Kiowa County / Greensburg 2-21-08 to 2-24-08

KIOWA COUNTY/GREENSBURG
Public Information Update
Thursday, February 21, 2008 – Sunday, February 24, 2008

COFFEE HOUSE CONTINUES
Coffee House is still open every Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the Maintenance Building behind the Iroquois Center for Human Development at 610 East Grant in Greensburg. You are invited to stop by any morning for coffee and to catch up on the latest news from your neighbors.

MEET THE CANDIDATES FORUM
The Community Recovery Action Team, Kiowa County Chamber of Commerce, and the GHS Green Club are sponsoring a Meet the Candidates forum on Thursday, February 21st. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. at the Greensburg School gymnasium.

HELP NAME THE INDUSTRIAL PARK
Torsten Energy LLC would like input from the citizens of Kiowa County on naming the new industrial park to be located on the Northeast side of Greensburg. The Board of Directors would like to choose from a list of 10 names and logos. They would like to have all suggestions received by March 1st. Send your name or logo by e-mail to Patrick Stein at pstein@torstenenergy.com .

KIOWA COUNTY GOVERNMENT
· County Offices are located on the square. Hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Court Services and County Attorney are located in the beige trailers located to the north of the courthouse. Hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· County Commission meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays and the last working day of the month at 9:00 a.m. in the Kiowa County Meeting trailer located directly west of the courthouse square
· South Landfill hours are Monday – Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The landfill is now charging $3.50 per cubic yard for debris.
· North Landfill will only accept clean concrete. If the concrete has any metal or other debris mixed then it must go to the South Landfill.

CONTRACTOR/RECONSTRUCTION INFO
· All contractors must register at City Hall between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. Contract work is prohibited without registration and/or license. Contractors are responsible for hauling jobsite debris and must plug any sewer lines.
· Building permit applications are available at the Building and Codes office on the square. Hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. Call 620-723-4109 for information about required documentation and information.

GREENSBURG CITY GOVERNMENT
· City Hall Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.
· City Hall Phone Number is 620-723-2751. Please call if you have questions. City website is www.greensburgks.org check out the website for city services, photos, news and the latest information.
· City Council meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. Council work sessions will be held on the Wednesday prior to Council meetings. The meetings and work sessions will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be held in the Kiowa County Meeting trailer, located directly west of the courthouse square.
· Greensburg Planning Commission meetings are held Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Kiowa County Meeting trailer, located directly west of the courthouse square.
· Greensburg Trash Routes are running. North/South streets are picked up on Mondays and East/West streets are picked up on Fridays.
· Moving out of Keller Estates? Notify city hall so utilities can be shut off. Without notification, the City will continue to bill for water.
· Big Well Gift Shop hours are Tuesday-Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, Sunday 1-4

CHURCH SERVICES
· Lighthouse Worship Center is meeting in their temporary facility located at 804 W. Wisconsin. Sunday School starts at 9:30 a.m. Worship and Children’s Church starts at 10:45 a.m.
· First United Methodist Church is meeting in their temporary facility located at 600 W. Lincoln. Worship at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. Contact Pastor Mayhew at 620-723-3338 with questions or concerns.
· Catholic Church is meeting in their temporary facility located at 215 W. Morton at 10:45 a.m.
· First Baptist Church is meeting in their temporary facility located at Kyle’s farm ½ mile east, ½ mile north and ¼ mile east of Greensburg. Church begins at 10:50 a.m.
· Peace Lutheran Church is meeting in their temporary trailer at 321 S. Walnut at 11 a.m. For more information, call Pastor Merlyn Lohkre, 620-298-2762.
· First Christian Church is meeting at the SCKTRO Village at 10:30 a.m.
· Faith Tabernacle is meeting at the temporary Kiowa County Memorial Hospital each Sunday at 10 a.m.
· Greensburg Mennonite Church is meeting at the Mullinville High School Auditorium at 10 a.m.
· Bible Baptist Church is meeting at 605 S. Elm Dr. Sunday School begins at 10 a.m. and Church begins at 11 a.m. For more information, Wesley Carlton at 620-723-2834.

SAFETY:
· Curfew Hours remain in effect. For youth under 16 years of age, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. For youth 16 – 18 years of age, 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
· Treat ALL power lines as if they are live. Call 911 if you observe an arcing power line.
· Respiratory protection is recommended for all workers. Dust masks and safety glasses are available at the Health Department on the square.
· Burning is prohibited in the Greensburg city limits. In rural areas, follow county ordinances. Burning is strongly discouraged in high winds.
· Protect yourself with gloves, hard-soled shoes or boots. If you have a cut or scratch that does not heal normally, seek necessary medical attention.

