HUTCHINSON, Kan. — When Third Thursday was introduced in the Hutchinson downtown area, it was met with good crowds. But the immense work to put the event on each month left the public feeling each one was a repeat.

Now. the monthly get-together is being spearheaded by the Hutch Rec. Amy Conkling discusses how the agency became involved in Third Thursday:

 

Conkling says the thought behind having Third Thursday is to provide a theme for each month and, if possible, tying in to another special event in the city:

 

Conkling talks about some of the Third Thursday themes coming up:

 

The Hutch Rec has also moved other events around to tie into other happenings in the city. The most notable was moving the half marathon event to the weekend of the annual Downtown Rod Run.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The August primary is quickly approaching.

With it comes the registration deadline. The deadline is set for July 17.

There has been a lot in the news about registration and what identification potential voters will need to be eligible. Reno County Elections Clerk Jenna Fager gives a rundown of what residents need to bring when they register:

 

For those who have not yet registered, Fager says there are a number of places that can be done:

 

The primary election is Aug. 7.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Westar Energy says the total cost of the damage from the storms that rolled through Hutchinson on June 18 will run beyond $1 million.

Westar spokesperson Gina Penzig says the storm damaged more than a mile of service line. The damage knocked out service to three substations, affecting more than 5,300 customers. Penzig says the storm interrupted service to more than 6,000 customers in the area. The damage forced the closure of 43rd Avenue west of Plum for several days while repairs were made.

The storm also caused some minor structural damage and blew out two business signs along north Main Street in the city.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There is not a lot of news coming from Washington legislators, or even area ones, regarding the recent indications from Amtrak that it is about to cut long distance rail service from Dodge City to Albuquerque and bus passengers between the two points. It also includes the reneging of $3 million in matching funds from a TIGER grant that was approved in New Mexico for renovation of the Southwest Chief line.

In May, legislators met with Amtrak and asked for a better explanation of why service was being eliminated, a move many see as the eventual discontinuance of service entirely. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff says he hasn’t heard much since the meeting with Amtrak in May.

Several legislators in Washington, including U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, are blocking the nominations of two Amtrak Board of Directors and have been working through the Senate Appropriations process to require greater transparency and accountability from Amtrak when proposing changes in service. The proposal from Amtrak comes after the company threatened to move the Chief off of the line unless states chipped in to renovate the BNSF line that only Amtrak uses. States and cities along the route secured three grants and invested large sums of money to make the needed repairs. Now, Amtrak says it’s not enough.

Amtrak says a drop in ridership is the reason for eliminating a part of the Chief route, although ridership fell by just 2,000 last year to 363,000 passengers.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Public Works hopes it can take the next step in the long process to replace the 43rd Avenue Bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad in the next week or two.

According to Don Brittain with Public Works, the final engineering drawings have been sent to the railroad and an answer is expected in the coming days. Once that approval is given, the county will begin the final design of the span and then send it out for bid. Brittain says they still hope to begin work on the bridge in 2019.

The bridge has been in failing condition for several years and was restricted to automobiles only last year. The restriction forced Buhler school buses to find a different route to Prairie Hills Middle School.

The county has wanted to replace the bridge for many years, but its close proximity to what was then K-61 Highway and the railroad tracks made it cost prohibitive.

Now that the highway is a county road, the state restrictions on the highway are gone. The bridge is one of several the county plans to bond out so it can be repaired or replaced. The proposal also includes replacing the Nickerson Road bridge over the Arkansas River just south of Nickerson.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Things are moving along nicely for a new soy processing facility in Hutchinson.

Kansas Protein Foods, LLC, held a job fair on Tuesday as it seeks to ramp up its workforce. According to President Mike Chisam, phase two of the production plan is moving along ahead of pace. He hopes to hire another 10 workers for a second shift.

More than 40 potential workers showed up for the job fair, which Chisam said was encouraging. As far as production goes, Chisam says they have reacquired about 10 to 15 percent of the customer base that was lost with the closing of the former CHS facility late last year. The company hopes to double that in the next year. He adds that the company has already hit its sales targets almost a fiscal quarter ahead of projections.

The former CHS plant was purchased by Kansas Ethanol in April. The project was fueled in part by an incentive package from the city that will provide funding over five years with $100,000 the first year and $25,000 for each of the following four years. Another $50,000 in incentives came from Reno County.

The incentives require the company to have at least $700,000 in annual payroll.

BUHLER, Kan. — When Buhler USD 313 built the new Plum Creek Elementary School as part of a major facilities improvement bond issue, it closed two elementary schools.

One, the former Prosperity building, sold rather quickly and has become a successful events center and storage rental facility. But the other is still unsold four years later. The district hopes it has found a buyer for the old Obee building located at East 4th Avenue and Obee Road.

According to USD 313 Superintendent Mike Berblinger, selling the building offers more of a challenge than the former Prosperity building because the school district isn’t the sole owner. The city of Hutchinson also owns the building as what was originally a 100-year-long lease agreement. Any potential buyer must deal with both entities.

Berblinger says the building is getting some use as the area homeschool association uses it for gatherings one day a week. Other than that, it is sitting idle.

Berblinger gave an update on the building to the USD 313 School Board on Monday.