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Ellsworth County
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Volume 136, No. 45
Looking Ahead
www.indyrepnews.com
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Ellsworth’s Evolution At left, Lindsey Urban, a lead preschool teacher at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center, enjoys time on the playground with Layne Mitcher and Elizabeth Ramos.
The Ellsworth County IndependentReporter asked several Ellsworth residents to write about their visions for the town’s future over the next decade or more. Here are their responses:
Below, the new First Bank Kansas building on Aylward Avenue in northern Ellsworth is surrounded by farmland that has the potential for development. Ellsworth’s Assembly of God Church plans a campus project to the west.
I-R photos by Alan Rusch and Mark McCoy Mayor Steve Bahan
Infrastructure a priority
Having no real way to predict Ellsworth’s future, I’ll just give you a list of what I hope happens. I will start by saying Ellsworth has survived very well compared to other small towns in our area. The business growth Ellsworth is experiencing right now is almost unbelievable to me. I hope it can continue into the future. Ellsworth is growing and the City needs to keep replacing its infrastructure — streets, curb and guttering, water and sewer lines to meet the expected growth. Once the sewer plant is paid off in 2014, I hope to see the City get serious in fixing some streets long in need of repair. I hope we can keep all the buildings downtown occupied with growing businesses. I hope we get a new school built for our kids’ future. I hope we can continue to bring young families into Ellsworth with more new jobs. I hope we can find houses for them to live in. Most of all, I hope that in 15 years our kids can still walk home safely from school, the swimming pool, ball games and their friends’ houses without us having to worry about them because other people in Ellsworth care enough to watch out for them. Ellsworth has a bright future and I wouldn’t miss it for a thing.
Judge Ron Svaty
Agriculture and more
I am looking at the future of Ellsworth from the perspective of having lived here most of my almost 70 years and being a part of the fight for survival for the last 44 years. Growing up in Ellsworth meant growing up in a town that relied almost solely on agriculture. The nonagriculture jobs were the salt mine, the brick plant and Northern Natural, none of which were actually in Ellsworth. By the time Pat and I returned to Ellsworth in August of 1968 after four years in college, three years in law school and one year in Alaska, things had changed dramatically. I remember driving down main street and wondering if we had made the right decision coming back. There were 13 vacant businesses on main street and the adjacent side streets. Frankly, the town looked seedy. But we stayed. Town leaders had recognized the problem of housing, which still has not been “solved” and had formed Ellsworth Development, Inc., which provided the lots for almost all the new housing built in the town since we have been back. Soon thereafter we were one of the first small towns to issue industrial revenue bonds to build the plant for the Essex wire plant, which now houses See LOOKING AHEAD, Page C12
Wanted: Housing solutions By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING Ellsworth County I-R
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hen Curt Glaser looks at the farm ground that touches his new First Bank Kansas property between the Ellsworth County Medical Center and Kansas Highway 140, he sees a street full of new homes to the west and professional and retail offices to the northeast. He expects his vision to be transformed into reality before another decade passes. “First Bank Kansas sees Ellsworth as becoming a small regional hub for the county and surrounding small communities to the west and north providing health care, retirement and professional services,” Glaser said. “One of Ellsworth’s biggest challenges that I see in the near future will be to provide housing and new residential lots for future homes to be built on at affordable costs. We can only grow if we are able to attract those that work here to also live here.” Since early this year, ribbon cuttings have been as common in Ellsworth as wild sunflowers in a Kansas summer: • Dollar General has a new store at
the intersection of Kansas Highways 140 and 156. • First Bank Kansas moved from downtown to Highway 140. • Citizens State Bank & Trust Co. built a drive-in bank at the Dollar General intersection and donated its old downtown location to the Kansas Highway Patrol for use as an office. • Pretty Boys Floyd’s, an upscale restaurant in Ellsworth’s historic downtown underground, recently conducted a public open house and expects to open July 5. • The Smoky Hills Childcare Foundation has a state-of-the-art Ellsworth Childcare and Learning Center on Kunkle Drive, on land donated by the Ellsworth-KanopolisGeneseo School District and built with $575,000 in donations and grants. • Cashco, a valve manufacturer that does business in the United States and abroad, broke ground for a $2.8 million headquarters addition, which is expected to allow for the addition of more than two dozen jobs over the next three years. • Dairy Queen remodeled its dining area, giving the long-time Ellsworth business a more modern look. • Subway opened this past week.
What’s Inside
Page C2 — Did you know? The I-R shares facts about Ellsworth and Ellsworth County.
Page C5 — Dairy Queen is an Ellsworth tradition with a more modern look.
Page C3 — Ellsworth’s new child care center will be a boost to the community.
Page C7 — Cashco, Inc., looks toward headquarters construction and expansion.
Page C4 — First Bank Kansas banks on city’s growth as part of move.
• Maico Manufacturing, a steel fabricator, added a second shift to meet demand for utility poles at the Post Rock Wind Farm, set to generate energy later this year. Still to come — the opening of a new Carrico Implement store at Evans Street and Ave. JJ, the expansion of KanEquip and the Ellsworth Correctional Facility into the former St. Francis Boys’ Home and the completion of a new warehouse for the WaKeeney-based Western Cooperative Electric at the Carrico development site. The hundreds of thousands of dollars in investment being made by new and existing Ellsworth businesses are expected to result in the creation of roughly 235 jobs, said Rob Fillion, director of the Smoky Hill Economic Development Corporation, the county’s economic development organization. The number includes additional workers recently hired by Great Plains Manufacturing. Glaser said First Bank Kansas built a new home because it had outgrown its downtown location and the future of Ellsworth and Ellsworth County appears bright.
Page C10 — People make the product. Stories on the new day care director and Maico’s Dave Cox.
See ELLSWORTH, Page C12
Page D2 — Citizens State Bank stakes out a highway presence. Page D3 — Western Cooperative builds a new home.
Page C12 — More Ellsworth residents share their visions of Ellsworth’s future. Page D4 — Dollar General enjoys Page C8 — Page D1 — Carrico highway location. KanEquip outgrows finds common shop; breaks ground ground in new Page D5 — Wind for new addition. Ellsworth store. farm moves ahead.
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Did you Know? Facts about Ellsworth, Ellsworth County Several years ago, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts visited Ellsworth to speak at the annual dinner of the Ellsworth-Kanopolis Chamber of Commerce. During the evening, he commented that one of his most vivid memories of the community was the stops his family made at the Dairy Queen on trips along Kansas Highway 156 back to their home in Dodge City. *** Some residents have complained about the additional traffic created by Ellsworth’s highway construction. Curt Glaser, president of the town’s First Bank Kansas, isn’t too worried. “As far as traffic goes, I am not overly concerned at this point, although crossing 156 Highway is becoming much harder. We may see us grow from a one stoplight town to a two- or three in the next 10 years,” he said. ••• Put water on the list of issues the city plans to address in the coming months. City administrator Tim Vandall said a water master plan should be created in the next several months for review sometime in the fall. Ellsworth now supplies its own water from seven wells; however, in recent times the amount of water the city can pump from two of its wells has been restricted by the state because of less than adequate streamflow in the Smoky Hill
River. As a result, Ellsworth has implemented voluntary water conservation measures, which continue to be in effect. • Water customers with oddnumbered addresses are allowed to water Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. • Water customers with evennumbered addresses can water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of each week. • Residents are asked not to water Sundays. Ellsworth has a backup water supply from the Post Rock Rural Water District, which has a treatment plant at Kanopolis Lake; however, the most recent use of Post Rock water by the city came June 19, 2011, when the former office of the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter was gutted by fire and the workshop and home of contractor Mark Roehrman engulfed in flames and water. Vandall said the city can sustain growth, but not the kind created by a business such as the water-intensive ethanol plant in Russell.
women. • Ellsworth County had 3,329 housing units and a homeownership rate of 78.4 percent. • Median value of owneroccupied housing units was $67,400. • Median household income between 2006 and 2010 was $42,200. ••• About the City: • With 3,120 people, Ellsworth is the 92nd most populated city in the state of Kansas out of 671. It’s followed closely by Galena with 3,085 residents and Hillsboro with 2,993. • In 2010, the median household income of Ellsworth residents was $41,386. Ellsworth households made slightly more than Winona (in far northwest Kansas) households ($41,364) and Lawrence households ($41,290) However, 8.3 percent of Ellsworth residents live in poverty. • The median age for Ellsworth residents is 38.4 years. •••
••• Here is information about Ellsworth County from the 2010 federal census. • Ellsworth County’s population was 6,497, a decrease of .4 percent from 10 years earlier. • Broken down, Ellsworth County had 5.3 percent of its population younger than 5 years, 18.7 percent younger than 18 years, 18.9 percent ages 65 and older and 43.8 percent
Dave Cox, plant manager of Ellsworth’s Maico Industries, was named the Kansas Department of Corrections Volunteer of the Year during a ceremony May 18 at the Statehouse. He competed with nine other volunteers who represented the state’s other correctional facilities. Cox was named the Ellsworth Correctional Facility’s
Ellsworth County Committed To Progress 2010 - 2012 • 2 State Projects Overlayed Kanopolis Low Road 3.5 Miles Overlayed Salt Mine Road 1.4 Miles
Volunteer of the Year May 4 by warden Dan Schnurr. Following events at the Governor’s Office, nomiCox nees then went to the Topeka Correctional Facility for a recognition ceremony where Cox received the Kansas Department of Corrections, Secretary’s Commendation, presented to him by Kansas Secretary of The Department of Corrections, Ray Roberts. Accompanying Dave to Topeka were his wife Stanna, and Maico owners Paul Mai and Frieda Mai Weis of Salina. Cox also will be recognized June 1 at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility. Cox was recognized for his many hours of volunteer work, fund raising efforts and enthusiastic participation in the development and support of various programs throughout ECF — most particularly the Spiritual Life Center. He is active in organization of the annual Run for the Soul Poker Run, which raises money to fund SLC activities Additionally, he has arranged for inmate participants on the SLC Ministry Team to perform music and drama. He also is active in the Christmas music program and the annual dinner theater, both of which showcase inmate talent. Cox has served on the ECF Community Interaction Committee since Oct. 6, 2011. Editor’s Note — This story first appeared in the May 31 edition of the I-R.
