Henryk Damojski and one other person plan to arrive April 13. The gift from the city of Goessel is a quilted wall hanging that depicts scenes from Goessel, such as the importance of wheat and churches.
In his report to the council, Police Chief Joe Base said the department processed the theft of a vehicle, vandalism at the grocery store, one domestic call, one protection from abuse complaint, one suspicious person, stalking complaints, four arrests on warrants, multiple curfew warnings, one warning and one ticket for illegal driving on a restricted license, one open door on a door check and one dog that was picked up.
Base said he is planning a bicycle-safety clinic together with the Credit Union. It will be the first Saturday in May. The council authorized spending $200 for materials for the clinic.
Councilor Larry Lindeman commended Base for pulling someone out of the mud on country road 110th. Base was ready to go home for the day when he heard about the need for help. He used his own pickup truck to pull out the vehicle that was ?buried? in the mud one-half mile down the road. Base pulled the vehicle all the way to the highway. The county had refused to help.
In other business, the council:
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accepted a bid from Franklin McGuire for mowing the cemetery across the street from the city building. He has mowed it in the past. Goertzen said, ?That cemetery has never looked so good.?
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heard Councilor Jim Wiens commend public works director Karen Dickerson and Base for their work in the rain to fix a water leak at the southeast corner of Church and Main streets Friday evening, March 14. They had to wait three hours for a locator. Wiens complimented them for their good work and for their willingness to work in adverse weather conditions.
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approved the purchase of pumps up to $1,000. It was mentioned a small pump would have been nice during the water leak.
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heard Wiens say three water line valves need to be replaced.
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heard Councilor Larry Schmidt explain a request from high school English teacher Chrysta Guhr. Students in one of her classes were asked to write a paper discussing whether Goessel could benefit from a recreation center. Guhr had asked if the council would be willing to review the papers and offer comments. Schmidt volunteered. Others agreed to review the papers also.
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heard Dickerson say a broken pole had been taken down at the city park near the tennis court. The council approved the installation of 25-foot metal poles with 400-watt halogen lights with a 6-foot concrete slab. A timer for the lights was suggested.
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discussed various options to keep people from sitting on the tennis nets at the park.
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talked about mulch for the play area at the park but decided to put pea gravel over the mulch that is currently there. Mulch would cost $1,445 for the material, plus $1,100 to have it hauled in, whereas pea gravel costs $21.05 for a ton.
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heard that Councilor Schmidt had raked leaves at the park shelter house. The council viewed his plans for painting trim on the shelter house.
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reviewed the monetary incentive the city plans to give the first five homeowners who buy a lot and erect a house in the city of Goessel. Deputy city clerk Paula Flaming had worked on the wording with city attorney Bob Brookens. The council had suggestions for changes in the wording.
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heard Dickerson say that sewer cleaning will be scheduled.
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heard Dickerson say that the tornado sirens had been tested the previous week.
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heard that Donna Duerksen has resigned from the Goessel Task Force. Remaining members are Justin Schrag, Kelly Schrag, John Fast, Mayor Peggy Jay, Linda Peters and James Voth.
Councilor Rick Freeman wondered about the primary target of the task force. Jay responded, ?a water park.? Wiens said he had looked into acquiring a well. It would cost $600 to get the paperwork done.
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heard Jay mention the OWLS (Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site) nature area by the grade school. She said Goessel was one of the first to receive a grant for the project. She said grant money related to that might be available for a walking path.
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heard that Loren Johnson has resigned from the Threshing Days committee. A replacement is needed. The new person cannot be from the Engine Club or museum board.
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spent an hour listening to insurance agents from Ken Stucky Agency, Conrade Insurance and Alliance Agency. The council heard information on ?blanket? insurance, liability, workers compensation, terrorism, equipment and replacement insurance. Freeman noted, ?They basically cover the exact same thing.? The council accepted the low bid from Conrade.
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heard Goertzen had attended a City Clerks and Municipalities Finance Officers Association conference in Wichita recently. She said new audit standards require policies for everything. It will require a lot of extra work for city clerks.
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heard that each city in the county can appoint two people to the Marion County Economic Development Council. The city officially appointed Goertzen and Jay.
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heard that Base had attended training in Peabody for fake IDs.
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approved a three-day training seminar for Base in Emporia.
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heard that Dickerson planned to attend a school for maintenance of sand and rock roads March 20.
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heard that Goertzen and Jay plan to attend a personnel management conference in Conway Springs.
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heard that court clerk Paula Flaming plans to attend a court conference in Hutchinson April 4.
