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🎙 Post Podcast: New business popping up around Hays

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🎙 Post Podcast: Housing developments in Ellis Co. bring much needed options to the market

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🎙 Post Podcast: Ellis County completes election canvas

<b>By CRISTINA JANNEY<br></b><i>Hays Post</i>

The Ellis County Commission approved $5.7 million in grants in CARES Act funding at a special meeting Thursday, but chose to deviate from the recommendations made by a committee established to review applications.

The commissioners balked at the $915,538 recommended for businesses, with Commissioner Dustin Roths saying some of the numbers submitted were "pie in the sky."

The commissioners ultimately directed County Administrator J.D. Cox to reduce allocations to certain business who received the largest recommendations. This was done so $200,000 could be allocated to the county for a new ambulance.

The county has applied for a FEMA grant to fund a portion of the ambulance, but even if the grant is approved, it would still need another $70,000 for the purchase.&nbsp;

The ambulance was budgeted for purchase next year.

"The way I look at it is that the money is available here today," Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said. "If we can fund an ambulance, why should we ask the taxpayers to fund a full ambulance if we can get it funded here today?"

Roths said, "I think where the government went wrong in this and opened a Pandora's box in this for Doug and his whole committee was they threw in this idea of lost revenue.

"When they did that, it became less about COVID-19 and protecting people in these businesses and it became an accounting issue for a lot of these small businesses to try to recoup what they think they might have lost when they were shut down. They probably shouldn't have been shut down out here in my opinion."

They also directed Cox to increase the award for Hess Clinic from $2,700 to $40,000. The clinic requested assistance to fund personal protective equipment, money to construct a drive-through area at the clinic and money for COVID testing equipment.&nbsp;

Of Hess' more than $115,000 request, the commissioner opted not to fund a request for hazard pay for employees, noting county fire and EMS workers had not received hazard pay during the pandemic.

The commission suggested cutting business funding across the board who had received the maximum funding request in their categories. Most of the businesses were retailers, restaurants or hotels and were recommended to receive funds from $20,000 to $50,000 each.

Doug Williams, director of Grow Hays, was the chairman of the subcommittee on for-profit funding. The subcommittee received 50 applications for more than $5 million and was asked by Cox to pair that down to $1 million in recommendations. That ultimately was cut to $715,538 in lieu of the allocation to the county for the ambulance.

Williams said the subcommittee focused on retailers, hotels and restaurants, because they believed those were the businesses that were hardest hit by the pandemic.

Williams said the applications did not indicate if businesses had received any other COVID assistance, including Paycheck Protection Program loans.

The subcommittee created a formula to allocate hotels based on the number of rooms, basically recommending $500 per room, which could be used for PPE or enhanced cleaning efforts.

"I am comfortable with the decisions our committee made, and I'm comfortable with the decisions that the think tank made given the task at hand, the time frame to do it, as well as the information we had. We tried to do the best we could," Williams said.

The Ellis CARES Committee had a short time frame to review the applications. The county hopes to send the applications to the state Friday. They are due Monday.&nbsp;

All money for the program has to be spent by the end of the year.

Any business or agency receiving funding will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding saying they will spend the funds within the parameters of the CARES Act. This will include a stipulation that fund recipients must be current on their taxes.

The subcommittee did not recommend any oil companies receive funding, which raised concerns among the commissioners.

Williams said five of the seven applications from oil companies can from the same person. The subcommittee members believed the oil commodities had been affected by other factors than COVID-19. He also noted PPE was not needed in the oil fields.

Sarah Wasinger, director of The Chamber in Hays, said all of the oil company requests also were to fund payroll, which could have been covered under PPP loans.

Haselhorst said, "You talk about motels being off 80 percent. I can tell you for a fact that the oil field business was off 100 percent. We take zero consideration about the oil field in Ellis County. That is what funds this county. That is what funds this city. ... Some of these asks are off the wall."

Roths said he was concerned the committee recommended funding for Midland Marketing, but not oil companies.&nbsp;

Roths had questions about equity in the for-profit funding recommendations.&nbsp;

"If they had requested over $25,000,&nbsp;the award recommendation was $25,000, and it didn't have any barring on their economic impact to the community. For instance, the Hallmark store and the men's clothing store gets the same funding as the mall."