The Ellsworth Correctional Facility started work this past week on the former St. Francis Boys’ Home property in Ellsworth. The Kansas Legislature this past session authorized the Kansas Department of Corrections to purchase the property as a satellite prison for 95 minimum security inmates. The move is expected to free beds within the correctional facility fence for more serious offenders. Fifteen jobs will accompany the ECF expansion. Spokesman Todd Britton said Secretary of Corrections Ray Roberts plans to have the satellite open by September. “Realistically, will be have 95 inmates? No, but we could have 15 or 20 or whatever. This will probably go in phases,” Britton said. Work on the former boys’ home started June 21 with sweeping and other cleaning duties. Some security work also has been performed, along with painting. “Whatever type of renovation we have to do will be down the road,” Britton said. ••• This item was contained in the 1878 first biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture: Prof. B. F. Mudge states that coal is found in the southwest part of the county, in one or two townships, near the surface, in veins from 20 to 30 inches in thickness. Very little has been mined. It is of poor quality; lignite.
Ellsworth County… Open For Business
• Replaced 19 Bridges • Sealed or Overlaid 34 miles of County Roads • Replaced 10 Bridges with Culverts • Renewed the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan • Shared Services & Funding of Emergency Management Director with Russell County • Refunded Ellsworth County Medical Center Bonds at Lower Interest
Your one stop for business and development needs. P.O. Box 321 114 ½ Douglas Ellsworth, KS 67439
785.472.4136 (p) 785.472.2486 (f)
Dedicated to the economic prosperity of Ellsworth County
We are proud of our community’s continued growth and prosperity. Ellsworth County is committed to offering the services necessary for our community. In doing so, we endeavor to promote a healthy and viable lifestyle for our citizens. It is our hope that you will join with us in making Ellsworth County a place where you are proud to live and one that others will want to make their home. Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable, when we fail to take risks or seize opportunites.
121 W. 1st Street • P.O. Box 163 • Ellsworth, KS 785-472-5566
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Child Care Facts The Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center opened June 4. The state-of-the-art center has space for 83 children, including nine infants and 10 toddlers. For more information, including registration forms, go to ellsworthchildcare.org.
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
Smiles and pleasurable reactions were common June 1, during the ribbon-cutting and tour of the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center.
Child care center reflects pride
By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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ark Parsons, president of Smoky Hill Child Care Foundation, just couldn’t hide his look of satisfaction June 1, during the ribbon cutting and open house at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center. “I feel good,” he said. “I’m feeling pretty good too,” added manager Lainey Dauster. “We’re ready to get it going.” The new 10,000 square-foot center on Kunkle Drive officially opened its doors to children June 4. Ground was broke on the center last September, after enough money was raised to start the project. “I think that just shows how much pride Ellsworth has in what we do in this area,” Parsons said. “We had enough money to take care of the things we wanted.”
The center features state-of-theart security and fire suppression systems throughout the attic, main floor and basement. “If there is a fire here, it notifies the sheriff ’s office, especially at night when no one is here,” Parsons said. “We’ve not cut any corners anywhere. We’re trying to get everything top quality — playground equipment and desks and chairs. It’s an expense, but it’s going to last us for quite some time.” Parsons said the child care and learning center is an economic boost to Ellsworth. “When young people are moving to town, I think they need assurance they are going to have day care for their children,” he said. “I’m not saying that there is any other day care available, we just want to provide a really good atmosphere for some kids that move to town.” The construction of the center was done by Kenny and Delmar
Kohls of Kohls Brothers Construction. Inmate labor from Ellsworth Correctional Facility was also used. “They have helped us out tremendously,” Parsons said. “Without the inmate labor, I don’t think we could have done it, because it would have ended up costing so much, I don’t think we could have raised it.” Dauster said the facility will feature five lead teachers, who are responsible for the lesson plans and curriculum used in the classrooms. “All of those teachers meet the state requirements,” she said. In addition to teaching a creative curriculum, Dauster said the teachers will make sure children are meeting the Kansas early learning standards. “Our curriculum is intertwined See CHILD CARE, Page C9
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
Susan Borntrager, lead teacher in the toddler room at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center, helps Michael Soukup blow bubbles.
LEADER IN THE FABRICATION INDUSTRY Maico Industries, Inc., founded in
1995 by Paul Mai, specializes in 3-Plate Built-Up Structural Steel Beams and girders for the construction of shopping malls, factories, manufacturing plants, airport hangars, factory warehouses, schools, public works, public utility coops, steel mills, hospitals/medical centers and much more. Maico’s products are found throughout the U.S., Canada and P.O. Box 24 • Highway 14 • Ellsworth overseas, in such areas as Southeast Asia Ph: 785/472-5390 • Fax: 785/472-3729 and South America.
MAICO Industries, Inc. - your vertically integrated manufacturer of sign structures, traffic and light poles to service DOT markets and the private sector.
Teamwork, Optimism, Integrity, Excellence, Unity, Leadership, Tenacity, Focus, Attitude, Goals, Passion, Loyalty, Perseverance, Determination, Communication are just a few things that describe the traits that employees and staff have that make Maico Industries, Inc. a “Leader in the Fabrication Industry” and a solid Ellsworth County business.
100,000 square feet, Maico Industries, Inc.
Located in Ellsworth County, we are your pole manufacturer from start to finish!
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Evolution At left, Curt Glaser, president of Ellsworth’s First Bank Kansas, talks with a customer by phone in his office at the bank’s new facility along Kansas Highway 140. Below is an example of the decor in the new First Bank Kansas building. Photo items — a pheasant, sunflowers, windmill — are symbolic of the Kansas prairie.
I-R photos by Mark McCoy
First Bank Kansas targets customer service BY Mark mccoy Ellsworth County I-R
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ervice is the heartbeat of First Bank Kansas — according to the Ellsworth branch president Curt Glaser — and was the driving force behind its recent move to the new building located on Kansas Highway 140 north of Ellsworth. “In our former location we had many obstacles. It was parallel parking in front of the building which some of our older customers didn’t like,” Glaser said. “Our drivethrough was narrow. You had to turn as you went into it, which made it difficult for a lot of people. In this day and age, everyone expected us to have an ATM (automated teller machine) on site and we had no place to put one. “We had no space to add employees, even if we needed to add one. Our break room/ conference room/office was a
combination of everything. We had some people working in Kanopolis solely because we had room over there and we had no place to put them in Ellsworth. So we decided to build.” Glaser said First Bank Kansas was landlocked at its former location and had no place to build downtown so they decided to relocate the bank to where officers there would have room to grow. First Bank Kansas is owned by the Sutherland family, who is known for Sutherland Lumber and Supply. First Bank Kansas bought the former Bank of Kanopolis in 1990 and built the Ellsworth building in the same year. The bank expanded that building in 1996, doubling the interior and adding the drivethrough, but Glaser said that the drive through was actually on land leased from the former Southwestern Bell. “Having part of our opera-
tion on leased property of a large corporation made us nervous,” he said. Glaser explained that in Kansas, there are community banks (usually state chartered banks) and national banking chains. Glaser said that community banks tend to make decisions at a local level. The larger national banks have more bureaucracy and would not even try to operate in a
Come join us for our OPEN HOUSE!
town the size of Ellsworth. The Sutherlands own several banking interests in Kansas, and have a “hands-off ” philosophy, leaving their banks to run at a local level as opposed to the more structured banking model used by large, national banks, Glaser said. First Bank Kansas has branches in Salina, Assaria, McPherson, Abilene, Kanopolis and Ellsworth.
Glaser said the Sutherland family likes to have banks that cover a small radius, like the spokes of a wheel surrounding a hub. “Our main bank is in Salina, but we try to locate banks in about a 30-mile radius in all directions,” said Glaser. “That way the local banks can make the decisions that need to be made. Their (Sutherland’s) philosophy has always been to let the banks make local decisions and operate as a community bank. That has worked very well for us and that is the way we will continue to operate.” Ninety percent of the banking business is about service, according to Glaser. “Within our branches, we try to empower our employees to make their decisions here, without having to call up someone higher up. We give our employees a lot of power to See FIRST BANK, Page C9
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Left to right: Rick Connally - Agent Shirley Donley - Office Manager Jessica Kootz - Sales Associate & Crop Specialist
Left: Trisha Janssen - County Coordinator Right: Steph Zamrzla - Service Associate
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Cashco, Inc. P.O. Box 6, 6 Ellsworth, KS 67439-0006 Ph. (785)) 472-4461, Fax: (785) 4723539
120 W. 2nd • Ellsworth, KS 67439 • 785-472-3082 / 800-522-8036 Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - closed 12 - 1 p.m.
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Upscale Dairy Queen remains an Ellsworth tradition — with a new look
BY Mark mccoy Ellsworth County I-R
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MARK McCOY/Ellsworth County I-R
Dave Guilfoyle, manager of the Ellsworth Dairy Queen, came back to town to run the family business taking the reins from his parents, Jim and Mona Guilfoyle.
llsworth Dairy Queen owner Dave Guilfoyle has brought a touch of New York City to the heart of Kansas. Guilfoyle, who took over the day-to-day operation of the restaurant from his parents James and Mona Guilfoyle, wanted to move the store into the 21st century. “My parents did a great job of keeping this business running,” Guilfoyle said, “But when I came back, I noticed a few things, like when I turned on the light switches, other parts of the building were turning on and off as well.” Guilfoyle discovered that through the years of expansion and remodeling of the business, the wiring was not up to code. He decided to go ahead and have the entire building re-wired. “Greg Nece did a great job,” he said. “We got the building wired and it’s all grounded now.” Completely re-wiring a building is a major construction project and Guilfoyle decided that as long as he had the mess, he might as well remodel the interior too. Guilfoyle, who grew up working in the family business, returned to Ellsworth after living in metropolitan areas such as New York, St. Louis, Miami and more recently Kansas City. Guilfoyle wanted to give the Dairy Queen an upscale, modern look and move away from the fast-food chain look that most Dairy Queens employ. He added a long singular bench seat, called “back seating” to the south wall of the dining area and installed small tables and chairs towards the middle of the floor. He selected fabric to match the southwestern theme of his parent’s Native American paintings on the south wall. “You see this type of seating in New York, where space is at a premium,” he said. “A lot of people think that we have added seating, but actually we diminished it. Large groups can push the tables together easily to sit together.”
