BOARD OF BARTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Agenda Meeting
Monday, June 11, 2018 – 9:00 a.m. until Close

I. OPENING BUSINESS:
A. Call Meeting to Order.
B. Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
C. Consider Approval of the Agenda.
D. Consider Minutes of the May 21, 2018, the May 29, 2018, and the June 4, 2018, Regular Meetings.
E. Any citizen wishing to make statements during the discussion of any item must first be recognized by the Commission Chair. After being recognized, that person should state their name and the name of any organization represented. Statements should be limited to five minutes.
F. Cell phones and other electronic devices, other than those used by the media and law enforcement, should be shut off.

II. APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATIONS:
-An Accounts Payable Register will be submitted to the Commission for the period of May 29, 2018, and ending June 11, 2018.

III. OLD BUSINESS – Items tabled, or scheduled, from previous Commission Meetings, will be heard at this time.
-There is no Old Business at this time.

IV. NEW BUSINESS – All new business to be considered by the Commission will be heard at this time.

A. COUNTY ENGINEER: Supplemental Agreement No. 2 for Emergency Relief Federal Aid Road Construction, Agreement No. 38-16, KDOT Project 5 C-4817-01-02-03-04-05-06-07:
-Barton County experienced damage to various roads and bridges after flooding in May and June, 2015. Both the County and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) approved Agreement No. 38-16 for funding to cover repair costs. The County’s estimate of costs was $133,635.52. Of that amount, $107,625.85 has been covered by federal funds to date. KDOT requests that the County approve Supplemental Agreement No. 2, raising the reimbursement to $116,031.00. Barry McManaman, County Engineer, will provide details.

V. ENDING BUSINESS – After new items are heard by the Commission, the following
items, including announcements, will be heard.

A. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-Following the close of the Agenda Meeting, the Commission will consider the
authorization of personnel changes, sign any documentation approved during
the agenda meeting or sign any other documentation required for regular
County business. Similar action may take place throughout the day.

B. APPOINTMENTS: JUNE 11, 2018
-Subject to change, the following appointments have been scheduled:
9:30 a.m. or following the Close of the Agenda Meeting – Regular Business
Discussion – Phil Hathcock, County Administrator, and Donna Zimmerman,
County Clerk
9:45 a.m. – Additional Anti-Malware Licenses – John Debes, Information
Technology Director
Budget Meetings
10:00 a.m. Public Health
10:30 a.m. County Attorney
11:00 a.m. Fire District No. 1
11:15 a.m. Ambulance Services
1:15 p.m. County Engineer
1:30 p.m. The Center
1:45 p.m. Barton County Historical Society
2:15 p.m. Conservation District
2:30 p.m. Golden Belt Humane Society
3:00 p.m. District Court
THE COUNTY EDITION, KVGB-AM – Thursdays at 11:05 a.m. Phil Hathcock,
County Administrator, is scheduled for June 14, 2018.

VI. OTHER BUSINESS:
A. Discussion Items.
B. Citizens or organizations may present requests or proposals for initial
consideration.
C. The Commissioners are available to the Public on Mondays during regular
business hours.
D. The Commissioners may, individually, schedule personal appointments
related to County business at their discretion.
E. The next Regular Meeting will be at 9:00 a.m., Monday, June 18, 2018.

VII. ADJOURN.

BUSINESS NEWS

Story and Photos by Micah Oelze

Restocking paper goods at Great Bend Head Start daycare was a cross-town trip before Barton Community College got involved.

Head Start contacted Matt Mazouch, Barton’s Carpentry Instructor at Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility after seeing an ad for storage sheds. Larned Correctional Facility inmates construct the sheds through Barton’s Building Academic Skills in Correctional Settings (BASICS) carpentry class. The class teaches inmates how to frame a floor, walls, a roof, etc.

“The best application [of these skills] for a real-life situation is a storage shed. The unfortunate thing is it is hard to get companies to move them once we have sold them,” Mazouch said. “We decided, maybe we can build a shed you can take apart in seven pieces: two roof pieces, four walls and a floor.”

Mazouch and his students were able to begin production with Head Start’s purchase of the materials. Mazouch’s students built two sheds for Head Start: one of the sheds is for the Great Bend location and the other for Larned.

“It took maybe six weeks of me teaching them how to build, then we tore it apart in 20 minutes and loaded it on a trailer,” he said. “The next week, here I am here with some volunteers putting it back together.”

The shed stood complete in just over an hour with the help Mazouch received from a crew of volunteers from Head Start who assisted in assembling the shed piece-by-piece.

Mindy Evans, the Center Director and Half-Day Teacher for Head Start in Great Bend, expressed her gratitude to all those involved in helping make this a reality.

Mazouch said his job working with inmates is rewarding, as his influence could be the difference between a life as a productive citizen, or returning to prison.

“I have had a lot of support from the facility, and it is really neat working with these guys,” he said. “Some of them have never had a job; this gives them the basic know-how to begin a career in the trades.”

