcement Center, department heads got their opportunity to meet Tuesday with the project architect.

Andy Pitts from Treanor Architects spent Tuesday in Hays discussing ways to reduce the cost of the project and bring it in under budget. The meeting was the latest in a series of special meetings dedicated to building renovations.

Because the county has decided to move offices to another location during another location during construction, officials must decide between the former Kennedy Middle School and Hadley Center.

After weighing the pros and cons of both locations, the next step is to determine what the cost to lease each location for a year would be.

Pitts said he believes the Hadley Center is almost move-in ready, while it would take more work before county employees can move into Kennedy. Thomas More Prep-Marian also has asked to keep access to the gym and cafeteria.

Pitts estimated construction on the Law Enforcement Center could begin in August, with the courthouse following in the summer of 2015. It would take about a year to finish construction.

The initial design of the renovations was approximately $700,000 dollars over the $8.5 million budget, funded by a bond approved by voters a year ago. Pitts said Tuesday, after meeting with department heads and walking through the LEC and the courthouse, approximately $516,700 of potential savings have been identified.

Commissioner Swede Holmgren issued a challenge to department heads at Tuesday night’s special meeting to find places to cut the project by approximately $180,000 to $200,000.

“There will come a point, if we don’t get to that dollar figure, that the commission will then take this upon themselves to do the cutting,” he said.

Commissioners will hold another meeting May 6 where they hope to finalize the expenses, and Pitts said they hope to send out a notice for bids in late July.

Commissioner Barbara Wasinger was not present at the meeting, and Commissioner Dean Haselhorst left about halfway through the presentation. 

 

By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

The search for the next president of Fort Hays State University has been turned over to the Kansas Board of Regents.

According to Breeze Richardson, associate director for communications and governmental relations for the Regents, after the candidates had on-campus visits, the search committee had the option to cut any of the five candidates. Both Richardson and Dennis Miller, Phillipsburg, chairman of the search committee, declined to say if any of the candidates had been eliminated from consideration.

FHSU President Edward H. Hammond announced his retirement, effective June 30, in the fall after serving the university since 1987.

The Regents will hold final interviews with the candidates throughout this week and the ninth president of FHSU is expected to be announced next week.

The five finalists for the position are:

• Dr. Tisa Mason, vice president of Student Affairs at Fort Hays State

• Dr. Mirta Martin, dean of the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University

• Dr. Gregory Mosier, dean of the College of Business at the University of Nevada-Reno

• Dr. Michael Droge, president of Park University in Kansas City, Missouri

• Dr. Tom Jackson Jr., vice president of student affairs at the University of Louisville