Act Two In the past few years, the National Drovers Hall of Fame
Association has raised $1 million, which has gone into the restoration of downtown Ellsworth’s Signature Insurance Building.
We aren’t done yet. Our focus is now on the restoration of the building’s interior. We’ll keep you updated as the association progresses with fund raising and, eventually, construction. We are excited about the future and the possibilities for the Insurance Building and downtown Ellsworth. Remember, History is our Future!
Send your tax deductible contributions to:
National Drovers Hall of Fame P.O. Box 415 Ellsworth, Ks. 67439
Dairy Queen Facts • The Ellsworth Dairy Queen is one of the oldest in Kansas. • The original Ellsworth Dairy Queen was built just north of the present building. • Plans are to add Orange Julius and a line of coffee and cappuccino drinks to the Ellsworth Dairy Queen menu in the near future.
JoANN BOHL/Ellsworth County I-R
Items included in the Ellsworth Dairy Queen’s “time capsule.”
In the back of the restaurant, Guilfoyle installed three brown, large overstuffed leather chairs. “I’ve seen some of the truckers come in, when they are on a long haul or something like that, sit down there and rest and relax,” Guilfoyle said. “They like a place to sort of rest from the road.” As the Sheetrock had to be removed and replaced due to the major electrical overhaul, Guilfoyle decided to go with a Venetian Plaster for the décor. “It’s really a heavy paint,” he said. “It’s so heavy, that you have to use a trowel See DAIRY QUEEN, Page C6
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Dairy Queen Continued from Page C5 and trowel it on. It takes about two or three coats. After that, you have to sand it down with fine grit sandpaper. Then I burnished it to leave the little upbraids and details that pop out. After that, you apply a wax to seal the wall.� The wainscot is a natural birch, adding a light contrast to the brownish walls. Along the east side of the dining area, Guilfoyle installed high stools and a granite bar. Beneath the bar are places where customers can plug in their electrical devices such as a laptop computer. The remodeled Dairy Queen also offers free WiFi, or internet connection. The entire dining area is lit by modern pencil-pendent lights and movable track lighting to display the art upon the walls. The room has a feel of a bistro as opposed to a fast-food joint. The Ellsworth Dairy Queen is one of the oldest in Kansas and was operated by Guilfoyle’s parents until his return to Ellsworth two years ago. Guilfoyle said that the original location was just north of the present building which was built
when his parents added the Brazier Foods to their menu. Guilfoyle plans to add Orange Julius and a line of coffee and cappuccino drinks to his menu in the near future. Guilfoyle graduated from Kansas State University with a food sciences degree and has worked for several major food corporations at the corporate level including Anheuser-Busch and Burger King. He said a food sciences degree is perhaps one of the toughest courses of study offered at Kansas State demanding a lot of math and science and about five years of study to complete. He has a chef ’s background from the Culinary Institute of America in New York City. Guilfoyle also owns and operates a food consulting business that he runs from his house. Recently, he traveled to Taipei, Taiwan for a presentation. “I’ve always been in the food business, whether it be industrial or retail,� said Guilfoyle. “I came back to Ellsworth to run the family business. I was dipping Dilly Bars when I was 2- years old. It’s good to be home.�
JoANN BOHL/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
This was the scene inside Ellsworth’s Dairy Queen restaurant as workers modernized the dining area over several weeks.
Moving Forward These businesses want to congratulate the city of Ellsworth on its success and growth.
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estern Cooperative Electric is a local, consumer-owned electric cooperative committed to providing superior electrical service to all customers, large and small. Western is and will continue to be a part of local communities, schools and businesses. Our involvement includes: • Taxes to support schools and other local organizations • Contributions for education and civic activities • Economic development loans to help businesses grow and prosper • Local employees, active in the communities we serve
With employees based in the communities of: Ellsworth, WaKeeney, Plainville, and Olmitz
Thank you for all your business the last 25 years. Come get our cold, cold beer!
We look forward to the future and the promise it brings.
Serving the area for 29 Years
Boots Flowers
We applaud the new growth in Ellsworth and thank you for your patronage. Great homestyle meals along with a catering service to help with your special occasions.
KC’s Cafe & Catering 606 W. 15th St. • Ellsworth, KS • 785-472-4993 Hours: Day - Tues. - Sun. 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Evening - Tues. - Sat. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Proudly supporting the growth of Ellsworth
Stop by and enjoy a delicious meal!
PADEN’S PLACE 120 • Ellsworth, Ellsworth,KS KS 120N. N.Douglas Douglas • 785-472-3643 785-472-5085
Thank you for the past. Continue to look forward.
Robson’s Card & Gift Shop 211 North Douglas • Ellsworth, KS 785-472-3931
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Cashco grows here and abroad By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
More on Cashco
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ashco Inc. of Ellsworth is yet another local business expanding in size. Clint Rogers, executive vice president of sales, marketing and engineering, said the company’s new 20,000 square foot world-wide headquarters will add 36 more jobs in Ellsworth over time. Construction started June 11, and is set to finish 10 months later. The general contractor is RY-CO Inc. “We have no place to grow,” Rogers said. “We want to grow in the community. We’ve always wanted to grow in the community.” Rogers said he considers the 170 Cashco employees as family. “The people that we work with, I’ve gone to school with them, I’ve gone to school with their grandkids, my son goes to school with their kids. We go to church with these people, we see them at the grocery store, we are so connected and we don’t want to lose that,” he said. “We wanted to grow the family, and we wanted to grow it here.” Rogers said business at Cashco has grown both domestically and internationally. “We see that (more international sales) as an exciting turn of events for us,” he said. “Ten years ago, it was only 10 percent of our business. Now, it’s 30 percent of our business. We view that as an opportunity to
Go to Page C11 for detailed history of Cashco and its milestones in Ellsworth.
bring money into this community. We’re bringing it in from Brazil, we’re bringing it in from China — we are able to compete because of the types of people that work here. It’s a very strong work ethic — our employees is what makes it work.” Rogers said the new construction will consist of office space. “We’ll have a break room, training rooms, conference rooms which we don’t have at this point in our office building,” Rogers said. “If we bring sales representatives in to train them, we’ll have a location to do it.”
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
Cashco employee Darren Clark works at his station.
Rogers said once the new construction is complete, Cashco plans to bring 40 to 60 employees into Ellsworth for a one to twoweek rotation. “We also see this as an infusion of capital into the community,” he said. “We used to be able to do that, but we can’t do that anymore. Last year we did it in Kansas City. This year we are doing it in Lawrence. Next year, we are going to do it here.” Rogers said it means a lot to Cashco to be able to bring those employees to Ellsworth for that rotation period. “We run three shifts, and we can’t hire enough people for the second and third shifts,” he said. “Everyone wants to work on the first shift.” In addition, Rogers plans to bring in additional engineers, sales and accounting personnel. “We’re looking at growing the business across the board,” he said. “Hopefully, our success will also mean success for everyone else.” Rogers said everything Ellsworth does is viewed by Cashco as a recruiting tool. “Whether it’s child care, the hospital or the school system, we’re very fortunate to be where we are at,” he said. “We look forward to growing.” See CASHCO HISTORY, Page C11
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
Cashco employee Randy Dumler adjusts a piece of equipment.
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
This is the exterior of Ellsworth’s KanEquip building, which was built by the Vondra brothers and purchased by Terry Robl, who later sold the business.
KanEquip is most recent in a long line By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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erry Robl, manager of the Ellsworth KanEquip, is excited about the space the 100 by 150-feet metal shop building being added to the south side of the existing dealership on Kunkle Drive will offer. “We desperately needed some shop room,” he said. “We’ve completely outgrown where we’re at.” Robl said the outside construction should be done by October, with early 2013 as the overall completion date. Ellsworth is one of eight stores within the KanEquip organization. “We have five eastern stores and three western stores,” Robl said. The eastern stores are Topeka, Wamego, Marysville, Clay Center and Herington. The western stores are Ellsworth, Dodge City and Garden City. “We employ about 150 people,” Robl said. “Last year was probably one of the best years we’ve ever had. We did over $100 million in busi-
ness.” KanEquip deals in not only agriculture products, but industrial and commercial products as well. “Every year, they try to plan for some kind of an update or improvement with one of the stores,” Robl said. “It just so happens that our store was up this year.” Robl, who owned Robl Farm Supply Inc. at that same location, has been with KanEquip for four years. During construction, Robl said a porch will be built across the front and wrapped around the north side of the building. Robl said the new 30-foottall shop space will have an overhead crane in it, and heated floor. New restrooms, a shop office and a conference room will also be added. The present entry on the south side of building will move to the northwest side. The construction will also allow space to show equipment and parts. The dedicated parts area will not change. “It will be an exciting project,” he said. “Hopefully, when it’s all said and done,
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
The beginnings of a new shop office and restrooms take shape in the current shop area at the Ellsworth KanEquip.
we will be able to handle all of our customers needs a little better,” Robl said. “It will be a lot better appearing business in the community, and hopefully it will make the Ellsworth community just a much nicer place to be.” Ellsworth KanEquip History
The Ellsworth KanEquip was originally built in 1975 as Ellsworth Truck and Tractor. In 1976, Robl began working for Ellsworth Truck and
Tractor as a general mechanic. He also worked in the parts department. “At that time, we were an International Harvester and a Sperry New Holland dealership,” Robl said. In 1983, the Vondra brothers — Fred, Frank and Charlie — who owned Ellsworth Truck and Tractor, wanted to dedicate most of their time to farming, so Robl bought the buildings and the business from them Nov. 23, 1983.
At that time, the newly named Robl Farm Supply Inc. employed 20 people. In 1984, Teneco, which owned J.I. Case, bought the International Harvester franchise. Since there were two dealerships in Ellsworth, Choitz Brothers with Case and Robl Farm Supply with IH, Choitz Brothers became the operator of both the Case and IH franchises, with Robl Farm Supply being only a New Holland dealership. “So I had to go from 20 employees down to five employees,” Robl said. “We had to lay a lot of people off.” As things progressed, the Ford Tractor Company and Sperry New Holland merged. In 1986, the company became Ford-New Holland. “Now I had a tractor franchise, a hay tool franchise, and we were more complete again,” Robl said. In 1987, Ford-New Holland purchased Versatile. Robl operated Robl Farm Supply Inc. until KanEquip purchased the business Sept. 26, 2008.