&nbsp;He continued, "The last thing I thought last night was do I really want to reward, I guess you could call it, greed over people that were being reasonable? ... People who were saying if I could get $6,000 or $7,000 I could really get through this and be fine.&nbsp;

"Some of these asks on the for-profits were almost laughable to me."

Cox acknowledged the program was not perfect.&nbsp;

 "The main goal is not that, the equitable part of it. That strikes completely opposite of what we believe in. The main goal is to inject money immediately into the economy," he said.

Roths owns two business in Hays. He said he did not apply for any funding under the program.&nbsp;

He said the program was not what America and free markets are about.

"The problem that came from this for you guys is who stuck their hand out and said they wanted money as opposed to what you guys thought was fair," he said.

He added later in the meeting, "I imagine being a county commissioner of Ellis County might have cost me $75,000 in grant funding."

Sandy Jacobs, director of the Heartland Foundation, chaired the subcommittee on non-profits. She said about half of the requests were to cover lost revenue from fundraisers that the non-profits could not have because of COVID-19.

Roths praised the non-profits for asking for what they needed and suggested they should have asked for more funding.&nbsp;

Commissioners recommended the non-profit group identify more needs in case the state denies any requests.

Roths questioned the need to allocate the Wild West Fest $75,000. Jacobs said WWF was unable to be held this year. Without the funding, it will be unable to move forward in subsequent years.

Jacobs said the event adds to the quality of life for Ellis County residents and brings in business to the community.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/63c30894-2782-4e0c-8542-3173c1321015">SEE RELATED STORY: Group recommends $5.7M CARES funding to Ellis County Commission</a>

