During the Eureka City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 11, Airport Manager George Turner spoke about the upcoming Fly Kansas Air Tour, which is to be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Lt. William Milliken Airport, in Eureka. The Fly Kansas Air Tour is an event hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Division of Aviation to promote aviation and STEM education in Kansas. Around 100 students from Eureka and Hamilton schools will attend the event. Turner also plans to invite homeschool families from the area to participate. Those attending the event will see planes up close, get a chance to talk to pilots, and participate in STEM activities. STEM activities are hands-on, educational experiences that integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The airport will host between 20 and 30 pilots during the event who will talk with the students in hopes of exciting them about aviation. Turner told the council that while the air tour covers the cost of the attendants, the airport will need to cover the cost of lunches for the pilots during the event. He said that he has already made some preliminary arrangements for the lunches, but wanted to let the council know in case additional help is needed.
Turner then shared accolades to Glenn Mitchell for the excellent job of mowing and grounds maintenance he has been doing at the airport. He also noted Chris Mitchell and Jayme Robertson have been extremely helpful in getting things done out there.
Veterans Memorial Wall
Veteran Don Scott addressed the council regarding fundraising efforts towards repair of the Community Veterans Memorial Wall, which was built in 2005. “Mother nature has taken its toll on it,” said Scott, who explained that some of the stones at the base of the tablets have moved as much as eight inches out of alignment. Bowden Memorial Monuments has provided an estimate to repair the Veterans Memorial Wall, which will include disassembling all of the pieces, removing the old fixative, drilling holes and fitting the stone tablets with pins to ensure stability, and reassembling the wall using epoxy. Scott said that the bid from Bowden also would include repainting the names on the Veterans Wall, which are black or red, with red denoting those veterans who gave their lives in service of our country. The estimated cost of the repair is around $12,000, according to Scott. Scott stressed to the council that although the VFW is asking for donations toward the repairs, this is not a VFW project; it is a community project. “The Veterans Wall belongs to the community,” said Scott. City Administrator Assistant Karen Simon shared that the 226th Engineer Company, a unit of the Kansas Army National Guard based in Augusta, had been approached regarding the Veterans Wall repairs and that they had expressed interest in helping with the project, although no specific plans have been made. Mayor Stephen Coulter told Scott that the city plans to make a donation toward the project; the amount is to be decided by the finance committee.
Donations toward repair of the project should be made to Greenwood County All Veterans Memorial, in care of Koup Family Funeral Home, which is holding a separate account dedicated to the project.
Chip Seal Project
The council was updated regarding the chip seal project that was to begin on Monday, Aug. 11. Director of Public Works Chris Mitchell said that the project was delayed due to weather conditions. In order for the material to stick to the street, it needs to be hot and dry, Mitchell explained. As soon as weather conditions have improved, the project will begin and is expected to take several days to complete. Mayor Coulter asked how soon people could drive on the chip-sealed streets. Mitchell explained that once the rock chips have been applied, the workers use a rubber roller to press the rocks into the oil. The streets are then ready to be driven on. Residents affected by the chip seal project received notification on Friday, Aug. 8.
The council approved the consent agenda, including minutes of the July 28 meeting, scheduled claims in the amount of $105,917.90, and two purchase orders: PO #729976 to SCKEDD (South Central Kansas Economic Development District) for $8,250 for grant administration and environmental fees and PO #730734 to Brenntag for $7,198.06 for chemicals needed at the water plant.
City Clerk Renee Burk informed the council of a planned kickoff meeting regarding Safe Streets for All (SS4A), which will be held on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. at the Eureka Public Library.
The city council concluded with an executive session to discuss personnel. After returning to open session, the council approved to raise the pay rate of James Reneau from $17/hour to $18/hour.
The next Eureka City Council meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Eureka Public Library.
