To provide up to a dozen daycare slots in Great Bend, The City Council Monday night approved a conditional-use permit for the operation of a group home daycare center at 3908 22nd St.
Wayne and Daniela Reif have applied for the permit for the operation home which their family owns by a nonresident non-family member. “Currently Daniela lives in the home but wishes to return to the family farm on weekends,” City Attorney Bob Suelter said.
“She is licensed to operate the home by the State of Kansas and can provide services for up to 12 children,” he said. She is operating the home herself at this time and will only provide services for six children unless another person is employed.
The Planning Commission held a hearing in request on April 26, Suelter said. And there were only a few questions raised by neighboring residents.
Daniela addressed the commission concerning the matter. Her husband’s father recently passed away leaving the home, and she has been living in the home and has been operating a day care for children there.
She indicated that she and her husband have a farm in rural Barton County and she wishes to move back to the farm while she keeps operating the daycare. She said if she moved back to the farm, that it would likely be from Friday evening until Monday morning, and she would likely stay at the home during most of the week.
A neighbor, Marlene Feist, who lives at 21st and Cleveland, asked if there would be a change with what is currently happening at the address. Reif indicated that it would not.
Maurice and Norma Hammeke, who live at 2112 McKinley, were concerned that this would become a commercial district but were assured that it would not.
The commission passed a motion accepting the staff findings of fact and recommended the request be granted by the council subject to her following all local, state and federal regulations, and maintaining her license.
Great Bend City Council meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did Monday night:
• Approved a rezoning request from Landmark Bank.
Landmark has requested that the property located on the east side of Sheridan Street between the Buff Car Wash and the Rosenberg Family Dentistry be rezoned from R-2 (two-family) to C-2 (general commercial), City Attorney Bob Suelter said. The bank acquired it as a part of a real estate transaction.
Landmark is selling the property a party who hopes to develop it.
The Planning Commission held a hearing April 26 in this matter with the only comments received from the audience were from the Landmark Bank representative. The Planning Commission recommended that the rezoning be allowed.
• Approved a conditional-use permit for the operation of a group home daycare center at 3908 22nd St.
Wayne and Daniela Reif have applied for the permit for the operation home by a nonresident non-family member.
• Approved an amendment to zoning ordinance at the request of Wheatland Electric.
the utility is constructing a new building facility on east 10th Street to house its operations in Great Bend. A portion of this facility will have a “green park” for demonstrating various alternative generation of electricity, including a Wind Energy Conversion System (WECs), City Attorney Bob Suelter said.
However, currently the city’s zoning ordinance does not allow WECs within the city limits, he said. This amendment provides for a WEC within the city in M-1, M-2, and M-3 (light industrial district, heavy industrial district and industrial park district) if a conditional use permit is issued.
The permit could be issued for a wind turbine with a height of not to exceed 45 feet for demonstration purposes only and be required to be set back from all adjoining real estate a distance greater than the height turbine so should it fall over, it would land on the property owned by the installing entity.
A hearing was held at the Planning Commission on April 26 and the attorney for Wheatland Jim McVay explained the company’s plans. The commission recommended that the council adopt the ordinance.
• Heard a report on the Great Bend Fire Department’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating from Fire Chief Luke McCormick.
In February, the department completed an ISO audit review. The ISO establishes a fire department’s rating classification.
The City of Great Bend has over all improved and remained the same within the five-mile protection zone covered by the department.
An ISO fire insurance rating is a score from one to 10 that indicates how well-protected a community is by the fire department. In the ISO rating scale, a lower number is better.
Insurance companies use the score to help set home insurance rates, as a home that is less likely to be severely damaged or destroyed by fire is cheaper to insure.
Property owners should see no change, McCormick said. The new rates go into effect Aug. 1.
• Approved the purchase of a new vehicle for the Great Bend Fire Department.
Within the past year, the department has been awarded two Homeland Security grants for the purchase of a new 32-foot Tech Rescue trailer and a Rescue One connector boat with a double stack boat trailer. The new vehicle will allow the department to pull these trailers where and when needed, Fire Chief Luke McCormick said.
In addition, it will respond to house fires with the rapid intervention team and will be equipped with a portable system allowing staff to fill air bottles on the scene in lieu of having to transport bottles to Station 2 for filling. He requested to purchase the vehicle this year and the supplied air system next year.
They received three bids and recommending going with Marmies for a a 2022 Dodge 5500 with a service bed for a total cost of $77,154. Their bid falls within the city’s procurement policy of the local vendor being within 5% of the low bid.
The department has the money for the purchase budgeted. The truck should be delivered in November or December.
• Heard a report from City Administrator Kendal Francis.
• Heard a report from Christina Hayes, community coordinator and Convention and Visitors Bureau director.
• Held a work session to discuss 2022 wage scales and salaries.
• Approved accumulation of trash and refuse abatements at: 223 Holland, Bibiana Ramona Cabrales; 900 10th, Dorothy Morrison Foundation; 206 Hubbard, Jose Ivan and Breauna Martinez; 300 Heizer, Manuel Tavarez; 720 Morphy, Quincy Stahl; 716 Washington,Todd Allen and Theresa Smith;1613 Morton, Rick Miller;1301 Morphy, Trenton Stueder;2412 Forest, Lynn and Shirley Aumiller;1705 Stone, Jose Guadalupe Valadez Segoviano;809 Pine, Miguel and Gloria Mota; 523 Morphy, Thomas Alvarado; 917 Jefferson, Brian Gosney and Dorothy Cregger; 923 Jefferson, Anthony Werner; and 601 3 Broadway, Gerald and Shannon Wilburn.
• Approved motor vehicle nuisance abatements at: 2805 20th, Elwyn Maneth; 3821 12th, Kuhn Rentals LLC.; 708 Morton, Vicente Montes; 1110 Morphy, Moses Properties LLC.; 1022 Jefferson, Mary Baxter; 1415 Jefferson, Sandra Clanton; and 3301 Broadway, David and Mary McKay Trust.
