ELLIS — The annual KAY Snowball Dance will be on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The dance is from 8 to 11:30 p.m.&nbsp;Crowning for Snowball Royalty will be at approximately 10 p.m.&nbsp;

PICTURED Back&nbsp;Row (L-R, Freshmen):&nbsp;Addison Kohl, daughter of Jeff and Emily Kohl; Tyler Bongartz, son of Mark and Jenni Bongartz; MaKenzie Kohlrus, daughter of Travis and Susie Kohlrus; Toby Honas, son of Randy and Wendy Honas;&nbsp;Natalee North, daughter of Travis &amp; Ava North; Chance Jimenez, son of&nbsp;Javi&nbsp;and Jessica Jimenez.

3rd&nbsp;Row (L-R, Sophomores): Taylor Seibel, daughter of Craig &amp; Becky Seibel; Ava Reed, daughter of Darin and April Reed; Austin Carroll, son of Matt and Nicole Carroll; Kylee Pfeifer, daughter of Brandon and Chandra Pfeifer.

2nd&nbsp;Row (L-R, Juniors): Madelyn Russell, daughter of Kenton and Jessica Russell; Myah McCoy, daughter of Casey and Melanie McCoy; Dakota Metzler, son of Jim and Becky Metzler; Hannah Schiel, daughter of Jared and Beth Schiel.

Front Row (L-R, Seniors): Easton Burton, son of Corey and Amy Burton; Michelle Gottschalk, daughter of Dean and Julie Gottschalk; Tanner Kohlrus, son of Travis and Susie Kohlrus; Madison Gottschalk, daughter of Dean and Julie Gottschalk; Zeke Haag, son of Ron and Latisha Haag; Haley Schmidt, daughter of&nbsp;Matthew and Lisa Schmidt and Clint and Katy Amrein

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644264430479.jpeg" alt="Ellis 2022 Snowball Candidates" />
 <figcaption>Ellis 2022 Snowball Candidates</figcaption>
 </figure>ELLIS — The annual KAY Snowball Dance will be on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The dance is from 8 to 11:30 p.m.&nbsp;Crowning for Snowball Royalty will be at approximately 10 p.m.&nbsp;PICTURED Back&nbsp;Row (L-R, Freshmen):&nbsp;Addison Kohl, daughter of Jeff and Emily Kohl; Tyler Bongartz, son of Mark and Jenni Bongartz; MaKenzie Kohlrus, daughter of Travis and Susie Kohlrus; Toby Honas, son of Randy and Wendy Honas;&nbsp;Natalee North, daughter of Travis &amp; Ava North; Chance Jimenez, son of&nbsp;Javi&nbsp;and Jessica Jimenez.3rd&nbsp;Row (L-R, Sophomores): Taylor Seibel, daughter of Craig &amp; Becky Seibel; Ava Reed, daughter of Darin and April Reed; Austin Carroll, son of Matt and Nicole Carroll; Kylee Pfeifer, daughter of Brandon and Chandra Pfeifer.2nd&nbsp;Row (L-R, Juniors): Madelyn Russell, daughter of Kenton and Jessica Russell; Myah McCoy, daughter of Casey and Melanie McCoy; Dakota Metzler, son of Jim and Becky Metzler; Hannah Schiel, daughter of Jared and Beth Schiel.Front Row (L-R, Seniors): Easton Burton, son of Corey and Amy Burton; Michelle Gottschalk, daughter of Dean and Julie Gottschalk; Tanner Kohlrus, son of Travis and Susie Kohlrus; Madison Gottschalk, daughter of Dean and Julie Gottschalk; Zeke Haag, son of Ron and Latisha Haag; Haley Schmidt, daughter of&nbsp;Matthew and Lisa Schmidt and Clint and Katy Amrein

Ellis High announces 2022 Snowball royalty candidates

By JAMES BELL 
Hays Post

Saturday morning area legislators, Kansas Sen. Rick
Billinger, R-Goodland, Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra and Kansas Rep. Barb
Wasinger, R-Hays, spoke to a full crowd in the Schmidt Community Commons at the
Hays Public Library, addressing a variety of topics.

Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger delivered the questions
to the legislators, collected from the attendees.

Among the topics discussed was the recent veto by Governor
Laura Kelly of the proposed map of Kansas legislative districts and the reasons
behind the changes in congressional districts.

“Johnson County and Wyandotte have grown too large to stay
together,” Billinger said. He said Johnson County had never previously been split
but with continued growth projected it was a logical county to split, while Wyandotte
County has been split in the past.

“So, it’s nothing unusual,” he said.

Ultimately, he said it becomes a problem with population
distribution.

“We learned there's no way to get the population, we need
733,000 approximately, in each district.

“All of these redistricting maps are a function of numbers,”
Wasinger said. “It's a math problem. The courts want a map that has zero
deviation from each one's that everyone has, every district has the same number
of constituents, on voters, people.”

She pointed out that her district will be one of the few in
western Kansas which would be shrink geographically to balance the district sizes.

The reality is in the future almost our entire state will be
the first district,” Wasinger said. “It's just a function of numbers and has
nothing to do with whether you're Democrat or Republican.”

Rahjes noted the current map, that is often touted as an
example of gerrymandering, was actually the work of the judiciary.

He said while the maps make for “great political fodder,” ultimately
“you have to make the numbers work.”

And no matter who is in charge, the outcome should be driven
by fairness.

“I would hope that we don't have maps based on whoever the
current occupant is that seat of Congress because that then that goes
back on us to make sure, like this morning, to hold our elected officials like
us or Senator Marshall responsible.”

Another topic brought before the group was a critical lack
of childcare across the state.

Overly burdensome regulations were cited as a cause for the
ongoing issue.

Rahjes said while the need to keep children safe should be top
of mind, some regulations could be adjusted to give relief to childcare centers.

“We don't want to break the rules,” he said. “But maybe we
can bend them just a little bit.”

“I’m hoping that through legislation, and through talking to
the different departments, that we can make it a little more simple, and make
it so that if someone wants more babies, they can have more babies,” Wasinger said.

Wasinger said, she hopes businesses help take the lead on the
issue, while the legislature finds ways to work through the troublesome
regulations. 

“If we can make it simpler for them to have a daycare
facility for themselves, for their employees,” she said. “That seems like it
might be a really good response.”

Taking the question first, Wasinger said she thinks the idea
of eliminating a sales tax on food in Kansas is “great,” but wants to ensure no
departments would be crippled by a lack of funding.

“We've got to figure out how to say okay, this is where
we're gonna get the money,” she said. “This is how we can get towards zero percent
sales tax.”

Billenger said he also supports the elimination of the sales
tax on groceries, but there could be budget concerns if extended to all food sales.

"With five counties bordering states that have no
sales tax on groceries, “it's important that we look at this and try to get
started,” he said.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/494e2d9c-12db-4dc4-b3b7-526f00142a1b">Another Legislative Coffee is planned for March 5.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644197237298.jpeg" alt="Kansas Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland,&nbsp;Kansas Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays and&nbsp;Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, spoke with constituents at Saturday's Legislative Coffee at the Hays Public Library in Hays, fielding questions from Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland,&nbsp;Kansas Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays and&nbsp;Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, spoke with constituents at Saturday's Legislative Coffee at the Hays Public Library in Hays, fielding questions from Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL 
Hays PostSaturday morning area legislators, Kansas Sen. Rick
Billinger, R-Goodland, Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra and Kansas Rep. Barb
Wasinger, R-Hays, spoke to a full crowd in the Schmidt Community Commons at the
Hays Public Library, addressing a variety of topics.Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger delivered the questions
to the legislators, collected from the attendees.Among the topics discussed was the recent veto by Governor
Laura Kelly of the proposed map of Kansas legislative districts and the reasons
behind the changes in congressional districts.“Johnson County and Wyandotte have grown too large to stay
together,” Billinger said. He said Johnson County had never previously been split
but with continued growth projected it was a logical county to split, while Wyandotte
County has been split in the past.“So, it’s nothing unusual,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644197357258.jpeg" alt="Kansas Sen. Rick Billinger" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Sen. Rick Billinger</figcaption>
 </figure>Ultimately, he said it becomes a problem with population
distribution.“We learned there's no way to get the population, we need
733,000 approximately, in each district.“All of these redistricting maps are a function of numbers,”
Wasinger said. “It's a math problem. The courts want a map that has zero
deviation from each one's that everyone has, every district has the same number
of constituents, on voters, people.”She pointed out that her district will be one of the few in
western Kansas which would be shrink geographically to balance the district sizes.The reality is in the future almost our entire state will be
the first district,” Wasinger said. “It's just a function of numbers and has
nothing to do with whether you're Democrat or Republican.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644197394139.jpeg" alt="Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Rahjes noted the current map, that is often touted as an
example of gerrymandering, was actually the work of the judiciary.He said while the maps make for “great political fodder,” ultimately
“you have to make the numbers work.”And no matter who is in charge, the outcome should be driven
by fairness.“I would hope that we don't have maps based on whoever the
current occupant is that seat of Congress because that then that goes
back on us to make sure, like this morning, to hold our elected officials like
us or Senator Marshall responsible.”<h2>Childcare</h2>Another topic brought before the group was a critical lack
of childcare across the state.Overly burdensome regulations were cited as a cause for the
ongoing issue.Rahjes said while the need to keep children safe should be top
of mind, some regulations could be adjusted to give relief to childcare centers.“We don't want to break the rules,” he said. “But maybe we
can bend them just a little bit.”“I’m hoping that through legislation, and through talking to
the different departments, that we can make it a little more simple, and make
it so that if someone wants more babies, they can have more babies,” Wasinger said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644197478860.jpeg" alt="Kansas Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays " />
 <figcaption>Kansas Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays </figcaption>
 </figure>Wasinger said, she hopes businesses help take the lead on the
issue, while the legislature finds ways to work through the troublesome
regulations. “If we can make it simpler for them to have a daycare
facility for themselves, for their employees,” she said. “That seems like it
might be a really good response.”<h2>Sales Tax</h2>Taking the question first, Wasinger said she thinks the idea
of eliminating a sales tax on food in Kansas is “great,” but wants to ensure no
departments would be crippled by a lack of funding.“We've got to figure out how to say okay, this is where
we're gonna get the money,” she said. “This is how we can get towards zero percent
sales tax.”Billenger said he also supports the elimination of the sales
tax on groceries, but there could be budget concerns if extended to all food sales."With five counties bordering states that have no
sales tax on groceries, “it's important that we look at this and try to get
started,” he said.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/494e2d9c-12db-4dc4-b3b7-526f00142a1b">Another Legislative Coffee is planned for March 5.</a>

