HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After more than 2 ½ hours of discussion, the Hutchinson City Council could not come to an agreement to change South Main Street from Avenue C to Carey Park from four lanes to two.

The matter was placed on the agenda after Councilman Steve Dechant brought it up during the comments section of the last meeting. Both Dechant and Mayor Dave Inskeep wanted to pass the change during the previous meeting, but the other three council members refused to pass the change without hearing from owners along the corridor first.

The proposal brought a flurry of emails and other messages from businesses along the corridor who were — for the most part — against any change. Still, Dechant and Inskeep refused to adhere to the wishes of business owners and pushed to get some type of reduction in lanes passed. Dechant, who said the proposal was about having access to Carey Park for cyclists two weeks ago, backed off that statement during Tuesday’s meeting stating that he now wanted to do away with the bike lanes. His new proposal was to reduce South Main to two lanes, add a center turn lane and keep angle parking.

“It’s not so much that I was invested in a bike lane necessarily other than talking about aesthetics and walkability and making it a place for walkers, for people in cars and people on bicycles,” Dechant said.

Inskeep insisted that the road needed to be narrowed to two lanes as the most complaints about losing parking spaces under the change were unfounded. “We’ve heard from at least a handful that suggested that parking was the main factor, so I go back again the question has changed,” Inskeep said. “I think its .67 of a mile of asphalt that will not disrupt any of the parking. It won’t change, it’ll be exactly as it was.” The mayor added it would also slow down traffic, which would be a benefit to some businesses.

Councilman John Daveline said that Inskeep’s and Dechant’s refusal to approve the current configuration was a case of not listening to business owners. “I’m still very adamant about listening to businesses via email, telephones and this morning and nothing has modified or changed my plans,” Daveline said.

Daveline was backed by Councilwoman Jade Piros de Carvalho, who is a strong proponent of bike lanes and the Complete Streets concept, but stated, like Daveline, that the area was not a good fit. “I’m not against going against the status quo when it makes sense,” Piros de Carvalho said. “I feel like this isn’t maybe the most appropriate to have a pilot project.” Her comments came after Dechant said the reconfiguration should be tried and if it doesn’t work they can always change it back. Many business owners, like Tyson and Midwest Iron and Metal, were against the change because of the large amount of truck traffic that can tie up lanes. Others expressed concerns over traffic congestion and long lines due to waiting on trains in the area.

After all of the discussion, Daveline motioned to keep the street configuration as is. With Councilwoman Nancy Soldner absent, the vote was 2-2 with Inskeep and Dechant voting no. Soldner would have sided with Daveline’s motion had she been present.

Inskeep then made a motion to go with Dechant’s revised plan. That vote was also 2-2 with Daveline and Piros de Carvalho voting no. After another 30 minutes of discussion, it was determined that neither side would budge and an impasse was declared. With that, City Attorney Paul Brown stated that the contract for the project, which was approved by the council, would go on as planned. “You have a binding contract, you have no further action from the council as you could not achieve a three-person majority,” Brown said. “There’s a contract in effect . . . there’s no agreement to change it so we have a binding contract.” With that, the road configuration will stay the same.

The resurfacing and striping of the project is expected to be done in two to three weeks.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A South Hutchinson liquor store owner has started the process to put Sunday liquor sales up to a public vote.

Greg Dovel will begin collecting signatures of South Hutchinson residents that could put the proposal up to a vote in the November election.

Dovel tried unsuccessfully to get the City Council to pass a resolution allowing the sales just as he opened a new business selling alcohol and tobacco products.

Now Dovel has taken a petition before the County Elections Clerk. It was reviewed and approved. The petition also has the approval of County Counselor Joe O’Sullivan.

The petition has to gather 5% of those residents that voted in the 2016 presidential election. That means it needs 50 signatures.

The petition will need to be turned in and approved by the elections office by Aug. 16 in order to make the November general election.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The South Hutchinson Police Department took time during Monday’s City Council meeting to recognize a local restaurant for its generosity during the officer-involved shooting in Rice County in April.

The two separate shootings wounded Rice County Sheriff Bryant Evans and Undersheriff Chad Murphy and resulted in a long standoff with the suspect near Sterling. That’s when Gambino’s stepped in, according to South Hutchinson Police Chief Dean Harcrow. “I contacted Gambino’s and told them the situation,” Harcrow said. “They did not hesitate whatsoever. They got in their car and went to Sterling, Kansas, and it was probably about 8:30 or 9 in the evening. They fixed 50 pizzas for the officers.”

Because of their service to the law enforcement officers on site, Harcrow presented the restaurant with a plaque that read: “With our greatest appreciation presented to Gambino’s Pizza for providing a meaningful service to the law enforcement officers responding to an emergency in Rice County in their time of need. The generosity and care that you showed was truly remarkable. Always remember that you made a difference.”

Not only did Gambino’s provide the pizzas for the officers, they did it free of charge.

CHENEY, Kan. — Both of the popular lakes for area residents will be open this Fourth of July holiday, but with very limited use. Kanopolis State Park announced Friday it will be open starting Tuesday.

All utility campgrounds will be open with limited primitive camping in some areas. Buzzard Bay and Horsethief boat ramps are closed, and upper Horsethief road is still closed, along with the Sandy Shore and Sandplum primitive campgrounds. The park also announced it will not have courtesy docks accessible and no trail access.

At Cheney State Park, the lake is still about five feet above normal. Most of the east side of the lake is still closed off to camping, although some areas are open. The park says most available sites have already been reserved. There is some very limited boat ramp access, but it is at your own risk.

The marina is open but access is limited to the area. Because of the continued flooding in Oklahoma, the Army Corps of Engineers is keeping any release from Cheney down to a minimum.