By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
"I learn something new every time I attend one of these," said Sandy Jacobs, Hays vice-mayor.
Jacobs was among about 25 community leaders who participated in Tuesday afternoon's "Community Cruise."
The event, sponsored by the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Chamber in Hays, Downtown Hays Development Corporation, and Grow Hays, started with a lunch meeting followed by a bus tour of the community to learn about updates on ongoing major projects.
Attendees included Hays city and Ellis County commissioners, along with staff, Hays USD 489 board members and staff, and representatives of Fort Hays State University, NCK Technical College, and Thomas More Prep-Marian Jr./Sr. High School.
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
The tour started at Fort Hays State University, with Jason Williby, president/CEO of the FHSU Foundation, talking about the upcoming $28 million renovation of Forsyth Library, which was built in 1967. Work will start this summer.
"It's going to look a lot the same from the outside, but the inside will be completely remodeled," Williby said.
Plans are also underway for the $11.5 million Bickle-Schmidt Athletic Complex, a 20,000-square-foot, two-story building to be constructed just beyond the south end zone of Lewis Field. Athletics donors are funding it.
"Our current locker room doesn't hold 130 people. We have 130 players. ... [Some of them] had to move their stuff out every Thursday afternoon during football season so TMP and Hays High could play there on Fridays," Williby said.
MICROFACTORY
The tour went past the new MicroFactory, which celebrated its recent opening with a ribbon cutting March 13. Doug Williams, Grow Hays executive director, said the 30,000-square-foot facility is still awaiting its first tenant, "and we have some prospects."
HOUSING
Williams also talked about housing projects in Hays that are underway, or soon will be, including The Grove, north of Hays Medical Center on Canterbury Drive. It will be retiree-focused and include a new community center and child care facility.
The Tallgrass Addition in east Hays has been wildly successful with homes selling before they reach the market.
"It's been a great project and continues to provide critical workforce housing for our community," Williams said.
The newest Kings Gate addition in northwest Hays has 22 lots, which were all quickly sold.
"This represents the last of the lots in the northwest part of town," Williams said. "We're at a point where we have a real need for lots in the northwest area without a plan for moving forward for how we're going to make that happen, so that needs to happen.
"Housing prices are remaining strong, but Hays is not keeping up with demand," he said.
A developer is looking at building "shouses" — a shed/house combination — west of Kings Gate where the former landfill was located, Williams said.
"I'm told KDHE says there shouldn't be any problems there," he said.
Downtown Hays is also seeing an increase in housing with the growing popularity of lofts, said Julie Rider, Downtown Hays Development Corporation executive director.
"The former bank building at 12th and Main is undergoing renovation now to become two lofts," Ryder said.
USD 489 BOND ISSUE
Construction of the new Hays High School is underway, said Chris Hipp, USD 489 assistant superintendent of business services.
Bus passengers could see the "one wall and a lot of dirt" on the site east of the existing high school, which will be remodeled as the new middle school.
Hipp joked about doing a test during last weekend's 50-mph wind gusts, and "the wall stood up. We're pretty confident the rest of it is going to be solid as well."
One of the school's wings and slab work are starting to be poured.
Students who are sophomores will experience their senior year in the new building beginning in fall 2026.
The facility, part of a $143.5 million bond issue, will be built for about 1,000 students and "can easily be flexed up for about 1,300 students," Hipp said.
Additional protected pedestrian crossing lanes will be installed on 13th Street, which will be widened between Anthony Drive and Commerce Parkway. The street work is a joint project of USD 489, the city of Hays and Ellis County.
Renovations are also underway at Roosevelt Elementary School, where classrooms and a gymnasium are being added.
"The primary purpose of the bond was adding instruction space," Hipp said.
NCK TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Eric Burks, president of NCK Technical College, talked about the pending affiliation agreement between NCK Tech in Hays and Beloit, Fort Hays State University, and Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, which is anticipated to launch in August.
"We've been working with Fort Hays State for years, and this is the next progression of that," Burks said. "We're really excited to work through that.
"We will become Fort Hays Tech North Central, so our name will change, and we'll change mascots and colors and all that."
NCK Tech will still offer its same programs with enhancements in some areas, including a new $6 million, 30,000-square-foot building on the main Hays campus-
"It will double the capacity of our carpentry, electricity, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and commercial driver's license programs," Burks said.
"We've had to put students on waiting lists for these programs, which generally means they go somewhere else."
The college's Big Creek Technical Training Center on south Main Street will be repurposed for its telecommunications program, which is housed in Victoria in a partnership with Nex-Tech.
CHILD CARE
Ellis County added more child care slots in 2023 than any other northwest Kansas county, said Wasinger of the Childcare Taskforce of Ellis County.
That included 12 in-home providers, six in-home group providers, and a new child care facility at HaysMed, overseen by Bright Minds Academy.
ELLIS COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING
The northernmost point on the bus tour was the location of the new $6 million Ellis County Public Works building, which is under construction east of the landfill on 250th Avenue.
Neal Younger, second district county commissioner, said county employees hope to be in the building by December. It will include the Noxious Weed Department.
The county plans to sell the property on 280th Avenue where the current public works building sits.
I-70 EXIT 157
Williams also talked about Interstate 70, Exit 157, in west Hays.
Infrastructure is in the northwest section, where a travel plaza has been proposed.
"We're a little behind schedule on that," Williams said.
"It is ready. In conversations with the owner, he continues to have discussions with potential truck stop operators. But at this point, nothing firm is in place yet."
In the northeast corner, between Doonan Truck and Highway 183 bypass, is the 10-acre future location of a Salina-based 24/7 Travel Plaza.
Reconstruction has started on the exit bridge and the on- and off ramps.
The road to the Ellis County Fairgrounds from the bypass is being re-routed through the adjacent Enersys property.
"Lots and lots of activity going on out here," Williams said.
NORTHWEST HAYS FIRE STATION
The city's third fire station, 1732 W. 41st St., has been built. An open house and ribbon cutting will be on April 22.
The new facility will become the fire department's new headquarters and will be fully staffed 24/7 along with the fire station at 601 Main, said Collin Bielser, deputy Hays city manager. It will also house the city's IT department.
TMP-MARIAN
At Thomas More Prep Marian, the addition of sixth graders to the junior high this academic year lines up well with other schools in Hays, said Chad Meitner, principal.
"They're leaving a building in fifth grade and going to a different building for sixth grade, regardless. That's worked out well for us," he said.
Meitner discussed the Catholic school's new creative learning building, which has just started construction adjacent to the main building.
"The creative learning building is going to expand our STEM opportunities as well as our vocational activities for kids getting ready for a career or college.
"We'll have some expanded things like welding, things we've never had before or haven't had in a very long time," Meitner said.
"We want it to be a space where not only the sciences, engineering and math can happen but also the arts."
There's a lot going on in Hays, Toby Dougherty, Hays city manager, said after the tour.
"Collaboration is an important part of it all and sharing what's happening in our community," Jacobs said.