Great Bend Community Coordinator Christina Hayes reported to the City Council Monday night that the first-ever Miss Barton County and Miss Golden Belt Pageant held March 9 at Great Bend High School was a crowning achievement.
“Overall it was a successful event,” she said. Hayes spent a great deal of time recently assisting with planning and implementation the contest.
She said 161 people paid to watch the pageant. But, “that does not include volunteers or children that attended.”
Taylor Fry from GBHS was crowned Miss Barton County and Kaiti Hemann of Hugoton was crowned Miss Golden Belt. The Barton County runner-up was Bonny Boultinghouse who went to the Miss Kansas Sweeps Pageant March 16, in Pratt, and was crowned Miss Heartland.
All three girls will be representing the area at the Miss Kansas Pageant June 8 in Pratt.
The information from Hayes came up during City Administrator Howard Partington’s report on the activities of city departments. Other highlights of his report included:
 Public Works
• Numerous Public works employees attended the storm spotter meeting at the Crest Theatre.
• Worked on equipment maintenance from last snow storm.
• Constructed concrete pad on levee walking path to set bollards, which are short posts used to control or direct traffic.
• Hauled approximately 500 tons of road sand to compost site for use during the year for street and alley maintenance.
• Charlie Suchy attended Water infrastructure seminar in Topeka.
• Renewed annual Wastewater Treatment Plant Special Waste Permit.
• Clarke Well finished repairs on #12 Well (South Coolidge).
• Annual Water Use report completed to Kansas Department of Agriculture.
• Sanitarian: 339 year to date complaints, 56 new complaints ( 12 filed by citizens and 44 by staff ), 48 complaints completed by citizens, seven abatement notices sent and 26 vehicles brought into compliance.
Fire/EMS/Inspection
• Lee attended a conference on building code updates.
• Fire Department hosted the American Promise group at station Number Two.
• Tested for an open full time position and new volunteers.
• Fire Department hosted an PALS (pediatric live support) class at station Number One.
Police
• “I Make a Difference” party winner – Eisenhower School. Officer Jefferson Davis participated in the reading night for students at Lincoln School.
• Officers Shane Becker, Ryan DeYoung and Doug Hein, attended the Tactical Vision Class in Hutchinson.
• Lt. Scott Harper attended the Firearms Simulator Training in Golden, Colo.
• Corporals John Reynolds, Brian Dougherty and Joe Johns, attended a Pointman Leadership Seminar in Arkansas City.
• March 15 – D.A.R.E. bowling party for Central Kansas Christian Academy.
Administration
• Hayes also said she helped with the Young Professionals first-annual Casino Night March 16 and approximately 150 YP’s attended.
• Hayes will continue to press forward with upcoming events and attractions such as Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event (with the Family Crisis Center), Thank You Thursdays, No Sales Tax Day and the Carnival coming to Town April 11-14.
• Great Bend was represented at the Western Kansas Congressional Staff Briefing and Reception in Washington, D.C., March 14. The deligation (which included Partington, Mayor Mike Allison, Chamber of Commerce President Jan Peters, City Council members Allene Owen and Ken Roberts,and  CPI Qualified Plan Consultants President Jon Prescott) met with Senator Pat Roberts, Senator Jerry Moran and Congressman Tim Huelskamp, and members of their staffs.