McPHERSON, Kan. — Feedback from last weekend’s snow removal in McPherson has been up to now overwhelmingly positive. Public Works Director Eric Duerksen said city crews were able to get onto every street in McPherson. If your street was missed let them know. Snow work is ongoing, including removal of snow piles in the downtown area.
Duerksen and Mayor Jim Loving said feedback has been very positive about snow removal work.
Feedback from the public has also been positive. This was the first storm since a new snow removal policy was adopted last week. Mayor Jim Loving also heard positive feedback from residents.
Board of Public Utilities General Manager Josh Bedel said they only had one significant outage over the weekend, affecting 74 customers due to a fusing issue which was resolved in about 30 minutes. There was also a water main break in the area of Hulse and Myers, which was attributed to ground shifts caused by freezing temperatures.
The Commission approved the city’s 2026 sidewalk maintenance program, which provides funding assistance to property owners to address trip hazards and improve sidewalks without having to bear the entire expense themselves. $15,000 has been allocated for this year’s program.
Approval was given for a $14,000 installation of an emergency bypass port on Sewer Lift Station 6, the only one not so equipped, and enabling them to pump around the station in event of a major failure preventing the backup potential and resulting private property damage.
Commissioners also approved a $6,555 payment to BPU for a street light pole replacement on Turkey Creek Drive from a November traffic accident, and renewal of the IworQ software package used by the Street Department for 2026.
McPherson City Commissioners Tuesday approved the purchase of two new Dodge Durango patrol vehicles for a net price of $62,794 after trade of two 2022 vehicles, one of which has hail damage on it. Also approved was a payment to SERV of Andover for the up-building, or adding equipment, and adding graphics to the vehicles with a cost of just over $27,000.
Commissioners approved payments to Hopp’s Sound for replacement of 11 speakers and USA Share for 13 shade structures to replace ones damaged in last September’s hail storm. Total cost of that replacement came to just over $31,000.
Commissioners approved the purchase of a dirt bunker cover for the cemetery, which will be used to protect and preserve topsoil used for burial plots and landscaping from rain, snow and wind. The $6,264 cost of this was about a fourth of what was budgeted, and it will be mounted atop existing concrete blocks for the bunker.
In his regular update, Bedel said 96 percent of the water used by the city in 2025 came from their south well field in Harvey County. That won’t be typical though, as they were perfecting the water rights for the new well field. Typically, around 3/4ths of BPU’s water will come from the south field.
Electric crews have been working on single phase line construction along Frontier Road in preparation of a transmission line upgrade. Other crews have been working on underground conversions in the area of Kansas and Hartup which should be complete by mid-February, and they are nearing completion of new street lights along Myers, with eight or nine left to install.
A tree crew has been along a three phase line between Hulse and Countryside in preparation for a line reconstruction scheduled to take place in the spring.
Commissioners approved two event requests, one of which is for “Messiah’s Mansion,” which the McPherson Seventh-Day Adventist Church is bringing to Wickersham Park in July 14-19, and is a life-sized replica of the Old Testament sanctuary as described in the book of Exodus Also approved was Hope Under the Stars, organized by Hopeslinger Ministries, to be held June 13th at the Lakeside Park Bandshell including music, food and testimonies.