Ellsworth Childcare and Learning Center
Welcome Back! Mark and Lisa Parsons welcome back their oldest son, Ryan, and his wife Tiffany to Ellsworth and are pleased to announce that Ryan has joined their staff at Parsons Funeral Home. Ryan and Tiffany recently returned from Kansas City, where they lived while Ryan obtained his degree in Mortuary Science. Congratulations to Ryan on passing his National Funeral Service Board exams in early May. He’s now ready to serve a required one year apprenticeship before becoming a fully licensed funeral director and embalmer. Ryan is a fifth generation funeral director in the Parsons family, and the third generation to live and work in the Ellsworth community. Ryan is excited for the opportunity to carry on a family tradition of service to the community through both the funeral home and volunteer work. Both Ryan and Tiffany (Wise) are graduates of Ellsworth High School and Kansas State University. Tiffany is employed at Citizens State Bank. They are both very happy to be back in their home town and are anxious to be a part of the future progress of Ellsworth County.
Parsons Funeral Home 307 N. Lincoln Ave. • Ellsworth, Kansas 785-472-3861
• Serving families with children ages 4 weeks to 12 years. • Openings are available in all age groups. • Infant Lead Teacher: Melanie Sippel. • Toddler Lead Teacher: Susan Borntrager. • Preschool I Lead Teacher: Kellie Steinle. • Pre-K Lead Teacher: Lindsey Urban. • Floating Lead Teacher: Brittany Rohr. • A nutritous breakfast, AM snack, lunch, and PM snack is provided along with infant formula, cereal, and baby food. • Swimming will begin on Fridays at the pool for all preschool and Pre-K children and field trips are being scheduled for the Preschool and Pre-K classrooms. The children are currently doing activities to help them get to know each other and their families. The infant classroom has made use of one of our two, 6-seat infant buggies on their neighborhood walks.
Ellsworth Childcare & Learning Center 404 Kunkle Dr., Ellsworth, KS, 67439
785-472-4088 e-mail – ellsworthcclc@gmail.com, www.ellsworthchildcare.org
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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First Bank Continued from Page C4
with the activities they do every day, so there is not a set pre-school time, it is from the time the kids come until the time they leave,” she added. “All of those play activities are planned to meet certain goals and objectives the teachers have set aside to help them develop at appropriate levels.” Dauster said the center’s program for infants up to 12 months is $125 per week. The rate for a toddler (12 months to 2 1/2 years-old) is $120 per week. The pre-school program is $110 per week. For How Much? school-age children up to the age of 12, the proThe Ellsworth Child gram is $95 per week. In Care and Learning order to be considered a Center charges school-age child, the $125 a week for child must have gone to infants up to 12 kindergarten. months, $120 for “We go from four toddlers, $110 weeks all the way to for pre-school school-aged children,” she children and $95 said. “We’ve got programs for school-age for everybody.” children. Dauster said the kids will engage in a variety of activities, including field trips and a once-a-week visit to the Ellsworth Swimming Pool. “The school-agers will probably be out of the building a little more than they will be in the building, because we want to keep them busy,” she said. Dauster said she is getting positive feedback from parents. “They’re excited,” she said. “They see what is going on. They see the playground and everything — they’re excited to get in and see the building. When they hear about the curriculum that surprises them. They are ready for their kids to get in and take part in what is going on.” Dauster said the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center is not just a day care provider. “We are an early learning center that provides education through the entire day,” she said. “It’s done in a fun way so the children are enjoying themselves and getting the education at the same time.” Kellie Steinle, a lead pre-school teacher, said she looked forward to working at the center. “I think it’s awesome,” she said. “It’s awesome to see this big of a program in a smaller town.” “I’m definitely looking forward to teaching here,” said Lindsey Urban, another lead pre-school teacher. “It’s going to be exciting, being here from the beginning.” The center is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
to make decisions to make our customers happy at that level,” he said. That local level decision making makes allows First Bank to provide loans and services without a formalized loan committee, which can sometimes tie up an application for a week or more, according to Glaser. “It’s not that we don’t have a loan committee, we do. But we meet when we need to meet and with the internet and web, we can get the documents to whoever needs to see them to get the customers answers. It’s very rare that we need a customer to wait until, like a Friday when a loan committee would meet. It’s none of this ‘waiting-waiting game’.” Glaser said that First Bank also operates a little differently from other banks because he can combine his loan authority with someone else on rare occasions, in case a loan committee cannot happen to meet, giving the customer and the bank greater flexibility. “The whole idea is to speed up customer service and act quickly,” he said. The new bank building has ample interior room to expand and was constructed so that a second story could be added in the future. Glaser is in the process of analyzing employee needs as the staff settles into the new building. Rising above the wheat fields surrounding the bank is a tower, which has generated a lot of speculation as to its function. Some people thought that it would be Glaser’s office space. “I get this question all the time. It’s an architectural feature,” Glaser said. “We wanted to be visible from U.S. Highway 156. Actually, the floor of the tower is only two inches beneath the windows so it’s really not the ‘wasted space’ some people think that it is.” Glaser said the plan is to use the tower for seasonal decorative purposes, like a Christmas tree. First Bank moved into its new location April 27. Glaser said the
Gene’s Heartland Foods, Committed to the Growth and Progress of Ellsworth County
MARK McCOY/Ellsworth County I-R
This is the outside of the new First Bank Kansas building in north Ellsworth, near Kansas Highway 140.
new location has changed the traffic pattern of the bank. When the bank was downtown, it did a lot of business in the morning as people came to the bank on their breaks. Now employees notice the afternoon is the busiest time of the day as people get off work and stop to do their banking before going home or shopping. Glaser said First Bank likes to construct new bank buildings to reflect the surrounding community. The First Bank in Abilene is constructed to look like a Victorian era house. “Some banks will go in there and build like a ‘cookie cutter’ structure,” he said. “They all look alike. That is not what we are doing as of late. This building was designed to reflect Ellsworth. The stone was designed to reflect Post Rock Country and it has a sort of outdoorsy ranch style feel to it. So that is one of the reasons it was designed the way it is. “It’s a lot more efficient and spacious than the building we had. For the next 20 years we should have plenty of room.” The bank sits upon what is known as the First Bank Addition of Ellsworth and Glaser said the bank will probably retain possession of the lot adjacent to the west of the building, solving the former landlocked problem that the bank used
to have as Ellsworth continues to grow. “I think that Ellsworth County is very fortunate — for being in a rural area — to have all the things going on that we do,” said Glaser. “Part of that is the leadership ability in this community to use the resources available to us. We are lucky to be on the intersection of two highways. We are lucky to have a prison here to provide a backstop to keep people employed as it probably is not going away. “I think that give confidence in other things to locate here. The population hasn’t really grown much here in Ellsworth. I’m amazed at how many people don’t live here but work here in Ellsworth. I think that we are going to experience some growth, but it’s going to be gradual as far as population growth. “We are supporting a lot of the little towns surrounding us. When you look at those towns, there is not a lot of employment of those towns. A lot of people are coming from those towns to Ellsworth to work. As a bank, we have a lot of customers that live in those communities that bank with us. Part of that is because they are in Ellsworth and can come in on their lunch hour or after work.”
Committed to the growth and future prosperity of Ellsworth County.
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785-472-4111
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CITY PLUMBING, HEATING & A/C, INC. P.O. Box 25 • 120 N. Lincoln • Ellsworth, KS 67439 785-472-3001 Rick & Mitch Kempke, Owners
208 W. First St. • Ellsworth, KS 67439-0125 Office: (785) 472-4021 Toll Free: (800) 530-5572
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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New manager builds from ground up By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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odge City native Lainie Dauster has been selected to manage the new child care facility being built in Ellsworth. Dauster started her duties at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center in December. “I’m really excited about it,” she said. “Getting to start a child care center from the ground up is something new for me, although I’ve been in child care for over 20 years.” Dauster has a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis on early childhood. “I have done everything from working in child care centers to special instruction, which is an early intervention where I went into the homes of children with special needs and worked with the families to educate them on how to increase the development of their children.” Dauster, who has been the director of several child care facilities during her lifetime, said she took the job with the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center because it was an opportunity to move back closer to home and family. “It was just perfect timing,” Dauster said, adding she and her husband, Charles, along with their 15-year-old son, Charlie, recently moved to Ellsworth from Kansas City, Mo. Charlie is a freshman at Ellsworth Junior-Senior High School. The couple’s 18-year-old daughter, Jesse, still lives in Kansas City. She attends William Jewell College at Liberty, Mo.
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
Lainie Dauster at her office in the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center.
Dauster chose a career in education because she loves kids. “When I was little, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “I like the little ones — they are just little sponges. A lot of people think babies can’t learn, that all we do is babysit. But it’s more than that. They can learn. What we do the first five years of life is so important. I just felt like that was where the Lord was leading us.” After being a teacher for about 10 years, Dauster moved into the administrative side of child care, because she also loves to work with families and teachers.. “I feel I can provide more as far as mentoring the teachers and working with the children,” she said. “I love working on that level.” Dauster said her biggest challenge in managing the center will be making sure all the details of the new
building are completed. “Always before, that has already been done,” she noted. Dauster said the 10,000 square-foot building (5,000 on the main floor and 5,000 in the basement) will be licensed for 63 children, ranging in age from four weeks to five-years old. “We’re also looking at the possibility of doing some school age kids,” she added. The Center will have nine full-time staff in addition to a still undetermined amount of part-time staff. “We’re looking at hours of operation,” Dauster said. “Right now, we don’t quite have them set yet. It’s going to depend upon the needs of the community.” She said, however, the Center would be open Monday through Friday. “Before and after school care is a possibility for school-age kids, then a summer-time program,” Dauster said. “We’re going to look at
the needs of the community.” The Center will feature four classrooms — two preschool classrooms, a toddler classroom and an infant classroom. “We’ll be able to do 10 infants, which are 12 weeks old up to 12 months old,” Dauster said. “Then we’ll do a toddler classroom, which will be 12 months up to 30 months.” The two pre-school rooms will be for children 30 months old up to five years old. The building will also feature a full basement in which children will be able to play basketball, ride bicycles, and do other activities when it’s too cold or hot outside. Breakfast, lunch and a mid-day snack will be prepared and served on site utilizing a kitchen. The children will eat family-style in their classrooms. “The kids will be learning
to serve themselves with help from the teachers,” Dauster said. A normal day at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center will begin with breakfast. At around 9 a.m., the children will spend some time singing, making puppets or doing other activities. They will have additional activity time in the different learning centers. “The curriculum we will be using is called Creative Curriculum,” Dauster said. “The teachers will plan according to each child’s individual needs and level of development.” The children will be given 30 minutes of outside time during both the morning and afternoon on one of two playgrounds — one for infants and toddlers, and one for the older kids — planned for the Center. After lunch, the children will have a rest period. The afternoon will be similar to the morning, with different activities. Dauster said construction of the Center is going well. ““We’re surprised at how fast it’s going,” she said. “From when I came out in early December, they’ve just made huge progress.” While no specific opening date is available yet, Dauster hopes it will be sometime in the spring. For more information on job opportunities and enrollment at the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center, please e-mail Dauster at ldauster@gmail. com. Editor’s Note — This story first appeared earlier this year in the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter.
