The latest USDA Crop Condition Report for Kansas shows that fall crops are doing well heading into the fall harvest season. Corn conditions in the state rated 8-percent excellent, 36 good, 28 fair, 17 poor and 11-percent very poor. Locally, Great Bend COOP Seed Manager Jeff Mauler says the crop remains in pretty good shape.

Jeff Mauler Audio

The USDA report also indicated that 36-percent of the crop was mature, ahead of the 28-percent a year ago and the 21-percent average with just 6-percent of the crop harvested. Mauler expects that to change once things dry out.

Jeff Mauler Audio

Soybean condition rated 4-percent very poor, 11 poor, 36 fair, 41 good, and 8 excellent while Sorghum condition rated 2 percent very poor, 6 poor, 26 fair, 52 good, and 14-percent excellent.

The City of Great Bend dropped over $31,000 to have a firm from Kansas City conduct a compensation study on all city employees. The study found that there were employees, mostly firefighters, which needed their salary increased to meet the market minimum. The Great Bend City Council approved a motion to improve compensation issues starting January 1, 2019.

The study also showed Great Bend was behind other comparable-sized cities for vacation days and paid holidays. Human Resources Director Randy Keasling recommended the City Council pass increases to both vacation days and holiday days for city employees.

Councilmember Jolene Biggs was against the motion, stating there are issues with underfunded or not funded at all projects within the capital improvement plan.

Jolene Biggs Audio

Keasling says in an effort to make the City of Great Bend a “destination employer,” there needs to be steps taken to improve benefits to attract and retain workers.

At the end of August, Great Bend’s turnover rate was 14 percent. The turnover rate for the entire year of 2017 was 13 percent. Currently, 27 percent of the City’s workforce has reached the City recognized retirement age of 55 or over. Receiving pushback from a split City Council, Keasling stated the increased benefits are a piece to the puzzle to recruit and keep millennial-aged workers that value a work / personal life balance.

Randy Keasling Audio

The City Council voted 4-3 to approve the proposed vacation and holiday policies. (Dan Heath, Cory Urban, Joel Jackson, and Andrew Erb voted in favor of the increase. Biggs, Brock McPherson, and Vicki Berryman voted against the measure). It costs over $28,000 per day to fund the salaries for the more than 150 City employees.

City employees will now receive two additional paid holidays, taking their total from eight to 10. President’s Day and Christmas Eve were added. Barton County employees receive 11 paid holidays. The vacation accrual rate was also increased earlier in employees’ careers.

The SRCA Dragstrip was recently notified that because of rain in Earlville, Iowa, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was looking to move a 2018 Lucas Oil Regional race to Great Bend. SRCA Board of Directors President Hank Denning accepted the offer and will add the event to the busy week of Great Bend Airfest, where there is already a Lucas Oil Points Race at the dragstrip.

That is the good news. The bad news is the dragstip is falling apart, and two high-profile events could put the track out of commission for a while.

Hank Denning Audio

The track was paved in 2000, and it was grounded and polished in 2012 because the SRCA did not have funds to repave the track at the time.

Denning says, like any street in town, the dragstrip has surpassed its lifespan and needs to be repaved. Since 2009, the SRCA has spent over $2.4 million in expenses at the facility.

Denning pleaded to the Great Bend City Council Tuesday night to establish a maintenance fund for the dragstrip and the rest of the Great Bend Expo Complex grounds. Denning suggested establishing fees for the different entities that use the facilities throughout the year.

Hank Denning Audio

The SRCA signed a new five-year contract in April to lease the track from the City with an annual fee of $10,000.

Denning called out the Kansas National Guard Armory that has a station near the Expo Complex. The Armory’s large vehicles have also caused damage to cement and asphalt. It was stated that the Armory pays $1 a year to lease the facility.

Denning says he received a quote from two companies two years ago that estimated the cost to repave just the track with concrete. The first company quoted $1.5 million and the second calculated the cost at $870,000.

City Administrator Kendal Francis said City staff will work with the SRCA to maintenance the track the best they can to get by for the races during the final week of the month. Going forward, Francis says administration will look into establishing a maintenance fund.