Redistricting, childcare and food sales tax discussed during Legislative Coffee

By JAMES BELL 
Hays Post

WAKEENEY — For 75 years, Immanuel Lutheran Church in WaKeeney
— home to a congregation that was first formed in 1925 — was a part of the
community. But with dwindling Sunday morning attendance, the decision was made last year to sell the
building as parishioners found new places to worship.

While often old churches fall into disrepair, ultimately to
be razed, one local couple instead saw an opportunity to preserve the legacy of
the church — and create a unique spot for travelers of all sorts to find the
comforts of home.

David and Tami Green purchased the building at 438 Main and
recently completed a full remodel, turning the historic structure into a one-of-a-kind vacation rental within walking distance of downtown WaKeeney.

An open house is planned from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday allowing
area residents to see the completed work in what is now the appropriately named
Kirch Haus — translated from German, "church house."

“We wanted to preserve the building so it can live another
hopefully another 100 years and draw people to WaKeeney,” Tami said.

Buying the structure was a quick process for David after he saw the for sale
sign in the early days of 2021.

“I came and looked at it,” he said. “And we made an offer,
and they accepted it in like 12 hours. I mean, it was boom, boom, boom, and it
happened.”

Along with the sale of the building, they also purchased the furniture and materials inside. They made use of it, including as many articles
and artifacts as possible during the remodel.

“It had all the pews in it,” David said. “It had all the 'churchy' things.”

Now, the space honors the building’s legacy
coupled with modern conveniences.

But working to create a home in the old church required
more than just moving furniture.

The biggest part of the project included a new ceiling
and restoration of the original hardwood floors.

“The floor had carpet and the ceiling had all those ceiling
tiles,” David said, “so, it all had to come up and out.”

Doing the bulk of the work themselves, replacing the old
ceiling tiles with wood boards took six weeks. It would take another six to remove
the carpet and glue from the floors, exposing the original hardwood flooring.

Old electric wiring was also replaced, as new rooms were
built in what was the sanctuary, and new plumbing was installed to create a new
kitchen and bathrooms.

The finished product is a facility that will sleep 12, with seven
beds in five bedrooms, three full and one-half baths across 2,160 square feet.

While the project was just recently completed, reviews
from those who have stayed in the building already have been glowing.

And the community has also been overwhelmingly supportive of
the building’s new look and purpose.

“We have a lot of interest from the local community,” Tami said.
“In fact, when we were doing it, when it got to be warmer, we just left that
door front door open. And we probably had three or four tours a day.”

“A couple of the old parishioners came in and said, 'What you
are doing is awesome,' ” David said.

<a href="https://www.vrbo.com/2499824?noDates=true&amp;unitId=3069595">For more
information about The Kirch Haus or to book a stay, visit the listing on
vrbo.com.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010319359.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL 
Hays PostWAKEENEY — For 75 years, Immanuel Lutheran Church in WaKeeney
— home to a congregation that was first formed in 1925 — was a part of the
community. But with dwindling Sunday morning attendance, the decision was made last year to sell the
building as parishioners found new places to worship.While often old churches fall into disrepair, ultimately to
be razed, one local couple instead saw an opportunity to preserve the legacy of
the church — and create a unique spot for travelers of all sorts to find the
comforts of home.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010359810.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>David and Tami Green purchased the building at 438 Main and
recently completed a full remodel, turning the historic structure into a one-of-a-kind vacation rental within walking distance of downtown WaKeeney.An open house is planned from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday allowing
area residents to see the completed work in what is now the appropriately named
Kirch Haus — translated from German, "church house."“We wanted to preserve the building so it can live another
hopefully another 100 years and draw people to WaKeeney,” Tami said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010423262.jpeg" alt="Remnants of church items remain scattered throughout the Kirch Haus." />
 <figcaption>Remnants of church items remain scattered throughout the Kirch Haus.</figcaption>
 </figure>Buying the structure was a quick process for David after he saw the for sale
sign in the early days of 2021.“I came and looked at it,” he said. “And we made an offer,
and they accepted it in like 12 hours. I mean, it was boom, boom, boom, and it
happened.”Along with the sale of the building, they also purchased the furniture and materials inside. They made use of it, including as many articles
and artifacts as possible during the remodel.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010384399.jpeg" alt="A piece from the altar was used to create a one-of-a-kind headboard in the master bedroom." />
 <figcaption>A piece from the altar was used to create a one-of-a-kind headboard in the master bedroom.</figcaption>
 </figure>“It had all the pews in it,” David said. “It had all the 'churchy' things.”Now, the space honors the building’s legacy
coupled with modern conveniences.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010401709.jpeg" alt="A Christmas tree is set to be permanently placed in the Kirch Haus as a reflection of WaKeeney being known as the Christmas City of the High Plains. Two church pianos also remain in the building." />
 <figcaption>A Christmas tree is set to be permanently placed in the Kirch Haus as a reflection of WaKeeney being known as the Christmas City of the High Plains. Two church pianos also remain in the building.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010472673.jpeg" alt="A snack space inside the downstairs of the Kirch Haus." />
 <figcaption>A snack space inside the downstairs of the Kirch Haus.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010509370.jpeg" alt="Original stained glass windows remain throughout the space." />
 <figcaption>Original stained glass windows remain throughout the space.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010525155.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>But working to create a home in the old church required
more than just moving furniture.The biggest part of the project included a new ceiling
and restoration of the original hardwood floors.“The floor had carpet and the ceiling had all those ceiling
tiles,” David said, “so, it all had to come up and out.”Doing the bulk of the work themselves, replacing the old
ceiling tiles with wood boards took six weeks. It would take another six to remove
the carpet and glue from the floors, exposing the original hardwood flooring.Old electric wiring was also replaced, as new rooms were
built in what was the sanctuary, and new plumbing was installed to create a new
kitchen and bathrooms.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010483518.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The finished product is a facility that will sleep 12, with seven
beds in five bedrooms, three full and one-half baths across 2,160 square feet.While the project was just recently completed, reviews
from those who have stayed in the building already have been glowing.And the community has also been overwhelmingly supportive of
the building’s new look and purpose.“We have a lot of interest from the local community,” Tami said.
“In fact, when we were doing it, when it got to be warmer, we just left that
door front door open. And we probably had three or four tours a day.”“A couple of the old parishioners came in and said, 'What you
are doing is awesome,' ” David said.<a href="https://www.vrbo.com/2499824?noDates=true&amp;unitId=3069595">For more
information about The Kirch Haus or to book a stay, visit the listing on
vrbo.com.</a> <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644010541610.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Kirch Haus: WaKeeney couple resurrects historic house of worship

Sunflower Electric Power Corporation applied for a Solar Energy
System Permit in Russell County on Monday. Sunflower plans to develop the Sunflower
Electric Solar @ Russell project, a 20-megawatt solar farm located 3 miles east of Russell.
The next step for the project, expected to be commercially available by the last part of 2023, is
for the Russell County Commission to review and approve the Solar Energy System Permit.


Sunflower is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving
seven member distribution utilities with a diverse fuel electric generation mix, including
traditional and renewable resources. The Russell project is the second solar development by
Sunflower. The 20-MW Johnson Corner Solar Project came online in April 2020 and is the
largest operating solar facility in the state of Kansas.


Gov. Laura Kelly and Sen. Elaine Bowers voiced their support for the new solar development.


“Kansas is uniquely positioned to lead the way in the development and expansion of clean and
renewable energy,” Kelly said. “I am pleased to see this project move forward. Kansas must
have a diverse renewable energy portfolio as we power our future and grow our rapidly
changing economy.”


“I commend Sunflower in its efforts to build a second 20-MW solar array in the state,” Bowers
said. “As the need for electricity continues to grow, I’m pleased to see that Kansas is taking a
great part in developing more resources.”


Sunflower is again developing the project with the National Renewables Cooperative
Organization, of which Sunflower is a member-owner.


“It’s a good day any time we can capitalize on Kansas resources for the good of our
communities, state, and beyond,” Rep. Troy Waymaster said, “but it’s especially exciting to see
it happening near my hometown. Russell County continues to embrace changes that bring
benefits today and well into the future.”


The public is invited to learn about the project during a come-and-go, informational gathering at
Fossil Creek Hotel and Suites, 1430 S. Fossil, Russell, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 15.


About Sunflower Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power
supplier that operates a system of solar, wind, natural gas, and coal-based generating plants
and a transmission system of approximately 2,400 miles for the needs of its seven
Members, who serve customers living in central and western Kansas. Visit Sunflower’s
website at www.sunflower.net.

