Monday, November 28, 2011

Riley County Commission November 28, 2011

Joan Strickler, observer

Riley County Commission, November 28, 2011

Commissioners McCulloh (chair) and Lewis were present, and Johnson was on vacation.

Assistant Public Works Director Rod Meredith reported staff would be reviewing proposed plans to update the design of the playground at CiCo Park that afternoon. Once plans are finalized and approved, they will be looking to the city and private donors to help fund the improvements. A brochure of parks and recreation opportunities in Riley County is being developed, and plaques are being made for the Rocky Ford area improvements.

Tim Hegarty gave the Riley County Police Department update. He said not many problems were reported over Thanksgiving break, at least not yet. Vehicle burglaries continue to be a problem. An estimated 70% or more of those incidents involve unlocked cars. He was asked about the armed robberies occurring and said that is fairly common at this time of the year. Police do have some leads and are investigating.

County Treasurer Eileen King said her office has been very busy due to the number of military personnel returning to the area. She said the “go live” date to switch county treasurer’s offices to the new Kansas Division of Motor Vehicles system has been postponed until sometime in 2012.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman said the Kansas Association of Counties has asked county commissioners to provide input regarding the proposed changes to state statutes related to the Food Safety Lodging Program. Of particular concern to Commissioners was a proposed elimination of annual inspections of restaurants and a specification that inspections instead be made only on an at-risk basis. County Health Department Director Chuck Murphy said he felt there should be increased requirements for water inspections. He said some restaurants use their own wells. Also, he was concerned about any elimination of the current provision that allows inspections to be conducted by local authorities with 80% of the funds collected returned to the local authority by the State.

Holeman then reported on efforts being made to deal with the flooding on Wildcat Creek. He had strong reservations about pursuing the formation of a water district for the area. The district would most likely include Riley and Leonardville, and he doubted that people in those areas would be willing to pay for flooding problems in the affected area of Manhattan. County Clerk Rich Vargo said he is familiar with many problems that counties are experiencing in dealing with water districts.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

BOCC Nov 21

Commissioners McCulloh and Lewis were present.

The Commission passed a resolution concerning scrap metal dealers in unincorporated areas of Riley County. They will be required to register with the county, and the fee (good for 10 years) will be $400, which will cover administrative costs.

Extension agent Ginny Barnard gave pre-Thanksgiving Day tips during the press conference. One of the most important was to start thawing the turkey today (Monday). Other tips included washing hands after handling the bird, cooking the turkey to 160 degrees Fahrenheit using a meat thermometer, and refrigerating or freezing leftovers promptly.

Gary Rosewicz announced the awarding of federal grant money to Riley County for replacement of risky roads and bridges. The first project will be a bridge on 40th Ave. over McDowell Creek. It was built in 1965, and now has a sufficiency rating of 20 out of 100. The award is $640,000, and the county will have to match with $160,000. This project will probably go out to bid in 2013. The second grant, for $500,000 with a county match of $50,000, is to replace guard rails on bridges over North Otter Creek and Fancy Creek. Nearly 60% of traffic fatalities are on rural roads and caused by running off the road at high speed. These improvements will help secure the roads.

Cheryl Collins, from the Riley County Historical Museum, announced the last lecture in the Kansas 150 Look Back Lecture Series. Daniel D. Holt, Director of the Eisenhower Library and Museum from 1990 – 2008, will present “Educating a General.” He will discuss the education of Pres. Eisenhower, his Kansas roots, and connections. The lecture will be Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Manhattan Public Library.

Julie Merklin, Observer

Monday, November 21, 2011

USD 383 Board of Education

Nov. 16, 2011
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Work session:
The work session focused on the proposed construction project for MHS East Campus. While developing the construction documents, the construction team had come to the conclusion that the way items had been prioritized needed to be adjusted. For example, the list created for the bond called for renovating the gym's locker rooms, while making improvements to the gym's roof and exterior skin less of a priority. The construction team felt it was important to improve the building's exterior and make it water tight before proceeding with interior projects, and board members agreed.

Regular meeting:
Carol Adams, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, presented information on new proposed courses and course title changes for the 2012-13 school year for MHS. The art department recommended embedding the content of the Digital Imaging course in existing photo classes. The Schools to Careers program requested to change its name to "Alternative Classes for Educational Success (ACE)." The Career and Technical Education program (CTE) is continuing to adapt its pathways in accordance with Kansas Dept. of Education (KSDE) guidelines and requested to add Baking and Pastry II as a new course. Additional CTE courses will be experiencing content or title changes to meet KSDE requirements.

Board members were presented with information about fees for outside groups who use the district's facilities. Slight increases were recommended to keep up with the district's increased costs. The city is allowed to use the district's facilities for parks and recreation programs at no charge, and in return, the district uses the city's facilities at no charge. Walt Pesaresi suggested that the agreement between the city and the school district for mutual use of their facilities should be reviewed at a future date. The board approved 6-0 the proposed fee schedule.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Riley County Commission mtg 11-17-11

There was no Commission meeting on Nov. 14 because commissioners were attending the KAC meeting.

All commissioners present.

Debbie Regester, Register of Deeds, said her revenue collections to date are $400,000 over budget.

