County Commissioners set meeting for Monday

The Board of McPherson County Commissioners will conduct its weekly meeting at 9 a.m. Monday in the fifth floor Commission Room at 122 W. Marlin St.

The agenda:

9:00

A.Approval of Minutes

B. Checks and Claims

C. Adds and Abates

D. Personnel

E. RED #2 Board Appointments

F. General Correspondence 

Public Input 

Department Budget Review/Discussion 

10:30 a.m. 

Work Session at Public Works Department 

City Commission to meet Monday morning

The McPherson City Commission will conduct its weekly meeting at 8:30 a.m. Monday in the City Commission room at 401 E. Kansas.

The agenda:

1. Opening Items

1.1 Call to Order

1.2 Pledge of Allegiance

1.3 Moment of Silence/Prayer

1.4 Review/Approve Minutes

1.5 Adoption of Appropriation Ordinance

1.6 Public Input Session

1.7 Approval of Agenda

2. COVID-19

2.1 COVID-19

3. CVB Departmental Matters

3.1 "Music and Movies Live at Lakeside"

4. Planning and Zoning Matters

4.1 Ordinance No. 3337 - Allowing and Regulating the Keeping of Bees in McPherson

4.2 Ordinance No. 3338 - Allowing and Regulating the Keeping of Livestock in McPherson

5. Fire Departmental Matters

5.1 Approval of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Repairs

5.2 Approval of Ladder 1 Repairs

5.3 Acceptance of Pizza Hut Donation

5.4 Acceptance of Kansas Forest Service Grant

5.5 Approval of Purchase of Wildland Personal Protective Equipment

5.6 Approval of HazMat Suit Replacement

5.7 Acceptance of Paid Call Fire Resignations

5.8 Permission to Hire Paid Call Fire Fighter

6. Public Works Report

6.1 Street Department: Curb, Driveway Approach and Street Repair at 1101 N Grimes on Loomis.

6.2 WWTF: Repairs due to below grade failure of re-use piping

6.3 Update on the Grimes/Anna Street Reconstruction Project

6.4 Update on the Hartup-Elizabeth Street Reconstruction Project

6.5 Update on Hulse Area Drainage Project

6.6 Update on Chestnut Street Improvements Project

6.7 2020 Road Projects Website Updates

7. Administrative Report

7.1 Approval of McPherson Housing Coalition Service Agreement FFY 2020

7.2 Approval of Broker Selection for Property/Casualty/Liability/Auto Insurance Services

7.3 Announce Annual Meeting of McPherson Landfill Corporation on July 20, 2020, at 8:00 am

7.4 Approval of Wages

8. Executive Session

8.1 Executive Session - Attorney Client Privilege

9. COVID-19 Action Items (If Needed)

9.1 COVID-19 Related Action Items

10. Other Business

11. Closing Items

11.1 Study Sessions

11.2 Adjournment

3 new cases runs number up to 92

McPherson County continues to have a tremendous uptake in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

An alarming amount of cases are asymptomatic, meaning they do not have any signs or symptoms. A portion of these positive cases report attending gatherings at local lakes, parties, or traveling sport tournaments while contagious. These are events both inside and outside of McPherson County.

If you are notified by the Health Department of being a contact of someone who is positive for COVID-19, you must quarantine at home for 14 days. This means that a negative test will not return an exposed person to work/sports/daycare/etc. sooner than 14 days. If you are a contact, decide to be tested, and it comes back negative, you stillhave to finish your 14-day period because you may become contagious anytime during the rest of the 14 days. We do not routinely recommend testing contacts unless symptoms arise or a high risk individual is involved. People who have not had direct exposure to someone with COVID-19 do not need to quarantine and are not excluded from work/sports/daycare/etc. 

If you are being tested for COVID-19, you are considered a Person Under Investigation (PUI). The PUI mustisolate while waiting on results. The PUI should isolate away from anyone in their household. If they are not able to isolate away from the household members by staying in their own room, the entire household must quarantine while awaiting results to reduce exposure. 

If a person in quarantine does not develop any COVID-19 symptoms, then they are released from quarantine at the end of 14 days. If symptoms do develop during those 14 days, the person is to contact their primary provider for further evaluation and/or testing. People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 may be released from isolation at the direction of the Health Department when it has been 10 days since the onset of symptoms and 72 hours since symptoms have resolved. This symptom-based method of returning people to work is preferred to a testing-based method of returning people to work because tests can still remain positive long after the virus is no longer active. 

These are challenging days for groups and businesses. They are responsible for providing a safe environment for their employees and participants. They are severely affected when their employees and participants are excluded due to exposure. Much of this exposure is occurring outside of work. The best way to keep our businesses open and functional and keep our social interactions available is to maintain a 6-foot physical distance between people and wear a mask when in public when physical distancing may be difficult to maintain. 

McPherson County Health Department reports 92 total confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in McPherson County. 79 of the total confirmed cases have now met recovery guidelines set forth by the KDHE. There are zero current hospitalizations and zero deaths. 

• Positive case #90 is a symptomatic male in his 60s with unknown exposure and is recovering at home. 

• Positive case #91 is a symptomatic male in his 30s with unknown exposure and is recovering at home. 

• Positive case #92 is a symptomatic female in her teens with known exposure and is recovering at home. 