Sunflower’s member cooperatives include Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Dighton; Pioneer
Electric Cooperative, Ulysses; Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Norton; The Victory Electric
Cooperative Association, Dodge City; Western Cooperative Electric Association, WaKeeney;
and Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Scott City, Kansas. Southern Pioneer Electric Company
is also a Member of Sunflower.

About National Renewables Cooperative Organization Formed in 2008 by 21
cooperatives, NRCO aims to increase access to cost-effective renewable energy resources
for electric cooperatives around the country. NRCO provides full origination and development
services for its owner-members and cooperative customers, with nearly one gigawatt of wind
and solar projects completed to date including 45 cooperative-run community solar farms.
For more information, see www.nrco.coop.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1577977088095.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News releaseSunflower Electric Power Corporation applied for a Solar Energy
System Permit in Russell County on Monday. Sunflower plans to develop the Sunflower
Electric Solar @ Russell project, a 20-megawatt solar farm located 3 miles east of Russell.
The next step for the project, expected to be commercially available by the last part of 2023, is
for the Russell County Commission to review and approve the Solar Energy System Permit.
Sunflower is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving
seven member distribution utilities with a diverse fuel electric generation mix, including
traditional and renewable resources. The Russell project is the second solar development by
Sunflower. The 20-MW Johnson Corner Solar Project came online in April 2020 and is the
largest operating solar facility in the state of Kansas.
Gov. Laura Kelly and Sen. Elaine Bowers voiced their support for the new solar development.
“Kansas is uniquely positioned to lead the way in the development and expansion of clean and
renewable energy,” Kelly said. “I am pleased to see this project move forward. Kansas must
have a diverse renewable energy portfolio as we power our future and grow our rapidly
changing economy.”
“I commend Sunflower in its efforts to build a second 20-MW solar array in the state,” Bowers
said. “As the need for electricity continues to grow, I’m pleased to see that Kansas is taking a
great part in developing more resources.”
Sunflower is again developing the project with the National Renewables Cooperative
Organization, of which Sunflower is a member-owner.
“It’s a good day any time we can capitalize on Kansas resources for the good of our
communities, state, and beyond,” Rep. Troy Waymaster said, “but it’s especially exciting to see
it happening near my hometown. Russell County continues to embrace changes that bring
benefits today and well into the future.”
The public is invited to learn about the project during a come-and-go, informational gathering at
Fossil Creek Hotel and Suites, 1430 S. Fossil, Russell, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 15.
About Sunflower Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power
supplier that operates a system of solar, wind, natural gas, and coal-based generating plants
and a transmission system of approximately 2,400 miles for the needs of its seven
Members, who serve customers living in central and western Kansas. Visit Sunflower’s
website at www.sunflower.net.
Sunflower’s member cooperatives include Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Dighton; Pioneer
Electric Cooperative, Ulysses; Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Norton; The Victory Electric
Cooperative Association, Dodge City; Western Cooperative Electric Association, WaKeeney;
and Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Scott City, Kansas. Southern Pioneer Electric Company
is also a Member of Sunflower.
About National Renewables Cooperative Organization Formed in 2008 by 21
cooperatives, NRCO aims to increase access to cost-effective renewable energy resources
for electric cooperatives around the country. NRCO provides full origination and development
services for its owner-members and cooperative customers, with nearly one gigawatt of wind
and solar projects completed to date including 45 cooperative-run community solar farms.
For more information, see www.nrco.coop.

Sunflower files application for Russell County solar project

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 32 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.

As of Monday morning, there were 29 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed, including nine active cases and 20 recovering cases.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/75f061b1-d7f1-4dba-ad9d-36bcbccc8ee8">RELATED: Drive-through testing site returns to Big Creek Crossing</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/105f1213-d48a-4548-9e16-aaa16189301a">RELATED: Norton prison COVID cluster remains largest in Kansas</a>

The Kansas Hospital Organization reported last weekthat 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (5 and older) are fully vaccinated. The county-by-county vaccination rate report will no longer be published by KDHE.

Since reporting began, there have been 6,950 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 79 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644256851955.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 32 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.As of Monday morning, there were 29 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed, including nine active cases and 20 recovering cases.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/75f061b1-d7f1-4dba-ad9d-36bcbccc8ee8">RELATED: Drive-through testing site returns to Big Creek Crossing</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/105f1213-d48a-4548-9e16-aaa16189301a">RELATED: Norton prison COVID cluster remains largest in Kansas</a>The Kansas Hospital Organization reported last weekthat 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (5 and older) are fully vaccinated. The county-by-county vaccination rate report will no longer be published by KDHE.Since reporting began, there have been 6,950 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 79 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644256827105.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: 32 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Friday

After last week's bitter cold and bout of snow, skies are expected to clear and the mercury will rise this week, the National Weather Service in Dodge City said.

After a high near 60 Monday, the high temperatures this week are expected to be in the mid- to upper-50s into Saturday. Winds, however, are expected to be 10 to 14 mph Monday, and Tuesday will bring 13 to 22 mph winds with gusts up to 32 mph.

Forecasters are also calling for an extended dry spell, with no precipitation expected for the next 10 days.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644249113410.png" alt="Dodge City NWS" />
 <figcaption>Dodge City NWS</figcaption>
 </figure>After last week's bitter cold and bout of snow, skies are expected to clear and the mercury will rise this week, the National Weather Service in Dodge City said.After a high near 60 Monday, the high temperatures this week are expected to be in the mid- to upper-50s into Saturday. Winds, however, are expected to be 10 to 14 mph Monday, and Tuesday will bring 13 to 22 mph winds with gusts up to 32 mph.Forecasters are also calling for an extended dry spell, with no precipitation expected for the next 10 days.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">No precipitation is expected over the next 10 days, through at least 17 February. There will be a series of dry cold fronts, accompanied by wind shifts and minor temperature flucuations, but they will all be moisture starved. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/uNnz0Uo0JT">pic.twitter.com/uNnz0Uo0JT</a>&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1490667560425365504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Spring-like temperatures are expected the next two days with highs in the 50s for most areas. Elevated fire weather conditions may be possible Tuesday afternoon. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cowx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cowx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/newx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#newx</a> <a href="https://t.co/iQc1F4J0Gu">pic.twitter.com/iQc1F4J0Gu</a>&mdash; NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSGoodland/status/1490663791700234241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>

NWS: Warmer and drier for northwest Kansas

With the fall semester behind them, the women of the Fort Hays
State University Rodeo team is working to continue a positive year as the first
event of the spring semester nears.

“We're making some good progress this semester,” said coach
Guy Forrell. “Kamryn (Smith) and Jessi (Ross) had a good fall in the breakaway
roping — that's our primary event. They also worked team roping. And so we're
really excited to have these two, they're really the two leaders on the team and
certainly our women's team continues to get tougher.”

He said while there are currently some holes in the
programs, practices are going well this semester.

“We're eighth in the region right now,” Forrell said. "And
that's a really strong showing. We have the opportunity to move up to fifth
place, look into point structure the rest of the semester, it's going to be
tough to move up and beat some of those Oklahoma schools in the rest of the
semester, but we're very positive about it. We were excited to move in and
really everybody that's in front of us are all Oklahoma schools.

“Coming from Oklahoma, I want to go back and beat them.”

Due to the structure of the sport, Forrell said rodeo teams
compete with a wider group of participants than typical collegiate sports,
with competition growing each year.

“These teams have become so competitive,” he said. “We
compete in the Central Plains region, which is all of the junior colleges and
the universities within the state of Oklahoma and Kansas, one of the most
competitive regions in the nation.

“What is unique about rodeo in college rodeo is that we do compete on the same
level with junior colleges and so some of these junior college programs are
very strong and so that's kind of what we're facing. Central Plains is tough.”

And moving up the rankings is team effort.

“On a college rodeo team ... everyone
competes together,” Ross said. “But of course, there's women's events and men's
events, but the women can actually rope with men in the team roping. But for
the points team on a college rodeo team, there's four women and six men that
can compete for points for the initial year-end, to get to the College National
Finals. And so just those four and six men and women that are picked on the
team.

“If they make a short round, they get points that contribute
to the team to go to the year-end.”

The rodeo team is set to return to action on Feb. 18 at
Kansas State University in Manhattan.

“We're excited to go. It's usually pretty cold, but we've
been practicing in the cold,” Ross said.

And Smith said her desire to compete is stronger than the
recent cold weather. 

“It's mainly just a drive,” she said. “I want to compete,
and I want to be good, so I put the practice in and you know, layer up.”

For both Ross and Smith, a highlight of the upcoming semester
is the FHSU Rodeo, scheduled to begin April 14.

“I do like rodeoing here at Hays just because you get the
hometown feeling,” Ross said. 

“I would say just like Jesse said, my favorite probably would
be our hometown for the hometown crowd,” Smith said.

Forrell said this year’s rodeo will move to the Ellis County
Fairgrounds and he hopes that a large crowd will take advantage of the larger
facility than used in the past on the FHSU campus.

“We always are challenged with the weather here in northwest
Kansas,” he said. “But when we have good weather years, it's great, we get good
crowds.”

“It's gonna be on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday this year,
just because Sunday falls on Easter," Ross said. "So, it is going to be a really good turnout, I believe, because it's going
to be a new place for people to come watch us and support our team.”

