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Category: Local
32nd Annual Prairie Run coming to Fort Riley
NEWS RELEASE
Fort Riley’s 32nd annual 10-5-2 Prairie Run is Saturday, July 22 at King Field House. The event provides runners options of three different courses: a 10-mile, 5-mile or 2-mile race.
For active-duty Soldiers, the 10-mile race acts as a qualifier for Fort Riley’s team that will compete at the Army 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., in October.
Races of all distances are open to both military and civilian runners. These races are not fun runs, so no pets, strollers, baby joggers, skateboards, roller blades, motorized vehicles, bicycles or headsets will be allowed on the race course.
Registration is available online at riley.armymwr.com and currently costs $20. The deadline to register online is July 21. Runners can register on race day at King Field House, between 5 and 5:45 a.m.
For more information about the event, contact the Fort Riley Sports Office at 785-239-3724.
Two Milford Lake swim beaches to remain CLOSED due to blue green algae warning
The Corps of Engineers at Milford Lake have announced that the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) results from lake samples taken on Monday, July 10th have been received. Due to high blue green algae cell counts all zones of the reservoir, including Zones A, B and C are in a “Warning” status.
A “Warning” indicates that blue green algae is present at a level considered unsafe for people and animals. Contact with lake water should be avoided.
The designated swim beaches at the Corps of Engineers and Milford State Park will remain closed until next week’s test results are known. This does not prohibit swimming in other parts of the lake; lake goers are reminded to use caution.
Lake users are reminded that blue green algae may appear or disappear suddenly and move as the wind shifts; boaters should use caution and move to a clear portion of the lake.
German Youth Symphony Schedules Visit to Manhattan – Junction City Area during U.S. Goodwill Tour
The Ahrensburg Youth Symphony Orchestra will spend four days in the Manhattan – Junction City area from July 29-August 2. Recognized as the leading youth orchestra in northern Germany, the 63-member ensemble’s schedule will include performances at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City on Sunday, July 30 at 2:30 p.m. and KSU’s McCain Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 31.
In addition to their performances, which are free and open to the public, the orchestra will be interacting with students from the Manhattan and Junction City public school orchestra programs, and the Manhattan based Gold Orchestra.
According to Gold Orchestra Founder David Littrell, “this is a unique opportunity for orchestra students from our community to meet and play with their counterparts from another country. One of the highlights will be an open “side-by-side” rehearsal with American student musicians sitting next to German student musicians — two to a part.”
Members of the orchestra range in age from 14 to 24. They travel to a foreign country each year with previous stops in china, Finland, Scotland and Poland. Their tour is being arranged by Blue Lake International Exchange Program, dedicated to promoting peace and understanding through the universal language of the arts. In addition to the stop in Kansas the orchestra will also make stops in Memphis, Chicago and Lansing, Michigan.
The performance program in Manhattan and Junction City will be selected from the groups repertoire including Anton Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, Ralph Vaughn Williams English Folk Songs Suite, and a series of Broadway and movie themes. They are touring with 17 year old harp soloist julia von Grebmer, five time winner of the prestigious Jugend Musiziertin competition, who will perform the camille Saint-Saens, Morceau de Concert for Harp and Orchestra, and professional soprano soloist Sabrina Laney-Warren, who will perform select arias from Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and La Boheme.
The Ahrensburg Youth Symphony Orchestra’s residency in Manhattan is supported in part by BBN Architects Inc, Bramlage Family Foundation, Chuck and Susie Grier, Rock-a-Belly Deli, S & N design and the Kansas State University School of Music, Theater and Dance.
More than 2,000 Summer Meals Served to Children in Junction City
Junction City, KS – Live Well Geary County and community volunteers along with the Kansas Food Bank are partnering together this summer to provide meals for children in Junction City as part of the USDA Summer Food Service Program. So far this summer, 2,155 meals have been served in Junction City.
In addition, ConAgra Brands Foundation and Walmart have partnered with the Kansas Food Bank and is offering an incentive prize for all kids that participate in the meal program. Each day that a child comes to eat lunch, they will have the opportunity to enter into a drawing for a free bicycle. On the last day of meal service, The Live Well Geary County staff will draw two winners at each site. The bike will be purchased locally and specifically for the child who wins.
Meal service runs thru July 28th at each location:
Grandview Community Center
402 State Ave
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Playground Park
1001 W 5th St
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Dorothy Bramlage Library
230 West 7th St
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
113 West 5th St
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Regency Trailer Park
948 Grant Ave
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Children are required to eat their meal on site as part of the program. Free meals are available to all children ages 1 to 18.
July is also “Lunch Across Kansas” Month. With the goal of providing 400,000 meals in one month, Kansas Summer Food Service Program sites want to ensure children have access to healthy meals when school is out.
“Access to healthy meals during the summer ensure that children are ready to learn when school starts in August” stated Kelly Chanay, assistant director of KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness.
For additional information please contact the Kansas Food Bank at 316-265-3663.
Debi Kreutzman
Community Relations Manager
Kansas Food Bank
UPDATE: Water Main Break Repaired
1:45 pm
The water main break at West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive has been repaired. Water has been restored to affected areas.
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8:30 a.m.
