The ‘Way Forward’ Town Hall meeting on Saturday, January 28th will include more information on the need for a new high school, different options for building of a facility, including the costs and how the facility could be financed through a combination of federal heavily impacted military aid and state aid funds.
The meeting begins at 10:00 am in the Warren Settles Auditorium at the High School.
The public will be able to pose questions about this project.
In addition to the live video (below), this will also be broadcast on 1420 KJCK, The Talk of JC – tune in at 10:00 am.
The JCHS Way Forward Steering Committee is hosting the town hall meetings in order to inform the public and receive input on the project.
The 2017 Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner was held on Thursday, January 26th.
Dennis Beson, Chamber of Commerce CEO, updated the community on the ‘state of the chamber’.
“We’ve done a really good job between the Board retreat and our most recent Board meeting, to actually put together some strategies, some goals, some measurables that we can take with us; I think we’ve got a great Board in place with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement and engagement – and those things are what make my job easy,” said Beson.
In the last year, the Chamber lost a veteran in longtime Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director Connie Hall who decided to retire after 25 years of service.
“We try to keep filling positions with good quality people, when we lose a quality person we want to try to find equal or better,” said Beson.
Notably, the Chamber added two new faces – an Economic Development Commission Director in Mickey Dean, who comes to Junction City with over 20 years experience; and Eddie Reeder, the Project Manager hired to study the feasibility of a sports complex in the community.
“I think we are moving in the right direction, and the way our City and our County are supporting us and talking to each other right now – it’s very exciting,” said Beson.
Several awards were also presented during the evening, all of which were nominated by co-workers/peers:
Tourism Advocate of the Year: Bob Cervera, owner F&S Electronics, founder All Treats Day and Jammin in JC
Eldon L. Hoyle Economic Development Award: Mike Harris, Acorns Resort and RV Park, The Cove Bar and Grill, Milford Convention Center
Business/Citizen of the Year: The C.L. Hoover Opera House – Joe and Sheila Markley
Ambassador of the Year: Janie Merk
Volunteer of the Year: Phyllis Fitzgerald, Mayor
Retirement Acknowledgment and Recognition: Connie Hall
Chamber CEO Dennis Beson
Sheila Markley, Joe Markley, C.L. Hoover Opera House
L to R: EDC Director Mickey Dean, Chamber Board Chairman Stan Hambright, Mike Harris, Chamber CEO Dennis Beson
Retired Lieutenant General Perry Wiggins, Jan. 26 MAC Breakfast, Fort Riley
Fort Riley has over 100,000 acres, but only 77,00 of that is usable for training.
That was one of the key points made during the January 26th Military Affairs Council (MAC) breakfast, a joint effort between Junction City and Manhattan Chambers of Commerce.
Retired Lieutenant General Perry Wiggins, Executive Director for the Governor’s Military Council, was the keynote speaker.
“The Council will take issues and items from community members and then we package those and make sure we get those before the Governor so that he has the ear and hears from the people…and then we try to find solutions and recommend those to the Governor,” said Wiggins.
In it’s inception, the Governor’s Military Council was created as a defense for BRAC – base realignments and closings.
“When BRAC came along, organizations were built to confront BRAC; this organization has been around for about 12 years and now we need to start taking a look at how we can start working on the lines of effort that were identified by the Governor…what we need to do is we need to be able to express to those outside the community the goodness that Fort Riley brings in training, deploy-ability and quality of life,” said Wiggins.
Part of the training initiatives is being able to maximize usable space. If Fort Riley were able to utilize Smoky Hill, training capabilities would increase by nearly 35,000 acres.
“Although it’s just a short way up the road and a great place to train, we’re not able to put tanks and bradleys up there to maneuver; so we just want to make sure that we’re putting out best foot forward to use all of the assets that Central Kansas has available to train and increase the readiness of our soldiers – and Smoky Hill is a big part of that,” said Wiggins.
In recent news, military officials and notably GOP Senator John McCain have said that there needs to be a BRAC.
Perry Wiggins, photo courtesy Carroll Publishing Government News
“The service Chiefs as well have said that, you know the 25% infrastructure overhead that they don’t need affects their readiness; so this all goes back to readiness and making sure that we only have what we need, and I concur that we’ve got to take an assessment and a look, but there’s certain places where I think we got it about right and I think Fort Riley is one of those places,” said Wiggins.
As for community, Wiggins said to keep doing what you’re doing: “Maintain that staunch support, and keep continuing to wrap their arms around the service members and their families.”
