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City News

CAPTION: At the Hutchinson City Council meeting on December 17, City Engineer Evan Patterson presented 3D renderings of how the Avenue B area will look after construction on the Woodie Seat freeway is complete. CREDIT CITY OF HUTCHINSON DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING

By Kate Irelan

City engineers presented bids to the Hutchinson City Council during the regular meeting on Dec. 17 for Woodie Seat Phase II plan sidewalks, 30th Street concrete and asphalt and removal of the Atrium parking lot. The council approved all three bids. 

Evan Patterson, city engineer, recommended a revised bid from Kansas Concrete for work on the second phase of the Woodie Seat construction. After getting feedback from SW Bricktown residents about including a bicycle path under Avenue C bridge, Patterson will work on widening the path to 10 feet to allow for multiple uses, lighting and other amenities.

“Our goal is to connect the various areas that citizens highlighted with repaired sidewalks by 2026. We have a couple of 3D views of what the ends of Avenue B will look like,” said Patterson.

The bid from Kansas Concrete came in at the lowest but did not meet the bid requirements for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Patterson and his group originally recommended the bid from Dondlinger & Sons Construction. They met with Kansas Concrete to talk about the deficiencies in their bid, and Kansas Concrete revised their bid to meet the requirements. Patterson revised his recommendation to the city to accept the bid from Kansas Concrete in the amount of $3,584,221.72, and the council unanimously approved the bid.

Mayor Greg Fast asked that the city engineering staff consider making a trailhead access at the end of Avenue A and putting lights on the water tower. 

Patterson then talked to the council about the construction on West 30th Street from Main Street to the intersection at 30th and Adams. Plans are to remove the merge lane on the East end and add a multi-use trail on the North and some waterline and storm sewer work at Adams and 30th.

This project will require temporary road closures and detour routes down to 17th and Monroe and closing the intersection at 30th and Adams and East end of Carlton. The duration of the project will be about 6 weeks. The council approved Patterson’s recommendation to accept Procon Construction’s bid for concrete and asphalt as the lowest responsible bid at $675,476.30. Council Member Jon Richardson abstained, citing that he had conversations where he didn’t feel comfortable voting.

Director of Community Development Matt Williams presented a motion to approve a change order to the contract with Kansas Concrete to remove the parking lot at the Atrium in the amount of $124,860.00 and the board unanimously approved the change order.

“The original hope was to preserve the parking lot for future use of the site, but a building official with the city determined that the parking lot is already deteriorating and will be compromised more with all the heavy equipment being used to demolish the Atrium,” Williams said.

The site will eventually become a grass field. According to Enrico Villegas, city manager, the property owner of the Atrium could be assessed for the cost, or the city could assume the costs.


The council meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 125 East Avenue B. To access meeting agendas and minutes, visit the City of Hutchinson website, https://www.hutchgov.com/270/Agendas-Minutes

Meetings are streamed live as well as archived on the City of Hutchinson YouTube channel, they can also be viewed on Facebook Live and Cox Channel 7.

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CAPTION: At the Hutchinson City Council meeting on December 17, City Engineer Evan Patterson presented 3D renderings of how the Avenue B area will look after construction on the Woodie Seat freeway is complete. CREDIT CITY OF HUTCHINSON DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING By Kate Irelan City engineers presented

Sports

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By John Mesh The Hutchinson High School girls and boys basketball teams split contests with the Arkansas City Bulldogs Friday night at the Salthawk Activity Center. The Hutchinson Salthawk boys defeated Arkansas City 68-35 and the Hutchinson girls lost a heartbreaker to Arkansas City 41-39. Both Hutchinson varsity

Community Reporting, Culture

CAPTION: A towering Santa inflatable stands 10 feet over people in Hyde Park during the annual Luminaries celebration Saturday evening. CREDIT BEN GODINA By Ben Godina Houses for blocks around Hyde Park and the surrounding neighborhoods lined the streets with brown paper bags illuminated by […]

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CAPTION: A towering Santa inflatable stands 10 feet over people in Hyde Park during the annual Luminaries celebration Saturday evening. CREDIT BEN GODINA By Ben Godina Houses for blocks around Hyde Park and the surrounding neighborhoods lined the streets with brown paper bags illuminated by the light

Opinion

Random photo taken in the 300 block of North Main St. on July 6, 2018 CREDIT GINA LONG/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE

By Gina Long

I have spent a lot of time downtown in the last couple of years, participating in and reporting on peoples, places and events.

The Downtown Hutch Master Plan unveiled almost a year ago surprised me (view the plan here). Adding a bike lane along Walnut, better lighting, and bringing back some of the iconic downtown business neon signs for display are grand visions. The goals will not be reached overnight, but following the progress will be fascinating.

