A variety of road concerns were addressed during the weekly Greenwood County Commission meeting on Monday, March 10, with the commission hearing from three townships.
Pleasant Grove Township
Bruce Smith, with Pleasant Grove Township, addressed the commission regarding a road concern on 125th Street. The road is currently an open range road with cattle guards on both ends of the road. It was noted that Corey Baker owns the property on both sides. Smith stated that the township will be unable to maintain the cattle guard crossings due to funding and noted that he would like to remove the cattle guards and return it to an open road. This would require Baker to build approximately a quarter-mile of fence on both sides of the road. It was noted that several are utilizing the road, including the Amish whose horses struggle to cross the cattle guards. The commissioners were in favor of removing the cattle guards, however, wanted to research the topic more before making a decision.
Twin Grove Township
Cole Conard and Dana Taliferro, with the Twin Grove Township, addressed the commission regarding the culvert noted in last week’s commission article. Conard asked the commission if the county was still responsible for culverts that were over 25 square feet in diameter. With the answer being yes, Conard noted that he believed there was a 6x6 concrete culvert in place, with a smaller culvert being placed inside of the original box culvert. Commissioners Roy Ballard and Ron Mast planned to meet Taliferro and Road and Bridge Supervisor Allen Greenwood Monday afternoon to review the culvert.
Township Roads
Greenwood County Emergency Management Director Levi Vinson reviewed documentation shared by LTAP, a Kanas Local Technical Assistance Program. He referenced the re-alignment of roads, including curves/ turnouts. The LTAP noted four main areas that needed attention in Greenwood County. 150th and U, 150th and S, 90th and Q and 190th and N. Vinson also shared a “Local Road Safety Plan for Greenwood County” book that the county received in 2022. The book referenced specific intersections that needed attention with 292 miles of Rural Secondary (RS) roads.
Vinson noted the main reason for re-doing the roads was for safety reasons. Commissioner Preston Evenson was not in favor of moving forward as the commission had previously addressed concerns regarding the curved intersection at 90th and Q Road and had shared with a county resident that it wouldn’t be changed. Discussion was held regarding the new information being obtained through the LTAP, however, no decisions were made. Before adjourning, Vinson shared final thoughts with the commission, “It is my belief that we should move forward with the study,” stated Vinson. “Safety is the bottom line on everything,” he continued. “I want to prevent that (accidents) from happening and that is why I am passi o n a t e about the re-alignment. We don’t need to put our people, our visitors or our emergency personnel in that position. If you look at a decision and conclude it could adversely affect public safety we shouldn’t do it.”
EMS Transfers
Ambulance Director Brian Mongeau provided an update regarding EMS transfers. Mongeau noted that he had met with Greenwood County Hospital (GWCH) staff and Commissioners Judd Everitt and Evenson to review creative ideas and move forward with getting transfers completed in an expediated manner. Mongeau stated the hospital staff had created specific criteria that would note when a transfer is a “Time Critical Transfer.” The group agreed that when a Time Critical Transfer is needed, the EMS staff on duty would take the transfer. Although Mongeau was on board with the change, he did express concern regard ing leaving the county uncovered. It was noted that when the first out crew takes a call, staff will begin working to get a second crew on standby. Mongeau referenced “worst-case scenarios” and noted that during his nearly two decade time in this role, he has strived to keep Greenwood County covered. The group plans to meet again on April 16.
Greenwood/Elk County Line Discussion was held regarding the Greenwood/ Elk County line dispute. It was noted that a demand letter was sent out in June 2024, however no action has been taken. It was noted that a case was expected to be filed in judicial court. After referencing that the individual attending the meeting had legal counsel, discussion ceased as County Counselor Paul Dean would need to communicate with his attorney.
Health Department Purchase Greenwood County Health Department Director Jayme Lewis asked the commission to approve the purchase of a vehicle for the department. Lewis shared that she was looking at vehicles to better meet the department’s needs. She shared a quote for a 2021 GMC Yukon. However, commissioners were not in favor of approving the quote presented as the vehicle had 128,000 miles on it. A brief discussion was held regarding other vehicles within the county’s fleet; but no decisions were made. The commission suggested Lewis continue looking into potential options and to return with additional quotes.
Other Business The March 3 meeting minutes and special payables for March 10, totaling $16,616.34 were approved as presented.
Two employments were approved: Lane Neighbors, Road and Bridge Recycle/ Labor and Joey Caylor, Noxious Weed Tech/ Labor. Both were hired as full-time employees, beginning on Monday of this week at a rate of $16.50/ hour.
The commission held three executive sessions. The first was for 15-minutes with Greenwood, Vinson and Dean for legal matters. The second was for 10-minutes with Greenwood County Attorney Jill Gillett, Dean and Clerk Deann McCaffree. The last was for 5 minutes for legal matters with Vinson and Dean. No action was taken after any of the sessions.
The next commission meeting is slated for Monday, March 17, at 9 a.m.