<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/agriculture/rodeo/">For more
information about the FHSU Rodeo Club, visit fhsu.edu.</a>

<div><iframe title="Fort Hays State rodeo looking for top five finish as season continues" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=jbrez-11995f8-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL 
Hays PostWith the fall semester behind them, the women of the Fort Hays
State University Rodeo team is working to continue a positive year as the first
event of the spring semester nears.“We're making some good progress this semester,” said coach
Guy Forrell. “Kamryn (Smith) and Jessi (Ross) had a good fall in the breakaway
roping — that's our primary event. They also worked team roping. And so we're
really excited to have these two, they're really the two leaders on the team and
certainly our women's team continues to get tougher.”He said while there are currently some holes in the
programs, practices are going well this semester.“We're eighth in the region right now,” Forrell said. "And
that's a really strong showing. We have the opportunity to move up to fifth
place, look into point structure the rest of the semester, it's going to be
tough to move up and beat some of those Oklahoma schools in the rest of the
semester, but we're very positive about it. We were excited to move in and
really everybody that's in front of us are all Oklahoma schools.“Coming from Oklahoma, I want to go back and beat them.”Due to the structure of the sport, Forrell said rodeo teams
compete with a wider group of participants than typical collegiate sports,
with competition growing each year.“These teams have become so competitive,” he said. “We
compete in the Central Plains region, which is all of the junior colleges and
the universities within the state of Oklahoma and Kansas, one of the most
competitive regions in the nation.“What is unique about rodeo in college rodeo is that we do compete on the same
level with junior colleges and so some of these junior college programs are
very strong and so that's kind of what we're facing. Central Plains is tough.”And moving up the rankings is team effort.“On a college rodeo team ... everyone
competes together,” Ross said. “But of course, there's women's events and men's
events, but the women can actually rope with men in the team roping. But for
the points team on a college rodeo team, there's four women and six men that
can compete for points for the initial year-end, to get to the College National
Finals. And so just those four and six men and women that are picked on the
team.“If they make a short round, they get points that contribute
to the team to go to the year-end.”The rodeo team is set to return to action on Feb. 18 at
Kansas State University in Manhattan.“We're excited to go. It's usually pretty cold, but we've
been practicing in the cold,” Ross said.And Smith said her desire to compete is stronger than the
recent cold weather. “It's mainly just a drive,” she said. “I want to compete,
and I want to be good, so I put the practice in and you know, layer up.”For both Ross and Smith, a highlight of the upcoming semester
is the FHSU Rodeo, scheduled to begin April 14.“I do like rodeoing here at Hays just because you get the
hometown feeling,” Ross said. “I would say just like Jesse said, my favorite probably would
be our hometown for the hometown crowd,” Smith said.Forrell said this year’s rodeo will move to the Ellis County
Fairgrounds and he hopes that a large crowd will take advantage of the larger
facility than used in the past on the FHSU campus.“We always are challenged with the weather here in northwest
Kansas,” he said. “But when we have good weather years, it's great, we get good
crowds.”“It's gonna be on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday this year,
just because Sunday falls on Easter," Ross said. "So, it is going to be a really good turnout, I believe, because it's going
to be a new place for people to come watch us and support our team.”<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/agriculture/rodeo/">For more
information about the FHSU Rodeo Club, visit fhsu.edu.</a>

🎙Fort Hays State rodeo looking for Top 5 finish as season continues

By LAAH TUCKER Natoma Lions Club

NATOMA — Natoma Lions Club President Terry Tucker welcomed Jim Huenergarde, Kansas Lions District Zone K Chair and Kansas Lions Sight Foundation, to the Jan. 31 meeting in Natoma. Guests included Kasey and Jonathan Ulrich, Four County Fire Relief team members. 

The meeting’s emphasis was directed to the Four County Fire Relief for Osborne, Russell, Rooks and Ellis counties. Kasey Ulrich provided insight into the devastating wildfires fanned by 100 mph wind for 10 hours on Dec. 15 burning thousands of acres of pasture, thousands of cattle and horses, wildlife, ranches and farms. She emphasized the desperate need in transportation for 1,000 bales of donated hay from the Kansas City area. With pastures in ashes, the remaining herds of cattle and horses will need hay for the winter. 

Following the Ulrichs’ reports, Jim Huenergarde presented a $500 donation to Kasey Ulrich, Four County Fire Relief, from the Hays Lions Club. Huenergarde also presented commemorative Lions Club gifts to each member. Membership awards were given to Ken Hachmeister, Terry Tucker, and Laah Tucker for 10 years of volunteering in the International Lions Club. The Natoma Lions Club will be hosting the Annual Community Pancake Supper, Saturday, February 26, 5:00-7:30 pm, Natoma Community Center. All proceeds will benefit the Four County Fire Relief. 

For information contact Terry Tucker, president, 785-885-8075.&nbsp;Kasey Ulrich,&nbsp;Four County Fire Mitigation Team, 785-643-1951.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643983855011.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photoNatoma Lions Club president Terry Tucker (left) welcomed Jim Huenergarde (center), Lions District Zone K Chair and Kansas Lions Sight Foundation, for presenting the Hays Lions Club’s $500 donation to Kasey Ulrich, Four Country Fire Mitigation Team. " />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photoNatoma Lions Club president Terry Tucker (left) welcomed Jim Huenergarde (center), Lions District Zone K Chair and Kansas Lions Sight Foundation, for presenting the Hays Lions Club’s $500 donation to Kasey Ulrich, Four Country Fire Mitigation Team. </figcaption>
 </figure>By LAAH TUCKER Natoma Lions ClubNATOMA — Natoma Lions Club President Terry Tucker welcomed Jim Huenergarde, Kansas Lions District Zone K Chair and Kansas Lions Sight Foundation, to the Jan. 31 meeting in Natoma. Guests included Kasey and Jonathan Ulrich, Four County Fire Relief team members. The meeting’s emphasis was directed to the Four County Fire Relief for Osborne, Russell, Rooks and Ellis counties. Kasey Ulrich provided insight into the devastating wildfires fanned by 100 mph wind for 10 hours on Dec. 15 burning thousands of acres of pasture, thousands of cattle and horses, wildlife, ranches and farms. She emphasized the desperate need in transportation for 1,000 bales of donated hay from the Kansas City area. With pastures in ashes, the remaining herds of cattle and horses will need hay for the winter. Following the Ulrichs’ reports, Jim Huenergarde presented a $500 donation to Kasey Ulrich, Four County Fire Relief, from the Hays Lions Club. Huenergarde also presented commemorative Lions Club gifts to each member. Membership awards were given to Ken Hachmeister, Terry Tucker, and Laah Tucker for 10 years of volunteering in the International Lions Club. The Natoma Lions Club will be hosting the Annual Community Pancake Supper, Saturday, February 26, 5:00-7:30 pm, Natoma Community Center. All proceeds will benefit the Four County Fire Relief. For information contact Terry Tucker, president, 785-885-8075.&nbsp;Kasey Ulrich,&nbsp;Four County Fire Mitigation Team, 785-643-1951.Courtesy photo

Natoma Lions Club receives fire relief donation

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644003204476.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

BY RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“True Grit.” That classic Hollywood western movie was remade in 2010. The characters in the film were equipped with authentic leather holsters, gunbelts and saddles — hand-made by a craftsman located in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

David Carrico is the founder and owner of Carrico Leatherworks, the business that produced these period leather items for the film industry and others. He operates the business from his home place near Edna, where he was born and raised. He is the fourth generation on the family farm. Son Denton, a K-State student, is the fifth.&nbsp;

“My dad made me a leather belt when I was a kid,” David said. He grew up cowboying and working cattle. “I learned to make these things out of leather because I couldn’t afford to buy them,” David said with a smile.&nbsp;

He found he enjoyed making leather goods. People who saw his products would often ask if he could make them one like it, too.&nbsp;

David went to Coffeyville Community College where he took a living history class. He became fascinated by American history, connected with some Civil War re-enactors, and joined in re-enactments himself. He then applied his leather-working skills to make authentic period pieces such as belts, holsters, and saddles that actors could use. He also met and married his wife Deena, a Pittsburg State grad who is now a teacher.&nbsp;

David went on to K-State where he earned a degree in agricultural education. At the time of graduation, there were no teaching jobs open so he decided to continue to do leatherwork.&nbsp;

“I told my wife that, if this didn’t work out, I’d get a real job,” David said. “I haven’t had to get a real job yet.”&nbsp;

David started making more of the authentic Cavalry leather goods. “We used to go around to re-enactments and set up a table to sell our handmade period gear,” David said. “Now, with the Internet, we don’t even have to go to those” because buyers purchase his products online.&nbsp;

David has produced multiple items for the film industry.&nbsp;

For movies set in the Civil War era, Civil War re-enactments make great content for filming because the participants are already authentically dressed. “You have a camera-ready man and a camera-ready horse,” David said. When he participated in those filmed re-enactments, David would visit with the prop crew to get ideas. He also visited Fort Riley’s cavalry museum and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka to gather authentic designs.&nbsp;

Today, Carrico Leatherworks specializes in authentic Cavalry equipment and old west gear. David makes McLellan and Hope saddles, military belts and holsters, western belts and holsters, and horse and saddle accoutrements. He recently purchased dies, patterns, and saddle components from the famous F.A. Meanea Company of Cheyenne, Wyoming, which made products for Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt and Charles M. Russell, among others.&nbsp;

“I don’t build modern saddles because I’m so busy with the period stuff,” David said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some customers are re-enactors, some are Hollywood film producers, and some simply want authentic period cowboy gear. He also rents items for Hollywood movies.&nbsp;