DISASTER ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
· USDA Rural Development – Greensburg office is located in the FEMA trailer E, located just southwest of the courthouse square. Office hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday, night appointments upon request. Please call 785-628-3081 ext. 4 or 1-800-338-5546 for more information.
· Salvation Army is located in the Barclay College Library. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. Contact Deb Folkerts at 620-288-4684.
· Contact U.S. Representative Jerry Moran for assistance with the federal government at 620-665-6138.
· Kansas Housing Resources Corporation is offering several housing reconstruction assistance programs. Call 785-296-5865 or log on to www.kshousingcorp.org.
· Kansas Assisting Recovery Efforts (KARE) is a grant funded outreach project serving the counties of Kiowa, Edwards, Comanche, Pratt and Stafford. Call the Greensburg Office at 620-723-1088, Project cell phone at 785-313-6123 or toll free at 866.327.6578 or e-mail kare1@att.net with questions. They will be in four communities until June 2, 2008. Kansas Assisting Recovery Efforts (KARE) KARE 1 Program offers a range of crisis support services including:
· South Central sas Tornado Recovery Organization is providing repair and rebuilding assistance, volunteer labor, donated goods and spiritual and psychological referrals for individuals and families. For more information, call 620-862-5882 or stop by at 201 N. Main St., Haviland.
· United Methodist Recovery Center is located at 322 N. Main in Haviland. Hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come sign-up for volunteer assistance with clean-up and repair or reconstruction. For more information, call 620-862-5422.
· Hudson Oil Company, H.B. Hudson, founder will provide every family rebuilding or remodeling within the city limits of Greensburg $700. See Tom Corns at the Greensburg State Bank to pick up the application.
· Wichita Area Builders Association is working through the Salvation Army to locate Greensburg Families rebuilding within the city limits who have a contract with a building contractor to build their home, which will come to no more than $120,000 and who would not qualify for a loan without the $5000 available through WABA. If you or someone you know falls within these guidelines please contact Deb Folkerts at 620-388-4684.

LETTER OF THANKS
We would like to take this opportunity at the start of 2008 to write an open letter of appreciation to our hospital administrator, Mary Sweet. There is not space in this letter to recap all of the countless hours and dedication shown, not only to the hospital and clinics, but to every single employee and their families in the aftermath of the tornado. She continues her support daily with kind words to individuals, as well as through her leadership of our staff.
Mary is truly a woman of courage, who has demanded more of herself than of anyone else. She has been an untiring advocate for the hospital. The fact that we have been able to continue to provide medical care here and in Haviland since the tornado has enabled us to serve the thousands of volunteers who have flooded in to help, as well as to continue to provide care for our community. The number of volunteers who were seen in ER, sewn up, treated for bronchitis, seen for puncture wounds, evaluated for chest pain (etc.) have numbered in the hundreds. Lives have been saved because Mary kept the hospital alive.
In the days following the tornado, Mary was constantly reaching out to legislators and public officials on our behalf. She was in the daily incident command meeting, where she was asked what she needed. Without hesitation she said, “Well, we could use a new hospital.” With those words, the wheels were set in motion. Within two weeks of that meeting, the Kansas Air National Guard was on the ground, setting up our “MASH” hospital. While a tent hospital might have seemed silly to some, for our town that meant immediate medical care was available 24/7 once more. It also meant our staff could return to work, continuing to provide a living for our families, many of whom lost everything in the disaster.
Mary’s family has also had to sacrifice while she has worked tirelessly on our behalf, and we know and love her children as our own because they have often been here with their Mom. So our thanks go out to Jeremy, Marci, Macy and John David as well. They haven’t acted as bystanders, but pitched in to complete tasks around the hospital grounds.
We are looking forward with excitement and hope to our future with Kiowa County Memorial Hospital and its affiliated clinics. Our new hospital/clinic will enable us to continue to provide the finest medical care possible. Our new hospital will infuse our town with possibilities for economic development that can only happen when local medical care is available. Our new hospital will support our tax base while providing a living for dozens of families who can then rebuild in Greensburg. Our new hospital will not only provide a shelter from storms (as it did May 4th), but will also be a beacon of hope for the future of Greensburg.
This hope has been nurtured by Mary Sweet, even while she has had to cope with the loss of her own home. It is for all the above reasons, and many more that we as a hospital would like to not only thank her, but also nominate Mary for the Zonta Club of Topeka’s Outstanding Women of Greensburg Award.
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital would also like to thank Greensburg for your continued support of our hospital. We invite you to come and tour our ever-changing and improving facilities, and would be delighted to treat you for any of your medical needs.

Sincerely,
The Employees of Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, Greensburg Family Practice and Haviland Clinic