Pratt Tribune Article 5/29/2012
The City of Pratt may be able to fund a number of projects and equipment purchases with federal grants if it can prove that more than 51 percent of the city’s residents are in the state’s low-to-moderate income bracket. The key to presenting regulators with such proof will be a survey that the city will distribute with the help of Great Plains Development of Dodge City. If too few Prattans return the survey, the statistical sample will not be valid.
“We’ll have to make a promotional effort to let people know the survey is coming,” City Manager Dave Howard told the City Commission. “They have to know it’s important.”
If the survey proves successful, the city will be able to use it for a number of years to help fund a variety of projects through Community Development Block Grants.
Individual surveys will be kept confidential.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
‘City Park’ gets red bricks, green light
Apr. 18, 2012
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
Pratt’s Leadership 2000 Plus class finally won approval Monday night for a downtown City Park at Fourth and Main — along with an initial package of assistance from the City Commission worth about $14,000.
At least one commissioner, however, thinks the civic group may have “a tiger by the tail.”
Gary Skaggs and his fellow commissioners seemed chiefly concerned by the group’s ability to raise the necessary funds for the project — even though it will rely on bricks leftover from the Main Street project to resurface the gravel lot and donated water and electrical lines from the city for utilities.
The group has only $1,500 in its coffers, but many potential donors have been waiting for the Commission to approve the project and accept the deed for the land from The Peoples Bank, said Tracey Beverlin, who presented the Leadership class proposal to the Commission. In addition to beautifying the empty corner lot, the Leadership class hopes to re-establish a farmers market that will be both better regulated than its predecessor at the Presbyterian Church parking lot and more exclusive.
The commissioners also expressed concern about the farmers market and its potential to attract vendors who often sell their wares directly from their vehicles. To reduce expense and to maintain its “park” atmosphere, vehicles will not be allowed on the brick surface.
Mayor Bill Hlavachick encouraged Beverlin to ask Peoples Bank representatives for permission to use the gravel parking lot next to the Parrish Hotel on market days. Vendors with vehicles could set up shop there, he said.
In other business, the Commission:
*Welcomed newly elected Commissioner Luke Kumberg who defeated incumbent Vic Graf in the April election.
* Chose Bill Hlavachick to replace Jeff Taylor as mayor. Both men have held the position several times.
* Watched a presentation by Recreation Director Bruce Pinkall about the city’s efforts to promote itself over the next decade.
* City Clerk Lou Kramer recites the oath of office for new City Commissioner Lucus Kumberg at Monday night’s regular meeting. Kumberg defeated incumbent Vic Graf in the April election. The Commission also chose Commissioner Bill Hlavachick to be the new mayor.
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
Pratt’s Leadership 2000 Plus class finally won approval Monday night for a downtown City Park at Fourth and Main — along with an initial package of assistance from the City Commission worth about $14,000.
At least one commissioner, however, thinks the civic group may have “a tiger by the tail.”
Gary Skaggs and his fellow commissioners seemed chiefly concerned by the group’s ability to raise the necessary funds for the project — even though it will rely on bricks leftover from the Main Street project to resurface the gravel lot and donated water and electrical lines from the city for utilities.
The group has only $1,500 in its coffers, but many potential donors have been waiting for the Commission to approve the project and accept the deed for the land from The Peoples Bank, said Tracey Beverlin, who presented the Leadership class proposal to the Commission. In addition to beautifying the empty corner lot, the Leadership class hopes to re-establish a farmers market that will be both better regulated than its predecessor at the Presbyterian Church parking lot and more exclusive.
The commissioners also expressed concern about the farmers market and its potential to attract vendors who often sell their wares directly from their vehicles. To reduce expense and to maintain its “park” atmosphere, vehicles will not be allowed on the brick surface.
Mayor Bill Hlavachick encouraged Beverlin to ask Peoples Bank representatives for permission to use the gravel parking lot next to the Parrish Hotel on market days. Vendors with vehicles could set up shop there, he said.
In other business, the Commission:
*Welcomed newly elected Commissioner Luke Kumberg who defeated incumbent Vic Graf in the April election.
* Chose Bill Hlavachick to replace Jeff Taylor as mayor. Both men have held the position several times.
* Watched a presentation by Recreation Director Bruce Pinkall about the city’s efforts to promote itself over the next decade.
