Barton County Commission meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at what the Barton County Commission did Monday morning:
• Approved payment of medical consulting fees to Dr, Stanley Hatesohl, who was named as the medical consultant for the Barton County Health Department in March. He will be paid $325 per month.
On March 16, the Board of Health adopted a resolution appointing Karen Winkelman as local health officer and Hatesohl as medical consultant.
• Approved a public fireworks display at First Assembly of God church for Sunday, July 5, at the church, 601 Patton Road in Great Bend. But, the final OK will have to come from Great Bend Fire Chief Luke McCormick.
In January, 2004, the commission adopted a resolution establishing a fireworks policy for the county. It establishes the discharge of fireworks on July 4 of any given year between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight in all unincorporated areas of the county.
The Resolution further states that the commission may, in its discretion, grant permission at any time for public displays of fireworks by responsible individuals or organizations when such display if: It is not fire hazard or doesn’t endanger persons or surrounding property; and provided that in no case shall such display be held within 400 feet of any building in the County.
• Approved replacing the carpet at the Health Department.
In 2019, the Commission authorized making certain Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at the Health Department, including the relocation/removal of one wall and two doors. The project, partially funded by a grant, was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic – the replacement of carpeting was delayed, County Administrator Phil Hathcock said.
However, on June 21, a power outage caused a water fountain at the department to malfunction, he said. This led to significant flooding in the lobby and several exam rooms, effectively destroying the existing carpet.
The county had already accepted bids to replace the carpet as part of the remodel project, which were opened on March 4. Kustom Floor Design provided a bid to replace approximately 5,000 square feet of carpeting and vinyl base for a total cost of $20,280.
Carpet squares will be used to make future replacements easier.
It is anticipated that an insurance reimbursement will offset a portion of the cost of the carpet replacement due to the flooding, Hathcock said.
The Barton County Commission Monday morning approved payment of medical consulting fees to Great Bend physician Dr, Stanley Hatesohl, who was named as the medical consultant for the Barton County Health Department in March. He will be paid $325 per month.
“He has been very valuable as a consultant to (Interim Health Director Karen Winkelman),” County Administrator Phil Hathcock said. On March 16, commissioners, meeting as the Board of Health, adopted a resolution appointing Winkelman as health officer and Hatesohl as medical consultant.
According to Kansas statutes, the county commissioners commonly act as the county’s Board of Health. In counties with a population of 100,000 or more shall appoint a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery, preference being given to persons who have training in public health, who shall serve in an advisory capacity to the county Board of Health and as the local health officer.
However, in counties with populations smaller than 100,000 (like Barton), the board can appoint a qualified local health program administrator as the local health officer, if a person licensed to practice medicine is designated as a consultant to direct the administrator on program and related medical and professional matters.
This is the case in Barton County, since Winkelman is a registered nurse, but not licensed to practice medicine.
“At that point, we were in such a hurry to get a consultant and meet the statutes that we didn’t negotiate a fee,” Hathcock said. County officials contacted other counties and arrived at the $325 figure which is in line with what others are paying.
Hatesohl will be retroactively dating back to mid March, he said. The doctor will continue to be paid as long as he holds this post.
