Category: Local News

Haysville voters Tuesday approved the $49 million needed for new schools and improvements to existing schools. The results being 836 to 482 votes. For more info on how the money will be spent visit the USD 261 website.

The Haysville Times
By Angie Gumm

Cautiously optimistic” is how Superintendent Dr. John Burke feels about Tuesday’s vote on the school bond issue.
“I think it’s still hard work until the very end,” he said.
A committee that formed to support the bond was busy this week putting up 250 signs all over the district.
After months of waiting, U.S.D. 261 voters will finally have the opportunity to vote on the 49 million dollar bond issue that would bring two new schools to the area.
With every school, except for Ruth Clark Elementary, exceeding its design capacity and an average building age of 45 years old, teachers, principals, administrators and many parents have been working hard to get support for the issue.
“This is a community project,” said Burke. “Not a school board project, not a teacher project, a project for everyone. Every building except Ruth Clark gets something.”
If the bond issue passes, the district andprincipals, teachers and staff to get more input on exactly how the money will be spent. The projected division of funds, though, is pretty much set according to Burke. Continue reading “Its Time: Big Bond Vote To Be Tuesday”

+ Denotes winner

MAYOR
+ BRUCE ARMSTRONG 1,054 / 51%
GEORGE F. (JOE) \EDWARDS II 997 / 48%
WRITE-IN 10 / 0% 2 / 2%

CITY COUNCIL
Ward 1
+ JOE HOLUB 292 / 76%
WRITE-IN 4 / 14%

Ward 2
BRIAN D. EWERT 210 / 45%
+ BILL YOUNGERS 253 / 54%
WRITE-IN

Ward 3
+ PATRICIA L. EWERT 291 / 57%
BOB RARDIN 221 / 43%
WRITE-IN

Ward 4
TOM R. GIBSON 242 / 50%
+ MICHAEL L. STREETS 242 / 50%
WRITE-IN

School Board
GREG CRUM 1,257 / 16%
MARK EASTMAN 1,018 / 13%
+ PHIL HARRIS 1,407 / 18%
+ SETH KONKEL 1,742 / 23%
+ BARBARA A. WALTERS 1,521 / 20%
JEFFREY L. WILSON 652 / 9%
WRITE-IN 16 / 0%
WRITE-IN 3 / 0%
WRITE-IN 1 / 0%

Results obtained from the Sedgwick County Election Office.

Haysville has a new park and playground but this park is different than the others. Instead of the usual playground equipment of swings and slides, youll find concrete slabs, pipes and blue metal ramps. This is the playground of the skater and Haysvilles new skate park. The Old Oaks skate park is located on south Jane street behind the new Bridgewater apartments near the City Works and Water facilities. The official opening and ribbon cutting will be May 2nd at 7:00pm.
Visit our Parks Database for more info on this park.

The Haysville Times
By Angie Gumm

Sometimes bad things happen, even when you “do the right thing” and follow all the rules.
Austin Tyler Gains, a 2003 Campus graduate, was doing the right thing and following the rules last Saturday evening when he and a group of friends were riding their motorcycles on Zoo Blvd., just north of the zoo near Hoover Rd.
Although he was the only one of his group wearing a helmet, Gains was the one who was thrown off of his motorcycle, who subsequently struck a fence post, and the one who died.
“It seems unfair that someone was trying to do the right thing and this happened,” said Austins mother Pam Frieden.
“Life was just looking up for him,” she said.
In December, Austin returned home from Houston, where he had spent a year getting the second half of his two-year degree in automotive technology from the Universal Technical Institute (UTI). A month later he got a job as automotive technician at the west side Schofield Honda in Wichita.
“He loved automotive and shop-anything but the book work. I dont think he would have completed high school if it werent for those classes,” said Frieden, with a gentle laugh.
According to Matt Caton, a manager at Schofield Honda, his 20-year-old employee had found his niche.
“Everybody enjoyed working with him,” said Caton. “He was a hard worker. He liked being here and learning new things. We will definitely miss him.”
The Kmart on 47th and Broadway had employed Austin for three years while he was in high school, and his old co-workers were shocked and saddened by his sudden death.
“He was well-liked here. Everyone [at the store] is devastated,” said one former colleague.
Paola Rojas graduated from Campus with Austin and worked with him at Kmart before he went to UTI.
“He was a hard worker; he never called in sick,” said Rojas. “He was very friendly. He had a lot of friends.”
Besides his friends, Austin has left behind a family who loved him, including four nieces and nephews, who liked to spend time with their uncle.
The shy young man, who spent most of his life in Haysville, going to Rex Elementary and the Haysville Middle School, also left behind his loves of working on his own car, riding his motorcycle, skateboarding and snowboarding.
“Everything he did he wanted to do right,” said Frieden. “He was a good-hearted boy. He was quiet but he really had a big heart.”

