Pickleball and more planned at Brit Spaugh Park
The City of Great Bend and the Great Bend Recreation Commission are developing plans to improve a portion of Brit Spaugh Park located next to the U.S. Army Reserve building at 2222 19th St., City Administrator Kendal Francis said Friday.
“The City and the Rec have hired a landscape engineer to design a plan,” he said. “Projected improvements will include basketball, pickleball, and playground areas. And if there’s enough room we also project a small soccer area and restroom.”
Francis said he expects to see the first draft of that plan within 30 days.
Citywide cleanup starts Saturday, Sept. 24
The citywide cleanup will start Saturday, Sept. 24, and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 2. Construction dumpsters will be on the Sunflower Diversified Services lot at 5605 10th St. Residents can bring their trash and debris to the dumpsters and the City will dispose of it for free, City Administrator Kendal Francis said.
“We understand that there will be people who need assistance in getting their trash to the dump site,” he said. “We’re putting together a list of volunteers to assist people in this effort.” To volunteer or to request assistance, contact Francis at the City Office. The telephone number is 620-793-4111 and his email address is KFrancis@greatbendks.net.
The regular coffee klatch at Great Bend Coffee outnumbered the group that arrived Friday morning for Kendal’s Coffee, hosted by City Administrator Kendal Francis.
Disappointed at the turnout – which included only Administrative Assistant Larami Klein, Community Coordinator Christina Hayes, interpreter Vanessa Favela and this Great Bend Tribune reporter – Francis said they might need a new format for these periodic coffees. They started in October of 2018, three months after he became the city administrator, so that people could meet him and ask questions or share concerns.
Francis talked about several city projects as Hayes recorded the program for a livestream on Facebook. A recording of his program can be viewed on the Explore Great Bend Facebook page.
By the time Francis finished speaking, one couple had joined the audience and spent several minutes visiting with him, sharing concerns about loud music, drug sales, gunshots and reckless driving in their southeast Great Bend neighborhood.
“We’re losing the town,” the man told Francis, adding the police were ineffective in the area from Kiowa Road to Plum Street.
Later in the day, the Great Bend Tribune asked Francis about the outcome of that conversation.
“I had some discussions with (Police Chief Steve) Haulmark regarding their concerns,” he said. “We are going to take steps to address them but I am not at liberty to say what that would be because of the nature of their concerns.” He added that some of the couple’s concerns involve code enforcement that the city is already actively working to improve.
Residents may contact Francis at the City Office with concerns or questions. The telephone number is 620-793-4111 and his email address is KFrancis@greatbendks.net.
“I do think people want to be heard, but I also think that without noticeable action they feel like their concerns are not important or just plain ignored," he said.
Asked about the poor turnout Friday, Francis said, “We will look at the format for future coffees. I love to have in-person crowds but I realize people’s schedules are very full and it’s hard to make time for something like that. But I could easily see us offering something in an early evening timeframe.”
Justice Center
Jumping in with his report on city activities Friday morning, Francis held plenty to share.
“The most recent big news is the groundbreaking for the new Great Bend Justice Center – a combination police station and municipal court,” he said. “The project is funded by the sales tax that citizens passed last November. The new station is going to be located at 12th and Baker and construction is going to begin immediately.”
A camera will be set up so people can watch live video of the construction, which is expected to take 11 months. He expects it will be done in August of 2023.
Quality of Life
In addition to the sales tax for the Justice Center, Great Bend voters approved a sales tax “to enhance quality of life,” Francis noted. “This Monday, Sept. 19, we are going to release a plan on how those sales tax monies will be spent. A committee of citizens has spent the last approximately six months developing this plan. We also received ideas from the community via a survey. We’re excited for everyone to see the amenities that we have planned to be developed in Great Bend and we think that it will cover a wide range of interests for the citizens.”
Speaking of the sales tax, Francis said it is “doing very well right now in Great Bend. Our sales tax receipts have been record-setting for the past year and a half and we continue to encourage people to shop local.”
City budget
“The City Council recently approved the 2023 budget that lowered your property mill levy 2 mills,” Francis said. “It was a challenging process because of the inflationary period that we’re in right now but we’re proud to be able to present a strong budget that is still going to lower your taxes.”
(Editor’s note: The budget was approved on Sept. 6. While the mill rate was lowered from last year’s 54.54 to 52.52 mills, it does exceed the revenue-neutral rate of 51.13. That is the rate that would have generated the same amount of tax dollars as the previous year.)
Heizer Park
Improvements to Heizer Park are a priority project but progress on that front has stalled, Francis said.
“The City was awarded a grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks for $161,000. Unfortunately, we have yet to receive that grant. We are being told that the federal government has to give the final approval and we have not heard any information since February. I want people to know that the improvements are still very high on my list and we’re going to push to get those improvements made regardless of the grant funding.”
Street projects
Francis talked about the recent reconstruction of much of Broadway Avenue as well as the intersection at 19th and Harrison, which now has a four-way stop. That change was controversial but because Great Bend Middle School is located at that corner it was considered vital to the safety of students, he said. He reminded motorists to be careful as they drive through that intersection.
At present, curb and guttering on 10th Street are being replaced from Frey Street to Harrison (approximately), he said. “Again, we encourage you to be mindful of the construction that will be taking place for another month or so.”
Another street project coming up in the spring will be the mill and overlay of K-96, thanks to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Other projects
Francis also talked about plans for Brit Spaugh Park, the Citywide Cleanup, and the installation of automatic water meter readers. When the replacement of existing meters begins, the city will notify customers to be prepared for the change.
“The last project I want to discuss is storm-water management,” he said. “As everybody knows, we have a lot of issues with localized flooding after heavy rain events. This plan will start to help us make corrections and relieve these issues. In October we anticipate signing a contract with a company who will provide an assessment of our entire system. That information will then be used by engineers to develop a plan and target problem areas.”
Francis said this is a long-term project that will probably last two to three years.
Job opportunities
In closing, Francis said there are a lot of opportunities for those who want to get involved with the city, either in the government or in volunteer positions, committees and boards. The City is also hiring, with openings in the Utilities Department, Parks Department, Street Department and Fire Department.
The City is an equal opportunity employer and Francis encouraged anyone who is interested to apply. “We’ve begun to add several bilingual employees in some key departments and it’s my goal that we continue to expand in that way.”
