Baseball, softball sculpture to be unveiled

BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com

The metal sculpture featuring the boys and girls of summer that will greet visitors to the Great Bend Sports Complex will be unveiled Thursday afternoon, the City Council learned Monday night.
The ceremony will take place at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at the facility’s entry way off of South McKinley. It will take place immediately before the Great Bend High School Panther baseball and softball games against the Hoisington Cardinals which start at 4 p.m.
Mayor Mike Allison will offer a few remarks.
Designed, built and installed by Hoisington’s B&B Metal Arts, the 25-foot-long, eight-foot tall work will feature a baseball/softball motif. Money from the Thelma Faye Harms Trust is paying for the entire project, from fabrication to installation in the park’s circular entrance.
 The life-sized figures will include men, women and children playing ball. The retaining wall at the base, which will be built by Sharky Construction, will include metal cut-out letters reading “Great Bend Sports Complex.”
In other business Monday night, the Great Bend City Council:
• Authorized the issuing of  $1.8 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds for GBRH Properties, the developers of a medical office building at Great Bend Regional Hospital.  This includes property tax abatements and sales tax exemptions for materials used in the project, said Sarah Steele with the Wichita firm of Gilmore and Bell, which advises the city of bond- and tax-related matters. The development is expected to bring 30 jobs to the community in the first year, with the average salary being about $30,000. The building will be located near the hospital at 524 Cleveland.
On Jan. 8, the council held a public hearing regarding issuing the bonds and a property tax abatement for the hospital for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction, furnishing and equipping a medical office building. 
• Renewed Kim Vink’s lease to operate the concession stand at the Great Bend Sports Complex Concession. Vink operated the concession facility last year and did a great job,  Human Resource Director Terry Hoff said. Vink will pay the city 10 percent of her gross receipts.
• Approved the closure of Lakin Avenue and Main Street Courthouse parking for the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” fundraiser from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 18. This was done in lieu of closing Main Street entirely since traffic could not be detoured to Kansas due to the ongoing construction there.
• Approved license requests from: Outrider Tree Service for a tree trimmer license; Up N Rollin’ Skate Center for an amusement hall license; the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce to have a change of manager for their cereal malt beverage license to Darren G. Dale, Great Bend Farm and Ranch Expo promoter.
• Authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign an agreement to receive reimbursement of the full amount of federal funds available per the FY2012 Kansas Department of Transportation authorization, and authorized City Engineer Rob Winiecke to submit the FY2013 Federal Funds Exchange request application for the upcoming fiscal year. This document is a formality to receive full reimbursement of funds authorized from KDOT in the amount of $135,555.97 (after the 90/10 conversion). KDOT has also provided the city with a letter indicating the amount of authorized funds for the FY2013 Federal Funds Exchange Program. Current federal authorization is for half of the fiscal year in the amount of $70,120.72. This marks the third year Great Bend has participated in this program.
 • Authorized Allison to sign an agreement with KDOT for making improvements to the intersection of 24th and Main streets. These improvements include traffic signal upgrades, milling and overlaying existing pavement, and left turning lanes. The council also adopted a resolution relating to the benefits obtainable by cities under the Federal and State Aid Program. The state will pay up to $250,000 towards the project, which could begin this winter or next spring.
• Approved abatements at: 205 Frey, owned by Miguel and Brandi Garay, for accumulation of refuse; and 217 Pine, owned by Hurvey and Gladys Chism, for accumulation of refuse.
• Heard Great Bend Chamber of Commerce President Jan Peters’ monthly economic development report. She said Sutherlands Lumber hopes to open April 15 and Up and Rolling Skating Rink plans to open this Friday. She also reminded council members about the Great Bend Farm and Ranch Expo April 10-12.
• Appointed Mike Toprani to the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board.
• Heard City Administrator Howard Partington’s update on the activities of city departments.