1416 Foster Road • Ellsworth, KS 67439 785-472-3043 TM
S T E A K • H O U S E
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Site Inspection
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
During a tour of the Post Rock Wind Farm, Maico Industries manager Dave Cox, right, points up at one of the transmission line poles Maico is manufacturing for the project.
This is an architect’s rendering of Cashco’s planned expansion in Ellsworth.
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ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
Work is progressing on the power substation which is located behind the headquarters building at the Post Rock Wind Farm.
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
Maico Industries manager Dave Cox, right, Maico founder Paul Mai, second from the right; Maico employee Maynard Cunningham, second from left; and Mai’s daughter, Freida MaiWeiss, second from left, get a safety briefing before their tour of the Post Rock Wind Farm.
Cashco history
he A. W. Cash Company was incorporated Nov. 13, 1920, with production operations of the company located in Decatur, Ill. In 1934, the Riley Stoker Corporation of Worcester, Mass., acquired the stock of the A. W. Cash Company. The name of the A. W. Cash Company was changed to Cashco, Incorporated Feb. 18, 1972. In March 1976, Cashco moved from Decatur to Ellsworth. In 1979, Cashco’s parent, The Riley Company, was acquired by the U. S. Filter Corporation which was, itself, acquired by Ashland Oil in 1981. In late 1984, Ashland tentatively agreed to sell Cashco to a company that planned to close the plant. A concerted effort from Cashco management, Ellsworth community leaders and the Kansas congressional delegation (primarily Sen. Bob Dole), convinced Ashland to sell
Supporting the continued growth of Ellsworth
Courtesy Cashco
Cashco instead to a group of investors headed by Phillip G. Rogers May 6, 1985. Consequently, Cashco continues to operate in Ellsworth. Cashco’s business consists of two major segments: Cashco manufactures a proprietary line of self-contained regulators and control valves. The regulators are self-sufficient valves that control the flow based on line pressure at the regulator. By contrast, control valves control flow based on an external signal coming from a controller. Cashco valves control liquids and gases in industrial applications. The valves are sold through a network of manufacturers’ representatives. Cashco also manufactures and warehouses fuel burning parts for the Riley Stoker Corporation. The parts for which Cashco is responsible go into machinery that pulverizes coal in preparation for burning. Cashco does not market or engineer fuel burning parts. The
Riley Stoker Corporation handles these functions. On March 30, 1998, Cashco purchased the assets of Valve Concepts, Inc., Houston, Texas. Valve Concepts, founded by J. Yen Ligh, designs and manufactures tank blanketing valves and pilot-operated vent valves used to control the vapor space and emissions associated with storage tanks. On Oct. 12, 1999, Cashco purchased Kaye & MacDonald factory in West Orange, N.J. By Oct. 18, all equipment had been relocated to Ellsworth. Only a small sales support staff was left in New Jersey. This line of valves added high flow and high purity dimension to the current lines. March 2002 saw the purchase of Sensiflo in Colton, Calif. This line of valves brought high pressure into the line of valves. Machining and assembly is done at Cashco in Ellsworth, while the sales force remains in California.
Congratulations to the great city of Ellsworth and its continued growth.
Honesty. Integrity. All in a day’s work.
E Kunkle Dr. • Ellsworth
472-3114
WWW.LYONSFED.COM
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Looking Ahead
Continued from Page C1
Great Plains. Later, industrial revenue bonds were also issued for the Chickasha mobile home plant, which is now Cashco. Maico was also brought to Ellsworth with incentives from the community. Ellsworth was one of the first and maybe the only small town to use a public building commission to build the PAC and also to start the construction of a prison. During all of this diversification, we have preserved our agricultural base. Our farmer’s co-op has survived and thrived when many others have been gobbled up by much larger entities. We are now a town with two major implement dealers when cities our size and much bigger have none. There have been stumbles along the way. Two of our major employers are in buildings that were actually constructed for other purposes. Many of our present residents may not realize that the EMS building was actually a mower factory that did not survive. None of this progress has been easy. Many people have sacrificed time and money to get us here and many more will have to do the same in the future. I am confident that will continue.
I was extremely disappointed the school bond issue didn’t pass. I’ve talked to several people who at first were against it and then changed their minds because of people coming to town. The first thing you look at are the schools and I think at this point our school is inadequate, let alone for people coming in. We’re extremely fortunate to have so many young people moving back. They have two, three, four children and if more people come to town, we don’t want to become a bedroom community to Salina. We’ve come so far. Our parks — the benefit of the prisoners doing all the work here — and the walking trail they’re putting in Krizek Park ... I’ve had so many people say it’s such a wonderful thing. I just think we have so much success ... we’ll die or we’ll grow in the future. We can’t have it both ways. We have such an opportunity to be our own hero ... I just can’t believe our success. We’ve always had people in town who have wanted these things to happen. It’s an amazing thing.
Jessica Kootz
Keep the momentum going
Bev Connally
Ellsworth’s opportunity The Ellsworth Correctional Facility — that was the beginning of our security as far as having a place people know will always be here. As we follow with all of our successes, with Carrico and KanEquip and the child care center, which is wonderful and be so good for our community, I wonder if we’re not going to be short housing for the people who might come to town? Because I haven’t been downtown and in the mix of things, I have no idea if there are plans for someone to do that. It was an issue when we came to Ellsworth in 1970. I think we’ve done a lot, but if we have an influx of people — it’s kind of like what comes first, the housing or the people?
Ultimately, Ellsworth will be what we make it in the next 10 years. I see our conservative little town still expanding and constantly looking for ways to fill the needs of the community. With all the expansion the area has experienced just this year, it is not hard to imagine Ellsworth’s residential areas expanding as more people move to the community. Most importantly, I am confident that the residents of Ellsworth will find a way to improve our schools and education system with a way that makes everyone comfortable. I truly believe that Ellsworth will continue with the expansion momentum and work hard to make our community the absolute best it can be.
Ellsworth
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“Ellsworth specifically has become a jobs center,” said Glaser, who also serves on the development corporation board of directors. “When you look at the number of jobs Ellsworth has and how many people commute to work here you know that Ellsworth has the potential to steadily grow over the years.” With two implement dealers, Great Plains Manufacturing and other agriculture-related businesses, Ellsworth is positioned to take advantage of its farm and ranch heritage, he said. “Ellsworth is fast becoming an agricultural trade center ... which should bode well for the area’s retail and commercial trade,” Glaser said. This makes Ellsworth’s housing situation even more pressing. Over the years, leaders have established development areas — the Kunkle Addition several decades ago was the most recent — and even hauled in units. The rentals on Blake Street were moved in, as have been old schoolhouses from the country for conversion into single family homes. “We really haven’t lost that many residents and that’s the thing that sets us apart from the rest of rural Kansas,” Rob Fillion said. Several months ago, the development corporation organized a housing committee to research options. Most of the focus has been on the First Bank addition because — at least for now — it appears prime for development. The city stepped in, agreeing to support a special district that will allow the property’s increased taxes to pay for infrastructure improvements. “We have a lot of opportunity to get people to town,” city administrator Tim Vandall said. “I foresee a lot of development in the north part of town ... The roads, the utilities are already there and that helps ... Alco, the hospital, Gene’s and Dollar General. That’s going to be very appealing for a lot of people.” The first step will be a study to determine traffic flow and the best location for an entrance off K-140 or Kansas Highway 14. Ellsworth’s Assembly of God Church plans a new church and other structures to the west of the First Bank Kansas property. Members of the Ellsworth City Council have indicated their willingness to pay for or at least help with the survey, which is expected to cost several thousand dollars. “At this point I am in a holding pattern waiting to hear back from the Kansas Department of Transportation because their decision on that entrance will somewhat determine the direction and options we have moving forward,” Fillion wrote in his most recent update to housing committee members. Vandall said survey work should begin in June or July. If all goes well and transportation department officials approve an entrance off K-140, to the east of the current makeshift road into the property, housing promoters hope to cobble together pieces of property from First Bank Kansas and other landowners to develop both single family housing and condominiums. “It won’t happen overnight and it will take a lot of private investment,” Vandall said. “But the more houses, the more businesses we have, the more tax base there is and the better your chances of keeping the mill levy stable or even reducing it.”
Come enjoy our eats and treats in our brand new comfortable dining area. Congratulations to the city of Ellsworth and its continued growth and success!
Restaurant
1408 Foster Road • Ellsworth • 785-472-4104
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Ellsworth County
eporter
BY Mark mccoy Ellsworth County I-R
Carrico
All about John Deere and family
The new Carrico Implement building takes shape on Ellsworth’s east side.
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he Big Green Machines are coming to Ellsworth this summer. Carrico, a John Deere dealership with headquarters in Beloit, is in the process of finishing the construction stage of its new Ellsworth location on the corner of JJ Ave and Evans streets just east of Kansas Highway 156 in east Ellsworth. The building and grounds sit on 60 acres. Carrico will utilize about 20 acres of that space. The site has been designed to provide ample customer parking space and room for its machinery inventory.
