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Category: Local
Registration nearing at Museum for Time Traveler’s Camp
Registration opens June 11th for the Time Traveler’s Camp.
According to Geary Glimmers from the Geary County Historical Society, the three-day camp will be July 10-12 from 9 a.m. until noon.
Children ages 8-13 are welcome and the cost is $25.
Registration forms are available at the museum or via email.
Firefighters perform a big facilities upgrade
Junction City firefighters spent about one year undertaking a much needed remodeling of their living quarters on the second floor, plus the truck bay and office area at the Municipal Building. It is home to members of the JCFD when they are on-duty.
Fire Chief Terry Johnson said, “They’ve renovated the living area, the truck bays, the office area. They have made this building more useful and more efficient for firefighters to work here all day long. ”
Johnson estimated the cost of the project was about $140,000 for the materials. “When we started when the City was doing the plumbing rebuild we started with just a simple remodel of the kitchen, but we found mold in the walls. so we went ahead and did the whole thing. But the firefighters did the whole thing.” Johnson estimated it was probably about a $500,000 to $600,000 renovation and the city only paid about $170,000 for it.
Johnson said new improvements include a sleeping area, carpet, a kitchen with cabinets that were redone, new table in the kitchen area, chairs, lighting, and a radio system.
Youth wrestlers compete on the mats at the Shenk Gym
Youth wrestlers Kansas ranging in age from six to seniors in high school competed in the Greco-Roman and Freestyle invitational hosted by the Junction City Greco-Freestyle Club at the Shenk Gym at Junction City High School.
Club spokesman Mike Goodwin said wrestlers and their families traveled from as far away as Lawrence and Paola to Great Bend to compete in the tournament.”We hope to bring some attention to the sport and we’re glad that we brought some folks from all over the state to spend some money in Junction City today.”
There were 154 youth registered for the Freestyle competition and 130 for the Greco-Roman competition.
Good news for the new high school project and local property taxpayers
By USD 475
Geary USD 475 has received a federal Heavy Impact Aid payment that finalizes the $67 million escrow target used to fund the new Junction City High School project.
According to Marilee Fredricks, USD 475 Chief Financial Officer, “The money is deposited and invested. We have both achieved our goal while also earning interest on those escrow funds.”
During the bond campaign, the District said that principle and interest from the escrow account will comprise a significant portion of the bond payment. The State of Kansas provides matching funds equivalent to 40% with local tax proceeds making up a final seven percent of the bond payment. There will be no need for the District to raise its mill levy to support the construction of a new high school.
Hutton Construction is scheduled to receive the final set of construction documents from SJCF Architecture later this month, and will then issue a Request for Proposals to construct the new high school building and athletic fields. A final Guaranteed Maximum Price for the building and fields is scheduled to be presented to the Board of Education in mid-July.
Earthwork, paving and utilities work on the new high school is underway with a scheduled opening in August of 2021.
The big rains have created issues for the corn crop
The heavy rains of the past week have left water covering or standing in some fields.
Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said at mid-week there was corn in the ground that was flooding out. “If it’s not standing water it’s going to be saturated soil so it’s going to be dying. If the corn hasn’t been planted we’re almost too late for that. We’ve still got plenty of time to get soybeans in the ground. ”
A stretch of southeast Geary County was hit particularly hard with heavy rain and hail.
The weather forecast is drier for the coming week.
Hanging flower baskets go up in the 600 block of North Washington
A project initiated by Junction City Commissioner Phyllis Fitzgerald led to the placement of new hanging flower baskets in the 600 block of North Washington Street, downtown, on Thursday.
Volunteers assisted with the project.
Fitzgerald explained the baskets include red petunias that will get bigger spread out over time as the weather gets warmer, and should last until fall.
Clock & Bell Tower Celebration will be Tuesday
You can participate in the celebration of the C.L. Hoover Opera House Clock and Bell Tower Project.
Tuesday, May 14th, at 11:45 a.m. the community is invited to gather in the lobby of the Opera House. There will be recognition of major donors, refreshments, and then those in attendance can go outside for a 12 o’clock noon countdown.
David Seay, Manhattan, and Regulator Time did the work. Foundation and private donor funds paid for the project.
Promotions at the Geary County Sheriff’s Department
The new Geary County Sheriff, Daniel Jackson, has announced a series of promotions within the Department.
They include Captain Eric Coffman to Undersheriff, Lieutenant Martin Snyder to Major of Operations, Lieutenant David Gilbert to Captain of Administration and Technology Management, Lieutenant Reyan Rikorick to Captain of Patrol, Sergeant John Lytle to Patrol Lieutenant, Sergeant Nate Clement to Patrol Lieutenant and Shawn Weeks and Justin Greene are being promoted to the rank of sergeant.
Jackson took the oath of office for sheriff on Thursday. He will fill an unexpired term that runs until January of 2021.
New improvements and the Milford Lake Concert series at Acorns Resort
By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
The new Milford Lake concert series is scheduled at Acorns Resort at Milford Lake Friday and Saturday night.
Resort owner Mike Harris said Country Fest is occurring this weekend. It includes not only music but is also a camping festival. There will be two bands playing Friday night and five throughout the day on Saturday at a brand new amphitheater. “That’s kind of our festival grounds there. It’s always been designed. There’s 16 utility camp sites down there, and then there’s like a natural grassy area that goes to the amphitheater surrounded by trees. And then we built the stage down there.
Harris said it’s been part of the goals for the resort for a long time, and this will be the first big festival at the site. Seating is all outdoors, so if you’re attending the concerts bring your lawn chair or blankets. The concerts are scheduled 7 – 10 p.m. Friday evening and 2 – 10 p.m. Saturday. You can get tickets online at eventbrite.com or at the gate. Tickets are $10 for Friday only, $15 for Saturday only, or $20 for a Friday and Saturday combo. Food and beer vendors will be on-site, and no outside alcohol or coolers are allowed.
The lineup of bands includes the Mountain Deer Revival and Jaron Bell Band on Friday evening, and the Adam Capps Band, Callahan Band, Lucas Maddy, Kyle Kilgore and Amber Goldman on Saturday.
Other current or planned improvements at the resort included a floating breakwater that was finished last week, a planned add-on to overnight boat dock slips for the guests staying there, and some of the parking lots for “The Cove” and the conference center will be asphalted.
There will be a rock’n roll music festival at the resort the first weekend of August, and there will be a blues festival the first weekend of October.