In other business Monday morning, the Barton County Commission:
• Approved charging $15 per to accept “clean concrete or brick” at the landfill. After a recent review, it was suggested that these items be added. The cost will allow for the material to be recycled, while covering tipping fees and overhead, Solid Waste Manager Phil Hathcock said.
The material could be crushed at a cost of about $8-10 per ton and used in lieu of rock the county now buys to shore up roads after heavy rains. This rock can be costly.
The demolition on the old St. Rose hospital complex buildings sparked the county’s interest in this thinking some of that waste may be taken to the landfill. Even though this may not come to pass, Hathcock said it puts the county in a good position for the future.
• Approved changes to the regulations governing the county’s memorials parks relating to the Golden Belt Veterans Memorial at the recommendation of the Memorial Parks Advisory Committee. Under the revisions, a veteran and his or her spouse would be limited to only two lots. If a veteran was both honorably discharged and had lived in Barton County, he or she will be eligible to receive his or her lot for free, said Memorial Parks Advisory Committee Chairman Mic Lang.
• Reappointed Paige Lofland to the Memorial Park Advisory Committee. The committee is charged with advising and assisting the commission regarding the care and maintenance of the Barton County memorial parks and cemetery. With not less than five, nor more than seven members, there are two remaining positions open, both terming in July, 2018.
• Approved the installation of electrical service to a landfill structure where equipment is stored.
The south side of this building is open. The 2015 budget allows for enclosing two bays to create an area out of the elements for maintenance and storage. The electrical phase of that project will be completed this year. Hathcock received a quote from Silverado Electric for the work which will include trenching, setting an electrical panel and installing five outlets. The bid was $3,930.13.
In years past, landfill employees have run extension cords nearly 300 feet to get power to the building when needed.
Sue Cooper, program officer for the Golden Belt Community Foundation, joined Barton County Administrator Richard Boeckman as part of a strong local contingent that attended a recent conference in Wichita touting the benefits of designing communities with health living in mind.
Those who went came back with two overall impressions: First, Barton County is making promising strides to become more health conscious; and second, they felt energized about the future.
“We are making progress,” Cooper said. “We are keeping up.”
Cooper attended the Barton County Commission meeting Monday morning to give an overview of the Built Environment and Outdoors Summit that took place in mid-September. The annual event covered ideas for and efforts to improve community infrastructures and healthy food options to better community health.
“We were giving an abundance of examples,” Cooper said. “A lot of these things they are doing across Kansas, we are doing right here.”
She mentioned the city’s dog park at Veterans Memorial Park, the county’s installation of bike route signs on rural blacktops, the city’s plan to mark a bike route through Great Bend and the planned installation of bike racks in downtown Great Bend.
But, more can be done and the economic development potential is enormous, Cooper said. Through the use of additional green spaces in civic landscaping, the addition of trails and the adoption of resolutions and ordinances that promote active transportation, such potential can be achieved.
The foundation was awarded nearly $100,000 in grants from the Kansas Health Foundation which led to the birth of Be Well Barton County, a task force under the Central Kansas Partnership. Be Well’s mission is to promote policy that encourages healthier lifestyles with a focus on bicycle and pedestrian access.
Be Well is one of 28 such organizations statewide. Another of these is Thrive Allen County, a group that has had tremendous success and presented information at the conference, Cooper said.
“They’re trying to change things,” she said. Allen County was one of the poorest and least healthy counties in Kansas, but that is starting to turn around.
As for healthier eating, Cooper said there was a lot of talk about food policies. Simple things like changing vending machine and catering options to include more healthful food can make a big difference.
“These baby steps are good,” Cooper said.
