Thursday, October 29, 2009

Observer Report
Riley County-Manhattan Board of Health
Wednesday, October 28, 2009



A major portion of the meeting was devoted to discussing the management of the H1N1 Vaccination program. Though the number of cases of the H1N1 flu is increasing in the state, Kansas has not had the outbreak other states are having. Up to now 3,167 cases have been counted which compares with 11,260 cases in the region just east of our region.
The Health Department has provided 3167 vaccinations in five clinics thus far. The supply continues to be low and thus eligibility guidelines remain restricted. There is a lot of demand and some turned away who felt that their health situation should have made them eligible were unhappy but thus far Charles Murphy feels that things are going very well. He would like to have more providers -- All H1N1 vaccine will be processed through the Health Department for the County and Manhattan -- but understands the reluctance of other providers as the paper work required could be described as “overwhelming”. He praised the staff for their effectiveness. Financial support is expected to help with the program but has not arrived as yet. Mr. Murphy expects that when the supply of vaccine is available the next eligible group will be larger and will require greater effort and perhaps larger clinics. All the H1N1 information is kept current on the County web site at: www.rileycountyks,gov.
The board voted to replace a vehicle at $18,324 from Don Hattan Chevrolet in Wichita which had the low bid.
The City of Manhattan has requested consideration of a plan for water retention on the Department’s land to prevent flooding. The Administration questions whether enough space is available as flooding has been as high as six feet deep and ten feet across. Such a plan might also limit future expansion.
The Board voted to approve an addendum to the Dental Clinic Lease waiving their rent for the first three months of the year since construction delays delayed the opening of the clinic until April.
Board member Bob Strawn (and Mayor of Manhattan) asked Suzanne Kufahl, Assistant Administrator, to present information to the board about inspections of Regulated Child Care. At the moment such homes are not required to be inspected. Mr. Strawn stated the City Commission is considering revisiting the issue of the passing an ordinance requiring inspection of Registered Child Care Homes to the already required inspections of Licensed Child Care Providers. Such an ordinance was voted down last year. Ms. Kufahl offered to present information to the Commission. She stated that surveys have shown that most people believe that these homes are inspected , but they are not unless there is a complaint. The Health Department is very much in favor of the ordinance. Some of the common complaint citings of Registered Day Care homes are: 1) over capacity, 2) improperly sleeping children under 18 months in car seats, bouncy seats, strollers, etc. where they can suffer harm from equipment not meant for sleeping, 3) lack of supervision 4) not child proofing, leaving household chemical in reach, for example
The agenda item to consider budget priorities related to the concept of essential services was tabled for next meeting.

Submitted by Sue Cohen, Observer

County Commission Oct. 29, 2009

Board of County Commissioners
October 29, 2009
Julie Merklin observer

All commissioners were present

Leon Hobson, Public Works director, presented a change order for the Law Enforcement Center expansion. When this project was designed, it was evident that more space was needed for the additional computer network capacity for the expansion of the LEC, so a distribution room was added to the plans. The intention was to have the wiring to this room installed by the same company which had done the work in the existing building and no telecommunications wiring to the distribution room was shown on the plans or specified.
However the original company no longer does this type of work. The contractor for the LEC expansion was asked for an estimate to install the wiring. The cost is $20, 608. This work would be done while the contractor is installing the other wiring, etc.
The commission approved the change, the funding for which is available in the Telephone and Communications line item for the LEC expansion.

The Commission was updated on the Regional Planning Organization (RPO). This concept was endorsed in the fall of 2007 by more than 40 regional stakeholders in the 3-county region of Geary, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties. This is in cooperation with other partners in a larger 7 county area including Fort Riley and KSU. A Steering Committee was established by the three counties and their principal cities, Junction City, Manhattan, and Wamego. The committee includes elected officials, chamber of commerce directors, and KSU and Fort Riley leaders.
This committee will design a strategic plan to address initial activities, a structure to define the organization, a budget, and an operations manual to guide policies. The name of the RPO is the Flint Hills Regional Council (FHRC).
Progress on the RPO can be followed on their website www.rpoproject.com

Monday, October 26, 2009

Riley County Commission

October 26, 2009
Joan Strickler, Observer

Commissioners Kearns and McCulloh present, Kearns chaired.

In an informal discussion it appeared the Agape Church tax delinquency matter may be resolved. Agape no longer owns the property, it now belongs to the bank and the bank has paid the overdue taxes. Arrangements may be made to reach a new agreement between the bank and Agape to allow use of the building. Agape had failed to file papers requesting tax free status with the State.

The Health Department is currently out of H1N1 vaccine but expects more to be available in the near future. The hospital emergency room has experienced a doubling in requests for services. In addition to the Health Department, the vaccine may be offered through private providers when supplies are adequate. Persons who believe they may have had the flu are encouraged to get the vaccine anyway.