The Haysville Times

The Citys website states that Michael Streets won the Ward IV election by lot. Streets and incumbent Tom Gibson both recieved 242 votes. There was one write-in.

The Haysville Times
By Angie Gumm

A poor knowledge of Haysville geography may have stopped an area robbery spree.
Sunday night two young black men entered Haysvilles Diamond Shamrock located at the corner Turkle and Grand, less than a block away from the Haysville Police Department.
“They were just young guys, 17 or 18 years old,” said Paresh Patel, the owner of Diamond Shamrock, who was at the store during the robbery. “They didnt have the minds to think about it being so close.”
The young guys threatened Patel with a gun, stole $94 from the register, left the store, and then shot into the building, breaking the window and hitting a hot food rack located about 10 feet from the cash register. Patel pushed his emergency button at 10:40 and the police responded at 10:41, catching the robbers soon after.
Patel said he was told that the men may have been involved in several robberies, including some Quick Trip hits and one at Crawford Liquor on South Seneca.
Patel and his wife were grateful to the Haysville police for their quick action. “Im happy the police caught them,” he said.
The suspects have been apprehended for the following offences in the Diamond Shamrock robbery: aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and unlawful use of weapons.

A rally will be held for Mayoral Candidate Joe Edwards on Saturday at the Lions Club Pavilion at Riggs Park. Citizens will have the opportunity to meet and discuss concerns with Edwards. Haysvilles State Representative Dick Kelsey will speak at the function; there will be entertainment and hotdogs, chips and beverages will be provided. The public is encouraged to attend.

Teighlor Light

Local Haysville girl lands the lead role in the musical Annie!Teighlor Light, 6th grader at Haysville Middle School tried out for a part in the musical Annie last month and upon singing the song “Tomorrow” she was offered the part, on the spot. She has been attending practices all of March and will continue to practice up until the show dates. Teighlor is in the choir at school, in addition to that she is a member of the Wichita Community Children’s Choir, to which she had to audition as well. She has been with the WCCC for 2 years now. Some of her accomplishments include, opening up for the band Trick Pony last September, opening up for the Haysville Fall Festival and recently doing 6 performances for the Daryll Starbird Custom Car Show this past January.
Show times for Annie will be April 22,23,29,30 all shows at 8pm. One matinee scheduled for Sunday April 24 at 2pm. The play will take place at the Winfield Community Theater, in Winfield Kansas. For more information and ticket sales, contact Melody at 1-620-221-1700. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours while they last.

The Haysville Times
By Patricia Barkley
BOE

The Board of Education held a special meeting on March 8 to discuss a resolution to call for a bond election. The issue is part of the facilities changes that have been under consideration recently. The district’s financial advisor, Charles Boully, from George K. Baum and Company, was in attendance to advise the Board, and architects Ken Helmer and Bob Faires, from Howard and Helmer Architects, were also present. Faires and Helmer gave a short presentation on the history of their work with the district, which started in the second half of 2003. Among the priorities that they eventually laid out for the district was a new high school, but that will be delayed to phase two of their plans in order to reduce the amount of funding asked for in the bond, which is now at $49 million. The State will pay for about forty-six percent of that, and the tax increase for a $100,000 home will be around $6.50.
Boully explained that the resolution was necessary to start the process for the bond election. When requested funds exceed fourteen percent of a district’s official state valuation, it is a statutory requirement for an application to be sent to the State Board.
Audience members were given time to address the Board, and both Jeff and Donna Wilson spoke. Both expressed concern that the district should concentrate more on building new facilities than simply renovating the old ones.
The resolution to call for a bond election was approved, 6-1, with Board member Greg Fenster opposed and member Seth Konkel on conference call.