• Rescheduled the swearing in of new Fourth District County Commissioner Kenny Lebbin to the Tuesday, May 27, Commission meeting. It was set for Monday, however the official appointment letter from Kansas Gov. Same Brownback had not arrived. There is a chance that the ceremony could be moved again should the letter not make it by next week.
Lebbin was selected last Monday by the Barton County Republican Central Committee to replace the late Don Cates. But, the recommendation required a final OK from the governor.
• Approved a quote from Straight Line Striping Inc. of Snohomish, Wash., for striping of approximately 105 miles of County roads. The estimated cost, at no more than $80,000 was included in the 2014 Road and Bridge Budget as an expected operating expense, Barton County Road and Bridge Director Dale Phillips said. This involves both the center yellow lines and the white edge lines on the county-maintained blacktops.
The work will begin in August or September and take about a week, Phillips said. There should be no traffic interruptions.
Phillips said this is the same company that has worked with the county in recent years and it does good work. Straight Line Striping provides all the supplies, and all the county has to do is provide one Road and Bridge Department employee to tag along on the project.
The cost of the annual striping has remained relatively constant recently. The price of the paint is $3.82 per gallon and the glass beads used to provide the reflectivity cost 33 cents per pound.
There are guidelines as to how much paint and beads are applied.
The Barton County Commission Monday morning approved allowing a professional fireworks display as part of Camp Hope at 9:30 p.m. June 19 at Barton Community College.
Gail Moeder, Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation Cape Hope committee liaison, asked for the Commission to allow the display. In the event of inclement weather, it be held on June 20.
Moeder said the $500 Class C display will be shot off from the southwest parking lot at BCC by Mitch Menges and Wald Fireworks of Ellinwood. However, she said, if the weather is too hot and dry, the show won’t take place.
“I know Camp Hope has always been an important part of our community,” Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said. After the dining hall at the Camp Aldrich Conference Center, the long-time home of Camp Hope, burned April 12, organizers scrambled to find a new location.
Camp Hope, a camp for children with cancer, is sponsored by the Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation and will start June 15.
Moeder said they have approximately 70 campers signed up and expect more. This is the first year that Kans for Kids has sponsored the camp, which was previously handled by the American Cancer Society.
Camp Aldrich is owned by the college and is located between Claflin and the Cheyenne Bottoms Refuge. It has been the site of Camp Hope for more than 40 years.
