Ton of E-waste collected at St. Mark’s Church
Barton County Landfill staff have been preparing for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collections and the Bicycle Rodeo as well as performing landfill operations, according to Solider Waste Director Phil Hathcock.
The Landfill collected 2,660 pounds of E-waste (electronic items) at a special collection with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and 251 pounds of HHW during the reporting period.
The Landfill has many good reuse items that have been recycled through the HHW program. Stop by and see if you can use any of these items; they are available at no cost. Visit www.bartoncounty.org for a listing of accepted items at the collections.
For questions regarding recycling, Household Hazardous Waste or regular household waste, call the landfill 620-793-1898.
Barton County departments are asked to submit a bi-weekly activity report of statistical information or a summary of services. The following information was presented Monday to the Barton County Commission.
Barry McManaman, County Engineer
• The technician provided inspection and testing for Venture cold mix production.
• Discussions continued with the Kansas Department of Transportation and Kirkham Michael for High Risk Rural Roads Signing project funding and agreements.
• Met with landowners and township officials at two locations in Great Bend township where ditch cleaning work is needed.
• Looked at a drainage pipe request with a landowner.
• Looked at two drainage issues in Great Bend township.
Dale Phillips, Road and Bridge / Noxious Weed / Memorial Parks
Road and Bridge
• Staff performed asphalt patching, sign work, mowing and equipment maintenance as needed. • Asphalt work was performed on NE 30 Road installing a turn lane east of the college.
• Bridge crews installed and/or cleaned culverts as requested.
• Emergency work as a result of the May 23-27 storms included removing downed trees.
Noxious Weed
• Staff continued with roadside and musk thistle spraying as the weather allowed.
• Vehicle maintenance was performed.
• Customer contacts on noxious weeds.
Memorial Parks
• Staff marked graves and memorial markers.
• Mowing contractor tried performing required duties before Memorial Day, but was hindered by heavy rains.
Phil Hathcock, Solid Waste Director
• 1,035 tons of municipal solid waste
• 269 tons of construction/demolition Waste
• 133 tons of special waste
• 627 loads of waste received for disposal
• $53,130.96 of revenue generated through disposal fees
Amy Miller, Emergency Risk Manager
Barton County Emergency Management became a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this spring. The WRN Ambassador is an initiative to build community resilience for extreme weather events. WRN Ambassadors are partners with not only NOAA but also the National Weather Service and work to encourage and educate individuals to become “weather-ready” to promote disaster preparedness. By working together, the partnership is structured to empower communities, businesses, and people to be better informed and make decisions that can be life-saving and prevent or limit devastating economic losses.
Miller participated as an evaluator at a recent tabletop exercise at Pawnee Valley Hospital, Larned. Exercises provide the opportunity to work with emergency response agencies and community service providers, in this case Barton County’s neighbor to the west, Pawnee County, to discuss their plans and procedures for responding to emergency situations and make informed decisions on how to improve those plans.
Dena Popp, Deputy 911 Director
• The department is being prepped for the installation of new carpet. Storage is being organized to become more functional.
• Abbey’s Carpet was re-contacted about the carpet project. The carpet is on back order.
• Policies and procedures are being updated, awaiting final approval of the director.
• The 2017 budget request is being prepared.
• Two new employees started on May 16.
• The Kansas Highway Patrol, on behalf of the State of Kansas, conducted a Technical Security Audit. A few minor issues were discovered and are being remedied.
• Employees assisted the Great Bend Police Department on Active Shooter training.
• NG911 Update. Participated in a conference call with AT&T, the Kansas Coordinating Council and AirBus on May 31. NG911 installation to start on July 24. Training will take place Aug. 2-5. Anticipated go-live date is Aug. 11.
• Several employees attended training.
• Two towers were reported as being unusable. Mobile Radio was contacted and repairs have been made.
Barb Esfeld, County Appraiser
The Appraiser’s Office personnel have begun the 17 percent re-inspection pursuant to K.S.A. 79-1476. This year, personnel are reviewing properties located in Pawnee Rock and parts of Great Bend. Also included in this year’s inspection will be Pawnee Rock, Liberty, South Bend, and Comanche Townships.
Properties that have sold recently and/or have building permits will also be re-inspected.
The staff will have nametags and will be in county marked vehicles.
Contact the Appraiser’s Office with any questions or concerns at 620-793-1821 or email the Barton County Appraiser at appraiser@bartoncounty.org.
Kevin Wondra, County Treasurer
The Treasurer’s Office processed a total of 1,630 motor vehicle transactions between May 19 and June 1, 2016. Of those, 1,174 were renewals for vehicles and 231 were new titles. In the past two weeks, personnel have renewed or registered seven commercial vehicles.
At this time, 77 tracts are on the tax sale. Staff is working to collect monies owed to avoid the sale.
The bookkeepers are in the process of reconciling the bank accounts. All daily work is current.