David’s handmade leather goods have been included in films such as&nbsp;News of the World&nbsp;with Tom Hanks;&nbsp;The Son&nbsp;with Pierce Brosnan;&nbsp;The Magnificent Seven&nbsp;with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt; and the remake of&nbsp;True Grit&nbsp;with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.&nbsp;

For the movie&nbsp;Hostiles&nbsp;starring Christian Bale, David was hired as a Cavalry adviser to teach the actors how to ride like Cavalry soldiers. He’s worked with producers Bill Kurtis and Ron Howard. His products were even included in the Japanese-themed movie&nbsp;The Last Samurai&nbsp;with Tom Cruise.&nbsp;

Carrico Leatherworks has shipped products across the U.S. and beyond. It’s an impressive record for a business located in the rural community of Edna, population 442 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.carricoleather.com/">www.carricoleather.com</a>

“True Grit.” The remake of this classic movie included leather items handmade by this artisan in rural Kansas. We commend David Carrico of Carrico Leatherworks for making a difference with his craftsmanship, from horseback to Hollywood.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643811605800.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development“True Grit.” That classic Hollywood western movie was remade in 2010. The characters in the film were equipped with authentic leather holsters, gunbelts and saddles — hand-made by a craftsman located in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;David Carrico is the founder and owner of Carrico Leatherworks, the business that produced these period leather items for the film industry and others. He operates the business from his home place near Edna, where he was born and raised. He is the fourth generation on the family farm. Son Denton, a K-State student, is the fifth.&nbsp;“My dad made me a leather belt when I was a kid,” David said. He grew up cowboying and working cattle. “I learned to make these things out of leather because I couldn’t afford to buy them,” David said with a smile.&nbsp;He found he enjoyed making leather goods. People who saw his products would often ask if he could make them one like it, too.&nbsp;David went to Coffeyville Community College where he took a living history class. He became fascinated by American history, connected with some Civil War re-enactors, and joined in re-enactments himself. He then applied his leather-working skills to make authentic period pieces such as belts, holsters, and saddles that actors could use. He also met and married his wife Deena, a Pittsburg State grad who is now a teacher.&nbsp;David went on to K-State where he earned a degree in agricultural education. At the time of graduation, there were no teaching jobs open so he decided to continue to do leatherwork.&nbsp;“I told my wife that, if this didn’t work out, I’d get a real job,” David said. “I haven’t had to get a real job yet.”&nbsp;David started making more of the authentic Cavalry leather goods. “We used to go around to re-enactments and set up a table to sell our handmade period gear,” David said. “Now, with the Internet, we don’t even have to go to those” because buyers purchase his products online.&nbsp;David has produced multiple items for the film industry.&nbsp;For movies set in the Civil War era, Civil War re-enactments make great content for filming because the participants are already authentically dressed. “You have a camera-ready man and a camera-ready horse,” David said. When he participated in those filmed re-enactments, David would visit with the prop crew to get ideas. He also visited Fort Riley’s cavalry museum and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka to gather authentic designs.&nbsp;Today, Carrico Leatherworks specializes in authentic Cavalry equipment and old west gear. David makes McLellan and Hope saddles, military belts and holsters, western belts and holsters, and horse and saddle accoutrements. He recently purchased dies, patterns, and saddle components from the famous F.A. Meanea Company of Cheyenne, Wyoming, which made products for Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt and Charles M. Russell, among others.&nbsp;“I don’t build modern saddles because I’m so busy with the period stuff,” David said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some customers are re-enactors, some are Hollywood film producers, and some simply want authentic period cowboy gear. He also rents items for Hollywood movies.&nbsp;David’s handmade leather goods have been included in films such as&nbsp;News of the World&nbsp;with Tom Hanks;&nbsp;The Son&nbsp;with Pierce Brosnan;&nbsp;The Magnificent Seven&nbsp;with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt; and the remake of&nbsp;True Grit&nbsp;with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.&nbsp;For the movie&nbsp;Hostiles&nbsp;starring Christian Bale, David was hired as a Cavalry adviser to teach the actors how to ride like Cavalry soldiers. He’s worked with producers Bill Kurtis and Ron Howard. His products were even included in the Japanese-themed movie&nbsp;The Last Samurai&nbsp;with Tom Cruise.&nbsp;Carrico Leatherworks has shipped products across the U.S. and beyond. It’s an impressive record for a business located in the rural community of Edna, population 442 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.carricoleather.com/">www.carricoleather.com</a>“True Grit.” The remake of this classic movie included leather items handmade by this artisan in rural Kansas. We commend David Carrico of Carrico Leatherworks for making a difference with his craftsmanship, from horseback to Hollywood.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: David Carrico, Carrico Leatherworks 

Click <a href="https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/jaren-kanaks-almost-impossible-journey-to-oklahoma-was-quite-an-adventure">HERE</a> to read the article about the future Sooner player from Hays, KS.

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kimreelphotography">Cover image by Kim Reel Photography</a>

Click <a href="https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/jaren-kanaks-almost-impossible-journey-to-oklahoma-was-quite-an-adventure">HERE</a> to read the article about the future Sooner player from Hays, KS.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kimreelphotography">Cover image by Kim Reel Photography</a>

Hays High's Kanak featured by Sports Illustrated

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams shares the latest from Grow Hays.

The economic future of Ellis County is up to all of us, Grow Hays executive director, Doug Williams stops by to talk a little bit about some of the initiatives going on in the area concerning economic development on this episode of the Post Podcast.&nbsp; The first one I think we want to talk about, and this was this is topical, this came up last night at the city commission work session, they're talking about a sales tax initiative, as part of their bond issue you want to, before we get into it, just tell everybody a little bit if they don't know what what this entails,

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;

Well, obviously, the USD 49 is exploring the possibility of a bond issue to build new schools or improve the schools we have. And there are a couple of ways they can pay for that they can do a bond issue, and that can be levied via property tax, or they can do a combination of property tax, and also, with the city's permission, and with the voters' approval, put it out a portion of it on a sales tax. And so they were approaching the city of Hayes about the concept of a half a cent sales tax locally, within the city of Hays or 49. District, I'm not sure exactly how that works. But that would be a half-cent sales tax levied for 10 years. And the proceeds from that sales tax would go towards retiring the bond issue, along with property tax and that kind of thing. And they illustrated what the property tax would be on a typical home in Hays with the sales tax in place, and then without the sales tax in place.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they tried to do this on the bond issue about eight years ago as well. Right. And if I remember correctly, the sales tax piece did pass it but the Bond didn't.

Right. And so it was moot at that point? Because you've with this one the way they explained it last night and I don't want to steal USD 49 stander, I know they come on here as well. But I'm sure we'll be talking the way they explained it last night was it if the sales tax would pass and the bond issue wouldn't, the sales tax would not go into effect. If the bond issue passed, and the sales tax did not the bond issue would still pass and be carried out. And they would build the new schools and make the improvements and that type of thing. So but the sales tax would be conditioned upon the bond passing? Sure.

Now, I think we've talked about this enough in the past, I think both of us I think our opinions are pretty clear that generally, whether it be this bond or a different bond or some way or another, we're going to have to fix those facilities. But what I'm curious about is your thoughts on is the sales tax, a good way to do that? Because I think about the trade area or the 1.7 pull or pull factor that we have for the local economy. I wonder, do you think of that impacts that?

I think it is a good way to do it? Does it impact that maybe a little bit. But if you look, the thing you have to look at is regionally how our sales tax compares to other places where people would go and shop. And we're right in line, even with a half a percent bump, we were below our peer communities in western Kansas, in central Kansas, before the city, the county passed their half-cent sales tax that took it from 8.25 to 8.75. This would take it from 8.75 to nine and a quarter. Still within the norm of communities our size, so I don't see a lot of harm in that. And it would soften the blow for the property taxpayers have within USD 489. So I think it's a good way to do it. There will be some complaints from remote areas and local areas. You know, I I just because it's a sales tax doesn't mean you're not going to pay something, you're just gonna pay it in smaller increments and that kind of thing. And so but that, you know, as we've talked many times before, and we will many times in the future until this is playing itself out. We have kicked the can down the road as far as we can kick it in regard to our schools, and we have to do something. And this is a good way to do it. It makes it more affordable for the typical taxpayer. And, and it does spread the cost of those schools over some other communities of which, you know, when we pay our state property taxes here, we pay for other community schools because they get some funding that we don't. So it's not like we're picking on everybody from out of town. We're just kind of leveling the playing field. And I think Ron Wilson pointed that out last night.

Okay. You know, I think about too, you know, part of the discussions that I've heard is, you know, the facilities, we don't have the facilities we need to do, you know, tournaments and things where we'd bring groups of people in and those kinds of events. You know, they do have a regional impact. I think about people stopping for gas in Russell or walking on the way here, hopefully, they spend their money here. But you know, they're going to some of those folks hit those little towns coming into Hays.

They are and then more people we get into the community for all types of events, the better, you know, potentially fills up hotel rooms that people buy gas, they buy dinner, they maybe go and buy things at Walmart to the mall or wherever they shop and Home Depot. So activity generates additional dollars and facilities help that for sure. And then just the general overcrowding situations we have within our schools right now, you know, we're over capacity in a couple of them. And, and, and the fact that the way people, the way teachers teach and the way kids learn today is much different than the traditional classrooms. And unfortunately, we're still stuck in that traditional classroom mode because of the facilities we have. But yeah, I think I think all of that would add to economic activity for the area.

Yeah. And we talked about this in the past, I mean, the economic impact to these bonds is is huge, both on the front end of the people, we can't get into Hayes, because of the status of the facilities or the way that they look. And, you know, into the future, that workforce, the how that all comes together into one thing, and it's all not good if we can't get people here?

