KHF affirms $100,000 grant for Leadership Marion County

The Kansas Health Founda?tion took a look at the Leader?ship Marion County program, liked what it saw, and took an application that resulted in a $100,000 grant for the county, Teresa Huffman, county economic director, announced to the Marion County Commission Monday.

Half of the money will go into a health leadership program, and the other $50,000 will be used in yet-to-be-determined programs for Marion County children, perhaps through the schools, Huffman said.

Exactly how the money will be set is not yet decided, but it will be administered through the Central Kansas Community Foundation of which Huffman is a board member.

She also announced a state $4,000 grant for cultural arts and learning to be distributed through the Mennonite Heritage Museum at Goessel. Huffman said the grant specifically singles out concerns of people who are worried about losing Mennonite heritage.

But it is for county-wide use, she said, and could begin innovative programs such as young people teaching computer use to older people while the older people teach heritage back to the youngsters.

Commissioner Randy Dallke said he thinks the county commission needs to send a letter of thanks to the city of Marion for its offer of land and research done in the recently failed jail bond election. He said the commissioners need to consider whether the county should still buy the land involved in Batt Industrial Park from the city.

Commissioner Dan Holub, acting chairman in the absence of Commissioner Bob Hein, said he might favor building a jail extension on or near the courthouse grounds because federal money won?t be involved.

Holub explained that since Hurricane Katrina, federal money can?t be used for building in a flood plain, even when protected by a dike. But, doing a project on its own, the county could build on land protected by Marion?s dike.

Rollin Schmidt, transfer station, household hazardous waste and noxious weed director, said Marion County has received the signed, final contract with Butler County for taking the county?s solid waste to the Butler County landfill.

Schmidt will meet with Butler County officials to establish operating procedures. He will consider truck routes , too.

Schmidt said South Central Recycling of Newton and Goessel has sent a ?memo of understanding,? in lieu of a recycling contract with Marion County. He also has asked that the county sort and separate all recyclables.

Holub said there is too much to learn or foresee for a very long recycling contract.

Dallke asked that Schmidt review a contract with Sunoco at Hutchinson for a contract, although the company?s terms had called for a five-year agreement. He said the county should ask for just a one-year contract.

Dallke said that sorting recylabels could be an expensive project for the county.

Holub said the county doesn?t need to worry too much about what it will be paid for recyclables because the very first load out will amount to a $40 savings on what might have gone to a landfill instead.

The commissioners denied a grievance for forgiveness of penalties and interest on property taxes from a property owner at Marion County Lake who owed three years of taxes but said no notice was received for the first two years.

The commissioners approved County Appraiser Cindy Magill working with County Attorney Susan Robson in determining language to allow multiple additions to come under abatement on commercial buildings in revitalization plans.

The change would allow revitalization on an addition to Seacat Hardware at Marion while helping set precedent for additions such as those already done at the industrial park in Hillsboro, commissioners said.

They also decided to allow revitalization abatement on spec homes built by Seacat in Marion because confusion caused by changing owners during the application process had resulted in program exclusion.

Cooperative Grain & Supply, Hillsboro, was awarded a $14,480 fuel bid over a competitive bid of $14,639 from Cardie Oil, Tampa.

The CG&S bid was 4,000 gallons of diesel in Tank 3 at $2.080 a gallon, 1,000 gallons of diesel in Tank 1 at $1.8250 a gallon, and 3,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline at $1.4550 a gallon.

The Cardie per gallon bids for the same quantities and tanks respectively were $2.094, $1.838 and $1.475.

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