By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The cities of Hays and Dodge City have been exchanging ideas for better government operations as they each host employees from the other town for in-depth looks at various city departments.
Hays recently hosted the directors of the Dodge City Regional Airport and the Convention and Visitors Bureau director, according to Collin Bielser, Hays assistant city manager.
"I really like the collaboration you guys have been doing with Dodge City," said Shaun Musil, city commissioner. "Hopefully we can learn something from them and they can learn something about what we're doing."
With spring here, workers are busy sprucing up Hays parks as well as the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex.
Existing shade structures were removed at the sports complex and new ones will be installed next month.
"In anticipation of turfing the softball and baseball infields, soil sampling was performed in the infields so contractors could provide accurate artificial turf proposals," Bielser said in his February progress report presented to Hays city commissioners.
Parks Department employees also removed landscaping from the North Vine Street median for work that begins in April on the final three traffic roundabouts.
The stones and plants will be used in other locations in Hays, Bielser noted.