Well, exactly. It's a key component of our economy and our local community. And, you know, we have to make investments. And as I said, Didn't will continue to say, in my opinion, the cost of not passing a bond is far greater than the cost of the bond itself. And I think if we look at what the consequences are if we don't pass a bond and improve our schools, we will suffer accordingly. And it's harder to quantify for sure. But we will suffer and we will end up, in the long run, paying more than what we're paying for the actual bond term.

&nbsp;Now, I know I imagine one that this is going to be one of the topics of conversation of this town hall that's coming up on Monday, the Imagine Ellis County, town hall, right, get the right word. But that's gonna be an opportunity for folks to come in and talk about issues like this, right?

It is, Imagine Ellis County was formed to try and take a look at Dallas County, what we want to look like in 510 2030 years, and to identify areas where we may have some challenges and as well as identify our strengths. And we have spent some time talking to business owners and community leaders, organization leaders as to what their challenges are, and, and obviously, educational facilities come up all the time, as does housing, as does childcare, and workforce and all of those things. But now, we're trying to engage the community members to see if they have any specific thoughts and ideas, basically. And so that's what our town hall meeting is about. We want to share what we have found from the business community and the organizations we have talked to, and then also get feedback from community members as to what they would like to see what their vision might be. And put those two together. So this is our first town hall meeting, we plan to try and have them in Victoria analysis in the coming months. And then we're putting out a community survey this summer, that will try and address some of these issues and get input from the community. And so we're kicking it all off Monday evening from 530 to eight o'clock at the Hilton Garden Inn. And we would like great attendance, we need feedback. So I encourage anybody to attend, we'd like you to register at either our imagine Ellis County Facebook page, we've got a link or the Grow Hayes, Facebook page, or call us or what have you. If you don't get registered, that doesn't mean we don't want you to come because we would like you to come out as well. But we're trying to get a headcount because we're going to feed you.

Hey, do you know how many people have signed up already?

I think we're somewhere between 40 and 50. Maybe know something not bad. But we'd love to get 100 people there, we really would we want feedback, the more the better. And you know, no ideas necessarily too small or too crazy. We're trying to keep you know, a blank slate and see what we can come up with. So I would encourage anybody that has an interest in Ellis County in our future to come out and offer their input.

Yeah, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so because I can't have you know, all the places I've been over the last, you know, 25 or so years of my professional life. I don't ever remember a community doing something like this, like asking people to come together and tell us what do you want our community to be? And I think that's just huge. And I hope that a lot of people take advantage of this and just breaking down the doors come Monday night to share their ideas and thoughts.

Well, we hope so too. You know, I think it's important that we get feedback and that people get to give us their thoughts and their ideas as opposed to you know later on saying, well, nobody asked me what we're asking, you know, we want to know. So hope, more people, a lot of people can come out and we look forward to a productive session Monday night.

Very cool. And the other thing we want to talk about we hit this up a little bit last week, I think, well, I should, I think it was our main topic of conversation, the housing report that's coming up, you've set a date on that, I believe, of the 15th, that's coming out, right? That's correct.

And I don't want to oversell this, it scares me a little bit that we've talked about it too much. But this is our just our look at the 2021 housing activity and what happened in our local market in 2021, kind of what's happening so far in 2022. And just comparing it to years past and, and highlighting the fact that this is a serious challenge that we face with housing. Now, the city will be coming out with a housing study, in the next few weeks or months, or sometime here soon that the docking Institute is performed. And that will dig into more of the long-term aspects, it'll look at population trends and that type of thing. And, and our, our report will do a little bit of that, but it'll be more time specific to what's going on right now. And, and in the immediate past. Whereas the housing studies typically look at, you've got this many people in your community, you've got this many homes, if you grow at this rate, you need to build X number of homes and, and that's all valuable information. But it may not be completely applicable to what's going on right at this instant. And so ours is going to look a little closer at that, and try and identify exactly what's happening right now where our shortfalls are and what challenges that's producing because it is producing some significant challenges locally.

If I remember correctly, the number was hh 14 houses for sale and I was counting.

The other day when I checked, there were 12. And five of them were in excess of $499,000. So really seven houses, so seven houses. And so the problem with like reports that look back as an example of Wichita State provides the local real estate, realtors with data. And it will tell you that at the end of last year, there were 40 homes available. Well, the metric they use is either active or active under contract. So at any one time, there may be 20 to 30 homes in our community under contract waiting to be sold or closed. But that doesn't mean somebody coming in today who's going to go out and they want to relocate here and they want to go out and look at homes, they've got basically seven to look at unless they want to spend over $500,000. Now that doesn't count for sale by owners and some things like that. And there are some of those, this is just Multiplus data. But the bottom line is we just don't have any inventory at all. And that's one of the reasons why we're working feverishly out in our Tallgrass edition, you know, with getting some homes built, because for every home out there that's built potentially, somebody buys that and it frees up their house becomes available on comes on the market. And so we have to add inventory that way, and we've got 10 of them under construction out there right now.

There's a pretty long waitlist for those already isn't there?

There's a lot of interest, I'm not sure. The builders, I'm not sure they're really wanting to sell them right away when they're under construction, because that creates a whole set of circumstances where that becomes kind of a custom home. And when you're building at that price point, it's very difficult to do a custom home for that where you start having people that want to change where this wall is, or add this or do this differently. And it becomes much more labor-intensive for the builder. So they're resisting, I think, to some extent, selling them ahead of time. But there's tremendous interest. I've had them tell me 20 3040 people have expressed interest and wanted and, and so we've got 10 under construction, and I think we'll have another 12 Under Construction within 30 to 60 days. So I'm hopeful by year-end, we could have 25 homes available out there and be working on the next phase, which is the streets and the sewer and the water and that kind of thing for the next phase, which would be another 27 to 35 Lots.

Wow. Yeah, that'll help. And there's and we talked a little bit about this last week, too. There's some development up north going on private development, as well as I think over-analysis or some homes going up and in a program over there as well. Right.

Well, we're working on some of those, but there are Ellis estates, I believe that's 40, 32 or 40 units that are going up as an addition to that development and we're still working on our concept for the retiree community north of the hospital on that large tract of ground at that location and, and we feel like that will serve a very critical demographic of 55 and older community. So we have a number of we have an aging population If we don't cater to them with housing solutions for their needs, they're going to go someplace else. And so we want to make sure that we retain those people as well as be attractive to people that are looking to relocate from rural communities, communities or urban areas, that we've got good solutions and housing, it really does all start with housing. If you don't have that, you just can't go on to the next step. You can't recruit, retain or recruit a workforce, you've got to have housing. And so that's why we spend so much time working on it.

Okay, Doug, we've got under a couple of minutes left, but I know you've got an article coming out or an article that you're going to send to a he's post anyway, want to talk a little bit about that.

I'll talk a little bit about that. And it's certainly nothing earth-shattering, but it goes to this concept of what we need to be doing here and growth. And I hear a lot of people come to me, I have friends and that kind of thing we like he's just the way it is. And the title of the article is we have to grow to stay the same. And my point in the article is simply our trade area is shrinking. And we're growing at a dismal pace and haze, you know, point one 7% per year, the last from 2010 to 2020. We're not keeping pace currently with even what we're losing in our trade area. So as a community, we have to be really focused on growing our community at a minimum faster than we're losing people in the outlying areas. Now, some of those people are moving here and that kind of thing. And that's all fine. But we need to be cognizant that, you know, Nothing ever stays the same. But in this particular case, if we want to attract new retail, and we want to keep the retail we have and we want to keep a lot of the things that we currently have. We have no choice but to grow and to pick up the pace a little bit and what we have done in the last 10 years. And so we're really focused on that. And that's another reason why housing is so important.