The remote access subscription service for recorded documents has now been available for six years. Riley County currently has 27 subscribers. Title and abstract companies have Level 1 service for $720 per year. Realtors, bankers, etc., are eligible for Level 2 at $100 per year. Subscribers pay $0.50 per page to receive copies without assistance from the office. The fees are collected from pre-paid accounts. Through Aug. 31, there were 7,736 logins at a cost of $18,498. Of this total, 232 were logged during non-business hours.

Clancy Holeman explained the procedures for creating watershed districts and drainage districts. Each district type has unique characteristics with advantages and disadvantages. The Wildcat Creek area is the place under consideration at this time. A summary of statutes governing the two types of management can be obtained from the County Counselor's office. Commissioners took seriously Holeman's advice that the matter should be studied carefully by all concerned before irreversible steps are taken.

Jennifer Wilson, Extension Director, said Extension Council elections were held Nov. 6-10. The Council will hold its annual meeting at Pottorff Hall on Nov. 30. Ms. Wilson will give a presentation on her recent experiences in Vietnam. She also said the period of open enrollment for Medicare closes on Dec 7. So far, 110 people, who averaged about 79 years old, have sought their help. About half of the people they have helped have saved money, perhaps as much as $800 per year.

Brad Schoen, RCPD Director, said the department is undergoing an annual internal evaluation. Results will be available to commissioners after Jan. 1. They do not yet know how much carryover they will have from the budget, but it will probably be less than last year. Schoen asked commissioners to suggest nominees for the Community Advisory Board, which usually has about 12 members with rotating three-year terms. He mentioned that the police department is very happy with the medical coverage they are receiving.

Cheryl Collins, Museum Director, said she had attended the Travel Industries Association meeting in Lawrence and was awarded a pen and trophy as one of 27 "destination specialists." Her "destination" is the only museum on the list. The Flint Hills Discovery Center, which will open in April, has been awarded a $785,000 grant to prepare a temporary exhibit called "Forces: the Making of Manhattan, Fort Riley and KSU" to be installed for display from Sept. 2012 to Jan. 2013. Ms. Collins said she hoped that it would become a template for other counties to assemble exhibits. The museum will be working with KSU, Riley County, the city and Ft. Riley. She asked for nominees for trustees soon to be appointed.

Pat Collins, Emergency Management Director, distributed a letter sent to all managers from the State of Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, explaining the requirements of the recent legislation regarding communications procedures in emergencies. A Local Collection Point Administrator (LCPA) will receive 53 cents per phone call, under auspices of the KAC, and then return it to the county. Prepaid wireless phones will now be included.

Johnette Shepek, Budget and Finance Officer, gave a first estimate of the ending balance for the 2011 budget. The beginning 2011 balance, year-to-date expenditures, and the 2011 ending balance all contained budget stabilization of $1,000,000. Expenditures and balances obviously included estimates for the final period of the year. The estimated end-balance is $3,170,422.

Sabine Butler and John Williams, Valleywood residents, requested reinstatement (in the form of member appointments) of the Valleywood Advisory Council. Some residents have been organizing a homeowners association, which seems to have been an objection to paying for the bonds needed for the Water Benefit District improvements. Butler and Williams said they felt having an active advisory council would work toward avoiding hostilities between residents. Ms. McCulloh suggested that commissioners need to study the by-laws of the Konza Water District (Valleywood District has no by-laws) and make appointments to the advisory board to help the Valleywood organization.

In a non-agenda item, Barry Wilkerson, County Attorney, asked for the Commission's advice on how he can right an error made with benevolent intentions, but in disregard of county policies. Mr. Wilkerson said one legal secretary who was pregnant was required by her doctor to take time off for her health. While she was gone (nearly six months), another secretary absorbed all of her work on top of her own, obviously valiantly helping all concerned. Mr. Wilkerson, wishing to reward her for her loyalty, gave her a paid day off and did not use her usual annual leave. This was against county policy and would certainly set a bad precedent in the county. Commissioners were sympathetic but firm and accepted (3-0) his offer to have his personal paycheck diminished by the appropriate amount to reimburse the county.

Adjourned. Submitted by Lyndal Nyberg.

Friday, November 4, 2011

USD 383 Board of Education

Nov. 2, 2011
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Dr. Bob Shannon, Superintendent, reported that 38 new students with a connection to the military have enrolled in USD 383 since the official count date on Sept. 20.

The board was presented with a report on middle school football, which had allowed 7th graders to participate this year on the same team with 8th graders. Originally, the plan for adding 7th graders to the program had called for keeping the program revenue neutral and for not cutting any players, with the goal of having 55 players on the team. Approximately 80 students at each middle school tried out for football this year, which meant around 25 students were cut from the program at each school. The middle school athletic directors reported that the 7th graders were able to compete skill and size wise with 8th graders. There were also positive side benefits, including improved student academics in order to stay eligible, reduction in behavior issues, and increased parental involvement in the booster clubs. Board members Curt Herrman and Walt Pesaresi expressed concerns about players' being cut from the teams, particularly 8th graders, because cutting players had not been part of the original plan.

Board members were presented with a report on the district's partnerships with Ft. Riley. Approximately 21% of the district's students have a connection to the military. The partnerships help the district provide communication and support for military families. One example of a partnership program is the "adopt-a-school" program, which involves a military unit adopting one of the district's schools. Soldiers in the unit then participate in activities with the students at the school.