<div><iframe title="SPARK funding decisions made by Ellis County Commissioners" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/9t8s2-e71f3b?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&auto=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=3&pfauth=&btn-skin=101"></iframe></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597354728854.png" alt="Doug Williams of Grow Hays talks to the Ellis County Commission about CARES Funding on Thursday." />
                        <figcaption>Doug Williams of Grow Hays talks to the Ellis County Commission about CARES Funding on Thursday.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By CRISTINA JANNEY<br></b><i>Hays Post</i></p><p>The Ellis County Commission approved $5.7 million in grants in CARES Act funding at a special meeting Thursday, but chose to deviate from the recommendations made by a committee established to review applications.</p><p>The commissioners balked at the $915,538 recommended for businesses, with Commissioner Dustin Roths saying some of the numbers submitted were "pie in the sky."</p><p>The commissioners ultimately directed County Administrator J.D. Cox to reduce allocations to certain business who received the largest recommendations. This was done so $200,000 could be allocated to the county for a new ambulance.</p><p>The county has applied for a FEMA grant to fund a portion of the ambulance, but even if the grant is approved, it would still need another $70,000 for the purchase.&nbsp;</p><p>The ambulance was budgeted for purchase next year.</p><p>"The way I look at it is that the money is available here today," Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said. "If we can fund an ambulance, why should we ask the taxpayers to fund a full ambulance if we can get it funded here today?"</p><p>Roths said, "I think where the government went wrong in this and opened a Pandora's box in this for Doug and his whole committee was they threw in this idea of lost revenue.</p><p>"When they did that, it became less about COVID-19 and protecting people in these businesses and it became an accounting issue for a lot of these small businesses to try to recoup what they think they might have lost when they were shut down. They probably shouldn't have been shut down out here in my opinion."</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597416639609.png" alt="Revised CARES funding summary" />
                        <figcaption>Revised CARES funding summary</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597416688852.png" alt="Revised CARES county funding" />
                        <figcaption>Revised CARES county funding</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Hess Clinic</h2><p>They also directed Cox to increase the award for Hess Clinic from $2,700 to $40,000. The clinic requested assistance to fund personal protective equipment, money to construct a drive-through area at the clinic and money for COVID testing equipment.&nbsp;</p><p>Of Hess' more than $115,000 request, the commissioner opted not to fund a request for hazard pay for employees, noting county fire and EMS workers had not received hazard pay during the pandemic.</p><p>The commission suggested cutting business funding across the board who had received the maximum funding request in their categories. Most of the businesses were retailers, restaurants or hotels and were recommended to receive funds from $20,000 to $50,000 each.</p><h2>Short time frame for decisions</h2><p>Doug Williams, director of Grow Hays, was the chairman of the subcommittee on for-profit funding. The subcommittee received 50 applications for more than $5 million and was asked by Cox to pair that down to $1 million in recommendations. That ultimately was cut to $715,538 in lieu of the allocation to the county for the ambulance.</p><p>Williams said the subcommittee focused on retailers, hotels and restaurants, because they believed those were the businesses that were hardest hit by the pandemic.</p><p>Williams said the applications did not indicate if businesses had received any other COVID assistance, including Paycheck Protection Program loans.</p><p>The subcommittee created a formula to allocate hotels based on the number of rooms, basically recommending $500 per room, which could be used for PPE or enhanced cleaning efforts.</p><p>"I am comfortable with the decisions our committee made, and I'm comfortable with the decisions that the think tank made given the task at hand, the time frame to do it, as well as the information we had. We tried to do the best we could," Williams said.</p><p>The Ellis CARES Committee had a short time frame to review the applications. The county hopes to send the applications to the state Friday. They are due Monday.&nbsp;</p><p>All money for the program has to be spent by the end of the year.</p><p>Any business or agency receiving funding will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding saying they will spend the funds within the parameters of the CARES Act. This will include a stipulation that fund recipients must be current on their taxes.</p><h2>No money for oil</h2><p>The subcommittee did not recommend any oil companies receive funding, which raised concerns among the commissioners.</p><p>Williams said five of the seven applications from oil companies can from the same person. The subcommittee members believed the oil commodities had been affected by other factors than COVID-19. He also noted PPE was not needed in the oil fields.</p><p>Sarah Wasinger, director of The Chamber in Hays, said all of the oil company requests also were to fund payroll, which could have been covered under PPP loans.</p><p>Haselhorst said, "You talk about motels being off 80 percent. I can tell you for a fact that the oil field business was off 100 percent. We take zero consideration about the oil field in Ellis County. That is what funds this county. That is what funds this city. ... Some of these asks are off the wall."</p><p>Roths said he was concerned the committee recommended funding for Midland Marketing, but not oil companies.&nbsp;</p><h2>For-profit businesses</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597416492867.png" alt="Revised for-profit CARES funding part 1" />
                        <figcaption>Revised for-profit CARES funding part 1</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597416544188.png" alt="Revised for-profit CARES funding part 2" />
                        <figcaption>Revised for-profit CARES funding part 2</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Roths had questions about equity in the for-profit funding recommendations.&nbsp;</p><p>"If they had requested over $25,000,&nbsp;the award recommendation was $25,000, and it didn't have any barring on their economic impact to the community. For instance, the Hallmark store and the men's clothing store gets the same funding as the mall."</p><p>&nbsp;He continued, "The last thing I thought last night was do I really want to reward, I guess you could call it, greed over people that were being reasonable? ... People who were saying if I could get $6,000 or $7,000 I could really get through this and be fine.&nbsp;</p><p>"Some of these asks on the for-profits were almost laughable to me."</p><p>Cox acknowledged the program was not perfect.&nbsp;</p><p> "The main goal is not that, the equitable part of it. That strikes completely opposite of what we believe in. The main goal is to inject money immediately into the economy," he said.</p><p>Roths owns two business in Hays. He said he did not apply for any funding under the program.&nbsp;</p><p>He said the program was not what America and free markets are about.</p><p>"The problem that came from this for you guys is who stuck their hand out and said they wanted money as opposed to what you guys thought was fair," he said.</p><p>He added later in the meeting, "I imagine being a county commissioner of Ellis County might have cost me $75,000 in grant funding."</p><h2>Non-profits</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597255157182.png" alt="Ellis CARES non-profits" />
                        <figcaption>Ellis CARES non-profits</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Sandy Jacobs, director of the Heartland Foundation, chaired the subcommittee on non-profits. She said about half of the requests were to cover lost revenue from fundraisers that the non-profits could not have because of COVID-19.</p><p>Roths praised the non-profits for asking for what they needed and suggested they should have asked for more funding.&nbsp;</p><p>Commissioners recommended the non-profit group identify more needs in case the state denies any requests.</p><p>Roths questioned the need to allocate the Wild West Fest $75,000. Jacobs said WWF was unable to be held this year. Without the funding, it will be unable to move forward in subsequent years.</p><p>Jacobs said the event adds to the quality of life for Ellis County residents and brings in business to the community.</p><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/63c30894-2782-4e0c-8542-3173c1321015">SEE RELATED STORY: Group recommends $5.7M CARES funding to Ellis County Commission</a></p>

