Kiowa County / Greensburg Dec. 13 - 19, 2009

KIOWA COUNTY
Public Information Update
Sunday, December 13, 2009–Saturday, December 19, 2009

H1N1 VACCINATIONS
H1N1 vaccine is now available for the General Public.

Please call 620-723-2136 for an appointment at the Kiowa County Health Dept. to get the vaccine.

BEEF STOCKER MEETING
Kiowa County Extension is co-sponsoring a Beef Stocker Meeting with Edwards County Extension. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 15th at the Fair building in Kinsley and will begin at 1:15 p.m.

Topics to be covered are:
· Buying and Selling Right, Dr. Kevin Dhuyvetter, KSU Agricultural Economist
· Quality in Your Business, Dr. Larry Hollis, KSU Extension Beef Veterinarian
· Utilizing By-products with Stockers, Justin Waggoner, KSU Beef Systems Specialist
· Livestock Indemnity Program, Martin Gleason, Edwards County FSA Director

You can register for the meeting by calling the Extension Office at 620-723-2156 or 620-659-2149. Registration is not required to attend.

AGRICULTURAL LAND LEASING MEETING
The Extension Councils of Stafford, Pratt, Barber, Kiowa, Harper, and Comanche counties will be sponsoring an Agricultural Land Lease meeting on Thursday, December 17th beginning at noon at the Courthouse Annex building in St. John.

Following the free meal being sponsored by the Farmers National Bank of Stafford, participants will hear the following presentations:
· John Donley, Kansas Livestock Association Assistant Counsel: Elements of a good lease and lease structure; Leasing Legal Details – removal and renewal dates; Review of Kansas Lease Law; Liability – burning, injury, hunting/recreation leases; Insurance issues for the landlord and tenant.
· Troy Dumler, KSU Agricultural Economist: Land values, rental rates, and the factors affecting value.

To register for the meeting, please call the Extension Office at 620-723-2156 or 620-549-3502 by December 14th to get an accurate meal count.

PASSPORTS
If you need to obtain a passport for some upcoming travel, stop by the Kiowa County Register of Deeds! Marilyn Brown is now certified to take U. S. Passport applications.

Passport applications will be available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 620-723-2441.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT NOTICE
To better serve clients of the Kiowa County Health Department, we are going to implement a change with our clinic appointments.
We will no longer have an Open Clinic Day!!!
We ask that you call and make an appointment for all services. We hope this will give our clients more flexibility and that we can assure you no waiting time. As we transition during the month of December, we ask that you start calling now for appointments for any service you might need. Starting in January, we will only see a client with an appointment. We will work a drop-in as our schedule allows.

Mitzi Hesser
Kiowa County Health Department
620-723-2136

lADIES NIGHT OUT
The Women of the 1st United Methodist Church would like to invite all the women of Kiowa County to a Ladies Night Out on Wednesday, January 6th.

A covered dish dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the First UMC Fellowship Hall. Following the dinner, Karen Vogel Sawyer, author and speaker will present “Lessons Learned from Chocolate.”

Karen lived in Greensburg during her high school years. She and her husband reside in Kansas and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She has written thirteen novels in three years, many of which are best sellers.

Please come join us and bring a friend!

CENTERA BANK CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Centera Bank has changed their mailing address to the new (soon to be complete) bank location. The new mailing address is 135 S. Main St., Greensburg, KS 67054

KIOWA COUNTY GOVERNMENT
· All Office’s Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· County Offices are located on the square, 211 E. Florida Ave, Greensburg..
· 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 Commissioner’s Meeting Room located on the lower level of the courthouse.
· South Landfill hours are Monday – Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The landfill is now charging $5.00 per cubic yard for C/D and $20.00 per cubic yard for concrete.
· Recycle Center hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 1st and 3rd Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

GREENSBURG CITY GOVERNMENT
· City Hall Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.
· City Hall Phone Number is 620-723-2751.
· 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. The meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at City Hall.
· Greensburg Planning Commission meetings are held on Wednesdays on a fluctuating schedule at 6:30 p.m. Check with Christy at 620-723-4109 for the next date.
· Greensburg Trash Routes are running as North/South streets on Mondays and East/West streets on Fridays. Trash must be out by 8 a.m. or it will not be picked up.
· Big Well Gift Shop hours are Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. The phone number for the gift shop is 620-723-4102.

