Eisenhower Elementary’s Hayden Vogelsberg Announced as 2024 Arbor Day Poster Contest Winner

By Lucky Kidd

McPHERSON, Kan. — Abatement of issues on a property at 821 North Walnut were approved by the McPherson City Commission Tuesday. The city has been working on getting the property cleaned up since December of multiple problems ranging from trash to abandoned appliances. A violation notice was posted at the residence on April 2 with a directive the issues be cleaned up by April 15. The city received a quote from Rockworks! LLC for the cleanup not to exceed $1,060 which was accepted.

The Commission approved providing millings for McPherson College they will use for parking projects around Bulldog Park and at their Maxwell Apartments which is part of the Cedars campus. These millings do have a limited shelf life as they solidify after a period of time, and the city will have more millings this fall from the 2024 mill and overlay projects.

The Commission approved a payment for McPherson Quality Air of just over $23,000 for a sewer point repair in the 500 block of East Euclid reflecting additional costs from what was approved earlier due to additional sewer main needing replaced.

Commissioners approved payment to Hays Fire and Rescue for just over $2,500 in repairs to the Fire Department’s Engine 2, which had developed leaks from the pump which required replacement of valve kits and hose repairs.

The Commission approved purchase of a new interactive board for the Municipal Center’s meeting rooms A and B, which will allow more flexibility in sharing of documents along with having a built-in audio/video system that can be used for conference calls such as via Zoom and Microsoft Teams and the capability to access servers for use in Emergency Operations Center operations.

The system is being purchased through Reach Solutions for just over $5,000, including wiring and installation.

As part of a proclamation for Arbor Day at Tuesday’s McPherson City Commission meeting, awards were presented to the winners of this year’s Arbor Day Poster Contest for 5th grade students, which is aimed at teaching the importance of trees.

The winning poster, selected by members of the city’s Tree and Park boards, was made by Hayden Vogelsberg from Eisenhower Elementary School. With the first-place finish, Hayden’s class is invited to participate in planting a tree at Lakeside Park Friday morning. Second place went to Sloan Shober from Eisenhower, 3rd place to Elena Haynes from Washington, 4th place to Sariah Parry from Eisenhower, and there was a tie for 5th between Finn Kramer and Elise Walters, both from Eisenhower. A presentation of every entry this year is available to watch here.

The Commission on another tree related matter approved the designation of Jeff Rife as City Arborist, effective April 29.

Two event approvals were given. These include the annual McPherson High School Senior Parade Wednesday on May 15, which will start at 7:45 a.m. from the 4-H Building and then to First Street and east to the High School, and the McPherson Community First Responder Night August 15 at Lakeside Park.

Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Joni Regnier gave a report on a new billboard wrap for the sign on I-135 near the rest area between McPherson and Lindsborg and three visitor attraction grants awarded for events later this year.

As part of biennial appointment of various city officials and appointment of advisory board members, the Commission approved two-year contracts with City Attorney Jeffrey Houston, City Prosecutor Brian Bina and Municipal Judge. Unlike other officials, these three work as independent contractors, and their contracts specify they are not employees of the city and as such don’t qualify for any benefits.