“We are very excited to be here,” said Joe Ortner, who manages the Beloit dealership. Carrico currently operates stores in Beloit, Hays and Lincoln. The Ellsworth facility will replace the Lincoln shop. “We made the move to better serve our area,” he said. “The way we are now, with shops in Beloit, Lincoln and Hays, makes it a pretty
narrow triangle. By coming to Ellsworth, it makes a more equilateral spacing between our stores.” Carrico is a $100 million familyowned business with about 107 employees between the three stores. Paul and Helen Carrico started the business selling Minneapolis-Moline equipment in the early 1950s. Their daughter Joan, and her husband, Ron Ellenz, currently own the business. Karen Pestinger, a third generation family member and daughter of Ron and Joan, is the dealer principal of the operation. “A ‘dealer principal’ is the ‘chief executive officer’ in the terminology of John Deere,” said Ortner. Pestinger’s brothers Craig and Dan Ellenz are also involved in the daily operation of the company. Carrico offers a complete line of John Deere products, including lawn and garden, agriculture and commercial machinery. The new shop will have room for 19 machinery technicians within the 54,000 square foot building currently under construction in Ellsworth. Ortner said most of the Lincoln staff would be transitioning to the Ellsworth facility. “We hope to add a couple of more parts personnel as well,” Ortner said. “So instead of having two or three people at the parts counter here, we want to have five or six. We are built so that we can add two more sales people over time.” Carrico wanted to have its parts operation under one roof, and the new building in Ellsworth will allow the company to achieve that goal. “We are actively looking for technicians that have experience and diesel training,” he said. “They
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Thursday, June 28, 2012 should have some formal education in that capacity. We do have openings, specifically in our shop for qualified diesel technicians. It’s become a truly technical field and takes a special set of skills to work on machinery today. “There are so much electronics and computerization on today’s machinery that it is every bit as important as the mechanical side of things.” The shop area is 90 feet wide and 300 feet long to accommodate the larger, modern agricultural equipment and has huge doors akin to an aircraft hanger. It will feature both internal and external wash bays. Carrico has incorporated a loading dock that will allow workers to unload trucks directly to the shop floor. The shop also has a huge, seventon crane-lift that can be moved the entire length and width of the building, allowing the technicians to move heavy transmissions, engines and other parts wherever they need to be moved for servicing. “We oversized this building on purpose, for future growth,” he said. “The size of machinery is getting larger and buildings need to be bigger. Ceiling height was an issue. With our new building here, we have ample ceiling height. It’s going to be really nice for our technicians as well as our customers. “The point of all that is — to provide efficiency, which translates into customer service.” Ortner said that Carrico also sells and services the Sunflower, Great Plains and Landoll tillage and application equipment. Carrico hopes to complete the See CARRICO, Page D4
210 N. Douglas • Ellsworth, KS • 785-472-2183 • Entrance in the alley behind Ellsworth Village Mall
www.indyrepnews.com
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Volume 136, No. 45
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Evolution
Highway drive-in good addition for CSB&T By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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ave Brownback, president and chief executive officer of Citizens State Bank and Trust Company, Inc. in Ellsworth, is pleased with how things are going since the doors to the new CSB Highway Bank were opened beside the Ellsworth Alco Store May 7. “It’s going great,” he said. “We’re busy, and seeing a lot of customers. We’re still tweaking our operation a little, but we’re very pleased to be there.” Brownback said there was a lot of talk at the bank about what to call the new 2,700 square foot facility built east of Alco to replace the more than 40-yearold downtown drive-through bank. “We came up with a lot of names and we finally settled on one,” Brownback said. Brownback said everyone in that area will be welcome to seek shelter in the new bank’s full basement in the event of a storm. The builder of the bank was North American Builders, a company that specializes in building banks. Brownback said the reason the highway bank was built was because their drive-in bank in downtown Ellsworth is over 40 years old. Brownback said traffic flow along K-140 and K-156 Highway is much higher than on Douglas Avenue in downtown Ellsworth. “Our facility is on the way to work for many of our customers,” he said. “And many of our customers have businesses out by our new facility.” The new bank will be able to offer walk-in traffic, limited loan service, new account opening, a third drive-up lane, and an automatic teller machine. “We’re really pleased to serve customers at our new facility, but
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
The Citizens State Bank & Trust Highway Bank opened its doors for business May 7 at the intersection of K-140 and K-156 Highways in north Ellsworth.
we are equally pleased to have been within one-half of a block from our present location for the past 112 years,” he said. “We are pleased to have our main facility remain downtown. It’s an historic district.” Brownback said he is excited to join the new First Bank Kansas building in north Ellsworth, and he is excited about what is happening in town. “In my career, I have never seen this much commercial construction activity in Ellsworth, America, and I’m so pleased to see it. Our economy is strong, and businesses are willing to take some risk and build facilities — it’s just a great thing.” CSB History The Citizens State Bank opened for business June 16, 1900 in the building at the northwest corner of First Street and Douglas Avenue. By mid-1905, the bank had outgrown its original facility and moved into the Arnold Building, which had already served as
home to two banks, Powers Bank and Central National Bank. The building, with its distinctive oriel, is now the future home of the National Drovers Hall of Fame. The original board of directors of Citizens State Bank were A. Young, Henry McManes, William Flanders, J. B. Handy, Alex Boileau, J. H. Elrod, George L. Levitt, and Albert Sauberli. The first officers were A. Young, president; George L. Levitt, vice president; J.B. Handy, cashier; W.J. Stevens, assistant cashier. With an initial capital investment of $25,000 in 1900, the bank’s total capital accounts now exceed $10 million. Total assets have grown from less than $100,000 to over $92 million in the same time period. In addition, the bank’s Trust Department now manages in excess of $75 million in assets. The first day of business was Saturday, June 16, 1900 with total deposits of $842.80. By June 30, 1900 the total deposits of the bank was $2,403.11.
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Within five years, the bank outgrew its first facility and moved into the more commodious quarters in the Arnold Building in July 1905. This was the first door south of the Herzig’s Store, on the east side of Douglas Avenue. Seven years later, in 1912, the Citizens State Bank relocated to its new building on the southwest corner of Douglas Avenue and First Street, now Sherman, Hoffman and Hipp. At the open house on Nov. 30, 1912, the interior walls were hung with oak leaves and 50 American roses were strewn along the top railing of the bank fixtures. The roses were a gift from the First National Bank of Kansas City, Mo. The exterior of the building was constructed of Bedford stone with four columns in the front. The interior walls were finished in chocolate and cream, with a metal ceiling stained in lights and tints. This with an indirect lighting system gave it a beautiful color effect. The building was
vacated by Citizens State Bank in 1931 and then became the Ellsworth post office. In 1969 it became a law office and has been that ever since. In 1931, the depressed years that the entire nation was experiencing struck Ellsworth. The Central National Bank was closed March 25, 1931 by the Federal Bank Examiner W. F. Donahue. After several attempts were made by the Central National Bank to reorganize, the building was sold in August 1931 to the Citizens State Bank. The bank building is located on the northeast corner of Douglas Avenue and First Street. Citizens State Bank & Trust Company is still at this location today, 203 North Douglas Avenue, Ellsworth. Ten presidents have served Citizens State Bank throughout its 110-year history. Two families have guided the bank for 64 of those 110 years. The McManes family owned and operated the bank for 31 years. From 1959 to 1992, for 33 years, three generations of the Britton family (Don, Roy, and Dane) took the bank to new heights. In 1974 the services of Citizens State Bank was expanded to include a Trust Department to help meet customer’s expanded financial needs. Heather Barta was the first manager of the Trust Department and helped it grow into the variety of services it offers today. In 1993, the Brittons sold what was now the Citizens State Bank and Trust Co. to a local group of investors, with employees now having part ownership in the bank. The CSB&T board of directors are David Brownback, Machelle Connally, advisory director; Randy Mills, Joe White, Lewis McAtee, Carol Herber, Brian Keener and Don Kozisek.
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Farm Bureau fills vacancy downtown By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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LINDA MOWERY-DENNING/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
Members of Western Cooperative Electric team in Ellsworth are, back row, from left, Caleb Stefek, Alan Stefek, Mark Martin and Andy Schultz; front row, from left, T.J. Renard, Dustin Wacker, Levi Schneider and Mike Rust.
Western Cooperative builds new warehouse for Ellsworth crew By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING Ellsworth County I-R
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he WaKeeney-based Western Cooperative Electric is the only Kansas utility to put “cooperative” in front of “electric” as part of its name. Spokesman Dennis Deines suspects the organization’s founding fathers “thought the word cooperative was more important than electric.” Western was incorporated in 1945 as The Western Cooperative Electric Association, Inc. It originally served eight counties in northwest Kansas: Ellis, Gove, Graham, Ness, Rooks, Rush, Trego, and Sheridan. Today, Western serves Ellsworth, Kanopolis and communities and rural customers in a dozen other counties. At the end of 2011, the cooperative had 11,880 meters or a little more than three customers per mile.
The utility is finishing up a combination warehouse and base of operations for Western’s six employees stationed in Ellsworth. The cooperative also employs a meter reader, who lives in Kanopolis and covers an area that extends west into Rooks County. The warehouse, 60 x 120-feet, stands in the new Carrico Addition at the intersection of JJ Avenue and Evans Street. It is expected to be operational in July. Western receives wholesale power from the Hays-based Sunflower Power Corporation, which is owned by a half-dozen western Kansas rural electric cooperatives. Sunflower generates its own power at its coal-fired plant at Holcomb in the southwest part of the state and also purchases power from other sources such as the Smoky Hills Wind Farm along the EllsworthLincoln line.
