Activity Center Groundbreaking To Be A Community Affair

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2016_HAC groundbreaking
There is a community groundbreaking ceremony for the new Haysville Activity Center scheduled for Monday, March 28th. It will begin at 5:15 p.m. on the build site located next to the Dewey Gunzelman Memorial Swimming Pool at Sarah Lane and Clinton Avenue. The community is welcome and encouraged to participate.
Haysville Recreation Director Georgie Carter announced the scheduled groundbreaking at the March 14th City Council meeting, where she advised Council to “bring their shovels.” Although said in jest, Mayor Bruce Armstrong thought the idea had merit. “The Activity Center is meant to be used by everyone in town,” says Mayor Armstrong. “So I think it would be great if the whole community brought their shovels out to help us break ground.”
During the same meeting, the Council approved a bid from Accel Construction for construction cost totaling $3,331,400 and a sports package from Aalco Manufacturing for $44,980, bringing the total cost of the project to $3,376,380. The project is being funded by the voter approved 1% sales tax, and will not increase the mill levy. Accel Construction estimates it will take 340 days to build the new Haysville Activity Center.

Brief history of Haysville Kansas

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W.W. Hays came to this area in the early 1870s. Prior to his arrival here he had served as a postmaster in Colorado and as Sheriff of Sedgwick County. In 1891 he platted the land that he owned so a town could be built. This land was E 1/2 NE 1/4 of section 6 and W 1/2 NW 1/4 of section 5, Township 29 Range 1 East, Sedgwick County and totaled 161.15 acres.


Some of the first businesses in this new town were a meat market, a couple of stores, lumberyard and a blacksmith. The post office was established in 1877. The Haysville State Bank in 1919.

Truck farming supported a lot of the families in the area. In 1874 a grist mill was built on the bank of the Cowskin to process corn that was harvested in the area.


The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway bought land west of Haysville’s Main street in 1892. In 1903 a depot was opened and passenger trains shuttled people to and from Wichita. Notice the spelling of Haysville on the depot. Haysville was often spelled Hayesville thought to be named after 19th president Rutherford B. Hayes.


School district number 57. Haysville’s first school was built in 1876 at a location that may have been near what are now the Water Department facilities. This building was moved to 79th and Seneca where it was eventually replaced by the red brick building in 1919. In 1946 district 57 was consolidated with district 187 to form district 261.


At first there were no church buildings so meetings were held at homes, schools and the grist mill. The first churches to Haysville were the Methodist and the Prairie Home Christian Church. Mr. Hays donated the land for which both of these churches were built upon.


This photo shows Haysville’s Main street with it’s businesses and first water tower.


All of Haysville’s historic district was destroyed in the 1999 tornado. Destruction of the historic buildings began at the red brick schoolhouse at 79th and Seneca and continued north along Main taking out the elevator, bank, churches and more. The only thing left standing on the east side of main was the original bank vault.

Haysville Police Department to Initiate “Safe Spot”

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Haysville, KS (March 4, 2016) The Haysville Police Department has developed a “Safe Spot”, where citizens can conduct a variety of “exchanges” in a safe, secure, well-lit environment. Two parking stalls in front of the Haysville Police Department have had signage installed, designating them as the “Safe Spot.” They are available for use by citizens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The two parking stalls we’ve selected were chosen because they are thoroughly lighted and easily visible on our security cameras. This makes them safe both day and night,” explains Haysville’s Police Chief, Jeff Whitfield. “Odds are, if someone is unwilling to meet in a public place, they probably don’t have the best of intentions.”
Creating a safe place for people to conduct online want ad transactions is an idea taking hold in communities across the country. Police departments in Boca Raton, Florida, East Chicago, Illinois and everywhere in between are taking steps to prevent the victimization of citizens during these exchanges by creating this type of safe zone. One of the more well-known online want ad sights, Craigslist.com, suggests public exchanges – especially with high value items – to reduce the odds of becoming victimized.
The Haysville Safe Spot’s purpose extends beyond sale transactions, though. “Not only can people exchange goods and cash in a secure manner,” says Whitfield, “they can use the Safe Spot for child custody swaps as well.” Many family law practitioners suggest using a public place for child custody swaps in order to reduce the chances of a dispute.
Haysville’s Safe Spot became operational on March 3, 2016.
For

Benefit For Julie Dombo

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The Butler Community College Hospitality and Culinary Students are hosting a chili cook- off and a silent auction. All proceeds will go to help Mrs. Dombo with her inordinate amount of financial need for on-going therapy, home configurations and prosthetics. The chili feed and silent auction will be held on December 11th from 4 p.m to 8:30 p.m. at the Campus High School, during the Derby vs. Campus basketball games.

On August 11, 2015 Julie Dombo, a retired Middle School Counselor in the Haysville School District, was shopping at the AT&T store in Derby, Ks, when a man entered and attempted to rob the store. During the robbery, Mrs. Dombo was shot. Due to complications it was necessary to amputate portions of each of her four limbs. Mrs. Dombo and her husband John have lived in Derby for many years. Mr. Dombo is a 27 year veteran of the Hospitality Industry and a current Adjunct Professor for the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Program and Butler Community College. Julie and her family are, remarkably, in great spirits considering the enormity of this tragedy.

Facebook event page here.