Wiggins retired from the Military after 33 years of active duty service in October 2016.
No one had to be transported to a hospital following an incident Thursday morning where a vehicle was traveling the wrong way on I-70 just east of Junction City. Sheriff Tony Wolf confirmed the driver of the vehicle was taken to Geary Community Hospital for blood tests, medical and psychological evaluations. Wolf also confirmed authorities are still investigating why the driver was traveling the wrong way on the interstate.
Wolf said the vehicle grazed two other vehicles during the incident.
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Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges has confirmed at 7:55 a.m. that the eastbound lanes of I-70 have reopened to traffic. Traffic, however, is moving very slowly.
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A driver traveling the wrong way on I-70 has resulted in accidents and one minor injury. The eastbound lanes of I-70 just east of Junction City are closed.
Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges said 9-1-1 got a report of a vehicle going the wrong way on the interstate…westbound in the eastbound lane.”They were able to get the vehicle stopped. It did hit a couple vehicles. We do have the interstate shut down going eastbound. People will exit at 299, which is the Grandview Plaza exit, go onto Flint Hills Boulevard on to Fort Riley, and exit back onto the interstate at 301.
An ambulance was enroute to the scene.
Motorists should try to avoid the area or be very patient as you move through that area.
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Authorities have responded to I-70 on the southeast side of Junction City Thursday morning.
Traffic has been slowed in that area so motorists should allow extra time for that area between the Walmart exit in Junction City and Grandview Plaza.
City leaders participated in the annual Government Day at the State Capitol.
Phyllis Fitzgerald, Mayor of Junction City, said that it is a great opportunity for elected officials in local government to gain experience in bigger State government.
“Every year – once a year – there’s a Government Day that is set aside, and that’s where the local government officials come to the Capitol and when you come [here] you get to visit your legislators…have an appointment with them, sit down, talk about any issues,” said Fitzgerald.
The day also gave local leaders an inside look at the bigger issues facing the entire State of Kansas.
“When you come to the higher level and you come with some experience from being at the local level, you have a better understanding when things are starting to be voted on – like the budget,” said Fitzgerald.
During a Mayor’s luncheon, Fitzgerald said that Representative Tom Phillips provided them with some startling realities regarding the bigger picture of State finances.
“He said, in the State of Kansas there are $6 billion dollars of sales tax exemptions that are on the books…it’s a long list of organizations, groups, companies that are on this exemption and he said on that list there’s about 15 of them that generate about 90% of that” said Fitzgerald.
Referring to products that go through a manufacturing process, Fitzgerald quoted Rep. Phillips in saying that it’s like a car plant building a vehicle and not paying sales tax on anything and then the consumer pays sales tax when they purchase that vehicle.
“And he said, our bridges and highways – when we have all that work done – those are tax exempt, but if they start taxing them then our cities and our counties, if we have to start paying that taxing on building bridges and highways, it would trickle down to the taxpayer, the citizen would end up having to pay that,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said representatives from the Kansas League of Municipalities, lobbyists for all of the 600+ cities in the State, were also in attendance to provide information to the local leaders regarding bills that they are supporting and how to get and stay in contact with legislators.
City Manager Allen Dinkel and Commissioner Jim Sands also attended Government Day.
Fort Riley and First Infantry Division Commanding General Joseph M. Martin provided a live update via teleconference from the Pentagon Wednesday morning on the state of affairs approximately 100 days in to Operation Inherent Resolve.
Martin, Commanding General of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command announced the partial liberation of a key city in the fight against ISIS.
“Last night after more than 100 days of tough urban combat, the government of Iraq and the Iraqi securities forces announced the liberation of Eastern Mosul…This is a monumental achievement for the Iraqi security forces and one that would have been a difficult task for any army in the world,” said Martin.
Martin predicts that the fight ahead in Western Mosul will be a challenge.
“Dash (terrorist threat) has had over two years to fortify it’s defensive positions and prepare its supplies for that defense…Dash continues to be a parasite, relentlessly exploiting the people and infrastructure – like hospitals, schools and mosques – despite the international laws protecting them, the important thing to remember is that the Iraqi security forces and every nation in this coalition are united with the goal to liberate Mosul and defeat Dash in Iraq,” said Martin.
With Eastern Mosul liberated 100 days in to the combined efforts with the First Infantry Division, it may seem like a matter of time before the West is won – Martin predicts that it won’t be an easy task.