🎙 Ellis Co. Commission approves $5.7M CARES funding with ambulance purchase

A long-desired upgrade at the Humane Society of the High Plains was recently completed, giving dogs a more comfortable experience during their time at the shelter.

"The grass has been a problem back there since this place was built,"&nbsp;said manager Betty Hansen.

After saving for years, Hansen said the Humane Society recently pulled the trigger and completed upgrades in the yard.

"We spent almost two weeks redoing our backyard," said manager Betty Hansen.

The biggest part of the work was replacing the grass to an artificial grass called Canine Grass.

"It's been awhile in the making to get this done so we are pretty excited about it, and the dogs seem to love it," Hansen said.

With the number of dogs that are in the yard, she said keeping grass growing was a challenge. Many options had been looked at to give the dogs a nice surface.

"One of the biggest things that we have had over the last couple of winters is trying to keep grass out there with all of the dogs digging all of the time," Hansen said.

The lack of grass often caused a mess both outside and in.

"We were having a lot of mud that the dogs were dragging into the building, and people couldn't go out because it was so muddy," Hansen said.

With the new covering, she said,&nbsp;"We have alleviated all of those problems."

And the new material will help keep the dogs happier and more exercised.

"This will really help to be able to give them more outside time," Hansen said, "which the dogs really need."

Having those exercise periods is important to allow them to relax before being put inside cages overnight.

"They are in their cage a lot of hours of the day so we want to make sure that they get exercised and they get a chance to exercise on a regular daily basis," Hansen said.

The dogs have taken well to the new surface she said.

"They are very comfortable on it," she said. "It's very soft, probably a lot softer than the grass."

The surface is also durable coming with a 10-year guarantee and easy to clean with a built-in drainage system.

"It's pretty much maintenance-free. It's easy to clean up," Hansen said. "It's very clean, and we use hoses to wash it."

The backyard also received a new shade area, two small pools and a dog playground.

"With as hot as it as been with the big shaded area, they can stay out there a little bit longer," Hansen said. "We have noticed many of the dogs will run around and lay down in the shade."

The renovated space also will allow people to interact with the dogs in a more comfortable space.

"When people bring their dog out to do a meet and greet with a dog that they are thinking about adopting, it's really nice for that too," Hansen said.

Overall Hansen said they are happy with the new yard.