Current data for McPherson County indicates the following: 

• Asymptomatic cases: 14/92 

• Cases with unknown exposure: 22/92 

• Female cases: 57/92

• Male cases: 35/92 

• Cases hospitalized (no current hospitalizations): 7/92 

• Hospitalized cases that have been ventilated: 3/7 

• Cases 60 years old and above: 17/92 

• Cases 50-59 years old: 12/92 

• Cases 40-49 years old: 17/92 

• Cases 30-39 years old: 10/92 

• Cases 18-29 years old: 26/92

Community spread identified in Harvey Co.

NEWTON -- The Harvey County Health Department, in consultation with Public Health Officer Dr. Doyle Detweiler, has identified community spread of COVID-19 in Harvey County. 

Community spread means individuals have been infected with COVID-19 in the area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected. 

“We did not determine this lightly. The Health Department has worked meticulously to verify the sources of exposure in the majority of our cases,” Detweiler said. “However, as cases have increased, so have the number of cases where we cannot definitively determine a transmission method for COVID-19.” 

Harvey County has had 63 COVID-19 cases to date, including 59 confirmed and four probable cases. There have been 47 confirmed cases over the past three weeks. 

Of the 63 total cases, 18 have an unknown source of exposure, or 29 percent. 

“Community spread isn’t a reason to panic, but it does justify a sense of urgency in our communities,” said Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington. “It’s an opportunity for each of us to renew our personal commitments to the precautions that worked so well early on for our county. COVID-19 is in our county, and each of us needs to respond accordingly.” 

The Health Department continues to adamantly support taking preventative steps to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. That includes frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizer, practicing social distancing, and wearing a face cover when social distance cannot be maintained. 

There are 19 known active cases in Harvey County. Two individuals are currently hospitalized. There have been 2,067 tests for COVID-19 conducted in Harvey County. 

Hutch State Fair Board to meet Monday

HUTCHINSON— The Kansas State Fair Board will meet on Monday to discuss the future of this fall’s event.

There’s a chance the fair could be canceled for the first time in more than 100 years due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.

ECS' graduation Saturday a closed ceremony

ELYRIA – According to Elyria Christian School’s Facebook page, due to social distancing guidelines set by the McPherson County Health Department the Elyria Christian High School graduation scheduled for Saturday, July 11, will be a "closed" ceremony.

The event will be streamed live on ECS’ Facebook page at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Inman City Council to meet Monday

INMAN – The Inman City Council will conduct its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the City Council office, 104 N. Main.

The agenda:         

-Flag Salute

-Call Meeting to Order

-Additions to Agenda

-Public Input

1) Larry Penner- semi truck parking

2) Larry Peters and Rae Luginsland-Great Plains Antique Tractor Club

3) Jon Brown- Country park rental

-2021 and amended 2020 budget- Jan Nolde, CPA of Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd

-Approve Minutes – June 8, 2020

-Payment of Bills- Appropriation Ordinance 2020-06 for June checks #16202 through 16240 and Appropriation Ord. 2020-07 for July checks #16241 through #16280

-Budgetary Adjustments

-Reports: 

Police Department

1) Center St. crosswalk to park

2) Dangerous/Unfit Structures

b. Utilities/Streets/Parks 

c.  Clerk – Review curbside recycle

d.  Zoning – Annexation

-New Business:   

-Unfinished Business:

  1) Country park/Motocross- Dave Patterson

Master Gardener Tour scheduled for Saturday

The annual McPherson Master Gardener and Friends Garden Tour is scheduled for Saturday.

The time for viewing is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Maps will be available at all gardens.

The fee is $5 for advanced tickets and $7 the day of the tour. They are available at all gardens or by calling 241-1523.

Tickets also can be purchased at Smoky Valley Nursery, McPherson County Extension Office, Graber’s Ace Hardware, Sheila’s Garden Market, The Bookshelf and Hidden Closet, Stutzman’s and McPherson Museum.

Homes on the tour:

-  Lori and Phil Havens, 1416 Homestead

- Mike and Kelli Dossett, 610. W. Walnut

- Cliff and Phyllis VanHorn, 515 Oaklane

- Skip and Nancy Brown, 800 E. Euclid

- Master Gardeners and Friends Demonstration Garden, 600 W. Woodside

Movie in the Park returns tonight

The “Movie in The Park” series returns tonight at the Lakeside Park Bandshell.

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” will be played. The movie starts at dusk.

Camp Wood YMCA is this week’s sponsor. The series is sponsored by the McPherson Convention and Visitors Bureau.

McPherson Hospital receives special designation

McPherson Hospital, now also known as McPherson Center for Health, announces a recent special federal designation for their physician clinics.

McPherson Medical and Surgical Associates, the physician clinic’s official name, has been designated as a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

Now one of about 4,500 RHC’s nationwide, the clinic is recognized as providing primary care and preventive health services in a designated underserved rural area. The primary benefit of the designation is that the clinic receives special Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates to reduce the gap between actual cost of care and the rate of reimbursement from these Federal programs.

The clinic successfully demonstrated compliance in several key areas of operations in order to meet conditions of certification. 

Terri Gehring, president and CEO of McPherson Center for Health said, “Receiving this designation is the result of a lot of hard work from our staff as we strive daily to provide exceptional care to our patients. It also demonstrates our commitment to serving the rural needs of our community as we find ways to improve our sustainability in the sometimes uncertain healthcare financial environment. We appreciate the community’s support of our excellent care providers.”