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THE IOLA REGISTER Tuesday, April 15, 2014
CITY COUNCIL
Council names Thyer fire chief By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
Tim Thyer is Iola’s new fire chief, but it took a second vote by city council members to confirm it at their meeting Monday night. Members first voted on whether to conduct a second interview with Thyer and another candidate, who was not named. The two had been winnowed from a field of four. That vote was 4-to-4, with Mayor Joel Wicoff breaking the tie, voting against the motion. A second motion then was made to confirm Thyer
as chief. It passed by 6-to-2. Those in favor were Sandy Zornes, Nancy Ford, Don Becker, Bob Shaughnessy, Steve French and B e v e r l y Tim Thyer Franklin; against were Eugene Myrick and Jonathan Wells. Thyer was promoted from deputy fire chief. He has been with the Iola force since 1987. He replaced Donald Leapheart, who retired in March. COUNCIL members will See IOLA | Page A3
Red moon Mike Myer stayed up through part of the night to capture the eclipse of the moon early this morning. This photo was taken east of Humboldt. COURTESY PHOTO/MIKE MYER
USD 257
Some funding for new school facilities remains By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
The finance picture for schools is not quite as grim as The Register reported last week. State legislators did not omit funding for bond and interest payments for the construction of new schools beginning July 1. What will be eliminated are funds to help outfit any new buildings, including furniture
and technology, for bond issues passed after July 1. The difference is significant. With its obligation to help districts meet the monthly payments on bond and interest obligations, the state would give about 49 percent support in building a new school in USD 257. For a $25 million facility, for example, the state would agree to pay almost $12.5 million of its construction.
USD 258
Withdrawing the support to help outfit the building will be a loss of about $670,250 for each of two years. The formula is figured on 25 percent of the number of fulltime students attending the intended new school. About 695 students are enrolled in prekindergarten through sixth grade. “UP UNTIL the last moment, we had been worried we would lose the bond and inter-
See FUNDS | Page A2
Board ‘explores’ bond potential
Humboldt board members tour the USD 258 building and trades house before the meeting Monday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Tough choices loom for special education HUMBOLDT — As school districts such as Humboldt USD 258 are asked to do more with less — particularly in terms of special education — they may soon be faced with some unpopular decisions. K.B. Criss, USD 258’s superintendent of schools, said at Monday’s Board of Education meeting the time is coming in which member districts of the
build new schools is essential for small districts such as Iola’s, Koehn said. “Students, teachers and administrators shouldn’t have to worry about what zip code they live in as to whether they have adequate facilities,” he said. “I don’t know what the ‘master plan’ of Kansas leaders is today when it comes to education,” he said. “It seems they want us to be ‘creative,’
USD 257
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
est funding,” said Jack Koehn, superintendent of schools for USD 257. “It’s been on legislators’ radar for the last three or four years,” he said. As a whole, the state spent more than $111 million for helping districts build new schools for 2012-13. “We were afraid that would be pulled out of their pocket at their late-night session,” Koehn said. “Instead, it was teacher tenure.” Helping school districts
ANW Special Education Cooperative will be forced to reconsider their participation. Humboldt is one of eight districts within the co-op, which also includes Iola USD 257, Marmaton Valley USD 256, Crest USD 479 and Chanute USD 413. Criss’s comments came after Helen Harrington briefed her fellow board members on looming cost hikes related to the cooperative needing to See EDUCATION | Page A2
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 119
Iola residents may have given USD 257 a nice B average report card during a survey last month, but Hollis and Miller Architects say otherwise. In an evaluation of district facilities, the architectural firm delivered an F, for poor condition, for each and every building. The Bowlus Fine Arts Center was not included. USD 257 board of educa-
tion members greeted the news at Monday night’s meeting with renewed determination to push for new facilities — but perhaps with a different scope. For the last few months school boards across the state have felt the pressure of not knowing how school funding would shake out. On April 6, legislators made some cuts but preserved their contribution to the issue of bonds and interest payments for new facilities.
At their March 24 board meeting, members proposed conducting a special election on June 24 for a $35 million bond issue that would help build a new elementary school and maintain the high school and middle school. Now that the pressure has eased up a bit, board members felt free to discuss other options. “Do we want to continue proceeding down the road we’re on or do we want to hit See BOND | Page A3
HUMBOLDT COUNCIL
Humboldt rentals will see upgrades By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Rental properties in Humboldt will get an upgrade with the help of a $170,000 Community Development Block Grant arranged through the Kansas Department of Commerce. Five landlords have agreed to provide a local match totaling $50,000 to fix up six hous-
es and three downtown apartments, City Administrator Larry Tucker told council members Monday night. Grant application was made last fall. Council members agreed to apply for an $18,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to build handicap-accessible restroom facilities at Neosho River Park. Volunteers raised
“As covetousness is the root of all evil, so poverty is the worst of all snares.” — Daniel Defore, British writer 75 Cents
$10,000 to match the KDWP grant. The restroom project will cost nearly $28,000. Jeremy Bulk, code enforcement officer, said the city will have to make certain the restroom’s holding tank is pumped out ahead of any flooding, it being near the river. Bulk, who works Wednesday through Friday, will add See RENTALS | Page A6
Hi: 60 Lo: 43 Iola, KS