“The Iraqis have made significant progress in retaking a city about the size of Philadelphia, in a fight that would be difficult for any army to execute,” said Martin.
Martin described the fight in Mosul, a city of about 1.2 million people, as some of the “hardest door to door fighting the world has seen in recent history”.
As a coalition force, Martin said that their role is to assist and advise the Iraqi forces to enable them to defeat the enemy.
The Fighting First took command of the the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command, Operation Inherent Resolve on November 17th, 2016 after a transfer of authority ceremony relieving the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, KY.
This is the second tour for the 1st Infantry Division in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Junction City High School will recognize BlueJay Wrestling Head Coach Robert Laster for his longtime dedication to JCHS athletics.
Laster has been the Head Coach of the wrestling program for 30 years.
The Blue Jays will host their annual Varsity wrestling tournament this Saturday, January 28th starting at 9:00am.
Following the tournament, there will be a reception for Coach Laster in the high school cafeteria. The community is invited to come to the tournament and join Coach Laster, his family and friends in the cafeteria after the tournament to celebrate his 30 years of coaching.
As a token of appreciation, Junction City High School will recognize Friday, January 27th as Coach Laster Day at the high school.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers with long term exposure in the United States – but what is it?
Julie Hettinger, Geary County Health Department Community Health Planner, said that radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is found in almost all types of soil.
“[It] can actually seep up through your foundation and into your home and that can put you and your family at risk…in our geology we have a lot of limestone so actually 1 in 4 homes in Kansas will test above the rates that they suggest, they’ll have elevated levels,” said Hettinger.
Winter months pose an additional threat as many homes don’t receive the outside airflow and ventilation that they would in the warmer months.
“In the Spring and Fall a lot of times you have your windows open and those types of things, so in the Winter your home is really closed off, so those are probably going to be the times that you have the highest radon count – so we want to know what that highest count is when you don’t have your doors and windows open,” said Hettinger.
Testing your home or soil for radon can be fairly inexpensive; according to Hettinger, short term (5 to 7 days) radon tests can be purchased from the Geary County Extension Office for about $6.
“The only way to know [if radon is present in your home] is to test it because you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, it doesn’t have a taste, so you have to do a test…and if your levels come back high, you can either do another test or kind of a long term test and at that point you probably want to start getting a professional involved,” said Hettinger.
The best way to test for radon is to get a reading from the lower level, not basement of your home.
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will interview four applicants for a vacancy on the board.
Board member Kim Milleson recently resigned, and four people have written letters of interest seeking to fill the seat. Their names were announced at the school board meeting on Monday. They include Heinrich Biggs, William Brooks, Matthew Holloway and Diana Dean.
The BOE will interview the candidates on Feb. 20 at Junction City Middle School and then make a decision on the appointment of one of the applicants to the board.
Sundown Salute is a huge project – too much for one person.
That’s the sentiment heard earlier today on JC Now on the Talk of JC from Sundown Salute Board President Nikki Londene.
“There definitely needs to be more than one person that can be not only accountable for dispersing the work load – but basically, instead of just putting it all on one person’s shoulders like we have in the past, we’ve kind of set up a plan to divvy up the work load…we feel like it’s going to make the organization work more effectively and we’re going to get a lot more accomplished,” said Londene.
Not only will one person no longer have the sole responsibility of everything Sundown Salute, but there will be group efforts in all aspects of the decision making process. There are several subcommittees that were formed for that reason.
“We have a fundraising committee, we have somebody who is working on just the musical talent and the entertainment, we do have somebody who is over the parade – well, we’re looking for somebody to be over the parade, we have one subcommittee that is just dedicated to vendors and handling that, we have somebody who is dedicated to advertising, we have somebody who is over the Veteran’s ceremony; so we’ve basically taken all of the events of that weekend and broken them down into committees,” said Londene. “So a few people can go and do the leg work on that and bring it back to the Board and we can all make decisions together.”
Gathering people to volunteer their time and efforts wasn’t difficult for the newly reorganized committee.
“[We’re] members of the community, obviously we love Junction City, we love the event itself – it does bring a lot of people into Junction City…so we didn’t want to see that die, and a lot of people have put a lot of work into this over the past 30 years so we wanted to continue the tradition,” said Londene.
Sundown Salute 2017 will run from June 30th through July 4th. Ottaway Amusements Carnival and park vendors will be present all five days; there is still uncertainty on entertainment and musical performers.
The Sundown Salute Board of Directors and committees will continue to work on fundraising as a long term effort.
