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August 2019 weather summary has been compiled for Geary County

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By Chuck Otte
JC Post
In late winter, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) of the National Weather Service forecast that the summer season in Kansas would be cooler and wetter than normal. June was just slightly cooler than normal. July had below average rainfall. But August was cooler and much wetter than normal. So when you put the June, July and August totals together, the CPC nailed the forecast!
Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said the average daily high during August was 83.2, 5.7 degrees below normal. Once again though the average overnight low was 66.8, 1.2 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 75 degrees, 2.3 degrees below normal. The highest temperature for the month was 96 degrees on the 20th. In fact, there were only three days during August with temperatures of 90 or above. On average, August will have 13 days with temperatures of 90 or higher. The lowest temperature for August was the morning low of 56 on the 27th. There was one temperature record set during August. The high of 72 on the 7th broke the record low high temperature for that date. The previous record was 73 set in 2016. The hottest August on record was in 2000 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 85 degrees. The coldest August on record was in 1981 when we had a chilly monthly mean of 71.5 (followed by a record early frost on September 17, 1981 with an official temperature of 31 degrees!)
Average rainfall for August is 3.96 inches. Milford Lake recorded 8.66 inches during the month and Junction City received 7.42 inches. Year to date Junction City has received 33.25 inches, Milford Lake 34.95 inches. Average annual rainfall is 33.15 inches. Keeping that average annual rainfall number in mind, from September 1, 2018 through August 31, 2019, Milford Lake recorded 51.76 inches of rain. The 12 month period prior to that (September 1, 2017 through August 31, 2018) Milford Lake received 20.95 inches of rain.
September brings the official start of autumn, noticeably cooler temperatures, on average, and declining rainfall as we move out of the wet summer season. Average daily highs start the month at 87 and by the end of the month are down to 75. Overnight lows on September 1 are 63 degrees but by the 30th are down to a jacket worthy 49 degrees. While not normally expected until later in October, there is always a chance for frost in the waning days of the month. Average September rainfall is 3.28 inches.

“Working” is set for the Little Theater stage Thursday through Sunday

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The next Junction City Little Theater production, “Working A Musical” involves the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people. The show is scheduled Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

Co-Director Mary Louise Stahl said it’s about anyone who has a job, ever had one or hopes to have one. “It’s a lot of songs and dances, you’ll laugh you’ll cry and you’ll be happy with yourself.”

Erin Avera portrays a third grade teacher in the show. “It’s kind of showcasing this teacher’s discovery of how the times have changed, and how she as a teacher is having a hard changing with the times. It’s her exit monologue. It’s her good-bye to her classroom but in a very hey, no one’s teaching me how to do this kind of way.”

Joshua Childs portrays a steel worker in the show. “He talks about he’s a laborer which is something not too common now-a-days. He says he’s a dying breed. He talks a lot about hard he works, especially for his family.”

The Junction City Little Theater is bringing the show back from 2003 with this new and revised version. Get tickets at the Opera House by calling 785-238-3906.

Junghans State Farm participates in Bucks for Buckles

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( L-R ) Corrine Fehr and LaDonna Junghans

Junghans State Farm hands out Bucks for Buckles for those who buckle up. To help reward drivers who are correctly buckled and to educate those who are not, LaDonna Junghans, agent, and team member Corrine Fehr, greeted people at Handy’s and Stacey’s this past week.

Dollar bills were handed out to passing drivers who were buckled up correctly, and safety literature was given to those who were not.

Bucks for Buckles is an annual program of Safe Kids Kansas sponsored by ongoing grants from State Farm. The program puts the spotlight on seat belt safety each year around Labor Day.

Deputies respond to rollover accident

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Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to mile marker 312 westbound I-70 for a rollover injury accident at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Department reported that Dennis W. Roeser, Denver, Colorado,was driving a 2005 Honda Element. The vehicle left the roadway to the right and rolled multiple times. Roeser appeared to have minor injuries and was released from the scene by EMS. The vehicle was removed by Gross Wrecker.

Commissioner Fitzgerald makes a barn quilt presentation to a Gold Star family

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Junction City Commissioner Phyllis Fitzgerald presented a barn quilt that she designed and painted to Dena Yllescas-Johnston and her family on Labor Day.

Yllescas-Johnston’s husband served his entire career in the Big Reg One, deploying twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan he was severely wounded from stepping on an IED. He was medevaced to Landstuhl and then to Bethesda where he later passed away.

The Commander of the local VFW Post 8773, Brian Coleman, was in attendance. He told the family that a grateful nation thanks them and that we will never forget.

