Hutch Post Staff – Page 85 – Hutch Post Archive

Folks new superintendent of USD 308

Posted on January 14, 2019January 15, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 has its new superintendent. During Monday’s School Board meeting the board approved on a 7-0 vote to hire Clay County School District Superintendent Mike Folks. Folks is the district’s 33rd superintendent in its 147-year history. He will begin his new job on July 1 and replaces Gary Price, who has been superintendent for the past two years. Price is on his second tenure in the district and did not desire the position on a long-term basis.

Folks has been superintendent at Clay County Schools, in Clay Center, since July 1, 2005. Clay County Schools has high schools in Clay Center and Wakefield in north central Kansas. Prior to that, he was superintendent at Central Heights USD 288 in Richmond, Kan.

He received a masters from Pittsburg State University in educational leadership and administration in 2000 and a masters in higher education/high education administration from Fort Hays State University in 1997.

Board President Kail Denison was pleased to have Folks as the next superintendent.

“We had an excellent candidate pool,” Denison said. “After listening to what the community said they wanted in a superintendent, we feel that Mike is a great match with what the community has asked for.”

He received a masters from Pittsburg State University in educational leadership and administration in 2000 and a masters in higher education/higher education administration from Fort Hays State University in 1997.

“My wife and I are excited to be part of the USD 308 team,” Folks said Monday. “There clearly is a lot of passion in the district. The educational opportunities in Hutchinson are excellent, and we will work together to showcase those opportunities to the community.”

Folks won out over local Haven Superintendent Clark Wedel, Moundridge Superintendent George Leary and Cheney Superintendent David Grover.

Folks the final candidate for USD 308 position

Posted on January 11, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The fourth and final candidate to interview for the Hutchinson USD 308 superintendent position is Mike Folks.

Folks has been superintendent at Clay County Schools, based in Clay Center, since July 1, 2005. Clay County Schools has high schools in Clay Center and Wakefield in north-central Kansas. Before that, he was superintendent at Central Heights USD 288 in Richmond, Kansas.

He received a master’s from Pittsburg State University in educational leadership and administration in 2000 and a master’s in higher education/high education administration from Fort Hays State University in 1997.

As with the other three finalists, Folks will tour the district and meet with various district groups. There will be a staff and community reception for Folks from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy, 800 15th Circle.

The board will then meet with the finalist in an executive session at 5:45 p.m. at the Administration Center.

The other three finalists are current Haven superintendent Clark Wedel; Moundridge superintendent George Leary; and Cheney superintendent David Grover.

Crusader bowling wins at Circle

Posted on January 11, 2019

EL DORADO, Kan. — The Buhler High School bowling team picked up a pair of wins Thursday against Circle High School.

For the girls, the Crusaders outshot Circle 1821 to 1682. McKinley Cross had the high game with a 186 and the high series with a 518.

On the boys side, the Crusaders outscored Circle 2053 to 1917. Aaron Bergkamp had the high game with a 213. The high series went to Malachi Fabian with a 576.

Council to consider Genzada bond proposal

Posted on January 11, 2019January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council will consider a request for $4.5 million in taxable industrial revenue bonds for the proposed Genzada Pharmaceuticals facility during Tuesday’s agenda session.

Genzada recently purchased the Dillons property at 30th and Plum. The company plans to remove the current building and construct a new medical research facility. The company manufactures and researches plant-derived treatments for certain types of cancer and other diseases.

The bonds will be used to acquire, renovate and equip the new facility. There is no liability to the city with this transaction.

Afaya Partners, LLC, the entity behind the proposal, will also apply for a property tax exemption with the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals for 10 years.

Tuesday’s Hutchinson City Council meeting is at 9 a.m. in the city offices.

Ewy the new principal at HHS

Posted on January 10, 2019January 11, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 has a new principal. The district stayed in-house to find him. The district announced Thursday that Ryan Ewy will be recommended to the Board of Education to become the next principal at Hutchinson High School. His name will be on Monday’s Personnel Report to the board.

Ewy has been assistant principal at HHS since the 2015-16 school year. He joined the district in 2012-13 as a social studies teacher at Hutchinson Middle School – 8.

He was an administrator and teacher at Andover Middle School from 2002 to 2010. He taught at Dodge City Community College from 2010 to 2012.