I love being able to park in a city lot less than a block off Main St., walk and shop, grab lunch or dinner, and attend a show or movie at the Fox Theater, Stage 9 or the Family Community Theatre at the Flag. It is good exercise, and unless the weather is really nasty, I try to park and walk at least a block.

Two weeks ago, Michael and I furiously raced from Avenue B to DCI Park and back while covering the second annual Light Up Hutch Christmas parade.

The master plan marks a fundamental shift in shopping, entertainment and building patterns since the arrival of the Hutchinson, now called Uptown Hutch, in the mid-1980s.

The Mall area is not well-suited for walking; Walmart and Home Depot have huge parking lots with fast-moving traffic, and I am not a fan of “stop and shop here, move the car an eighth of a mile, and stop and shop again,” but I am also not a fan of playing open-air Frogger.

I was dismayed that the master plan ended at Avenue D instead of extending to the entrance of Carey Park. South Main needs good lighting, more attention and grant funding to rehabilitate many buildings. It lies within a historic area that deserves just as much attention as Avenue D to the plan’s northern boundary at 7th Ave. The excellent El Patio restaurant, owned and operated by Victor and Martha Pena, is destination dining. Numerous other auto body and parts, upholstery and construction firms, and the venerable Gray’s Barber Shop fill many remaining buildings. They deserve inclusion in the master plan, too.

The Downtown Hutch Master Plan has a website with an option to add yourself to the email updates list to stay informed. It also has a contact option for asking questions and voicing your opinion.

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Random photo taken in the 300 block of North Main St. on July 6, 2018 CREDIT GINA LONG/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE By Gina Long I have spent a lot of time downtown in the last couple of years, participating in and reporting on peoples, places and events. The Downtown

County News

From left: Reno County Commissioners John Whitesel, Ron Hirst, Randy Parks, Don Bogner and Daniel Friesen CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY

Due to the Christmas holiday, the Reno County Commission will meet on Monday, Dec. 23.

The commissioners have a busy agenda, which includes approvals of resolutions renaming a portion of the Old K14/96 Highway at the Rice/Reno County line and a conditional use permit for a limited-scale commercial solar energy system on a portion of a parcel of land zoned as agricultural near east 95th Ave. and north Halstead St.

Reno/Kingman Fire District #1 Fire Chief Rick Graber retired in August. Fire Administrator Travis Vogt recommends that Assistant Fire Chief Jake Graber be promoted to district chief.

The Monday meeting will be the last for two commissioners, whose successors will take officers in January 2025. Ron Vincent of Hutchinson will represent the northeastern Reno County District Three after Daniel Friesen of Buhler did not seek reelection.

Richard Winger beat District Four incumbent John Whitesel in the August primary. District Four is the only county district to lie fully within the Hutchinson city limits.

The full agenda packet can be viewed on the Reno County website.

The Reno County Commission meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and on the fifth Wednesday if one falls within the month.

The meetings begin at 9 a.m. in the Veterans Room inside the Reno County Courthouse.

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From left: Reno County Commissioners John Whitesel, Ron Hirst, Randy Parks, Don Bogner and Daniel Friesen CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY Due to the Christmas holiday, the Reno County Commission will meet on Monday, Dec. 23. The commissioners have a busy agenda, which includes approvals of resolutions renaming

School Board News

CAPTION: From left: Board Members Gleysha Mendez-Rosario, Tad Dower, Cheryl Thompson, Darcie Canfield-Riggs, Valarie Gibson-Smith, Lance Patterson and President Laura Corey. CREDIT USD 308

By Kate Irelan

In their regular meeting on December 16, the Hutchinson School Board of Education weighed beverage contracts between Pepsi Bottling Group and Coca-Cola, presented by Justin Villmer, USD 308 finance director. Because Pepsi had a stronger sideline package, the board approved proceeding with a contract with Pepsi Bottling Group.

According to a letter from Villmer to the board, “The administration recommends approval of the Pepsi Bottling Group as the beverage provider for USD 308. USD 308, Hutchinson Community College (Hutch CC), and the City of Hutchinson have pooled the beverage sales together to leverage a much better deal for the entities. USD 308 will receive up-front cash support, annual cash support, sideline equipment for athletics, free product, and a 25% commission on vending machine sales.”

The previous agreement was made 8 years ago between Hutch CC, Gowans Stadium, and USD 308. Four vending machines are in the school district.

We have to follow USDA guidelines which restrict what you are able to sell in machines,” Villmer said. “We wanted to bring in some other entities. We bought in the City of Hutchinson in the request for proposal. Pepsi had a stronger sideline package which included cups, coolers, etc. for games and concessions.”

Villmer said that the annual commissions are historically about the same between the two beverage companies and he anticipates they will be between $1,000 to $1,500. 

