One of the biggest trip generators for the ATA Bus public bus transportation service in Junction City involves the transport of students to Junction City High School.
According to ATA Bus Director Anne Smith they have been in discussion with USD 475 officials in 2018 about the prospect of a partnership with the Freshman Success Academy, the career academy campus at JCHS and potentially in the future, Junction City Middle School. “Where they could, students could ride the bus and they ( USD 475 ) would provide funding to us to meet our local match.”
Smith noted back in August ATA Bus began allowing students to ride the buses at the fixed route stops for free. “I can tell you that between the high school and the freshman academy ridership just at those locations has increased 297%.” Smith added it was a bit of surprise that there had been so dramatic increase.
ATA Bus operates three fixed routes in Junction City from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and there is also a demand response service available. The cost of a ride on a bus is $1 and for those who qualify 50-cents. Those who are disabled, over 60, or meet income guidelines can qualify for the 50-cent rate.
Geary County Fish & Game Association is collecting Christmas Trees once again this year to be used for fish structures in Milford Lake.
Board Member Larry George said the Association has been collecting and placing trees for wildlife and fish habitat in the Junction City area for over 30 years. These trees will be tied in groups of 6 to 8, weighted, and sunk in marked locations to provide fish attracting habitat.
When you take down your tree you can place it at the collection point at the corner of 14th & Jackson in Junction City in the empty lot, but not later than 18 January. Remove all decorations. No artificial trees and no trash are allowed.
This annual effort by the Association saves landfill space and improves the local outdoors environment. Trees will be loaded up and moved to Milford Lake starting at 9:00 a.m. on 19 January. Lots of trucks, trailers, and strong arms are needed for this project, so if you want to help out everyone is welcome!
Alliance Property Management, one of the largest property management companies in the Flint Hills region, has acquired Emerald Property Management.
Brice Ebert, vice president of Alliance Property Management, commented about the opportunity to obtain such a valued local business. “This partnership will further establish our presence and help breed success in an exceedingly competitive market. We were fortunate to complete this acquisition with such a highly respected and professional company as Emerald Property Management. The reason Emerald chose to pass on their more than 15 years-worth of quality relationships to Alliance is because our two companies offer almost identical approaches when it comes to property management and the highest quality level of service. At this point, we’re fully equipped to handle the increased workload.”
The acquisition, which will finalize on January 1, 2019, expanded Alliance’s portfolio in the Manhattan, Wamego, Junction City and Ogden areas – swelling the company’s property management portfolio by 38 percent. To keep up with the strong business growth, Alliance restructured its property management team.
“Emerald’s staff will transition to Alliance and the combined forces will provide a breadth of professional expertise. We’ve put together a dedicated team for each area of service that understand real estate and managing someone’s asset. This allows us to provide high-quality and cost efficient property management services to all of our clients,” explained Rachel Ebert, human resource manager for Alliance Property Management.
To inquire about Alliance’s acquisition of Emerald Property management, or any of the property management services available, contact Alliance at ( 785 ) -539-2300 or alliance@alliancemhk.com.
The January Hands On History program at the Geary County Historical Museum January 9th will be a birthday bash. You can celebrate Kansas statehood and discover why Junction City’s earliest residents decided to settle here.
The times for the program are 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. There will be birthday cake.
2018 saw us bid farewell to Laverne and the Bandit, the Queen of Soul and Mrs. Garrett. Newsday has compiled a list of the celebrities who died in 2018.
The annual reorganization of the Junction City Commission is Wednesday evening. The governing body will meet at 7 p.m. at the City building at 701 North Jefferson.
The commissioners will elect a mayor and vice mayor from among their ranks to serve a one-year term. The mayor will also make appointments to other public boards and committees.
Members of the USD 475 Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Dr. Beth Hudson participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Junction City High School.
2018 featured a number of news related developments in Junction City, Geary County and Fort Riley. Here is our list of our Top 10 selections.
1. USD 475 officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new Junction City High School.
2. For the first time in several years blue green algae was not a problem at Milford Lake. There were no blue green algae watches or warnings. Visitation at the lake was up in 2018.
3. A new superintendent of schools, Dr. Reginald Eggleston, was hired for USD 475. The new superintendent will come to USD 475 after serving in education positions in the state of Alabama.
4. Weather developments were strange.The summer drought produced high temperatures, and ruined much of the local wheat crop. In the fall heavy rains prevented some harvesting and planting of crops. Extension Agent Chuck Otte reported that the county had 50% of normal rainfall for the first six months of the year, and 159% for the latter six months.
5. USD 475 received notification from the federal Office of Economic Adjustment that the school district could proceed on applying for funding for a new elementary school at Fort Riley. The new school will be built to replace two existing schools, Morris Hill and Jefferson Elementary. The federal government will pay 80% and USD 475 20% of the cost.
6. The K-18 overpass above U.S. 77 opened, enhancing traffic flow on the west side of Junction City.
7. The Blue Jay football team defeated Manhattan 9-7 in their rivalry game. The winner gains possession of the Sportsmanship Trophy for one year.
8. Salina Regional Health Center decided not to enter into a merger with Geary Community Hospital. That leaves GCH searching for another potential partner.
9. Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf was arrested on suspicion of Felony Theft for allegedly giving a county-owned firearm to a third party, and for the misdemeanor allegation of misuse of public funds. Wolf is awaiting a preliminary hearing that is scheduled January 17th, 2019 in the case.
10. 107.9 FM / 1420 KJCK implemented a new radio format featuring classic hits music, local news and information, ABC news, features from different organizations in the community and local regional sports broadcasts. The new programming replaced a news / talk format.
🍎If you’re celebrating New Year’s Eve in the Little Apple with 10,000 of your closest friends, make sure you take a look at the road closure map below.
🎉Interior roadways in Aggieville (Moro from North Manhattan to N 10th St.) will be closed to vehicle traffic.
Seven members of the public worked on Saturday to pick up trash along East Chestnut Street in Junction City. City Commissioner Phyllis Fitzgerald coordinates cleanup efforts of this type.
Fitzgerald reported that they picked up two large 33 gallon bags of trash, two boxes, and large containers, and one 33 gallon bag of recyclables that included plastic cans, bottles, rubber and metal.
Fitzgerald works regularly to keep East Chestnut Street clean.