District Superintendent Gary Price said current HHS Principal Ronn Roehm recommended Ewy for the position. Roehm will retire as of June 30 with Ewy starting officially on July 1.

Roehm announced late last year he was stepping down after 20 years on the job.

USD 308 vehicles get new look

Posted on January 10, 2019January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Each day, Hutchinson USD 308 district vehicles drive anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of miles in Hutchinson and surrounding areas.

District Superintendent Gary Price realized USD 308 may have been forgoing simple – and free – advertising for the district. He approached local businesses, including Good Vibrations, about what it would take and the costs.

Thursday, the district unveiled four student transport vans and a district nutrition services delivery truck that have been wrapped in new district logos. The new look features a blue and gold design that features both the new winged H logo along with the original Salthawk logo in a collage of blue along the side of the vehicles. “We always see students pull up in plain white vans,” Price said. “This will be great for our students to show up to events in.”

Good Vibrations did the wrapping work of the vehicles. To pay for the materials and workmanship, Good Vibrations, Fee Insurance and Heartland Credit Union have agreed to sponsor the wraps. For sponsoring the wraps, the businesses get an approximate 30-inch by 20-inch sponsorship sign on the rear or side of the vehicle.

District students compete in activities all across Kansas with much of it centered in the Hutchinson-Salina-Wichita triangle. District staff drive delivery vehicles daily throughout the city.

This is a portion of the district’s effort to become more visible in the local and wider community. Price says the public can anticipate the logo and new look popping up in other places as well.

Additional district vehicles are available to businesses that would like the opportunity to sponsor one or more. Contact Price at 620-615-4008 for more information on sponsorship.

Local union makes donation to Veterans Memorial

Posted on January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Over the years, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union has held a Christmas party.

Jeff McConnell of the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hands a check to Erwin Leeper of the local committee overseeing the Veterans Memorial in South Hutchinson along with committee members Zach Wilder and Kelly Danyluk.

For many of those years, the organization collected donations through activities and provided those funds to various entities. Most recently, donations were collected for Toys for Tots.

This year, however, the union decided to go a different direction. Thanks to the generosity of their members, the organization presented a check for $3,235 to the Veterans Memorial fund. The money will go toward the final phase of the memorial being built in South Hutchinson.

Jeff McConnell, labor recruiter for the IBEW, talked about the inspiration behind the donation:

The memorial is in the third and final phase, which is the erection of the granite panels that will bear the names of 1,500 Reno County veterans.

Some positions filled; police force still down 14 officers

Posted on January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Recruiting efforts continue in Hutchinson to fill vacancies in the police department.

City Manager John Deardoff says some of the openings were filled, but the department is still about 14 officers short of a full staff.

Deardoff says there are currently four officers in final training. There is still a large hole to fill once those officers hit the streets.

Deardoff says the city and police force have been going to area colleges to try and recruit potential officers. He reiterated this is not a problem in Hutchinson alone, but nationwide. Senator Ed Berger and Hutchinson Police Chief Jeffrey Hooper discussed trying to get more connected with Hutchinson Community College during Hooper’s speech before the Chamber of Commerce in November.

Deardoff says the city will continue to reevaluate its recruiting practices in an effort to fill the vacancies.

Things moving along at eNGines-LPG

Posted on January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Renovation continues and equipment is slowly coming in as eNGines-LPG continues to work on opening its new facility at the old Betts Bakery building.

The Ohio-based company announced late last year that it was relocating to Hutchinson and will begin assembling small engines for generators and other industrial uses. The company says that the building on the outside is in good shape, but Company President Matt Roser says the interior needs a lot of electrical and plumbing work, along with some other renovation. Hopes are to begin implementing an assembly team in the next couple of months and begin operations in the second quarter.

Future build out and upgrades include plans to update a majority of the building into warehousing and cross dock storage. Furthermore, the company envisions converting a portion of the building for other start-up entrepreneurs who are looking for manufacturing space to grow and develop their business. At full strength, the company expects to have a workforce of around 50 employees.

Westar tops property taxpayer list

Posted on January 10, 2019

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The nation’s second-largest railroad has become the second-most valuable company in Reno County.