In 2007, Western and its Sunflower partners purchased the assets of Aquila, which added customers in Ellsworth, Lincoln, Barton, Russell and Osborne counties. Deines said much of the cooperative’s growth in recent times has come from expanded opportunities in the oil fields; however, Western also has experienced more opportunity for business in the City of Ellsworth. “The growth that’s good for the community is good for us, too,” he said. Supply is the other side of the story for Western. Sunflower continues to work toward the expansion of its Holcomb plant, a plan that over the years has been challenged by both state and federal regulators. “There is not an endless amount of energy,” Deines said.
he Farm Bureau Financial Services office in Ellsworth has made the move into new surroundings. On June 15, Rick Connally and his staff moved out of their former office at 402 N. Douglas Avenue and into the former First Bank Kansas building at 120 W. Second Street. “Aside from some computer problems and telephone problems everything is good,” Connally said. Connally said the decision was made to move out of the building on Douglas Avenue, Farm Bureau’s home for 19 years, because of the need for additional space. “We added additional staff over the last couple of years,” he said. “We just hired someone in May, and we just needed ALAN RUSCH/ECI-R more room and wanted a Farm Bureau Financial more professional faciliServices manager Rick ty.” Connally at his desk in The Farm Bureau downtown Ellsworth. Financial Services office in Ellsworth has three employees and a part-time sales associate. “If I have to add any more staff, there is room to easily add one or two more,” Connally said. In addition to more room, he said the new office offers better parking space, and also an after-hours depository for customers to drop off payments. There is also a drive-through lane, but Connally isn’t sure how he will utilize that. The Ellsworth County Farm Bureau Association is also in the same building as Farm Bureau Financial Services. Trisha Janssen is the county coordinator. In addition to a few cosmetic changes such as new carpeting, tile and paint, Connally said his biggest challenge with the new office has been technology — moving computers, telephones and network printers from one office and installing them in another. Connally said his customers have a favorable impression of the move into the new building, even though it has only been open for three days. A grand opening of the new Farm Bureau Financial Services office in Ellsworth is planned for July 6.
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Nex-Tech Wireless is eligible to receive support from the Federal Universal Service Fund in designated areas. As a result, Nex-Tech Wireless must meet reasonable requests for service in these areas. Questions or complaints concerning service issues may be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection by calling 1-800-662-0027.
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Dollar General: New store was long time coming to Ellsworth By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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hen Ellsworth’s new Dollar General Store opened its doors Feb. 14 on Evans Street, manager Trasa McGuire was thrilled with the opportunities the new store would offer. “I’m excited for the community,” she said. “This has been a long time coming.” The new store, which is located northwest of Hoffman Auto Sales, has 7,300 square feet of floor space — a sizeable increase from the 5,700 square feet available in the old store on North Lincoln Street. “It’s been a quick process, but I think they did a wonderful job,”
said Anita Laws, Dollar General’s district manager for north-central Kansas, shortly after the doors to the store opened. She said the additional space will be used to offer Dollar General customers more products. The thrill McGuire experienced with the grand opening of the store hasn’t subsided in the months since. “It’s been going very well,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of good comments on the new store, and on the additional products we can sell. We’re getting a lot more business — I believe a lot more out-of-town people.” In addition, McGuire said the new store is seeing a lot more customers than the down-
town store did. She is also beginning to see a change in attitudes of those who originally raised concerns about the store leaving downtown. “In the beginning they were not real happy with it,” she said. “But I think they are getting there, because this store has brought a lot more product in. There are a lot more comments as far as being up here, and they’re getting better.” McGuire said she understands the concerns. “We wish we could have stayed,” she said. “But there just wasn’t a downtown building big enough.” McGuire said once people see the new store, and the difference
in size between the two, they will be happy the Dollar General Store relocated. “The store down there had absolutely no clothes,” she said. “Clothes are starting to be a big seller. We have added a lot more food, a lot more in our seasonal area. We’ve just got a lot more to offer.” McGuire said her biggest challenge has been getting used to the new, larger space. She noted her employees are a lot happier with the new store, and her customers are getting used to the new layout. Along with the new building and the additional space, McGuire said she is looking to hire three to four new employees to the staff of five she has.
The Beloit-based Carrico Implement is expected to open its new Ellsworth store late this summer. The top photo shows the work being done at the company’s 60-acre site near Kansas Highway 156. At the bottom is an interior view of the large facility, which replaces the Lincoln store.
Carrico Continued from Page D1
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
The new Dollar General Store opened its doors May 14 on Evans Street. The store has more space than the former Dollar General Store in downtown Ellsworth.
construction of the new facility in mid-July, between the wheat and milo harvests. “We want to be open sometime in August,” Ortner said. “It will be a massive move from Lincoln — parts, equipment, personnel. We didn’t want to put our customers through the frustration of us trying to get up and running with phone service, computers and organization, that sort of thing. The early harvest helped.” The bright side of that move is that Carrico has some experience in moving an inventory. The company had to move from an older building to a new building in Hays recently. “So we have had the experience of doing that,” he said. “We’ve been down this path before.”
K
yler & Son Construction and Rental would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new businesses to Ellsworth and congratulate all the businesses that have remodeled or expanded. Kyler & Son is proud to have been involved in the new construction of the Childcare Center and would like to thank other businesses for their support at Kyler & Son Rental.
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Wind farm moves ahead By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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onstruction of the Post Rock Wind Farm continues, with September as the planned on-line month. All of the farm’s planned 134 General Electric 1.6 mega-watt wind turbine generators have now been completed in northwestern Ellsworth and southwestern Lincoln counties, according to Bryan Coyle, construction project manager for Wind Capital Group, the owner/operator of the Post Rock Wind Farm. “We’re right on schedule and everything is going smooth,” he said. “We’re in the process right now of what we call commissioning the turbines. We’re backfeeding them with generator power to get them started, then we do a run up on them as a testing, then we bring them back down. We’ll leave them sit in that stage until the transmission line is completed.” The first of the wind turbines rose from its foundation Jan. 3. The turbines are 284 feet tall from the ground to the center of the hub. The Post Rock Wind Farm will be Wind Capital’s largest project to date. Construction of the transmission line is continuing, with crews
currently in the Lorraine area. Poles for the transmission line were built locally by Maico Industries in Ellsworth. “Ninety-five percent of the line is all single, steel pole structures,” Coyle said. “Right now, we’re at about 57 percent of the structures being set, and we’re at about 17 percent with the string part of it complete. We’re still on target for an Aug. 1 completion.” Coyle said he has heard nothing but positive feedback from local landowners, township supervisors, and others. “I can’t compliment enough how great the local community has been to work with,” he said. Coyle expects a total of about 14 permanent employees to be hired to work at the Post Rock Wind Farm. “Our greatest concern is traffic,” he said. “There is a lot of traffic that flows through, and we expect that. We just ask that the local community yield to us as we are out moving around, and we will do the same for them.” Coyle has established a 35 mileper-hour speed limit for all of the 84 employees working at the Post Rock Wind Farm and all other areas associated with the project. “There’s a lot of people moving around, and a lot of equipment
moving around,” he said. “With the local community getting ready to start farming, planting and things of that nature, we need to work together and protect everybody — that’s our main goal.” Construction of the wind farm’s substation, located next to the operations center on the corner of Avenue C and 11th Road in Ellsworth County, is also underway. Work on the underground portion of the wind farm’s electrical infrastructure is also on schedule. Crews are also engaged in township and county road maintenance. “We’re working to get the roads back in traveling condition just as quickly as we possibly can, and we will continue to do that,” Coyle said. Marc Woods, Post Rock Wind Farm operations manager, said the project is not affected by the debate in Congress on whether or not to renew the Wind Energy Tax Credit for 2013. The tax credit expires at the end of December. “We just have to hit our commercial operations date, which is the end of September,” he said. “Ours is locked in. If it doesn’t get renewed, you won’t see any more wind farms built for quite a while.”
Local men will manage farm By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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wo Ellsworth men have been chosen to operate the Post Rock Wind Farm. Marc Woods, son of Kerry and Evelyn Woods of Ellsworth, is the operations manager. Andy Oberle, son of Norman and Sally Oberle of Ellsworth, is the assistant operations manager. “I’m excited about it,” Woods said. “I can’t wait to work with all the landowners, and as a whole bring it all together. We want to keep all the landowners happy, and at the same time, we want to
run an efficient wind farm.” Woods, a 2002 graduate of Ellsworth High School, said while he planned to come back to Ellsworth at some point, things just fell into place for him sooner than expected. After high school, Woods attended Barton Community College in Great Bend and Kansas State University in Manhattan, majoring in chemistry. Woods became involved in the wind energy industry after his brother-inlaw, John Stoltz, encouraged him to look into working for Up Wind Solutions, which was doing third-party mainte-
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
Marc Woods, right, and Andy Oberle near the sign at the headquarters building of the Post Rock Wind Farm.
nance on the Smoky Hills Wind Farm Phase 2. “I ended up moving back to Ellsworth and working across the road for the last three-and-ahalf years,” Woods said. When Wind Capital Group offered him the operations manager job at the Post Rock Wind Farm, Woods said it seemed like “a step in the right direction.” Oberle grew up in Bushton, but has lived in Ellsworth for the past 19 years. “I’ve been working in wind for close to four years, and I’m glad to see another wind farm pop up with some more opportunities.” he said. A 1988 graduate of Quivira Heights High School in Bushton, before he got his start in wind energy, Oberle worked as a supervisor at the Acme Brick Plant in Kanopolis. “When they closed their doors, I needed employment and wasn’t interested in relocation,” he said.”That was when the Smoky Hills project was starting and they needed help, so that’s where I went.” As a technician at the Smoky Hills Wind Farm, Oberle maintained the farm’s wind turbines. “As far as climbing them, it’s not as bad as a person thinks it is,” he said.
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irst Bank Kansas is pleased to be a part of the growth in the area this past year. We are committed to serving our customers and the community.
Oberle noted the view from atop the wind turbines is remarkable. Oberle said he thinks wind energy is a good industry, especially for this area. “It’s good for the economy and I think it’s a good, clean solution,” he said. “These turbines can power a tremendous amount of homes. I think it’s a great subsidy.”
ALAN RUSCH/Ellsworth County I-R
The Post Rock Wind Farm’s energy transmission line stretches 30 1/2 miles from the headquarters building northeast of Wilson south to the substation in Rice County. Maico Industries of Ellsworth built a total of 256 poles for the transmission line.
This summer,
Ellsworth County is the place to be! Come see our
fabulous festivals... Fireworks Extravaganza June 30th
Fort Harker Days - Kanopolis July 13 - 14
Ellsworth County 4-H and Open Class Fairs July 17 - 20
Cowtown Festival and El-Kan Western Riders Rodeo Aug. 17 - 18
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Evolution Subway opens for business on highway By Alan Rusch Ellsworth County I-R
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llsworth recently gained another place to have a sub sandwich, as the new Subway store opened its doors this past week in the former R-Bar-B Ranch store at 1409 Evans. According to Levi Julian, Subway operations manager in Hutchinson, the store will employ between 10 to 15 people and will be managed by Ellsworth
native Connie Schmidt. Julian said he is excited to open the new store. He said a study of the local population and demographics proved favorable to locate a store here. “We’ve been looking at Ellsworth for a while,” he said. The Ellsworth Subway store will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours of operation are from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter staffers — JoAnn Bohl, Alan Rusch and Bill Beckmeyer work in the newspaper’s new office at 304 N. Douglas Ave.