Commissioner Johnson arrived at 10:20 a.m. and chaired the rest of the meeting. Budget and Finance Officer Johnette Shepek and Public Works Director Leon Hobson discussed concerns about budget overruns in the RCPD budget. An estimated $60,000 to $70,000 may have to come out of County general funds to meet the shortfall. Hobson expressed frustration that some bills are sent to him without his having any opportunity to review and approve even though they come out of his budget. It was agreed that, since the RCPD is, essentially, a tenant in the County owned building, expenditures related to the building should be approved by the County except in emergency situations. Meetings will be held in an attempt to work out procedural agreements.

It was reported federal officials may be willing to commit up to $2 million in stimulus funds for a building to serve as home for a regional aTa bus transportation hub. The federal government would pay 100 percent of the cost of the structure. The County would be expected to donate its land to be used for building. The County would retain ownership of the land but would be required to agree to a minimum lease of 40 years. The Commissioners expressed a willingness to pursue the effort.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

County Commission Oct. 19

County Commission meeting Oct 19, 2009
Julie Merklin observing

McCulloh and Kearns present. Kearns presiding

Johnette Shepek, Budget and Finance Officer announced that the budget book and brochure are available on the county website.

Barry Wilkerson, County Attorney gave the case statistics up to Oct. 15, 2009 and a comparison with previous years’ complete statistics. Based on current activities he anticipates exceeding all of last years’ case filings by this year’s end.

Wilkerson said that because of the hiring freeze and possible furloughs, his office will be very short-handed in the future. Because of mandatory time limits for getting people arraigned and required time frames in getting children removed from dangerous home situations, things will be very difficult. Courts are for the people and they need timely access.

The director of aTa bus said that some grant money may be available to construct an aTa facility and she asked if the county would think of donating land by the new county shop site. The Commission thought it would be a good idea, especially as it looks like there might be no cost to the county and the 2-3 acres requested would be available.

Pat Collins reported on the upcoming Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Banquet. There are 160-170 unpaid volunteers and they respond to some 400 calls in a year.

The Commission and all present were given a tour of one the new ambulances. It was pointed out that now there are airbags that deploy in case of rollover accidents.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Riley County Commission

Joan Strickler, observer
10/22/09

All Commissioners present, Johnson presiding.

By unanimous vote the Commission agreed to approve the resolution “adopting a comprehensive plan for the unincorporated areas of Riley County, Kansas, by the adoption, by reference, of that certain document known as Vision 2025 – a Comprehensive Plan for Riley County, Kansas 2009”. According to Planning Director Monty Wedel the really difficult part begins now with the development of the regulatory framework to implement the plan. He requested permission to continue utilizing the services of Clarion and Associates in that process. Commission members agreed to consider such a contract with Clarion but only after they can review a detailed scope of work to be covered by the contract.

The Commissioners discussed the advisability of the County internet technology services being more fully extended to the Health Department. Currently the Health Department has its own computer system separate from the County system. Commissioner McCulloh was asked to discuss the issue with the Health Board.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman said efforts are continuing to be made to get general agreement from local governmental entities adjacent to military installations on proposed amendments to HB 2069. The bill was proposed by the military and would restrict land use in certain adjacent areas. It is hoped the amendments will be placed on the Kansas Association of Counties’ legislative platform.

It was reported that the Agape Church may lose its building pursuant to non-payment of taxes. Agape had failed to apply for a tax-exempt status and such applications cannot be filed retroactively.

A petition for recall of the Ogden City Mayor has been certified by the Riley County Attorney. The recall committee must obtain 81 signatures to place the issue on the election ballot.

USD 383 Board of Education

Oct. 21, 2009
Kathy Dzewaltowski, Observer

Work session:
The Ebert Mayo Design Group presented the board with pre-schematic designs for Northview Elementary. Board members expressed concerns about equity among the larger elementary schools in terms of the number of "dedicated" classrooms (i.e. rooms for music, computer lab, art, etc.).

Regular meeting:
The board was presented with plans for reviewing math curriculum for grades K-5 and adopting a resource. Board members said they would like to see more students prepared to take Algebra I in 7th grade.

The board received information about the district's performance on state assessments. The district earned 90 "Standards of Excellence," and the scores of African-American and Hispanic students had improved significantly.

The final schematic design for Lee Elementary was discussed. The board discussed $300,000 in unforeseen site improvements planned for the project and whether to use contingency funds or delete items. For example, the school's existing water main is not large enough to support a fire sprinkler system, so a larger main will need to be installed. Board members decided that there are enough contingency funds to cover the $300,000 and approved the schematic design.

The board discussed at length the four firms which had been interviewed for the Construction Manager At-Risk position for the MHS and Bishop Stadium construction projects. Board members discussed each firm's references, experience, safety, how well they interviewed, and general pros and cons.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Riley County Commission, Oct 15, 2009

No meeting of Riley County Commission on Columbus Day, Oct 12.