BNSF moved to the No. 2 spot when it comes to its valuation and the amount of property taxes paid in Reno County for 2018. The railroad had a total valuation in the county of $9,882,000 on taxes of $1,563,000.

As always, Westar Energy is at the top of the list with more than $42.7 million in valuation. That’s an increase from last year’s total of $38.9 million. The $6.7 million in total taxes paid compared to $6.2 million in 2017.

Panhandle Eastern actually saw its numbers fall from the previous year with nearly $1.2 million in taxes paid on a total valuation of $8.1 million. The nation’s largest railroad, Union Pacific, stayed in the fourth spot with taxes of just under $1.2 million on total valuation of $7.5 million.

The rest of the top 10 were Mid American Pipeline, Kansas Gas Service, Main Line Inc., Magellan Pipeline Company, Enterprise Products and Dillon Real Estate Company.

Total valuation for the top 10 companies in 2018 was $96, 878,000 on taxes of $15,317,000.

A list of the top 100 property taxpayers in Reno County can be found below.

Taxpayer (Assessed Taxes)

WESTAR ENERGY (ELECTRIC DIVISION) 42,778,534 (6,768,003.24)
BNSF 9,882,520 (1,563,452.70)
PANHANDLE EASTERN PIPELINE COMPANY 8,134,009 (1,197,165.72)
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY 7,545,831 (1,193,536.22)
MID AMERICA PIPELINE COMPANY LLC 6,869,618 (1,007,592.36)
KANSAS GAS SERVICE A DIVISION OF ONE GAS 5,276,052 (904,390.14)
MAIN LINE, INC 5,088,625 (888,886.48)
MAGELLAN PIPELINE COMPANY LLC 5,071,603 (760,129.92)
ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC 3,551,970 (566,467.84)
DILLON REAL ESTATE CO, INC 2,679,469 (468,166.12)
WAL-MART STORES #01-0794 REAL ESTATE BUSINESS TRUS 2,531,293 (442,282.70)
ARK VALLEY ELECTRIC COOP ASSN INC 2,505,369 (381,820.30)
DILLON COMPANIES, INC 2,440,815 (426,358.12)
ARCHER-DANIELS-MIDLAND COMPANY 2,350,821 (410,749.60)
SOUTHERN STAR CENTRAL GAS PIPELINES 2,126,065 (315,438.62)
NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP 1,936,244 (337,310.08)
ONEOK NGL PIPELINE,LP 1,891,567 (285,600.76)
SANDS OF HUTCHINSON LLC 1,881,423 (328,641.34)
TYSON PREPARED FOODS, INC 1,879,106 (307,607.08)
CARGILL, INC 1,820,063 (314,036.64)
LOWES HOME CENTERS, INC 1,662,903 (290,470.92)
KUHN KRAUSE, INC 1,654,082 (289,011.18)
MAYFAIR HOSPITALITY LLC 1,645,776 (287,559.86)
EATON CORPORATION 1,645,231 (287,464.64)
ONEOK NORTH SYSTEM 1,636,165 (238,869.22)
SOUTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE L P 1,610,048 (270,817.98)
BLACK HILLS CORP, (KANSAS DIVISION) 1,572,227 (242,258.58)
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HUTCHINSON 1,391,701 (244,506.80)
ARCONIC, INC 1,379,912 (241,038.90)
STRAWN, JAMES L TRUST 1,369,403 (236,325.36)
HD DEVELOPMENT OF MARYLAND, INC 1,351,223 (236,093.80)
PRAIRIE DUNES, INC 1,273,692 (194,212.92)
CITY BEVERAGE COMPANY, INC 1,260,361 (220,156.12)
ROCKSTEP HUTCHINSON, LLC 1,254,083 (219,120.92)
COLLINS INDUSTRIES, INC 1,218,795 (197,314.42)
UNIT PETROLEUM C/O K.E. ANDREWS 1,207,314 (181,238.24)
LOWEN CORPORATION 1,180,372 (206,183.84)
ONEOK HYDROCARBON LP 1,178,720 (180,755.54)
MAA SANTOSHI, INC 1,136,704 (198,611.74)
TENAWA HAVEN PROCESSING LLC 1,123,801 (164,951.52)
NOBLE HUTCHINSON, LLC 1,104,781 (193,033.98)
KANSAS GAS & ELEC-A WESTAR ENERGY COMPAN 1,080,747 (175,259.04)
CARGILL, INC SALT 1,049,097 (183,304.52)
HEARTLAND CREDIT UNION 1,047,540 (183,416.78)
CENTRAL BANK & TRUST CO 1,007,762 (176,006.46)
COLE KO HUTCHINSON KS LLC 996,776 (174,162.68)
MORTON SALT, INC 980,120 (157,272.02)
MORTON SALT, INC 964,233 (154,592.08)
HUTCHINSON 17TH LLC 961,200 (167,946.64)
SONOCO HUTCHINSON LLC 950,573 (166,089.82)
SONOCO HUTCHINSON LLC 948,820 (165,783.54)
HUTCHINSON SUITE HOTEL LLC 947,031 (165,470.94)
BOLD, LLC 857,104 (149,738.54)
KIRK, FRANK & LYNN TRUST 816,163 (142,564.90)
TSW PRODUCTS CO, INC 780,234 (136,198.26)
GMRI, INC 771,300 (134,728.38)
EXCALIBUR PRODUCTION CO INC 769,847 (113,143.04)
VASU, INC 763,449 (133,394.40)
KAHAN AND ASSOCIATES INC 749,408 (108,201.80)
MIDWEST ENERGY INC 744,378 (127,949.40)
WILLIAMS HUTCH RAIL COMPANY, LLC 737,349 (112,470.80)
TAKAKO AMERICA CO., INC 730,345 (127,574.52)
COLLINGWOOD TERMINAL, INC TAX V-528469 #V23 727,632 (127,100.58)
MAST, MARVIN E 718,410 (117,331.60)
MEDICAL PROPERTIES, LLC 689,691 (119,973.12)
ONEAL PROPERTIES 677,395 (118,325.34)

