The Great Bend City Council should be commended for two actions taken during its Monday night meeting this week. 

For the first time since the 1980s, liquor stores in Great Bend will be allowed to stay open until 11 p.m., and, for the first time ever, they will be allowed to be open on Sundays.

The change in the liquor ordinance dates back to 1982 and a string of liquor store robberies that resulted in the murders of two people and the wounding of a third. The owners at the time backed closing 8 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. Reverting back to the later time has come up in the past, but has gone nowhere. 

It was time for a change. An entrepreneur found a way to sell later and on Sundays by locating his business outside of the city limits, and other communities in the county have also legalized such sales.

Now, the shop keepers in Great Bend banded together to seek the revamped rules. This is not about being fair or unfair to other enterprises, but instead about leveling the playing field and creating a more competitive environment.

It was understandable at the time of the killings for the owners to be fearful. But, with the killer in prison and the retail world much different than it was 35 years ago, it is equally understandable they want to see the change.

It’s not about catering to “drunks.” It is about free enterprise.

Anyway, these “drunks” have been driving our county roadways in search of booze since it was not available here. 

And second, the council set a public hearing date for four houses deemed as unsafe and dangerous structures in the 2100 block of 16th Street with the goal of having them demolished. The hearing will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the City Council Chambers prior to the council’s regular meeting.

It is sad that these once-stately homes dating back to the 1900s have been allowed to deteriorate to this pathetic point. It is even sadder that there are property owners who have this much disregard for the community.

According to Code Enforcement Officer Stuart Baker, cited as problems are broken and/or boarded-up windows, missing or malfunctioning doors, peeling paint, sagging porches, missing siding, open crawl spaces, the presence of cats and other vermin, piles of debris and holes in the roofs. In addition, there is no electrical and/or gas service, and they are all vacant.

City officials have tried repeatedly to avert these proceedings by attempting to contact the owners. But, this was to no avail, forcing the city’s hand.

Cleaning up unsightly properties, such as these or those routinely abated, has long been a goal of the council to clean up Great Bend. This is a noble effort and one that should be applauded.

It is, however, unfortunate that the city has to resort to these extreme measures to make this happen. One would hope the property owner would take more pride in their holdings or, at very least, want to avoid the humiliation or costs.

Nonetheless, what the council did Monday where steps in the right direction.

Dale Hogg