The board also approved the early graduation of a first-semester Junior with 21 credits in the Hutch Virtual Schools. Mr. Smalling, coordinator of the Hutch Virtual Schools, presented the special case to the board. He said, “This is a testament to the success of virtual schooling to be able to meet the unique demands of these students. He [the student] has a plan of what he’s going to do once he graduates.” Board President Laura Corey said, “We definitely don’t want to hold any student back from graduating.”

Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson gave some updates:

  • Faris Elementary will participate in Laces and Locks for the 3rd year. Laces and Locks is a partnership with some local businesses for donations of shoes and haircuts for students.
  • It is the time of year for Hutchinson High School’s square dancing.
  • The application is in for the bond. She will get an email tomorrow about what time the Hearing committee will meet in Topeka. They are going to want to hear about the project, the mill rate, whether the board was unanimous, who will lead the effort, etc. to get an overview. The bond cap is 263 million, and the USD 308 project will use about 90 million of that project. State statute wants to evaluate who gets access to bond cap. The meeting will be on January 14 and 15. 

The USD 308 board meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the Administration Center, 1520 N. Plum. For more information and to view the agenda or minutes of the meetings, visit their website, https://www.usd308.com/page/boe

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CAPTION: From left: Board Members Gleysha Mendez-Rosario, Tad Dower, Cheryl Thompson, Darcie Canfield-Riggs, Valarie Gibson-Smith, Lance Patterson and President Laura Corey. CREDIT USD 308 By Kate Irelan In their regular meeting on December 16, the Hutchinson School Board of Education weighed beverage contracts between Pepsi Bottling Group

Community Events

CAPTION: (Left to right) Toy Depot co-owners Mark Buckley and Geneva Nisly along with window designer Glenn Shoemaker (back) and another staff member pose with the first-place Downtown Window Decorating trophy, presented by Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Downtown Manager, Sarah Diamond. CREDIT TOY DEPOT

By Kate Irelan

Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Downtown Hutchinson manager Sarah Diamond announced the winner of the window decorating contest today, and the Toy Depot was voted as best window for the 4th time in 5 years. Mark Buckley, co-owner of Toy Depot with Geneva Nisly, said that it was an honor to have the award, and he gave a history of the display and the contest.

“Glenn Shoemaker makes all of our window displays. People think it is me, but it is not,” said Buckley. “We work hard to make it festive.” The Toy Depot specializes in vintage toys, and the Christmas window display not only has vintage toys but also has Hutchinson history in it. “The Santa in the window came from the Wiley department store, and the elf came from the Pegues,” said Buckley.

“We bought a new tree this year with LED twinkle lights. The window display has a toy train and an animated 3-foot-tall doll. We still have the box that the Santa is stored in, and if you look closely at the Santa, it looks brand new,” said Buckley. He explained how he obtained the Santa. “Beth Harmony had a beauty shop at Avenue A and Main Street. She bought the Santa from the Wiley Department Store when it went out of business. When Beth passed, her brother contacted me. I bought the Santa from him, but the motor to animate him was broken. It needed a new gear which is not made anymore. Next year, Santa will move again. I have a machine shop making a gear.”

Toy Depot in downtown Hutchinson was again the winner of the downtown holiday window decorating contest. The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce awarded the store $50 in H-bucks, along with two other winners drawn from the votes placed in the store and online. CREDIT KATE IRELAN / THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE

Buckley said that he honestly did not think he would win the window contest this year. He said, “The window displays up and down the street are gorgeous this year, especially in the 100 block.” He has a friendly rivalry with Kevin Rule, owner of the Sleep Shoppe. “I am proud we beat the Sleep Shoppe this year,” said Buckley.

Buckley said that he and Rule started this downtown window decorating contest 5 years ago, and he and Rule were the only contestants the first year. It has grown to about 20 stores participating this year which he felt any one of them could have won. He said he wants someone to have a better window display.

The trophy also has a history, according to Buckley.

“The trophy was an old bowling trophy built by Greg Payton of Payton Optical (which is now Specs). 20 years ago, downtown Hutchinson had window decorating contests, and that was the trophy they used.”

The tree inside the trophy came from Buckley. Recently, they put battery-operated Christmas tree lights on the trophy.

In the Facebook live ceremony, Diamond said that the contest was open for voting in stores and online for a month, from the Third Thursday in November to the Third Thursday in December. Part of the contest was a drawing for two random voters who each received a $50 H-bucks certificate to spend in participating stores. Buckley also won $50 in H-bucks.

Diamond thanked everyone who participated in the contest and who voted. She congratulated Toy Depot and wished everyone a happy holiday season.

Toy Depot is located at 127 South Main Street. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is closed on Sunday.

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CAPTION: (Left to right) Toy Depot co-owners Mark Buckley and Geneva Nisly along with window designer Glenn Shoemaker (back) and another staff member pose with the first-place Downtown Window Decorating trophy, presented by Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Downtown Manager, Sarah Diamond. CREDIT TOY