NATIONAL RETAIL PROPERTIES LP 665,056 (116,202.58)
FARMINGTON PLAZA LLC 647,703 (113,170.56)
KELMAN, STEVEN C 634,245 (106,440.78)
HCRI KANSAS PROPERTIES, LLC 633,411 (110,596.34)
HUTCH JOSEPH INVESTMENTS LLC 624,201 (109,064.14)
DATA CENTER, INC 618,764 (108,114.18)
HIEB PROPERTIES, LLC 599,364 (104,724.50)
PRYOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT LLC 592,916 (103,526.44)
ALDI, INC 588,366 (102,774.02)
FARMERS NATIONAL BANK OF STAFFORD 586,643 (102,642.88)
FUGATE, J LARRY REV TRUST 575,066 (100,479.00)
SPIRIT MASTER FUNDING VIII, LLC 570,390 (99,634.02)
KB ENTERPRISES OF HUTCHINSON, LLC 566,016 (99,121.40)
MIDWAY REAL ESTATE LLC 565,749 (98,823.36)
KANSAS FARMERS SERVICE ASSOC 561,496 (98,080.44)
CONKLIN LAND, INC 555,075 (96,986.04)
PRAIRIE VILLAGE RESIDENCES II, LC 550,149 (96,052.38)
KROGER COMPANY, THE 544,058 (95,061.08)
MCDONALDS CORPORATION 536,584 (93,755.18)
PEOPLES BANK AND TRUST COMPANY 526,102 (89,940.08)
DAB # 165 JOINT VENTURE 515,556 (90,055.78)
CFT NV DEVELOPMENTS, LLC 512,865 (89,585.72)
KAUFFMAN SEEDS, INC 510,497 (80,115.24)
FARMERS COOPERATIVE ELEVATOR CO 507,971 (94,046.32)
CAPVIEW INCOME & VALUE FUND IV LP 500,031 (87,343.92)
ALLEN SAMUELS REALTY INC 498,008 (86,990.54)
KANSAS SENIOR HOUSING PROPERTIES, LLC 495,213 (86,480.60)
HUTCHINSON SALT CO, INC 489,950 (85,601.42)
BLINDHOG, LC 485,458 (84,822.14)
PRYCE INDUSTRIES LLC 481,058 (77,191.54)
MICROMONT HOLDINGS 6 LLC 477,625 (83,430.10)
MID-KANSAS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION 472,636 (86,942.96)
DIVERSIFIED BUILDINGS LLC 463,525 (74,378.16)