Despite Tremendous Loss, Hoisington Has a Great Deal to Celebrate

The City of Hoisington and its staff had a challenging month of June.  The month included projects that will improve our community moving forward but also included a loss that will impact the City staff as well as its residents.  June was a month to celebrate the public's support of our kids but it was also a month to mourn the loss of a long time public servant, Dave Wondra.  Dave served in the City of Hoisington's power plant for 25 years and was the power plant superintendent at the time of his passing. 

Dave's efforts to improve the City's electric operations were admirable.  He played a role in the City's power supply planning, RICE-NESHAP upgrades, daily operations of the power plant and he was a committed advocate for public power.  It will be hard to replace the knowledge he possessed and the genuine dedication Dave felt to our community and its residents.  Please keep his family and friends in your prayers as they work through this challenging time.  The City of Hoisington was fortunate that Dave chose to share his talents with their staff and our great community.

The month of June kept our staff and community very busy.  Not only did our community vote to move forward with an $11.5 million bond issue to enhance the district's facilities, the month also included several other initiatives that will have an impact on our residents for many years.  During the month of June, the City agreed to terms with the owners of Cardinal Pharmacy to purchase the pharmacy property, addressed the discharge of fireworks, modified their electric power supply portfolio, took action to mitigate blighted properties, changed pool hours, improved its mosquito mitigation efforts, signed fire protection agreements with surrounding townships, commended Clara Barton Hospital and the Clara Barton Foundation, heard about a proposed dog park and worked hard to increase housing opportunities in Hoisington.

Among the most exciting topics in the City of Hoisington is the progress the City continues to make on the economic development front.  Not only is Hoisington on pace to open a new Casey's General Store in early August, Clara Barton has completed its $1.4 million expansion and is expanding its staff.  The community continues to get calls from business prospects and is seeing welcomed interest in housing expansion.  In addition to this renewed interest and the recent investments in our community, the City is pleased to announce that Mooney Enterprise, LLC is going to purchase the building and land that Cardinal Pharmacy operates out of.  This purchase shows a tremendous commitment to the Hoisington community and suggests that Hoisington will enjoy a long-term solution to its pharmaceutical needs. 

In addition to these improvements on the business and education front, there has been an increased interest in housing in Hoisington.  

In June, the City continued to make progress on a new partnership with Housing Opportunities, Inc.(HOI) to bring 12 new housing units to Hoisington.  These 12 units will infuse more than $1.5 million into our local economy beginning this fall.  The City will also begin working with HOI to provide some custom-home construction options in our community.  The City of Hoisington's Land Bank recently conveyed a lot to an individual that hopes to build a new home in the near future.  The City is also working with Barton County's Habitat for Humanity to bring another new home into the Hoisington community.  Things are moving forward at an incredible pace!  If you are interested in learning more about these projects, please contact Jonathan Mitchell at the City of Hoisington via email at jmitchell@hoisingtonks.org or by calling 620-653-4125.

Some would say things are booming in Hoisington.  Along those lines, the governing body voted to allow fireworks to be discharged on July 3rd and July 4th this year from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM.  Please enjoy a safe celebration of this important holiday.  While you are enjoying the warm weather, you may want to go visit the City of Hoisington's Pool.  The City's pool hours will change beginning July 1st.  The pool's hours will change back to its traditional hours on every day except Tuesday and Thursday.  That means on every day except Tuesday and Thursday, the pool will be open to the public from 1:00-5:00 PM, to adults (18+ only) from 5:00-6:00 PM and to everyone from 6:00-8:00 PM.  On Tuesday and Thursday, the adult swim time was expanded and so the pool will be open to the public from 1:00-5:00 PM and to adults (18+ only) from 5:00-7:00 PM.  The pool will close at 4:00 PM on July 4th and will also close early on July 12th as Hoisington's pool is the host location for the Barton County Young Professionals' pool party.

In June, the City also renewed its fire protection contracts with Albion, Eureka, North Homestead, South Homestead and Union Townships for 2016-2020.  These contracts provide services to these townships for a fixed fee that was determined by population and call volume.  The City also agreed to sell its excess base load to Garden City to assist with efforts to keep energy costs for its residents down. 

In other business, the City continues to take action to clean up the home located at 522 E. Fifth St. that was damaged by a fire earlier this year.  The City purchased a new mosquito fogger and is working to notify the public prior to spraying for mosquitoes.  The City's governing body also established their priorities for the 2016 Budget process.  These priorities will provide a framework for the budget that will fund City operations in 2016. 

Another item worth noting that occurred in June involved recognizing Clara Barton Hospital and the Clara Barton Foundation for 25 years of service to our region.  The hospital's name and ownership changed in 1990 and the Clara Barton Foundation was created.  Over the past 25 years, the hospital has continued to grow and has become one of the region's most well-respected medical facilities.  The City would ask that everyone take a moment on July 10, 2015 to salute the hospital and its foundation on "Clara Barton Hospital and Foundation Day".

If you have any questions about the projects and initiatives listed in this newsletter, or would like additional information about the City of Hoisington or its economic development initiatives, please contact Jonathan Mitchell at 620-653-4125.