The Iola Register
Weekender
BASKETBALL Humboldt High Cubs win substate thriller See B1
Saturday, March 2, 2013
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At a crossroads Residents face night in the cold By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Residents of the Crossroads Motel were left in the dark, both literally and figuratively, Thursday afternoon when the electricity was shut off with just 18 hours’ notice given. Jessica Wright, Doug Brown and Dennis Aquino were searching for answers while city crews worked to shut down the power. Wright, who has converted her motel room into a full-time home, has been living at the motel since she moved from Salt Lake City in November. “We have nowhere to go,” she said. Brown has lived at the motel for seven weeks now, and Aquino, who is known as “New York” by the residents at Crossroads, has been living there since July 27 of last year. “I don’t have the cash to live somewhere else,” Brown said. See RESIDENTS | Page A5
By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Power was restored to Crossroads Motel Friday after its owner, Kiran Gandhi, arranged to pay an overdue utility bill. The city disconnected electricity to most of the motel’s 61 rooms at noon Thursday, after a bill sent on Jan. 10 for service in December hadn’t been paid. “I was behind $3,000 and paid the bill,” Gandhi told the Register shortly before 10 a.m. Friday. “They (city crew) will be here pretty soon to turn the power back on.” When power was cut Thursday, about 30 families living at the motel full time were told to vacate their rooms. A few were allowed to remain because a handful of rooms, added after the motel was built, are served by a separate electric meter, which wasn’t involved with the delinquent bill. Iola’s policy does not require a residence be vacated when electricity is cut off. That order came from the state agency that regulates lodging, on note that the office and laundry room were without power and inoperable. Gandhi said he and his wife
Crossroads Motel residents Doug Brown, Jessica Wright and Dennis Aguino were three of many left without power Thursday.
Analysis: KOMA report a stern warning for council By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
The Iola City Council has received what amounts to “a stern warning” from Allen County Attorney Wade Bowie regarding alleged violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act, or KOMA. The 27-page report involves several allegations made between late December 2011 and March 2012. These allegations surrounded supposed misconduct in reference to special committee meetings, open meetings and executive sessions that were held by the city council. During the investigation, Bowie spoke with current city council members who were involved with the meetings during the time — excluding council members Nancy Ford and David Toland, who were not serving at the time. The first issue regarded “informal committees” made by the council. These committees discussed ordinances, utility reviews and purchasing policy. According to KOMA, for a meeting to be considered open to the public, it must meet
three criteria: 1) Be a gathering, assembly, telephone call or any other medium for interactive communication. 2) Include five or more members of the Iola City Council. The council has eight members plus a mayor. 3) Be a discussion that includes business or affairs of the City of Iola. Bowie said the committee meetings were held with four members present, in an intentional effort to comply with KOMA regulations. “Everybody had KOMA on their mind, they were trying to do what KOMA allowed,” Bowie said. Under the act, public notice is not required for special meetings that do not meet the criteria, unless it is asked for in advance from an interested party. Bowie said that while the committees did not violate KOMA directly, they did seem to “defeat or subvert the purposes of the act.” In other words, he described the committees as a “technical violation,” because they did indeed See KOMA | Page A5
Joint EMS meeting set for Monday The Iola City Council and Allen County Commissioners will hold a joint meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the Creitz Re-
cital Hall in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, regarding a possible EMS merger. The meeting will be moderated by Fred Heismeyer, and is open to the public.
Vol. 115, No.88
will be “happy to see residents come back if they want to return.” The Gandhis purchased the motel in 2001 from Marvin Boyer, who built the motel and opened it in 1963. Their concern, Gandhi said, is perceived reluctance by the city to help small businesses. “Utility costs have skyrocketed and it’s hard to keep up,” he said. “I told them I’d make a payment plan,” an arrangement the city does accept. Also, Gandhi said he thought it was inappropriate to shut off power during cold weather. Kansas has a cold-weather rule that prevents private utility companies from shutting off electricity during cold weather, but the rule does not apply to municipalities, noted Corey Schinstock, assistant city administrator. “This a small community and we’re a small business,” said Gandhi’s wife, who asked her name not be used. “The city should try to help us. This is not good.” The specific timeline for the decision to disconnect power came after the Gandhis received a bill on Jan. 10 for service provided from Dec. 3 to 31. The bill was due Feb. 12. When it wasn’t paid a 5 percent penalty was added and an additional 12 days were given, which actually became 14 days. The 12day extensive ended on a Sunday and all utility procedures, by policy, occur on Tuesdays.
Photos by Steven Schwartz
Also, power wasn’t shut off on Tuesday because of the snowstorm and the city further delayed the shutoff until Thursday because so many families were involved.
Drug and Lodging surveyor, found health concerns during inspections of the motel, first on Oct. 24 and again on Nov. 10. Elliott told City Administrator Carl Slaugh that no progress in correcting problems was made between the visits and that
PRIOR TO the Gandhi’s utility payment problems, John Elliott, state Food, See CROSSROAD | Page A5
KDOT hearing draws few By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
No news seems to be good news for KDOT, following a public hearing regarding the U.S. 54 construction east of Iola through Gas and LaHarpe. Three citizens met with Kansas Department of Transportation officials to address concerns regarding the construction. However, the majority of the meeting showed no attendance. “I was hoping more people would show up so we could alleviate any concerns they may have,” KDOT engineer Jerod Kelley said. He hopes it is a sign of things to come. “Who knows, maybe people
Steven Schwartz/Register
From left, Carl Slaugh, Marvin Eagle and Darrin Petrowsky examine the plans for U.S. 54 construction. are ready for the construction to get started,” he said. Marvin Eagle, owner of Eagle Storage in Gas, came
Meth arrests made On Feb. 21, Iola police officers executed a search warrant for the home at 205 S. Third St. During the search several items found led to the arrests Van Houden of Robert Van Houden, Annie Henry and Brandon Brown, all of Iola. They were transported to Allen County Jail. V a n Houden was charged with d i s t r i b u - Brown
tion of methamphetamines within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of depressants and possession of drug paraphernalia. Brown was Henry charged with possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia. Henry is being charged with possession of methamphetamines, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All charges are being sought through the Allen County Attorney’s office. 75 Cents
to the meeting simply to get more information regardSee KDOT | Page A3
School supt. interviews set Four candidates for USD 257 superintendent of schools will be interviewed Tuesday and Wednesday. Each candidate will be questioned by board of education members, as well as a committee of teachers, administrators and other staff. The candidates are Khristopher Thexton, superintendent of schools at Marysville; Jack Koehm, assistant superintendent at CantonGalva; Dr. Patrick Call, superintendent at Haven, and David Jackson, superintendent at Sedan. The successful candidate will succeed Brian Pekarek, who announced his resignation earlier this year. Iola, KS