"It was pricey, but I think it is going to be well worth it in all the years to come," Hansen said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597286010029.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><iframe title="Yard upgrades complete at the Humane Society of the High Plains" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/kwzxc-e6cf2d?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&auto=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=3&pfauth=&btn-skin=101"></iframe></div><p><b>By JAMES BELL</b><br><i>Hays Post</i></p><p>A long-desired upgrade at the Humane Society of the High Plains was recently completed, giving dogs a more comfortable experience during their time at the shelter.</p><p>"The grass has been a problem back there since this place was built,"&nbsp;said manager Betty Hansen.</p><p>After saving for years, Hansen said the Humane Society recently pulled the trigger and completed upgrades in the yard.</p><p>"We spent almost two weeks redoing our backyard," said manager Betty Hansen.</p><p>The biggest part of the work was replacing the grass to an artificial grass called Canine Grass.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597286083057.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>"It's been awhile in the making to get this done so we are pretty excited about it, and the dogs seem to love it," Hansen said.</p><p>With the number of dogs that are in the yard, she said keeping grass growing was a challenge. Many options had been looked at to give the dogs a nice surface.</p><p>"One of the biggest things that we have had over the last couple of winters is trying to keep grass out there with all of the dogs digging all of the time," Hansen said.</p><p>The lack of grass often caused a mess both outside and in.</p><p>"We were having a lot of mud that the dogs were dragging into the building, and people couldn't go out because it was so muddy," Hansen said.</p><p>With the new covering, she said,&nbsp;"We have alleviated all of those problems."</p><p>And the new material will help keep the dogs happier and more exercised.</p><p>"This will really help to be able to give them more outside time," Hansen said, "which the dogs really need."</p><p>Having those exercise periods is important to allow them to relax before being put inside cages overnight.</p><p>"They are in their cage a lot of hours of the day so we want to make sure that they get exercised and they get a chance to exercise on a regular daily basis," Hansen said.</p><p>The dogs have taken well to the new surface she said.</p><p>"They are very comfortable on it," she said. "It's very soft, probably a lot softer than the grass."</p><p>The surface is also durable coming with a 10-year guarantee and easy to clean with a built-in drainage system.</p><p>"It's pretty much maintenance-free. It's easy to clean up," Hansen said. "It's very clean, and we use hoses to wash it."</p><p>The backyard also received a new shade area, two small pools and a dog playground.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597286124883.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>"With as hot as it as been with the big shaded area, they can stay out there a little bit longer," Hansen said. "We have noticed many of the dogs will run around and lay down in the shade."</p><p>The renovated space also will allow people to interact with the dogs in a more comfortable space.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597286109083.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>"When people bring their dog out to do a meet and greet with a dog that they are thinking about adopting, it's really nice for that too," Hansen said.</p><p>Overall Hansen said they are happy with the new yard.</p><p>"It was pricey, but I think it is going to be well worth it in all the years to come," Hansen said.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597286169085.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure>

Yard upgrades complete at Humane Society of the High Plains

<div><iframe title="Hays Chamber prepares for upcoming golf tournament" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/r3but-e6cef3?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&vjs=1&auto=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=3&pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: Hays Chamber prepares for upcoming golf tournament

<div><iframe title="Marshall Senate campaign pushes ahead after primary win" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/bk2be-e6a3c3?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&vjs=1&auto=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=3&pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: Marshall Senate campaign pushes ahead after primary win

<div><iframe title="Grow Hays working with Ellis Co. to distribute SPARK funding" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/kj2ym-e614a3?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: Grow Hays working with Ellis Co. to distribute SPARK funding

<div><iframe title="K-State Ag Research Center prepares for upcoming Field Day" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/2tjc6-e614bc?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: K-State Ag Research Center prepares for upcoming Field Day

<div><iframe title="FHSU readies for students return" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/j6ib3-e5ec11?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: FHSU readies for students return

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e95b2bdc-da0e-4a16-885b-c6fb1923c668">This month, work on a major remodel will begin at the Hays Public Library</a>, the first work on the building since a remodel in 2004.

While the work is being completed, library patrons may be impacted, but staff is working to keep disruptions to a minimum.

"It will impact our services for quite a while, but once we get it completed, it's going to be pretty incredible and we are going to be a lot better off for it," said HPL director Brandon Hines.

"We will close some. We might have to adjust our hours," Hines said. "People might have to put up with a lot of noise."

From Aug. 13 to 20, the facility is tentatively scheduled to be closed while many of&nbsp;the collections will be moved to allow work to begin, but services will still be available.

And the new bookmobile will be made more available as the library is closed.&nbsp;

"Even when we are closed, our bookmobile schedule is online and we are planning on increasing the number of stops that we are going to make," Hines said. "We know it is going to be a great way to extend our reach while the doors are closed and some of our services are limited by the remodel project."

"Over the last six months, we have really been promoting that and it has been a big part of our offerings," Hines said.

While there will be disruptions, the end result will be a library better suited for patron use.

"We have a beautiful place and we really haven't had to touch much of our physical space since then," Hines said.&nbsp;

But changing technology and services have quickly dated the facility.

"One example I like to share," Hines said. "When we opened up in 2004, I think we had 16 public internet computers on the adult level. We had 12 in the children's level and we had nine in the young adult level. So we had a ton of computers. In 2010, we had over 50,000 people use our public internet computers. About that time, smartphones became popular and, last year, we were down to about 30,000 computer users. We were down 40 percent over what we were 10 years ago. People don't need the physical PCs because they have their phones — their little computers — in their pockets."