* City Clerk Lou Kramer recites the oath of office for new City Commissioner Lucus Kumberg at Monday night’s regular meeting. Kumberg defeated incumbent Vic Graf in the April election. The Commission also chose Commissioner Bill Hlavachick to be the new mayor.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Exploration boom fuels plans for new industrial park
Pratt Tribune Article 2/7/2012
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
The Pratt City Commission is expected to approve an annexation agreement in two weeks that will pave the way for local businessman Dale Withers to develop an industrial park opposite Walmart on U.S. 54.
The recent boom in oil and natural gas exploration in the region is driving the development, City Manager Dave Howard told the Commission Monday night.
Withers’ 50-acre industrial park will be anchored initially by Weatherford International, one of the largest oil and natural gas service companies. A building only slightly smaller than the new BTI location north of Pratt is expected to be home base for 40 and 60 Weatherford employees, Howard said.
The industrial park will be located to the east and south of the recently announced Hibbetts Sporting Goods location. The highway frontage portion of the property will continue to be zoned for highway service, but the majority of the land will be zoned heavy industrial.
City workers will begin work soon on a $16,556 sewer extension to the industrial park. An estimated $18,000 water line will follow. Withers has not asked other incentives.
“It’s good that we have a local person who’s investing in the future of the community,” Howard said.
An outside developer considering a similar project had sought several concessions from the community in preliminary negotiations, he added.
In other business, the Commission: Tabled until its next meeting a decision on a used pumper engine for the Fire Department so that Commissioner Gary Skaggs could take part in the discussion. Skaggs was unable to attend Monday’s meeting. Approved new backup data servers for the Police Department for use onsite and at a remote site. A lightning strike in August took out two of the department’s three servers and demonstrated the need for a secure off-site backup. Drug forfeiture funds will be used for the $25,000 project. Discussed the requirements for installing electric lines in Sixth Street Park to expand Lemon Park Lights holiday displays into a new area.
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
The Pratt City Commission is expected to approve an annexation agreement in two weeks that will pave the way for local businessman Dale Withers to develop an industrial park opposite Walmart on U.S. 54.
The recent boom in oil and natural gas exploration in the region is driving the development, City Manager Dave Howard told the Commission Monday night.
Withers’ 50-acre industrial park will be anchored initially by Weatherford International, one of the largest oil and natural gas service companies. A building only slightly smaller than the new BTI location north of Pratt is expected to be home base for 40 and 60 Weatherford employees, Howard said.
The industrial park will be located to the east and south of the recently announced Hibbetts Sporting Goods location. The highway frontage portion of the property will continue to be zoned for highway service, but the majority of the land will be zoned heavy industrial.
City workers will begin work soon on a $16,556 sewer extension to the industrial park. An estimated $18,000 water line will follow. Withers has not asked other incentives.
“It’s good that we have a local person who’s investing in the future of the community,” Howard said.
An outside developer considering a similar project had sought several concessions from the community in preliminary negotiations, he added.
In other business, the Commission: Tabled until its next meeting a decision on a used pumper engine for the Fire Department so that Commissioner Gary Skaggs could take part in the discussion. Skaggs was unable to attend Monday’s meeting. Approved new backup data servers for the Police Department for use onsite and at a remote site. A lightning strike in August took out two of the department’s three servers and demonstrated the need for a secure off-site backup. Drug forfeiture funds will be used for the $25,000 project. Discussed the requirements for installing electric lines in Sixth Street Park to expand Lemon Park Lights holiday displays into a new area.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
CITY COMMISSION - City defers to airport board
Pratt Tribune Article 1/17/2012
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
The City Commission was evenly divided Monday night on whether to allow the cremated remains of veterans to be placed at the B-29 All Veterans Memorial at the Pratt Regional Airport.
With Commissioner Bill Hlavachick absent, the five-member commission found itself unable to offer a recommendation to the Pratt Airport Authority, which would also have to give its permission for the project to go ahead.
By a loose consensus the Commission opted to leave the matter in the hands of the Airport Authority and amend city ordinances based upon the Authority’s decision.
The B-29 All Veterans Memorial Committee, a private non-profit organization, proposed the project after the family of a veteran who served at the former Pratt Army Air Field asked permission to scatter the ashes of the veteran and his wife at the airport.
When the committee offered to have the cremains inurned at the B-29 Memorial in a columbarium designed just for that purpose, the family enthusiastically agreed, said committee member Jack Mc-Cawley.