<div><iframe title="More housing vital to the long term economic health of Ellis County" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=xvnef-119ad21-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams shares the latest from Grow Hays.<h2> Transcript</h2>James Bell&nbsp;The economic future of Ellis County is up to all of us, Grow Hays executive director, Doug Williams stops by to talk a little bit about some of the initiatives going on in the area concerning economic development on this episode of the Post Podcast.&nbsp; The first one I think we want to talk about, and this was this is topical, this came up last night at the city commission work session, they're talking about a sales tax initiative, as part of their bond issue you want to, before we get into it, just tell everybody a little bit if they don't know what what this entails,Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, obviously, the USD 49 is exploring the possibility of a bond issue to build new schools or improve the schools we have. And there are a couple of ways they can pay for that they can do a bond issue, and that can be levied via property tax, or they can do a combination of property tax, and also, with the city's permission, and with the voters' approval, put it out a portion of it on a sales tax. And so they were approaching the city of Hayes about the concept of a half a cent sales tax locally, within the city of Hays or 49. District, I'm not sure exactly how that works. But that would be a half-cent sales tax levied for 10 years. And the proceeds from that sales tax would go towards retiring the bond issue, along with property tax and that kind of thing. And they illustrated what the property tax would be on a typical home in Hays with the sales tax in place, and then without the sales tax in place.James Bell&nbsp;Correct me if I'm wrong, but they tried to do this on the bond issue about eight years ago as well. Right. And if I remember correctly, the sales tax piece did pass it but the Bond didn't.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Right. And so it was moot at that point? Because you've with this one the way they explained it last night and I don't want to steal USD 49 stander, I know they come on here as well. But I'm sure we'll be talking the way they explained it last night was it if the sales tax would pass and the bond issue wouldn't, the sales tax would not go into effect. If the bond issue passed, and the sales tax did not the bond issue would still pass and be carried out. And they would build the new schools and make the improvements and that type of thing. So but the sales tax would be conditioned upon the bond passing? Sure.James Bell&nbsp;Now, I think we've talked about this enough in the past, I think both of us I think our opinions are pretty clear that generally, whether it be this bond or a different bond or some way or another, we're going to have to fix those facilities. But what I'm curious about is your thoughts on is the sales tax, a good way to do that? Because I think about the trade area or the 1.7 pull or pull factor that we have for the local economy. I wonder, do you think of that impacts that?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;I think it is a good way to do it? Does it impact that maybe a little bit. But if you look, the thing you have to look at is regionally how our sales tax compares to other places where people would go and shop. And we're right in line, even with a half a percent bump, we were below our peer communities in western Kansas, in central Kansas, before the city, the county passed their half-cent sales tax that took it from 8.25 to 8.75. This would take it from 8.75 to nine and a quarter. Still within the norm of communities our size, so I don't see a lot of harm in that. And it would soften the blow for the property taxpayers have within USD 489. So I think it's a good way to do it. There will be some complaints from remote areas and local areas. You know, I I just because it's a sales tax doesn't mean you're not going to pay something, you're just gonna pay it in smaller increments and that kind of thing. And so but that, you know, as we've talked many times before, and we will many times in the future until this is playing itself out. We have kicked the can down the road as far as we can kick it in regard to our schools, and we have to do something. And this is a good way to do it. It makes it more affordable for the typical taxpayer. And, and it does spread the cost of those schools over some other communities of which, you know, when we pay our state property taxes here, we pay for other community schools because they get some funding that we don't. So it's not like we're picking on everybody from out of town. We're just kind of leveling the playing field. And I think Ron Wilson pointed that out last night.James Bell&nbsp;Okay. You know, I think about too, you know, part of the discussions that I've heard is, you know, the facilities, we don't have the facilities we need to do, you know, tournaments and things where we'd bring groups of people in and those kinds of events. You know, they do have a regional impact. I think about people stopping for gas in Russell or walking on the way here, hopefully, they spend their money here. But you know, they're going to some of those folks hit those little towns coming into Hays.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;They are and then more people we get into the community for all types of events, the better, you know, potentially fills up hotel rooms that people buy gas, they buy dinner, they maybe go and buy things at Walmart to the mall or wherever they shop and Home Depot. So activity generates additional dollars and facilities help that for sure. And then just the general overcrowding situations we have within our schools right now, you know, we're over capacity in a couple of them. And, and, and the fact that the way people, the way teachers teach and the way kids learn today is much different than the traditional classrooms. And unfortunately, we're still stuck in that traditional classroom mode because of the facilities we have. But yeah, I think I think all of that would add to economic activity for the area.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah. And we talked about this in the past, I mean, the economic impact to these bonds is is huge, both on the front end of the people, we can't get into Hayes, because of the status of the facilities or the way that they look. And, you know, into the future, that workforce, the how that all comes together into one thing, and it's all not good if we can't get people here?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, exactly. It's a key component of our economy and our local community. And, you know, we have to make investments. And as I said, Didn't will continue to say, in my opinion, the cost of not passing a bond is far greater than the cost of the bond itself. And I think if we look at what the consequences are if we don't pass a bond and improve our schools, we will suffer accordingly. And it's harder to quantify for sure. But we will suffer and we will end up, in the long run, paying more than what we're paying for the actual bond term.James Bell&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, I know I imagine one that this is going to be one of the topics of conversation of this town hall that's coming up on Monday, the Imagine Ellis County, town hall, right, get the right word. But that's gonna be an opportunity for folks to come in and talk about issues like this, right?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;It is, Imagine Ellis County was formed to try and take a look at Dallas County, what we want to look like in 510 2030 years, and to identify areas where we may have some challenges and as well as identify our strengths. And we have spent some time talking to business owners and community leaders, organization leaders as to what their challenges are, and, and obviously, educational facilities come up all the time, as does housing, as does childcare, and workforce and all of those things. But now, we're trying to engage the community members to see if they have any specific thoughts and ideas, basically. And so that's what our town hall meeting is about. We want to share what we have found from the business community and the organizations we have talked to, and then also get feedback from community members as to what they would like to see what their vision might be. And put those two together. So this is our first town hall meeting, we plan to try and have them in Victoria analysis in the coming months. And then we're putting out a community survey this summer, that will try and address some of these issues and get input from the community. And so we're kicking it all off Monday evening from 530 to eight o'clock at the Hilton Garden Inn. And we would like great attendance, we need feedback. So I encourage anybody to attend, we'd like you to register at either our imagine Ellis County Facebook page, we've got a link or the Grow Hayes, Facebook page, or call us or what have you. If you don't get registered, that doesn't mean we don't want you to come because we would like you to come out as well. But we're trying to get a headcount because we're going to feed you.James Bell&nbsp;Hey, do you know how many people have signed up already?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;I think we're somewhere between 40 and 50. Maybe know something not bad. But we'd love to get 100 people there, we really would we want feedback, the more the better. And you know, no ideas necessarily too small or too crazy. We're trying to keep you know, a blank slate and see what we can come up with. So I would encourage anybody that has an interest in Ellis County in our future to come out and offer their input.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so because I can't have you know, all the places I've been over the last, you know, 25 or so years of my professional life. I don't ever remember a community doing something like this, like asking people to come together and tell us what do you want our community to be? And I think that's just huge. And I hope that a lot of people take advantage of this and just breaking down the doors come Monday night to share their ideas and thoughts.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, we hope so too. You know, I think it's important that we get feedback and that people get to give us their thoughts and their ideas as opposed to you know later on saying, well, nobody asked me what we're asking, you know, we want to know. So hope, more people, a lot of people can come out and we look forward to a productive session Monday night.James Bell&nbsp;Very cool. And the other thing we want to talk about we hit this up a little bit last week, I think, well, I should, I think it was our main topic of conversation, the housing report that's coming up, you've set a date on that, I believe, of the 15th, that's coming out, right? That's correct.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;And I don't want to oversell this, it scares me a little bit that we've talked about it too much. But this is our just our look at the 2021 housing activity and what happened in our local market in 2021, kind of what's happening so far in 2022. And just comparing it to years past and, and highlighting the fact that this is a serious challenge that we face with housing. Now, the city will be coming out with a housing study, in the next few weeks or months, or sometime here soon that the docking Institute is performed. And that will dig into more of the long-term aspects, it'll look at population trends and that type of thing. And, and our, our report will do a little bit of that, but it'll be more time specific to what's going on right now. And, and in the immediate past. Whereas the housing studies typically look at, you've got this many people in your community, you've got this many homes, if you grow at this rate, you need to build X number of homes and, and that's all valuable information. But it may not be completely applicable to what's going on right at this instant. And so ours is going to look a little closer at that, and try and identify exactly what's happening right now where our shortfalls are and what challenges that's producing because it is producing some significant challenges locally.James Bell&nbsp;If I remember correctly, the number was hh 14 houses for sale and I was counting.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;The other day when I checked, there were 12. And five of them were in excess of $499,000. So really seven houses, so seven houses. And so the problem with like reports that look back as an example of Wichita State provides the local real estate, realtors with data. And it will tell you that at the end of last year, there were 40 homes available. Well, the metric they use is either active or active under contract. So at any one time, there may be 20 to 30 homes in our community under contract waiting to be sold or closed. But that doesn't mean somebody coming in today who's going to go out and they want to relocate here and they want to go out and look at homes, they've got basically seven to look at unless they want to spend over $500,000. Now that doesn't count for sale by owners and some things like that. And there are some of those, this is just Multiplus data. But the bottom line is we just don't have any inventory at all. And that's one of the reasons why we're working feverishly out in our Tallgrass edition, you know, with getting some homes built, because for every home out there that's built potentially, somebody buys that and it frees up their house becomes available on comes on the market. And so we have to add inventory that way, and we've got 10 of them under construction out there right now.James Bell&nbsp;There's a pretty long waitlist for those already isn't there?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;There's a lot of interest, I'm not sure. The builders, I'm not sure they're really wanting to sell them right away when they're under construction, because that creates a whole set of circumstances where that becomes kind of a custom home. And when you're building at that price point, it's very difficult to do a custom home for that where you start having people that want to change where this wall is, or add this or do this differently. And it becomes much more labor-intensive for the builder. So they're resisting, I think, to some extent, selling them ahead of time. But there's tremendous interest. I've had them tell me 20 3040 people have expressed interest and wanted and, and so we've got 10 under construction, and I think we'll have another 12 Under Construction within 30 to 60 days. So I'm hopeful by year-end, we could have 25 homes available out there and be working on the next phase, which is the streets and the sewer and the water and that kind of thing for the next phase, which would be another 27 to 35 Lots.James Bell&nbsp;Wow. Yeah, that'll help. And there's and we talked a little bit about this last week, too. There's some development up north going on private development, as well as I think over-analysis or some homes going up and in a program over there as well. Right.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, we're working on some of those, but there are Ellis estates, I believe that's 40, 32 or 40 units that are going up as an addition to that development and we're still working on our concept for the retiree community north of the hospital on that large tract of ground at that location and, and we feel like that will serve a very critical demographic of 55 and older community. So we have a number of we have an aging population If we don't cater to them with housing solutions for their needs, they're going to go someplace else. And so we want to make sure that we retain those people as well as be attractive to people that are looking to relocate from rural communities, communities or urban areas, that we've got good solutions and housing, it really does all start with housing. If you don't have that, you just can't go on to the next step. You can't recruit, retain or recruit a workforce, you've got to have housing. And so that's why we spend so much time working on it.James Bell&nbsp;Okay, Doug, we've got under a couple of minutes left, but I know you've got an article coming out or an article that you're going to send to a he's post anyway, want to talk a little bit about that.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;I'll talk a little bit about that. And it's certainly nothing earth-shattering, but it goes to this concept of what we need to be doing here and growth. And I hear a lot of people come to me, I have friends and that kind of thing we like he's just the way it is. And the title of the article is we have to grow to stay the same. And my point in the article is simply our trade area is shrinking. And we're growing at a dismal pace and haze, you know, point one 7% per year, the last from 2010 to 2020. We're not keeping pace currently with even what we're losing in our trade area. So as a community, we have to be really focused on growing our community at a minimum faster than we're losing people in the outlying areas. Now, some of those people are moving here and that kind of thing. And that's all fine. But we need to be cognizant that, you know, Nothing ever stays the same. But in this particular case, if we want to attract new retail, and we want to keep the retail we have and we want to keep a lot of the things that we currently have. We have no choice but to grow and to pick up the pace a little bit and what we have done in the last 10 years. And so we're really focused on that. And that's another reason why housing is so important.

