Great Bend Community Coordinator Christina Hayes has been keeping busy of late, City Administrator Howard Partington reported to the City Council Monday night.
She assisted with hospitality for vendors at the second-annual Great Bend Farm and Ranch Expo last week. She also made sure vendors had the Great Bend Shopping and Dining Guide brochure and Coupon Page while they were in town.
In addition, she oversaw the painting of red stiletto shoes on the store windows to show support for the “Walk A Mile In her Shoes” event taking place next Thursday, April 25. The event was postponed from this Thursday due to pending bad weather.
In other city-development news, Hayes’ office promoted the city-wide “Stores Pay Sales Tax for You” Day Saturday. She heard from The Buckle, Browns Shoe Fit and Waters True Value who said their sales were up and one store even said their sales tripled. It was suggested the city do this retail event twice a year. The next being around back-to-school time.
Also included in Partington’s update was:
Engineering
• Work along Kansas Avenue is ongoing. L&M Contractors is completing work on the northbound lanes between 21st and 24th streets early this week, and will be shifting traffic to complete the remaining work on the southbound lanes.
• Assisted the Parks Department with advertisement and letting of bids for concrete pavement repairs at the Great Bend Expo grounds.
• Submitted the FY2013 Federal Funds Exchange Request application to the KDOT.
Public Works
• Put up signs at the South Washington entrance to the river
• Hauled 500 tons of road sand to compost site for future road work
• Burned the tree pile
• Started work around the scales at the ET shack at drag strip
• Cleaned trees out of the ditch at Seventh and MacArthur.
• New employee Robert Zimmerman started.
• Sprayed Madison ditch for weeds and cleaned 11 trouble drainage areas.
• The sanitarian noted there were 445 year-to-date complaints, 48 new complaints ( 19 by citizens and 29 by staff), 57 complaints completed by citizens, 16 abatement notices sent and 21 cars into compliance.
Police
• America’s Promise student field trip to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson.
• On April 2, the I Make a Difference party winner was Central Kansas Christian Academy
• D.A.R.E. bowling party was held for Riley Elementary School.
• On April 10, Officer Jefferson Davis “job shadowed” with three GB High School students. Davis and Susie Guenther participated in the Central Kansas Counties for Kids sixth-annual Parent Education Expo at Washington Early Education Center.
• Davis and Sarah Schenek with the Child Advocacy Center provided an informational session at Riley School.
Fire/EMS/Inspection
• Inspector Mark Orth conducted fire extinguisher training for Central Power System
• Orth conducted inspection at the Farm and Ranch show
• Orth calibrated multi-gas and CO monitors for WPC and Fire Department