HAVILAND CITY GOVERNMENT
· City Hall hours are Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· City Hall phone number is 620-862-5317. Please call if you have questions.
· City Council meetings are held the first Monday of the month. At 7 p.m. in the community room.
· Trash service is provided by the county. The West side of town is picked up on Tuesdays. The East side of town is picked up on Fridays. Businesses are on Tuesday and Fridays. Please have your trash at the curb by 8 a.m.

MULLINVILLE CITY GOVERNMENT
· City Hall hours are Monday – Friday 7 to 8 a.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
· City Hall phone number is 620-548-2539. Please call if you have questions.
· City Council meetings are held third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in City hall.
· Trash service is provided by the county. West side of town on Tuesdays and East side of town on Fridays.

CHURCH SERVICES
· Lighthouse Worship Center is meeting in their new 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. Wednesday Bible Study begins at 7 p.m. Contact Pastor Christa Zapfe at 620-723-3028 for more information.
· First United Methodist Church is meeting in their New Life Center located at 600 W. Lincoln. Worship at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday School at 10:45 a.m. Contact Pastor Mayhew at 620-723-3338 with questions or concerns.
· St. Joseph Catholic Church is meeting in their new Church building located at 820 S. Walnut. Services are held on the first and third weekends of the month at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. On the 2nd, 4th, and 5th weekends, Mass is at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Contact Ellen Peters, Parish Life Coordinator at 620-255-3636 with questions and concerns.
· First Baptist Church is meeting in their new facility located at 200 W. Kansas,Greensburg. Church begins at 10:50 a.m. For more information, call Pastor Marvin George at 723-2747.
· 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.
· Greensburg Christian Church is meeting at their new building, 1200 S. Main St. Service begins at 10:30 a.m. Call T.J. Lawson for more information at 620-770-6026.
· Faith Tabernacle is meeting at the new church 611 W. Illinois St. each Sunday at 10 a.m. Call Rev. Willard Olinger at 723-2745 for more details.
· Greensburg Mennonite Church meets in their new facility located at 310 West Pennsylvania. Sunday School begins at 9:30, ages nursery to senior adults. Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Call Pastor Jeff Blackburn at 620-723-2620 for more information.
· 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.

EQIP/WHIP Application Cutoff Date - January 15, 2010
An application evaluation cutoff date of January 15, 2010, for the Environmental Quality Incentives Programs (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) under the Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) has been announced by Eric B. Banks, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Applications may be submitted anytime; however, applications will be gathered for ranking at that point.

Landowners and/or operators with eligible cropland, rangeland, or forestland with any EQIP/WHIP concerns listed below should apply at their local NRCS field office and work with them on a conservation plan. The office is located at 122 E. Illinois St., Greensburg

Kansas EQIP eligible priority natural resource concerns are as follows: * Air Quality - Objectionable Odors; * Domestic
Animals - Inadequate Stock Water; * Fish and Wildlife – Threatened and Endangered Species, Declining Species, and Species of Concern; * Plant Condition - Noxious or Invasive Plants; Productivity, Health, Vigor (Forestland, Rangeland, Pastureland, Hay Land); * Soil Condition - Organic Matter Depletion; * Soil Erosion – Streambank; * Water Quality - Excessive Nutrients/Organics in Ground and/or Surface Water, Excessive Suspended Sediment and Turbidity in Surface Water, Harmful Levels of Pesticides in Ground and/or Surface Water; * Water Quantity - Aquifer Overdraft, Inefficient Water Use on Irrigated Land, Inefficient
Water Use on Non-irrigated Land, and Insufficient Flows in Water Courses

Kansas WHIP wildlife priorities are as follows:
* Threatened and Endangered Species and Species in Need of Conservation; * Grassland Birds; * Natural Communities Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.

"EQIP/WHIP are available to help address the unique circumstances and concerns of socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers, who have natural resource concerns that need to be addressed on their land," said Banks. "In Kansas socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers will receive a higher payment rate through EQIP and WHIP for structural and vegetative practices." Organic EQIP is available for treating natural resource concerns on organic systems. Organic producers, or those transitioning to organic, may apply for EQIP to address their natural resource concerns during this period. As information becomes available, it will be placed on the Kansas NRCS Web site www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/ or be available at your local USDA Service Center from the NRCS or conservation district staff.