Repairs continue on the W. 5th St. & N. Eisenhower Dr. water main. Residents is the area can expect periods of low water pressure and no water for the next 4 – 6 hours.
Water main break update
UPDATE:
Water service has been temporarily restored in the area West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive where a water main break occurred Wednesday afternoon. But service will have to be disconnected for the area served by the six-inch water line on Thursday.
Among the locations impacted by the loss of water service were a nearby car wash and the Junction City Municipal Swimming Pool. Ray Ibarra, City Public Works Director, felt dry conditions that currently exist probably caused the break. “When that happens sometimes the soil, it gets dry like that, and then it will just shrink away from the pipe. And when it does that it leaves a little gap between the pipe and the soil. And then you get some kind of hammer action in there and it will cause a break in the pipe.”
Ibarra confirmed the water line in the impacted area will have to be completely shut down Thursday morning so about 30 feet of pipe in the line can be replaced. “It’s in bad condition, it’s split all the way through there, so I’m going to have to cut it out and then replace that pipe in there.” That means that area including the Municipal Pool will be without water service for a period of time on Thursday, with Ibarra hoping the water can be turned back on after a four to six hour time frame. He said the work will probably begin about 8 or 9 a.m.
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The City of Junction City Public Works Department is reporting a water main break.
The break is in the area of West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive; periods of low water pressure or no water can be expected.
This water main break was first reported at 2:29 pm today – at 3:13 pm the City Public Works Department notified JC Post that water could potentially remain off in the affected area (above) until tomorrow morning.
Ray Ibarra, Public Works Director, said that crews have been working all day today.
“We typically do not go over 12 hours,” said Ibarra. “We do not want to endanger the personnel’s health in any way.”
This is the second water main break that crews responded to today. The first was in the South Madison Street and West Elm Street area – it has since been repaired.
“We usually shut down as long as it doesn’t affect the water treatment plant so we can keep the towers full.”
There are several different reasons water main breaks occur.
“Particularly right now, some of it could be because we haven’t had much rain and the soil is really dry; so the soil around that pipe would contract a little bit giving it a little gap, and if you get any hammer action of that sort it would cause a crack in the pipe and that’s when a water main break would occur.”
Ibarra noted that if anyone has any problems or concerns to call the Public Works Department at 238-7142.
“Until we get that line fixed, there is not much we can do.”
City of Manhattan Northview Park Pool closed due to chlorine release
The City of Manhattan is closing the Northview Pool until further notice.
At approximately 2:00 pm today, the Manhattan Fire Department and Riley County Emergency Medical Service were dispatched to 510 Griffith Drive, Northview Pool, for a report of a chlorine release. Crews arrived on scene to find multiple individuals suffering from skin and inhalation burns. Crews quickly determined the release was contained and there was no further threat to the public.
Eight pool staff members were in the pool at the time of the release and were transported by Riley County EMS to the hospital. Via Christi Hospital reported two additional walk-in patients.
No members of the public are believed to be affected since they were not in the water at the time of the release, according to a news release from the City of Manhattan.
Northview Pool experienced a lightning strike earlier this month that affected the chlorine controllers that release the chemical into the water. Equipment was replaced to maintain operation of the pool while permanent replacement parts are on order. That equipment did not perform as expected today, which caused the release, according to Manhattan Parks and Recreation Director Eddie Eastes.
Northview Pool will remain closed until further notice, according to the City of Manhattan.
City Pool closing early due to water main break
The Junction City Municipal Pool closed early today due to a water main break in the area of West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive.
Erica Howard, Municipal Pool Assistant Manager, said their water supply has been affected. “We don’t have water to run our restrooms or our concession stand, so we’re going to close the facility today at 4:00 pm.”
The City has given pool staff the go-ahead to close early. Public Works officials have reported that the water may not be restored until tomorrow morning; Howard said that if they still don’t have water when it is time to open they will close once again.
“I would just recommend that patrons call the facility and double check [that we are open] before coming,” said Howard.
The pool is open from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm daily; their phone number is 762-6422.
‘Walk and Talk’ with the Mayor, Friday July 14
Join Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald for a “walk and talk” Friday at 8:00 am.
The “walk and talk” is an opportunity for the community to meet their Mayor.
“The goal with walking and talking with the Mayor is the ability for any and all citizens to come out [and] walk with me, they can talk and share any issues or concerns or positive things,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s just a opportunity for anybody who wants to meet me if they haven’t met me before, or engage in conversation with me.”
Fitzgerald has hosted one “walk and talk” event previously to which she had some valuable conversation. “One of the ladies was talking about how in the past the School and City worked well together; and two high school kids were really interested in learning more about government and the City.” Since that talk with the high schoolers, they have been active in helping Fitzgerald with her weekly trash cleanup around various parts of the city.
Accessibility to citizens is one of the driving forces behind the “walk and talks” with the Mayor.
“I’m always accessible to the citizens that live here and [I want to] let them know that I’m approachable, they can come talk to me, they can call me and they email me,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m here for [them], they elected me to serve the community and them; this is another way that I feel that I am reaching out to the citizens here.”
At least a dozen people are expected to attend Friday morning. Those interested in joining the conversation are invited to meet in Heritage Park by the water fountain at 8:00 am on Friday, July 14th.