The committee’s proposal would create 40 spaces with stone markers flush with the surrounding concrete at the south side of the present memorial flanked by benches. Columbariums are often raised edifices above ground level, but the committee believes the inground inurnment will reduce maintenance and discourage vandalism.
McCawley said the project has been pre-funded with local donations.
Commissioners Vic Graf and Karen Detwiler both said a columbarium would be better suited for Greenlawn Cemetery.
Commissioner Gary Skaggs disagreed. Columbariums are becoming more popular, he said, even among members of his extended family.
Mayor Jeff Taylor supported the B-29 Committee’s proposal. In other business, the Commission: Re-appointed Rita Hitt and Tom Jones to new three-year terms on the Cemetery Board.
Refuted a rumor that the city has leased any public land for oil exploration. Developers have made inquiries, City Manager Dave Howard said, but the Commission would have to vote publicly before any such leases could be signed. The Commission is not actively considering the inquiries.
Named Gary Myers as chief of police, removing the term “acting” from his title, which has been in place for more than a year since former chief Steve Holmes resigned the position.
By Conrad Easterday
editor@pratttribune.com
The City Commission was evenly divided Monday night on whether to allow the cremated remains of veterans to be placed at the B-29 All Veterans Memorial at the Pratt Regional Airport.
With Commissioner Bill Hlavachick absent, the five-member commission found itself unable to offer a recommendation to the Pratt Airport Authority, which would also have to give its permission for the project to go ahead.
By a loose consensus the Commission opted to leave the matter in the hands of the Airport Authority and amend city ordinances based upon the Authority’s decision.
The B-29 All Veterans Memorial Committee, a private non-profit organization, proposed the project after the family of a veteran who served at the former Pratt Army Air Field asked permission to scatter the ashes of the veteran and his wife at the airport.
When the committee offered to have the cremains inurned at the B-29 Memorial in a columbarium designed just for that purpose, the family enthusiastically agreed, said committee member Jack Mc-Cawley.
The committee’s proposal would create 40 spaces with stone markers flush with the surrounding concrete at the south side of the present memorial flanked by benches. Columbariums are often raised edifices above ground level, but the committee believes the inground inurnment will reduce maintenance and discourage vandalism.
McCawley said the project has been pre-funded with local donations.
Commissioners Vic Graf and Karen Detwiler both said a columbarium would be better suited for Greenlawn Cemetery.
Commissioner Gary Skaggs disagreed. Columbariums are becoming more popular, he said, even among members of his extended family.
Mayor Jeff Taylor supported the B-29 Committee’s proposal. In other business, the Commission: Re-appointed Rita Hitt and Tom Jones to new three-year terms on the Cemetery Board.
Refuted a rumor that the city has leased any public land for oil exploration. Developers have made inquiries, City Manager Dave Howard said, but the Commission would have to vote publicly before any such leases could be signed. The Commission is not actively considering the inquiries.
Named Gary Myers as chief of police, removing the term “acting” from his title, which has been in place for more than a year since former chief Steve Holmes resigned the position.
Monday, January 9, 2012
City meets PAHS halfway on funding request
Pratt Tribune Article 1/9/2012
By Conrad Easterday
The Pratt Tribune
Pratt, Kan. —
Mayor Jeff Taylor was unhappy to see his prediction about the Pratt Area Humane Society come true Monday night at the City Commission’s regular meeting.
“I warned the last time they got a $500 increase they would be back,” he said.
The commissioners — with the exception of Karen Detwiler who is a PAHS volunteer — had presumed they would pass unchanged an annual contract with the organization for the boarding of strays picked up by Animal Control.
But PAHS board member Jackie Hogan shocked most of the commissioners by asking the city to increase its payment for the boarding service from $1,500 per month to $3,400 even though the organization broke even last year.
The problem, Hogan explained, is that every dollar contributed by private donors and city and county tax dollars goes to the operation of the current facility, which opened new in 2006 with its plans for a modular kennel system unfinished. They have been unable to set aside any money for a safer, quieter and more sanitary system.
The same chainlink fencing used at the previous shelter was installed as a stopgap measure.
Now the same state inspectors who objected to the old kennel system have run out of patience with the mixture of old and new at the current facility. If PAHS doesn’t find a solution soon, the facility could be shut down.
Taylor was unmoved by the organization’s plight. PAHS should be run as a business and not as a welfare agency, he said.