For more information, contact Barton Instructor Matt Mazouch at mazouchm@bartonccc.edu.

RICE COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 7:30a.m. Friday in Rice County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Peterbilt semi driven by Alex Lee Ropp, 23, Inman, was westbound on U.S. 56 two miles west of Chase. The semi rear-ended a 2015 Freightliner semi driven by Jude Matthew, 56, Hiram, GA., that had slowed to turn north on 6^th Road.

Matthew was transported to the hospital in Lyons. Ropp was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

written by: Rip Winkel – Horticulture Agent, Cottonwood Extension District

Soil, the substance that makes up the ground in which we walk, is often thought of and referred to as dirt. Actually, “dirt” is the substance that you sweep up off of the floor and then discard. Soil, however, can actually be regarded as a living organism.

To begin with, soil consists of three basic components; the component being 45% mineral particles (sand, silt or clay), the second is 50% pore space (for water and/or air), and the last is 5% organic material (decomposed vegetable and animal matter). These three components will vary in percentages according to its mineral make up, its age, location, etc., of any given soil.

What is intriguing is that within these 3 components, a team of life exists in the forms of both micro- and macro-organisms. Micro-organisms found in soils for the most part consists of bacteria, but there is also fungi, algae, and protozoa to be found. Macro-organisms on the other hand may include earthworms, nematodes, slugs and snails, and various insects, like millipedes, pill bugs, spiders, mites, and the like. These organisms sustain life both below and above ground.

Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es in their book “Building Soils for Better Crops” described soil as a diverse community of over 100,000 living organisms. Bacteria, fungi, insects, and even small animals like moles all play an important role in the soil ecosystem and in plant health. Soil organisms, whether they be small or large, keep ecosystems in balance, move nutrients around, break down organic matter, make nutrients available and aerate the soil. For examples, earthworms may not seem important to soil health, but they are one of the most important soil organisms.

According to Magdoff and van Es, earthworms can create 800,000 underground channels per acre of soil that allow water to reach greater depths and provide more efficient infiltration rates during rain events. Earthworms are also remarkably good at moving soil particles. They state that in a 1 acre area, earthworms can move 1,000 tons of soil per year. That is a lot of soil for such a little critter.

Click this link (https://bit.ly/1MiGJT5)to view a fun and informative short video called “Soils Are Living” from the Soil Science Society of America as part of their 2015 Year of Soils effort. If you want to read more about soil organisms, follow this link (https://bit.ly/2x31l2N) to the “The Living Soil” chapter in “Building Better Soil for Better Crops.”

BOOKED: James C. Skinner Jr. on Reno County District Court warrant for failure to appear with a bond of $250 C/S.

BOOKED: Ryan Lang of Great Bend on Barton County District Court serve sentence.

BOOKED: Jonathan Scothorn of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation, no bond.

BOOKED: Matthew Sanderson of Larned on BTDC warrant for probation violation, no bond.

BOOKED: Antonio Brison of Ellinwood on GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $2,058.50 cash only or 175 days in jail. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $1,140.50 cash only or 60 days in jail.

BOOKED: Martin Martinez of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for probation violation, bond set at $1,258.32 cash only and BTDC warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $500 cash only.

BOOKED: Travis Watkins of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for contempt, bond is set at $1,085 cash only. GBMC warrant for contempt, bond set at $1,017.50 cash only. GBPD for interference with LEO, bond is set at $1,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Juvenile of Holyrood on BTDC case for distribution of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, illegal turn.

RELEASED: Juvenile of Claflin on BTDC case for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, no bond.

RELEASED: Jeremy L. Hood on Barton County District Court warrant to KDOC.

RELEASED: Christopher M. Hughes on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant with a serve sentence.

RELEASED: Maisha Allen on Barton County probation serve sentence.

For the second straight year, the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce is putting together a day of entertainment to welcome everyone into summer. The “Rock Into Summer” festival is Saturday, June 9 at Bicentennial Park in Hoisington.

Chamber Director Karen Baldyga says there will be a cornhole tournament, barbeque, beer, and music by Ronnie & The Rockets.

Karen Baldyga Audio

The event is from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Registration for the cornhole tournament starts at 3 p.m. with the tournament beginning at 4 p.m. The cost to register is $40 and you need a partner.

Greg Orman spent much of Thursday visiting with business and community leaders in Great Bend. The Independent Kansas Governor candidate attended the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Coffee Hour, a ribbon cutting at Barton Community College, and met with multiple businessmen and businesswomen throughout the afternoon.

Orman noted one of the challenges in a community like Great Bend is creating jobs to keep younger people in town.

Greg Orman Audio

Orman is a business owner and entrepreneur that unsuccessfully ran for a position on the U.S. Senate in 2014, losing to Senator Pat Roberts.

Orman says to build Great Bend and the rest of Kansas, the State needs to focus on its major strength…distribution.

Greg Orman Audio

Orman also felt Kansas needs to promote its rural lifestyle. The State should not be ashamed of small towns and instead highlight the advantages of rural communities.