HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The International Grumman Pilots Association, a division of the American Yankee Association (AYA), Board of Directors voted for Hutchinson to be the host of its 2018 annual convention. The convention will take place at the Hutchinson Regional Airport and other attractions around the Hutchinson community.

“This is an exciting event to bring to the Hutchinson Airport and the community. We have been working with the association for many months and we are honored that they have chosen Hutchinson as their next convention site,” Holly Leiker, National Sports and Destination Sales Manager for the Greater Hutchinson Convention/Visitors Bureau, said.

The 2018 Convention will take place September 24-27, 2018, and will bring nearly 60 planes and over 100 attendees to Hutchinson for the week. Activities planned include flying and ground competitions, educational sessions, various social receptions and a closing banquet planned for the Cosmosphere. The public is welcome and encouraged to come to the airport to view the planes and watch the competitions take place.

“The Hutchinson Airport Advisory Committee and staff are excited to welcome the AYA Convention next September! Our central location and the ability to easily fly in and out of Hutchinson makes this event a great fit for the airport,” Pieter Miller, Manager of Hutchinson Regional Airport, said.

The Hutchinson CVB attended this year’s convention to present Hutchinson’s bid proposal for the 2018 convention to the board of directors. The CVB also attended various events during the conference including the opening dinner, welcome reception and flying/ground demonstrations.

The American Yankee Association membership includes pilots and those interested in the American Yankee, Model AA-1, and its descendants, Models AA-1A, 1B, 1C, 5, 5A, 5B, GA-7, AG5B and Tiger aircraft.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council continued work on the budget for next year during a special meeting held Tuesday morning.

Under the proposed budget, water rates will go up this year by 5.5 percent, while sewer rates will increase five percent. The increases, along with the stormwater utility fee, are being used to ease some of the backlog of infrastructure improvements that are needed in the city. The city is facing more than $65 million in needed renovations to water and sewer lines.

Residents will start to see some improvements this summer, including a $15 million rebuilding of the stormwater system at 2nd and Cleveland and a new stormwater collection system at Maple and 10th Avenue.

Public Works says it would like to have funding in place to replace three miles of water and sewer line each year, but the city has only enough money budgeted to do about one mile each year.

CHENEY, Kan. — In a sudden change of events, visitors to Cheney State Park will have the old Snyder’s Marina open after all.

Earlier this week, it looked like campers and boaters were going to do without the marina, at least for the Memorial Day holiday, when the owners of Kaps convenience stores and the state could not finalize an agreement that needed to be met before the matter went to the Bureau of Reclamation.

However, the attorney overseeing the negotiation, former State Senator Terry Bruce, says an agreement has been reached where the marina can be open for the weekend.

Because the boat slips and fuel systems were removed when the marina closed two years ago, the marina will only be able to sell grocery items and such.

Meanwhile, work continues on the new contract in hopes Kaps will be able to take over the marina full time this summer. Kaps was allowed to open a small store on the lake’s east side last year, but the contract ran out in September.

Snyder’s Marina closed after the state determined that the conditions of the facility did not meet contractual obligations. Snyder’s concessionaire license was revoked and the marina was closed, starting what has been a process, lasting more than two years, to find someone to operate the facility.

CHENEY, Kan. — It appears that any chance of having at least some service from the marina at Cheney Reservoir for the Memorial Day Holiday is all but gone.

Negotiations between an area convenience store owner and the state have taken too much time to get the marina open for this weekend. The marina has been closed for two years now, ever since the concessionaire’s license with Snyder’s marina was suspended.

Since then, the state and the Bureau of Reclamation have been moving slowly through a long process to get the marina up and running again. Campers got some relief last summer when Kaps convenience stores of Cheney opened a small store near the lake. That contract between Kaps and the state ran out in September, and the owners of Kaps have been trying to get a contract signed for the marina since.

In talking with a spokesperson for the BOR, even if the state and Kaps were to come to an agreement in the next day or two, there would not be enough time to get through the several levels of approval on the federal end of things to get the marina open.

Kaps has always gone over the top to serve Cheney State Park visitors during the holidays since the marina closed by making sure they were ready for the rush of campers and boaters who travel to the small community of Cheney, just south of the park.

The BOR could not give any indication as to when a contract could be signed for the matter to begin the long journey up the federal chain.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The grand opening of the Rice Park Splash Pad will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday and will be a chance to celebrate the fact that more families will now have access to a free, healthy activity in Hutchinson.

It’s also an opportunity to acknowledge how the community can be made greater when neighbors, private citizens, nonprofit organizations and city staff and leaders come together in pursuit of a common goal.

Several years ago, the City of Hutchinson began plans for a splash pad at Rice Park as part of its commitment to encouraging physical activity and healthy lifestyle opportunities for residents by creating new parks and making existing parks more enticing.

Budget constraints put the project on hold for a time, but in early 2015 when Hutchinson Community Foundation hosted the Envision Hutch Unconference, there was a renewed community interest in completing the splash pad.

With interest piqued, work began to secure funding for the splash pad. The city renewed its financial commitment and momentum really increased when Mert Sellers, who has long been a champion of amenities that are fun and free for Hutchinson families, came on board.

Before long, Rice Park area neighbors were making donations and grants from Hutchinson Community Foundation’s Fund for Hutchinson and the Walter E. & Velma G. Justice Fund for Reno County were secured.

We think it’s important to celebrate what can happen when a group of citizens find a way to illustrate and voice a community need, which then motivates individuals, organizations and government to work together as a team to meet that community need. Join us to celebrate this collaboration on May 26th and enjoy ice cream and fun in Hutchinson’s newest water feature.