October 15: Mr. Johnson absent.
Pat Collins, Director of Emergency Services, requested permission for travel on County Business. Approved, 2-1. He distributed a Quarterly Report of his department's activities. Among the 114 fire calls, 84 were grass fires. There were 51 hazardous conditions calls, 149 rescues (134 of which were Emergency Medical Service), and 54 false calls (7 malicious, 37 unintentional) among other calls, for a total of 368 during the quarter.

Debbie Regester reported on activities year-to-date in the Register of Deeds office. The revenues for document registrations is down considerably because of decrease in real estate sales in the County. To make budget, they would need $125,000 in the final quarter of the year. This will not happen.
Commissioners had an informal discussion of the upcoming meeting of the Kansas Association of Counties in Kansas City November 15-17.
Clancy Holeman discussed an "inter-local agreement" draft.

Ginny Barnard, County Extension Agent, reported on her office's Nutrition, Health and Welfare Programs. They are mainly concentrated on education. Programs are provided for school children and pre-school children, as well as the Job Corps and soon for Flint Hills Community Clinic. Ms. Barnard will make the presentations herself upon request, and materials are available for use by teachers who wish to present them themselves.

Brad Schoen, Director of RCPD, said construction at the LEC is progressing normally. He had heard that Konza might drop out of inmate health care, for personnel reasons. This will be taken up at the Law Board Meeting Monday.
Bob Isaac, Planner, held a public meeting for a replat of an area in Grandview Heights subdivision (west of Tuttle Creek Lake). The petitioner is Blake Richards. Approved 2-0.

Submitted by Lyndal Nyberg.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

USD 383 Board of Education

Oct. 7, 2009
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Work session:
Gould Evans, the architecture firm hired to do the MHS West Campus and Bishop Stadium construction projects, presented the board with information they have gathered from meetings with department heads, teachers, and the public as part of the design development phase. Board members expressed concerns about the lower priority assigned to updates to the HVAC system than what they thought they had planned.

Regular meeting:
The board received reports on elementary and secondary Summer School for 2009. Administration is developing an online elementary program for 2010 in the event that lack of funding or construction projects prevent Summer School from being offered. Administration recommended that a summer program for middle school students be eliminated for 2010 due to lack of funding and also recommended continuing to offer driver's education and a credit recovery program for high school students.

The board received a report on iQ Academy, the district's online virtual school. Board members expressed concerns about the poor performance on state assessments in math by the virtual students, and they were concerned about how the low scores will impact the district's ability to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. The board directed administration to schedule a meeting with a representative of KC Distance Learning, the firm the district contracts with to manage the virtual school, to discuss the board's concerns about the virtual students' performance in math.

The Ebert Mayo Design Group presented the board with schematic plans for Lee Elementary School, which included a cafeteria addition, a multi-level addition, and remodeling of existing space. The board approved 7-0 to accept the schematic design.

Construction plans for Amanda Arnold and Ogden Elementary Schools have been given to the State Board of Education's architect for review. Bids for the projects will be taken in November.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Report Board of Health Meeting
September 30, 2009


The Administrative Report dealt thoroughly with the ongoing work dealing with the H1N1 vaccine as well as with the regular flu vaccine. Although the regular flu vaccine administration usually begins October 1st there has been earlier demand and over 1500 regular flu vaccines have already been given. The Health Department has been working with eight physician groups, four pharmacies, LaFene, Mercy Health, Ft. Riley and KSU as well as some others interested in giving the vaccine. There is little notice as to the arrival of the vaccine supply so it is hard to estimate the demand as well as the supply. Turning away those not in the high risk group will be difficult. Emphasis is being placed on educating as many as possible about the need and administration of the vaccine.
Charles Murphy, Administrator, noted that though much emphasis is being placed on hand washing, the most common way the virus is transmitted among the public is through aerosol or in other words being near people coughing who have the virus and breathing in the virus.
The board discussed the meeting held on September 28th for a long Range Planning session and the goals that had been identified. The following list has not been prioritized:
1. Recruitment/retention of qualified staff
2. Expand preventive health services, especially for obesity.
3. Start electronic medical record
4. Increase access to prenatal care.
5, Continually seek funding opportunities
6. Educate, advertise, and meet the perceived needs of our public.
The objectives and action plans will be developed by the staff as they work with the various goals.
Discussion of the goals followed with a number of other ideas offered such as better communication with the medical society and closer collaboration with other groups involved with health care. Karen McCulloh noted that a very large part of the Department’s funding was from grants and that perhaps more should be from the city and county responsible for the well being of the citizens.
Dr. Derek Mosier suggested that perhaps it would be useful for the board to consider a more in-depth type of planning with a facilitator and including the staff as well. The board felt that should be considered but after the H1N1 flurry is over.
The Board Manual, which is intended to provide purpose and direction to the board, was reviewed and approved.
The board then went into executive session to consider the administrator’s evaluation. Upon return the administrator’s contract for 2010 was considered. The salary will remain the same as last year unless there is a 1% addition in December if possible. The board moved and passed acceptance of the Administrator's evaluation and contract.

Sue Cohen, Observer