Two Junction City firefighters will assist with Hurricane Dorian response

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( L-R ) Firefighters Adam Powers and Jason Lankas

Junction City firefighters Adam Powers and Jason Lankas will assist the Kansas Task Force Groups with a deployment to the Florida region to assist in operations as needed in response to Hurricane Dorian.

Junction City Fire Chief Terry Johnson said Lankas, a firefighter / AEMT and Powers, a firefighter / EMTP were tasked to assist the Task Force Group from Kansas following a request from the State Fire Marshal’s Office. They will be joining personnel from Manhattan, Topeka, Wichita and other regions of Kansas.

In the time of disasters the Task Force Groups are called to assist with specialty services such as technical rescue for entrapment in structures, water rescues and specialized services including Hazardous Materials Response, Grain Entrapment Rescue, Confined Space Rescue or Ice Rescue Responses.

The Junction City Fire Department is a member of the Kansas Task Force Two, the Northeast Homeland Security Regional response team. Members of the task force are trained in structural collapse, rope rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue and wide area search.

Busy public meeting slate on Tuesday

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Geary County Office Building

Three governing bodies will be in session in Junction City on Tuesday.

The Geary County Commission will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the County Office Building. The commission will discuss a conditional use permit for the construction of a cell phone tower with Planning & Zoning Director Troy Livingston at 11 a.m. The Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended that the request by Florida-based BRT to put a 300-foot tall cell phone tower on the east side of Milford Lake approximately four miles north of Junction City.

The Board of Education will be in session at 6:30 p.m. at the Devin Center. Among the agenda items are recommendations on a salary study, and for the 2019-2020 wage increase for classified and salaried employees.

The City Commission will consider a request to change City code to allow chickens in residential backyards. One request was submitted from a resident on Deer Trail who wants to raise chickens. The request was for a maximum of six chickens to be allowed with no crowing fowl. It was noted that is similar to other towns. the commission meets at 7 p.m. at 701 North Jefferson.

 

Chapman enjoys a good parade on Labor Day

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( l-R ) Trudy and Lyle Barker

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Trudy and Lyle Barker served as the grand marshals for the Labor Day parade in Chapman. It was the 110 annual Labor Day celebration in that Dickinson County community.

Trudy said they have been involved in community activities. “He’s active with the Lions Club and the Senior Center. I’m active with the Quilt Shop and the church, and all the things that go along with those two activities.”

Trudy grew up on a farm near Chapman and she and Lyle moved back that farmstead two miles south of the city in 1997. It was an honor to be named grand marshals, said Trudy. “It’s always an honor to be recognized as a community leader, so yeah, we’re honored.”

The theme for the parade was “To the Moon and Back.” Ironically Lyle has actually mapped the moon in his former job as a cartographer with the Defense Mapping Agency. “Once upon a time many years ago we got an assignment to map the moon. ” He noted there wasn’t a lot to map. “There’s not much on the moon. There’s no cities, there’s no roads or anything like that so it was kind of a boring assignment once we got into it.” But as it turns out it came in handy for a Chapman Lady parade story.

The Chapman Labor Day parade traveled through the center of the city Monday afternoon.

USD 475 working through the process to obtain a federal grant to help pay for a new elementary school on Post

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David E. Wild

There is progress in the effort to obtain a federal grant to help build a new elementary school on Fort Riley.

The Chief Operations Officer for USD 475, David Wild, said the Office of Economic Adjustment is scheduled to be here for a briefing and tour of Ft. Riley on Sept. 10. Wild noted that is step two out of three steps in the approval process. “If everything goes well on the 10th the district will be invited to submit a formal proposal and application, and we’re expecting approval of that should it occur by the end of this calendar year.”

The new school would replace Jefferson Elementary that was closed at the end of the last school year. If the new school is approved it would be built on the same site as the former school. Wild also referred to nearby Morris Hill Elementary which is near the end of its’ useful life. “Should we be fortunate in receiving approval of the replacement of Jefferson then eventually we will probably also close Morris Hill Elementary, and the school we would be building would be adequate to cover both schools.”

The current projected cost estimate for a new elementary school is just under $30 million. Wild said it contains a price escalation factor in it. “If approved we’ll do the full design development in calendar year 2020, construction will take place in calendar year 2021 and we will probably open it up in January 2022.”

USD 475 officials are holding $6 million in the district’s capital outlay account to pay a  20-percent matching cost on the project. The remainder of the funds would come from the federal grant, if approved. There would be no increase in the property tax levy.

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