By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
"My heart kind of hurts for her for what she's going through."
Hays Mayor Shaun Musil at Thursday's city commission work session talked about Tuesday's abrupt resignation of Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw after she received threats for supporting a face mask mandate.
"We all personally dealt with that here," Musil noted, "and I'm just very thankful for the team we have and the community support we've had here."
"Even though there were some very loud people, we had good community support and we continue to have that," he said.
On Thursday, it was reported an investigation by Dodge City police concluded the messages received by Warshaw did not meet the elements required by Kansas Criminal Statutes regarding threats.
Musil acknowledged there will always be people who refuse to wear a face mask despite the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our numbers [of COVID-19 positive tests in Ellis County] are going down so I think we're doing something right and we just have to continue doing the right thing.
"Thank you to the community of Hays," Musil said at the end of the work session.
The city of Hays enacted a mandatory face covering ordinance on July 27. The ordinance was extended on Oct. 2 and will remain in place until certain metrics are met.
The mandate will be lifted if the seven-day average of new cases is at five or fewer for 14 consecutive days — or if Gov. Laura Kelly's statewide emergency declaration is lifted.
Ellis County commissioners took no action Nov. 23 on a resolution regarding Kelly's latest statewide mask mandate, allowing it to go into effect countywide with no local vote.
The Ellis County Health Department on Wednesday reported the average number of new coronavirus cases per day in the last seven days fell slightly from 18 on Monday to 17 on Wednesday. There are currently 304 active cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County.
In other business during last night's work session, commissioners agreed to move ahead with the following requests:
* Improvements to the water plant laboratory and break room located at 1000 Vine and used 24 hours a day. Water analyses are done twice an hour and lab counter tops have not been replaced in 26 years. The single bid is $38,000 from Paul Wertenberger Construction, Hays.
* Water line improvements for 2020 along 19th Street from Hall to Walnut, and along Elm from 17th Street to the intersection of 23rd and Canal Street. The low bid is from J Corp, Hays, for $443,488.
* Airport south apron rehabilitation and beacon replacement design agreement with the city's airport engineering consultant, Burns and McDonnell for $122,130. The fee is eligible for 90 percent funding from the Federal Aviation Administration.
* Rezoning of the former Washington School at 305 Main from Public Institutional to Residential Multi-Family. USD 489 has sold the property to OPG Stonepost Lofts Partners. The new owners plan to renovate the building and use the property for multi-family housing.
* 2020 city boundary resolution following the annexation of property north of East 33rd and Sherman Avenue.
Commissioners will vote on the items Dec. 22. They'll meet Tuesday rather than Thu., Dec. 24, which is Christmas Eve.