I-R has a new home in downtown Ellsworth By the I-R staff
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he temporary home of the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter has become its permanent home. June 19, 2011, the I-R’s office at 220 N. Douglas Ave. was engulfed in flames and water. The fire forced the newspaper to a new home about a block north, at 304 N. Douglas Ave. “We thought the move would be temporary; however — because of the age of the building — we had to invest thousands of dollars to modernize it to handle our network of computers and telephones,” said Linda MoweryDenning, editor-publisher. “Once that investment was made, it became apparent from a financial standpoint that there was no going back.” The newspaper didn’t miss a deadline, publishing as usual only two days after the fire. This was possible because of cooperation from the
Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo School District, which allowed I-R staffers to use the high school journalism room, and family and friends, who all pitched in to get the job done, MoweryDenning said. “The whole experience demonstrated to us how fortunate we are to live in a small, rural community like Ellsworth,” she said. Since the fire, the I-R has added a sales position and has plans to start two niche publications, which should hit the stands late this year and in early 2013. The newspaper has more than 6,000 readers, most of them in Ellsworth County. The newspaper is printed at the Salina Journal. Other I-R staff members are: Juanita Kepka, business manager; JoAnn Bohl, advertising and page design; Tim Beebe, advertising; Bill Beckmeyer, graphic design; Alan Rusch, county editor; Mark McCoy, sports editor; and Linda Bushnell, distribution.
We’re proud to be part of Ellsworth’s continued growth and progress.
The sign goes up on the new Subway restaurant along Kansas Highway 156. At left is the interior of the restaurant while under construction.
I-R photos by Alan Rusch
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter โ ข Thursday, June 28, 2012
A special thank you to these contractors for their contributions to the growth of Ellsworth. With their help they have made these businesses look their best.
We wish to thank the First Bank of Kansas and Carrico Implement for the opportunity to supply cabinets and woodwork for their new facilities.
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Congratulations to First Bank Kansas and the community of Ellsworth on their growth and success.
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
D8
IR
Progess
Congratulations to First Bank Kansas on their beautiful new building.
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Tim Linenberger Painting & Decoration, Inc.
2134 Edgehill Rd • Salina, KS 67401 • Office (785) 825-6387
Congratulations to
First Bank Kansas
on the completion of their new facility.
Triad Manufacturing Inc. was proud to have provided First Bank Kansas with custom built furniture. Congratulations to First Bank Kansas on their new facility.
Let us help you with your custom furniture needs.
Manufacturing, Inc
1100 W. Grand, Bldg. K, Salina, KS 67401
(785)-825-6050
Memories Restored is proud to have worked with First Bank Kansas to help them complete their new location with floral designs, artwork & accessories.
FileSafe, ever-evolving, is today outfitting banks with security systems, video surveillance, access control, vaults, drive up systems and most of the equipment it takes to operate a bank Complete Interior Decorating & Remodeling - Residential & Commercial - Antiques & Antique Restoration
Memories Restored, Inc. 135 S. 5th Street • Salina, Kansas 67401 • 785-820-9051
We’d like to thank Curt Glaser and Lloyd Davidson for choosing Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning as the mechanical contractor for this beautiful banking facility!
1727 190th Avenue • Larned, KS 67550 • 620-285-3478 or 620-285-9143 Vicki Dipman – Jeff & Sandi Bates
Congratulations to First Bank Kansas and Carrico Implement from Kaw Valley Engineering. We appreciated working on the project teams.
First Bank Kansas and Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning ~ quality proven over time!
HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING • ELECTRICAL • SHEET METAL
125 East Avenue A • Salina, KS 67401 • (785) 827-6361
We’d like to thank Carrico Implement for choosing Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning! Congratulations on this beautiful new facility as you continue to grow and serve the farming communities in central Kansas! Carrico Implement and Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning ~ quality proven over time!
Kaw Valley Engineering, Inc. Designing the ground where we live, work and play
CIVIL • GEOTECHNICAL • SURVEYING • INSPECTION • TESTING
1331 Armory Road | Salina, KS 67401
785-823-3400 www.kveng.com
HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING • ELECTRICAL • SHEET METAL
125 East Avenue A • Salina, KS 67401 • (785) 827-6361
Celebrating 30 years!
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
I-R
News
Congratulations to the city of Ellsworth on their continued growth and prosperity.
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We provided the Kalwall translucent clerestory windows and the toilet compartments and accessories for Carrico. Congratulations Ellsworth on your growth.
1500 W. Schilling Rd. • Salina, KS 67402 Don Schneider Senior Account Manager
Phone (316)-264-9354 • www.clacosupply.com PO Box 946 • Wichita, KS 67201
785-823-1789
Congratulations to
Citizens State Bank & Trust Co. on the completion of their new facility.
Congratulations to Carrico Implement on their new facility and the town of Ellsworth for their continued growth.
FileSafe, ever-evolving, is today outfitting banks with security systems, video surveillance, access control, vaults, drive up systems and most of the equipment it takes to operate a bank
Serving you since 1979
1116 E. 8th • P.O. Box 184 • Hays, KS 67601 135 S. 5th Street • Salina, Kansas 67401 • 785-820-9051
We are proud to have been part of the construction on the
Citizens State Bank building.
785-628-3169
Thank you and congratulations to Carrico Implement and First Bank Kansas on their newly constructed facilities. We are proud to have provided the electrical construction for each of these structures. We also wish continued success to the City of Ellsworth in their growth and future development.
North American Buildings can PLAN, DESIGN and BUILD a bank, credit union or other commercial structures your institution and community will be proud of. NO COST & NO OBLIGATION Interior Design - Space Planning Exterior Design - Site Evaluation Cost Estimate Before Commitments
NORTH AMERICAN BUILDINGS, INC. BUILDING FOR YOUR SUCCESS
9139 E. 37th St. North • Wichita, KS 67226 1.888.800.8866
Accurate Electric, Inc. 510 N. Santa Fe Ave • Salina, KS 67401 www.accurateelectric.com
785-825-4010
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Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
We congratulate Carrico Implement on the completion of this magnificent facility. It represents Carrico’s continued commitment to the agricultural community. Busboom & Rauh is proud to have been selected as the general contractor for this project.
“Building Central Kansas” for 93-years.
Busboom & Rauh Construction Company, Inc. 145 1/2 S. Santa Fe Avenue • P.O. Box 1037 • Salina, KS 67402-1037
(785) 825-4664
As Ellsworth’s news source, we are proud to be part of our
community’s progress and prosperity. In the past year, we have added to our staff and renovated our office. We’re better than ever and ready to tell the story of Ellsworth and Ellsworth County. Check out Ellsworth County’s award winning newspaper today.
304 N. Douglas • Ellsworth, KS 785-472-5085 www.indyrepnews.com Like us on facebook
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
I-R
Revolution
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Citizens State Bank & Trust Co.’s new drivethrough building is under construction.
Year in Progress
Above left, members of the Ellsworth-Kanopolis Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors join First Bank Kansas employees to cut the ribbon for the new bank on Aylward Avenue. Above, two men work with stone during the construction of the new First Bank Kansas. Below left, Citizens State Bank & Trust president Dave Brownback, center, joins other bank employees to cut the ribbon during the opening of the CSB Highway Bank. More Year in Progress photos on Page D12.
I-R photos by Alan Rusch and Mark McCoy
Proud to be part of the growth of Ellsworth
USD #327 Ellsworth/Kanopolis/Geneseo The mission of the Unified School District 327 is to provide an educational environment in which all children can learn to the maximum of their capabilities. The educational environment in this district will demonstrate our belief that it is essential to develop positive personal character and challenge every learner through programs that demand excellence. It is through combined efforts of patrons, faculty, administrators and staff that we lead our students into responsible citizenship in the 21st century.
B&B Plumbing was involved in doing the plumbing for:
• Ellsworth Childcare and Learning Center • Dairy Queen • Carrico • Subway
• District Enrollment: 582 Student K-12 • Fully Accredited Through QPA • Multiple Standard of Excellence recognitions on Kansas State Assessments • Nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School-2008 • Multiple time recipient of the Governor’s Achievement Award recognizing the top 5% of schools in Kansas • Full Day Kindergarten program • Solid extracurricular and elective opportunities • Varied and growing technology used for instructions across district • After school and summer learning opportunities • Visit us at www.usd327.org!
Have a leak? Call B&B to take a peek!
B&B
PLUMBING, HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING INC. Alan Byerley
Bruce Bowie
224 East South Main • Ellsworth, KS 67439 (785) 472-5239 • 1-800-258-9813
We are your Downtown, Uptown, and Hometown Bank.
HOT SUMMER SPECIALS
Open a new FREE Checking Account and choose your Favorite Theme Basket
1% off your New Auto Loan Rate
$100 opening deposit and a Direct Deposit required to open the account. Offer valid through July 31, 2012.
Loan subject to credit approval. Your actual rate and payment may vary depending on a number of factors including borrower’s credit history, repayment method, loan amount, and term. Rate applies to new CSB&T loans and refinances from other institutions only. Offer available through July 31, 2012.
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203 N. Douglas • Ellsworth, KS • 785-472-3141 749 E. 15th • Ellsworth, KS • 785-472-3872 100 W. Lincoln, Lincoln, KS • 785-524-4840
Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter • Thursday, June 28, 2012
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IR
Evolution
Year in Progress
ALAN RUSCH AND MARK McCOY/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter
At top, a customer goes through the check out at the new Dollar General Store on Evans in north Ellsworth. Above, the entrance to Pretty Boy Floyd’s in downtown Ellsworth. At left, a box of items is moved into the new Farm Bureau Financial Services office in downtown Ellsworth.
Something for Everyone Work or Play !
Agriculture Equipment Sales, Parts and Service Factory trained Technicians
Skid Steer Loaders & Attachments Agriculture Construction Landscaping Industrial Snow removal
Compressors Power Washers Hand Tools Clothing Toys ...and so much more!
Beloit ~ Ellsworth ~ Hays (877) 543-4099 (866) 522-9600 (800) 658-4640 www.carricoimplement.com