Tribune donates to Vets memorial
Money to help honor those who might not otherwise be recognized
BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com
Every veteran with ties to Barton County should have a chance to be honored on the Golden Belt Veterans Memorial, Great Bend Tribune Publisher Mary Hoisington told the Barton County Commission Monday morning.
In keeping with this sentiment, the Tribune donated $1,000 to the memorial. The money is to assist in paying for engravings for those veterans who do not have the financial resources, family in the area or who served long ago and are deserving of recognition.
“Due to our appreciation and commitment to those who serve this country, the Great Bend Tribune would like to donate $1,000 to the Golden Belt Veterans’ Memorial,” Hoisington said. “This donation is specifically for those veterans whose names would otherwise not be included.”
Hoisington said the Tribune authorizes County Administrator Richard Boeckman or his designee to identify these individuals and utilize this donation accordingly.
“We are humbled by the sacrifice made by these men and women in order to protect our freedom and are proud to have the opportunity to show our support,” Hoisington said. She then challenged the businesses and residents of Barton County to make sure no Barton County veteran goes unrecognized.
“Together we can honor their sacrifice through this memorial,” Hoisington said.
Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said the contribution was a great gift. “It makes me proud to be from a community where a business steps up like this.”
Meanwhile, the county continues to accept engraving applications for the memorial. The center stone, featuring seals of all US military branches, has been set and was dedicated during a ceremony the Sunday before Memorial Day.
The names will be on two large stones that will flank the center stone. These will not be installed until 1,040 lines have been sold.
In order to be eligible for an engraving, the veteran must have lived in Barton County at some point and be honorably discharged from the military. Those currently serving are also eligible.
The project is not limited to one conflict nor to any one branch of the service. All Barton County veterans are welcome to apply for an engraving.
There is a $45 line charge (21 character spaces), two line maximum. With 1,040 lines available, it is anticipated that 500 to 700 more applications will be accepted. For information, contact the Barton County Administrator’s Office at 620-793-1800.
It is a job beyond the resources of the City of Ellinwood. Now, the community will have some help.
The Barton County Commission Monday morning approved working with Ellinwood to clean a ditch in the southeast part of the community. The ditch has become choked with weeds and other debris, causing some flooding in that part of town.
The project will take two to three weeks and the estimated cost is $21,000, which will be paid by Ellinwood. Since city and county crews are busy through the summer, the work won’t likely begin until early fall.
“It’s going to be a large undertaking,” said Ellinwood City Administrator Bob Peter. “We just don’t have the resources.”
The ditch was deeded to the city in 1952. Peter joked that it looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned since then.
Recent heavy rains have highlighted the need for the cleaning, Peter said. The ditch funnels water that falls within the city limits into the Arkansas River.
After the improvements, he said the storm sewer system will work more efficiently, allowing water to drain quicker. Large rains do cause some street flooding in that area.
However, Ellinwood’s biggest flooding issue is in the northern part of town, caused by water that flows from the northwest. This project will have a limited impact on that problem.
Peter said the city looked at hiring a contractor to do the work, but that could have cost as much as $100,000. The city does plan to rent an excavator and help the county employees.
Barton County Road and Bridge Department Shop Foreman Gary Demel said the county is more than willing to help. The county also has two excavators it can use.
Peter said the city will maintain the ditch once it is cleaned.
In other business Monday morning, the Barton County Commission:
• Approved a revision to the Central Kansas Community Corrections budget for 2015 in the amount of $447,236. The Kansas Community Corrections Act provides grants to Kansas counties to develop and maintain a range of programs for adult offenders assigned to Community Corrections agencies. A Comprehensive Plan (grant application) was submitted that set the goals for Fiscal Year 2015 and the allocation determined by the Kansas Department of Corrections was approximately 5.3 percent more than what was requested, said CKCC Director Amy Boxberger. This required approval from Barton County, which serves as the host county for CKCC which also covers Ellsworth, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties. It also had to be OKed by the CKCC Advisory Board.
• Accepted a $18,325 Behavioral Health Programming Grant from the Kansas Department of Corrections for CKCC. CKCC applied for funds to pay for behavioral health services for indigent offenders, to include mental health, substance abuse, sexual offender and batterers evaluation, medication and therapy sessions. The money will help offenders ordered to undergo such treatments but don’t have the financial resources to pay for them, Boxberger said. Again, the CKCC Advisory Board also accepted the funding.
• Approved the purchase of a skid steer loader for the Road and Bridge Department for $55,729 from Bobcat of Salina. The cost included the a separate package made up of pallet forks, auger, and grapple and snow pusher buckets. The department uses a skid steer for a number of operations, including the update of signage, said Demel. It was suggested that a second skid steer be purchased so that the High Risk Rural Road sign replacement project can continue with a dedicated piece of equipment, allowing the other skid steer to be scheduled for ditch work, clean outs and other uses.