If PAHS does not find the necessary funds for the improvements the Kansas Department of Health and Environment demands, the city will have to build its own facility and face the same inspectors, Hogan said.
City Manager Dave Howard said one options would be boarding animals with local veterinarians, who already meet all of the necessary regulations.
A city pound would presumably be less expensive because animals would be euthanized as soon as possible, but the benefits city employees are provided might cut into those savings, and there could be a host of hidden costs, he said.
“There’s nothing you (can) do today that doesn’t cost you money,” he told the Commission. “They (PAHS) are operating this pretty cheap, I think.”
Commissioner Gary Skaggs proposed an additional $1,000 per month for the organization rather than the $1,900 increasing it was seeking. If the board use that money for improvements, they can demonstrate progress and negotiate with regulators to avoid a shutdown, he said.
The Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the motion with Taylor opposed.
Commissioner Bill Hlavachick, who was unhappy with PAHS’ surprise request, cautioned Hogan and the other board members to be better prepared if they ever return to the Commission.
In other business, the Commission:
• Approved $50,000 and delivery expenses to be used at the discretion of Fire Chief David Kramer for the purchase of a used pumper truck. Skaggs and Hlavachick had urged the Commission to stop dragging out the purchase process and allow Kramer to decide what the department needed within the budget it had set for him.
• Approved a plat for the Sandy Creek Addition to the city. The plat describes the streets and lots for a residential development around the newly constructed Maple Street extension. Still to be decided is whether the city or private developers should take charge of selling lots. Also, the city must and probably can find a way to build streets and install utilities for less than the $4.1 million of a 2008 estimate.
By Conrad Easterday
The Pratt Tribune
Pratt, Kan. —
Mayor Jeff Taylor was unhappy to see his prediction about the Pratt Area Humane Society come true Monday night at the City Commission’s regular meeting.
“I warned the last time they got a $500 increase they would be back,” he said.
The commissioners — with the exception of Karen Detwiler who is a PAHS volunteer — had presumed they would pass unchanged an annual contract with the organization for the boarding of strays picked up by Animal Control.
But PAHS board member Jackie Hogan shocked most of the commissioners by asking the city to increase its payment for the boarding service from $1,500 per month to $3,400 even though the organization broke even last year.
The problem, Hogan explained, is that every dollar contributed by private donors and city and county tax dollars goes to the operation of the current facility, which opened new in 2006 with its plans for a modular kennel system unfinished. They have been unable to set aside any money for a safer, quieter and more sanitary system.
The same chainlink fencing used at the previous shelter was installed as a stopgap measure.
Now the same state inspectors who objected to the old kennel system have run out of patience with the mixture of old and new at the current facility. If PAHS doesn’t find a solution soon, the facility could be shut down.
Taylor was unmoved by the organization’s plight. PAHS should be run as a business and not as a welfare agency, he said.
If PAHS does not find the necessary funds for the improvements the Kansas Department of Health and Environment demands, the city will have to build its own facility and face the same inspectors, Hogan said.
City Manager Dave Howard said one options would be boarding animals with local veterinarians, who already meet all of the necessary regulations.
A city pound would presumably be less expensive because animals would be euthanized as soon as possible, but the benefits city employees are provided might cut into those savings, and there could be a host of hidden costs, he said.
“There’s nothing you (can) do today that doesn’t cost you money,” he told the Commission. “They (PAHS) are operating this pretty cheap, I think.”
Commissioner Gary Skaggs proposed an additional $1,000 per month for the organization rather than the $1,900 increasing it was seeking. If the board use that money for improvements, they can demonstrate progress and negotiate with regulators to avoid a shutdown, he said.
The Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the motion with Taylor opposed.
Commissioner Bill Hlavachick, who was unhappy with PAHS’ surprise request, cautioned Hogan and the other board members to be better prepared if they ever return to the Commission.
In other business, the Commission:
• Approved $50,000 and delivery expenses to be used at the discretion of Fire Chief David Kramer for the purchase of a used pumper truck. Skaggs and Hlavachick had urged the Commission to stop dragging out the purchase process and allow Kramer to decide what the department needed within the budget it had set for him.
• Approved a plat for the Sandy Creek Addition to the city. The plat describes the streets and lots for a residential development around the newly constructed Maple Street extension. Still to be decided is whether the city or private developers should take charge of selling lots. Also, the city must and probably can find a way to build streets and install utilities for less than the $4.1 million of a 2008 estimate.
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