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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 |
Downtown Main Street was reduced to a blockaded pile of twigs, timber and rubble for a short time Sunday morning as city crews made initial preparations for the downtown streetscape project. 
A backhoe at his fingertips, Bruce Hurt was one of several city employees who helped tear down trees, demolish brick planters and remove light posts in the 500 block of Main Street, clearing the way for Orr Construction Management to blaze forward with the long-anticipated renovation project.
To help minimize any confusion and to make downtown businesses as comfortable as possible with the large-scale project, the city has scheduled a public meeting for 6 p.m. March 25 at Memorial Hall, 11th and Main streets, prior to the City Council’s monthly work session. The idea is to give concerned residents — specifically downtown business owners — a chance to speak with council members and the project contractor about the project, City Manager Bret Glendening said.
March 29 is the tentative start date for the project, but Glendening agreed with council members that the city will hold off on the official state date until after the meeting in order to best gauge public response.
“Our preference is to minimize the impact to downtown businesses,” Glendening said.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 |
Ever so slowly, the disheveled homeless man ambled through the aisles of the grocery store. 
With ratted hair, muddy clothes, dirty hands and paper-thin shoes, his bedraggled appearance stood in stark contrast to the expertly arranged, color coordinated shelves around him.
Carefully sidling by an unknown pair of customers, his eyes darted left, then right; his hand quickly shot out of his pocket, snatched a handful of sauce packets and expertly hid them.
They could be his only supper that evening.
Finally trudging to the end of the aisle, he fumbled with the machine in front of him, its fragrant aroma wafting through the air; his eyes full of hurt, his body begging for a warm drink, he diligently filled the foam cup, doing his best to see if anyone noticed he was there.
“CUT!” rang out the voice of Sharon Wright, cracking the steel focus of the crowd gathered behind the camera focused on Paul Campbell; congratulations and suggestions flew through the air as the film crew prepared for their next shot.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 |
A decision about gravel work at an Osawatomie business led to a rather rocky week for City Manager Bret Glendening.
Several residents were up in arms last week after rumors began circulating regarding city crews graveling a parking lot south of The Flood Zone and Sports Bar, 1102 S. Sixth St.
Owner Tony Savage said he approached Glendening about the possibility of contracting with city crews to gravel his lot after seeing city employees laying down fresh rock on various back alleys throughout town.
Public Works Director Steve Coffelt said crews were forced to begin alley-surface repair work earlier than usual because of recent heavy rains.
“They’re in pretty pitiful shape with the ground being soft like it is,” he said.
Savage said his lot was no exception, as it has turned into a soupy mix of mud and water. His request to contract with city crews, he said, was more one of convenience, since crews already were conducting repairs on an alley that runs along the north side of The Flood Zone.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 |
Ed Scheffer looked on with a long face Monday morning as a column of thick, black smoke billowed out of every opening in his barn. 
In the end, despite the efforts of Osawatomie volunteer firefighters, the structure at 32387 Plum Creek Road was a total loss.
The blaze began about 10:30 a.m. Monday, Scheffer said. It was only by chance he found out about the fire as soon as he did; several neighbors passing by noticed smoke coming from the barn and promptly notified Scheffer and his family. Fire trucks were dispatched at about 10:40 a.m., but by the time the blaze was under control, it was nearly too late. Scheffer and Fire Chief DuWayne Tewes estimated the total damage at $100,000 to $200,000.
The fire consumed two tractors, a swather, a baler, a mower and a four-wheeler, Tewes said, but it was the nearly 200 square hay bales that helped fuel the flames. Ultimately, he said, there was simply too much damage to determine the cause of the blaze.
Scheffer did his best to keep things in perspective, saying he was thankful that at least it was the barn that caught fire, not his house.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 |
While schools across Kansas scramble to make due in the midst of crumbling state funding, the news coming from Osawatomie USD 367 administrators is encouraging, considering the overall plight of the statewide education funding dilemma.
“We’re in fine shape; we’re OK,” Superintendent Gary French told the Board of Education on Thursday morning.
Overall, he noted, the district has managed to curb spending and expenses significantly since the 2008-2009 school year. While the district saw an unprecedented drop in state funding this year, officials have managed to spend a lower percentage of overall funds than last year. At this point, French said, the district should be able to make it into the next school year without dipping into cash reserves, which officials are attempting to save in case the state is forced to make further cuts or doesn’t deliver on funding promises.
Still, the district is far from out of the woods. At this point, French is concerned about ironing out final details for this year before even considering a glance ahead.
“We can’t talk about next year, because I honestly don’t think anyone knows,” he said.
Until then, however, USD 367 administrators will keep a close eye on the debate in Topeka. French touched on several proposals that would affect the district, specifically voicing a concern about a trend he sees in legislation pushing districts to gather funding from local property taxes. French said the district simply would not be able to fully fund itself on local property taxes, and requiring that would favor larger school districts, who would have a vested interested in such funding.
“The fact that it’s out there is concerning to me,” French said.
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