During the first six months of 2019, facility planning began, including community stakeholder meetings.&nbsp;

"At the end of that six months, in the middle of last year, we transitioned into a build based on the information we gathered," Hines said.

<a href="https://www.gouldevans.com/">The architects firm Gould Evans was chosen for the design work.</a>

"They recently completed the Art and Design building on campus and they also have some good library experience," Hines said.

The project went out to bid end of June and was recently accepted. 

Paul Wartenberger Construction submitted the lowest bid and won the contract.

"We are excited to work with them," Hines said. "We are really lucky to have such great local contractors and to receive multiple bids was a real gift for us."

They also did the work during the 2004 HPL remodel.

On the main floor, the entranceway will be changed significantly.

"For better or worse we are not a quiet as other libraries," Hines said.

"We really want to take that desk and spread it and deploy staff members throughout the entire library," he said. "That way we can help people in the stacks and in other places."

The large desks in the middle of the adult and youth departments will also be split up.

Having staff be more visible to help guide patrons will also be a feature of the new setup.

The front entryway will remain an engaging space, but will become more of a community commons area, Hines said.

"This front area will be that community commons where people will come have a cup of coffee, it's going to be a bit more engaging and with that, we are going to have great lighting and great seating," he said.

Four large windows in the area will open the space and create an inviting ascetic for those in and out.

"Especially in the wintertime, when it gets dark at 4:30-5:00 p.m., driving by the library you will see those bright lights on it will be a place that is warm and inviting and busy and its a place that people are going to want to be," Hines said.&nbsp;

Small meeting rooms and quiet areas will also be a feature of that space allowing for those that desire an area for uninterrupted work.

"The Schmidt Foundation is really what is making that possible," Hines said.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/bd4dffcb-cd5e-4fab-a809-416ae722eba7">The foundation committed $100,000 to that area.</a>

Technology services will be consolidated into one area, with a staff member dedicated to the space.

"We are going to call that the Nex-Tech Business Center, Hines said.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9904caee-4154-4a05-b3da-554479047b25">They contributed $10,000</a>&nbsp;for space.

On the children's level, the 1968 entryway window will be opened up creating new rooms and workspaces.

"We are going to create a family bathroom, that's updated," Hines said.

A study area and nursing room will also be put in.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0220184e-758b-45e2-9a7d-09ac89b8ea2a">The Heartland Foundation awarded the library $5,000 for that portion of the project.&nbsp;</a>

"One of the most exciting things of the whole project is our new early literacy area," Hines said. "It was an immediate priority that we knew we need."