🎙Post Podcast: Housing vital to the long-term economic health of Ellis Co.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Andy Ellsworth was living on the streets in Denver for 10 years before moving to Hays and finding the High Plains Independence for individuals with mental illness diagnoses. 

Ellsworth slept outside and sometimes would wake up buried under 4 feet of snow.

When he was homeless, he was stabbed, shot and run over by a vehicle. He was drinking a gallon and half of Jack Daniels a night.

"I know if I would have stayed on the same path, I wouldn't be here either," he said, "because that bottle was calling me pretty hard."

Ellsworth knew he needed mental health assistance, but he thought mental health treatment meant being locked in a padded room.

"I didn't want to be a burden on my family, and I didn't have the will to live," he said.

Ellsworth was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, childhood post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorder and agoraphobia, which is an extreme fear of crowded places or of leaving one's own home. 

Today, Ellsworth has his own apartment and lives independently. He is also employed as the van driver for the High Plains Independence.

"I can't ever thank them enough for getting me off the street," he said of the support he has received from the center. "There have been a lot of people who have helped me learn along the way. I'm trying to do the same thing. I can't do it with cash, but I can do it with kindness."

High Plains Independence, 1200 Canterbury, is one of a network of facilities throughout Kansas that are commonly know as consumer run organizations or CROs. The Hays CRO began as a drop-in center in 1992. It is funded through a grant from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability.

Regina Anderson, the organization's director, said it used to be a place where people came to watch TV and smoke.

"It wasn't encouraged to learn about yourself and understand what makes you tick," she said. …

“You're not your mental illness. That's the thing I like to keep saying. I'm Gina," she said. "I will always be Gina. I will always have a diagnosis, but I don't have to stay on the negative side of that diagnosis."

The organization has evolved to offer mental health recovery classes, support groups, life skills classes, social activities and outings, employment and volunteer opportunities for the members.

"We teach them about their disease — about what they want to know about their mental illness. We teach coping skills. We encourage just talking things out and finding someone you feel like you're connected to," Anderson said.

"We offer educational and leadership opportunities, as well social opportunities. A lot of these clientele tend to be isolators. This would help them get out"

Despite Ellsworth’s agoraphobia, he's been able to speak about his experiences to groups, including patients at Larned State Hospital.

"The CRO means everything to me. It's like family," he said. "You cannot get enough help to get you through things, because counselors only know so much and can do so much. You come out here and you have other people who’ve been through the same thing or not exactly the same thing, but they've been through the wringer also. …

"You can cry on someone's shoulder,” Ellsworth said, "and you’ve got nine other shoulders to carry the burden with you.”

Anderson said people who have severe mental illnesses often become estranged from biological family members because of addiction or their past behavior.

Ellsworth was estranged from his biological family in large part due to his alcohol addition and mental health struggles. With the support of his CRO "family," he was able to have a meaningful reunion with members of his biological family.

The CRO is also an organization that Deb Michels said also saved her life.

Michels is an alcoholic in recovery and has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder — a spectrum of elevated and deeply depressed moods. She first started receiving treatment in the 1990s, but continued to struggle with her illness for many years.

She moved to Hays in 2018 and started receiving services from the community mental health center, High Plains Mental Health. Workers at the mental health center suggested she try attending programs at the CRO.

"I found it very helpful to me because I needed a support system," she said. "The more I came, the more I felt at ease with people like me. Between 1992 and 2018, I was just floating out in space, feeling really lost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643909135484.jpeg" alt="Members of High Plains Independence, the Hays Consumer Run Organization for people with mental illness. " />
 <figcaption>Members of High Plains Independence, the Hays Consumer Run Organization for people with mental illness. </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostAndy Ellsworth was living on the streets in Denver for 10 years before moving to Hays and finding the High Plains Independence for individuals with mental illness diagnoses. Ellsworth slept outside and sometimes would wake up buried under 4 feet of snow."I saw 97 people die that way," he said.When he was homeless, he was stabbed, shot and run over by a vehicle. He was drinking a gallon and half of Jack Daniels a night."I know if I would have stayed on the same path, I wouldn't be here either," he said, "because that bottle was calling me pretty hard."Ellsworth knew he needed mental health assistance, but he thought mental health treatment meant being locked in a padded room."I didn't want to be a burden on my family, and I didn't have the will to live," he said.Ellsworth was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, childhood post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorder and agoraphobia, which is an extreme fear of crowded places or of leaving one's own home. Today, Ellsworth has his own apartment and lives independently. He is also employed as the van driver for the High Plains Independence. "I can't ever thank them enough for getting me off the street," he said of the support he has received from the center. "There have been a lot of people who have helped me learn along the way. I'm trying to do the same thing. I can't do it with cash, but I can do it with kindness."<h2>Learning what makes you tick</h2>High Plains Independence, 1200 Canterbury, is one of a network of facilities throughout Kansas that are commonly know as consumer run organizations or CROs. The Hays CRO began as a drop-in center in 1992. It is funded through a grant from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability.Regina Anderson, the organization's director, said it used to be a place where people came to watch TV and smoke."It wasn't encouraged to learn about yourself and understand what makes you tick," she said. …“You're not your mental illness. That's the thing I like to keep saying. I'm Gina," she said. "I will always be Gina. I will always have a diagnosis, but I don't have to stay on the negative side of that diagnosis."The organization has evolved to offer mental health recovery classes, support groups, life skills classes, social activities and outings, employment and volunteer opportunities for the members."We teach them about their disease — about what they want to know about their mental illness. We teach coping skills. We encourage just talking things out and finding someone you feel like you're connected to," Anderson said. "We offer educational and leadership opportunities, as well social opportunities. A lot of these clientele tend to be isolators. This would help them get out"<h2>CRO as family</h2>Despite Ellsworth’s agoraphobia, he's been able to speak about his experiences to groups, including patients at Larned State Hospital."The CRO means everything to me. It's like family," he said. "You cannot get enough help to get you through things, because counselors only know so much and can do so much. You come out here and you have other people who’ve been through the same thing or not exactly the same thing, but they've been through the wringer also. …"You can cry on someone's shoulder,” Ellsworth said, "and you’ve got nine other shoulders to carry the burden with you.”Anderson said people who have severe mental illnesses often become estranged from biological family members because of addiction or their past behavior. Ellsworth was estranged from his biological family in large part due to his alcohol addition and mental health struggles. With the support of his CRO "family," he was able to have a meaningful reunion with members of his biological family.<h2>Building hope with peers </h2>The CRO is also an organization that Deb Michels said also saved her life.Michels is an alcoholic in recovery and has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder — a spectrum of elevated and deeply depressed moods. She first started receiving treatment in the 1990s, but continued to struggle with her illness for many years.She moved to Hays in 2018 and started receiving services from the community mental health center, High Plains Mental Health. Workers at the mental health center suggested she try attending programs at the CRO."I found it very helpful to me because I needed a support system," she said. "The more I came, the more I felt at ease with people like me. Between 1992 and 2018, I was just floating out in space, feeling really lost."Then I got here and I felt like I had hope — hope of being with people who are like-minded."Michels used to be a licensed addiction counselor. She thought she should be able to pull herself up by her bootstraps, but she found she needed the help and support of others. The CRO provided that peer support she needed.Phyllis Parke began coming to the CRO in about 2019. She also has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and was going through a major medication change, as well as a divorce."When I came here, all I got was support and 'We understand' and 'We know where you're coming from,' " she said. "I felt it and I knew it. The peer support was what got me through the transition. ..."I needed that peer connection — someone to be a family to me," she said. "I believe I wouldn't be here either if it weren't for someone suggesting that I drop by."The CRO is open 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It has about 30 members. Members can come and go as they please."You use it for when you need it," Anderson said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643909261990.jpeg" alt="The CRO's new van, which it hopes to use to expand services to residents of outlying communities. " />
 <figcaption>The CRO's new van, which it hopes to use to expand services to residents of outlying communities. </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Expanding services through transportation </h2>The CRO recently purchased a new van, and Anderson said she is hoping to use it to expand services to outlying communities.Anderson said this could include Ellis, Russell or Plainville.The CRO's old van, which was used not only for transportation for members to and from the center, but for group outings, had no heating and air conditioning.The CRO is a 501(c)3 and is taking donations to help pay for the van. Checks can be made out to High Plains Independence and mailed to PO Box 956, Hays, KS 67601.Those interested in learning more about services can contact the CRO at 785-621-4188.

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