Kiowa County / Greensburg 3-3-08 to 3-5-08

KIOWA COUNTY/GREENSBURG
Public Information Update
Monday, March 3, 2008 – Wednesday, March 5, 2008

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY’S “DAFFODIL DAYS”
Friday, March 7th will be the pick up day for Daffodils. If you had a daffodil order, please come by Peoples Insurance at 120 W. Kansas Ave. to pick up your flowers. If you have questions, please call Peoples Insurance at 620-723-2809.
Thank you for your support of the American Cancer Society!

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.

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. The phone number for the gift shop is 620-723-4102.

LYONS CLUB PA SYSTEM
The Greensburg Lyons Club has purchased a portable PA system to be used for Ground Breaking ceremonies and other public events. To reserve the system, please contact Steve Kirk at Centera Bank, 620-723-3356, or Steve Dawson at 620-546-4576.

ICHD COFFEE HOUSE POT LUCK
The monthly Pot Luck Dinner hosted by the ICHD Coffee House has been scheduled for Friday, March 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Coffee House, 610 E. Grant. Just bring a covered dish and enjoy lunch with your friends and neighbors. Coffee, tea, and table service will be furnished by ICHD. This event is scheduled for the second Friday of each month.

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.

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 Greensburg Family Practice temporary facility 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.

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 620-388-4684.
· 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 five communities until June 2, 2008. Kansas Assisting Recovery Efforts (KARE) KARE 1 Program offers a range of crisis support services: support groups, educational presentations, and individual counseling.
· South Central Kansas 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.

PUBLIC SQUARE TELLS ITS STORY TO KANSAS COMMERCE - Kim Gamble
The Kansas Department of Commerce wants to hear how the Public Square process is working to help rebuild Greensburg and Kiowa County. They’re interested in more than the buildings. They want to know how people have come together, how a new vision has formed and whether the Public Square Steering Committee has been effective in bringing all sectors together to invest in the future.
“Yes, they want to hear our story,” said Terry Woodbury who convenes the Public Square Steering Committee every 2nd and 4th Tuesday morning. “Officially, this is a grant application for $2500 of matching funds to help pay for the Public Square process. But it’s really about story-telling. This is the community’s chance to put its story in its own words, not the words of a newspaper writer or a television documentary.”
At last Tuesday’s Steering Committee, Kim Gamble and Steve Kirk offered their “first draft” of the Kansas Commerce narrative. Steering Committee members read it and added suggestions. Friday it was sent on to Topeka. You may get a copy of the five-page narrative from Mitzi Hesser, Public Square Liaison, at the Public Health Department. Following are excerpts from the narrative.
“As we began to use the Public Square for planning, we hoped to get our town back, better than it was before. Through the summer and fall, we began to see that this process would do much more than just restore our community. It would help us to build a new and better community—viable, sustainable and relevant for the next 100 years and beyond.
“Some people did question the need for all this planning. However, as the people involved in the steering committee and active in the public sector meetings worked through each phase of the process, they also encouraged and educated others. As a result, more and more residents came on board and realized that we have an incredible opportunity here in Greensburg, and it would be irresponsible not to make the most of it with careful planning.
“The community leadership especially targeted our youth to participate in the planning, as they are the leaders of the future, and the people for whom we are rebuilding. Currently, at least twenty high school students actively participate in steering committee, sector group, and action team meetings. As people of all ages learned about the Public Square process, it comforted them to know that they would have some input into what the community will look like and also got them excited about the future possibilities. With the help of federal, state, and local leaders and agencies, the community was able to maintain an open dialog that helped us work forward through problems and disagreements to develop consensus on how to reach our common goals.
“The community has obviously supported these planning efforts as evidenced by our attendance and participation in the planning meetings and willingness to express their views to community leaders. The residents and businesses of Greensburg don’t have a lot of money to put our community back together. What we do have is an incredible optimism about the future, a deep desire to see this community become a place our kids and grandkids want to live, and a drive to work as hard as we can for as long as it takes to make our dreams about the future of Greensburg a reality.
“We believe our community has a message to send and an example to set for future generations. We, as a group and as individuals, are using everything we have at our disposal to create that example. But we need help. On the night of the tornado, an individual and his wife emerged from the rubble of their home with a flashlight and a cell phone that didn’t work. They had no home, no car, no communication. Only that flashlight and each other. Soon a friend offered them a ride to temporary shelter with family members. In a few days, they received an insurance check to purchase a new car. Step by step they regained their independence and are rebuilding their lives. But it was not without help. Rebuilding our community is no different. We will use all our resources to their fullest extent, but we will need more help if we are to be successful in our efforts. And with the help of others, step by step, we will rebuild a community—more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically diverse—that will stand as a model for others for decades to come.”
Public Square stories are published twice a month following Steering Committee meetings. Contact Mitzi Hesser, Public Square Liaison, for information - kwcohd@sbcglobal.net