<a href="https://hayslibrary.org/remodel/">For more information about the project visit the HPL website.</a>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230328587.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><iframe title="Big changes on the way for the Hays Public Library" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/ntpcu-e531cc?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth=&amp;btn-skin=101"></iframe></div><p><b>By JAMES BELL</b><br><i>Hays Post</i></p><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e95b2bdc-da0e-4a16-885b-c6fb1923c668">This month, work on a major remodel will begin at the Hays Public Library</a>, the first work on the building since a remodel in 2004.</p><p>While the work is being completed, library patrons may be impacted, but staff is working to keep disruptions to a minimum.</p><p>"It will impact our services for quite a while, but once we get it completed, it's going to be pretty incredible and we are going to be a lot better off for it," said HPL director Brandon Hines.</p><p>"We will close some. We might have to adjust our hours," Hines said. "People might have to put up with a lot of noise."</p><p>From Aug. 13 to 20, the facility is tentatively scheduled to be closed while many of&nbsp;the collections will be moved to allow work to begin, but services will still be available.</p><p>And the new bookmobile will be made more available as the library is closed.&nbsp;</p><p>"Even when we are closed, our bookmobile schedule is online and we are planning on increasing the number of stops that we are going to make," Hines said. "We know it is going to be a great way to extend our reach while the doors are closed and some of our services are limited by the remodel project."</p><p>Online services will not be impacted.</p><p>"Over the last six months, we have really been promoting that and it has been a big part of our offerings," Hines said.</p><p>While there will be disruptions, the end result will be a library better suited for patron use.</p><p>"We have a beautiful place and we really haven't had to touch much of our physical space since then," Hines said.&nbsp;</p><p>But changing technology and services have quickly dated the facility.</p><p>"One example I like to share," Hines said. "When we opened up in 2004, I think we had 16 public internet computers on the adult level. We had 12 in the children's level and we had nine in the young adult level. So we had a ton of computers. In 2010, we had over 50,000 people use our public internet computers. About that time, smartphones became popular and, last year, we were down to about 30,000 computer users. We were down 40 percent over what we were 10 years ago. People don't need the physical PCs because they have their phones — their little computers — in their pockets."</p><p>During the first six months of 2019, facility planning began, including community stakeholder meetings.&nbsp;</p><p>"At the end of that six months, in the middle of last year, we transitioned into a build based on the information we gathered," Hines said.</p><p><a href="https://www.gouldevans.com/">The architects firm Gould Evans was chosen for the design work.</a></p><p>"They recently completed the Art and Design building on campus and they also have some good library experience," Hines said.</p><p>The project went out to bid end of June and was recently accepted. </p><p>Paul Wartenberger Construction submitted the lowest bid and won the contract.</p><p>"We are excited to work with them," Hines said. "We are really lucky to have such great local contractors and to receive multiple bids was a real gift for us."</p><p>They also did the work during the 2004 HPL remodel.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230394739.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>On the main floor, the entranceway will be changed significantly.</p><p>"For better or worse we are not a quiet as other libraries," Hines said.</p><p>"We really want to take that desk and spread it and deploy staff members throughout the entire library," he said. "That way we can help people in the stacks and in other places."</p><p>The large desks in the middle of the adult and youth departments will also be split up.</p><p>Having staff be more visible to help guide patrons will also be a feature of the new setup.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230343027.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The front entryway will remain an engaging space, but will become more of a community commons area, Hines said.</p><p>"This front area will be that community commons where people will come have a cup of coffee, it's going to be a bit more engaging and with that, we are going to have great lighting and great seating," he said.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230260212.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Four large windows in the area will open the space and create an inviting ascetic for those in and out.</p><p>"Especially in the wintertime, when it gets dark at 4:30-5:00 p.m., driving by the library you will see those bright lights on it will be a place that is warm and inviting and busy and its a place that people are going to want to be," Hines said.&nbsp;</p><p>Small meeting rooms and quiet areas will also be a feature of that space allowing for those that desire an area for uninterrupted work.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230314875.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>"The Schmidt Foundation is really what is making that possible," Hines said.</p><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/bd4dffcb-cd5e-4fab-a809-416ae722eba7">The foundation committed $100,000 to that area.</a></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230279900.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Technology services will be consolidated into one area, with a staff member dedicated to the space.</p><p>"We are going to call that the Nex-Tech Business Center, Hines said.</p><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9904caee-4154-4a05-b3da-554479047b25">They contributed $10,000</a>&nbsp;for space.</p><p>On the children's level, the 1968 entryway window will be opened up creating new rooms and workspaces.</p><p>"We are going to create a family bathroom, that's updated," Hines said.</p><p>A study area and nursing room will also be put in.</p><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0220184e-758b-45e2-9a7d-09ac89b8ea2a">The Heartland Foundation awarded the library $5,000 for that portion of the project.&nbsp;</a></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596230369938.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>"One of the most exciting things of the whole project is our new early literacy area," Hines said. "It was an immediate priority that we knew we need."</p><p><a href="https://hayslibrary.org/remodel/">For more information about the project visit the HPL website.</a></p>

🎙Big changes on the way for the Hays Public Library

<div><iframe title="Hays Chamber introduces new staff member" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/88hiw-e5c8f9?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: Hays Chamber introduces new staff member

<div><iframe title="Ellis Co. Fairground buildings to remain open for use" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/fwkqn-e5a386?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=3&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>

🎙 Post Podcast: Ellis Co. Fairground buildings to remain open for use

<div><iframe title="COVID-19 monetary relief efforts ongoing in Ellis County" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/yzs3b-e586c2?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;vjs=1&amp;auto=1&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=1&amp;pfauth="></iframe></div><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a></p>