John Purvis, a Mound City attorney, has been appointed municipal judge for the City of La Cygne. (Roger Sims/Linn County Journal)
LA CYGNE – John Purvis, a Mound City area attorney, was appointed to be the new municipal judge for La Cygne last Wednesday, Dec. 22. Purvis appeared before the council earlier this month to ask to be considered for the post.
Before taking that action, the council accepted the resignation of Richard Fisher Jr., an Osawatomie attorney, as municipal judge. In Fisher’s letter to the council, he noted that he had been appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly to be a Sixth District Court judge in Miami County and could not hold both posts.
Purvis, who recently moved from Abilene, Kan., to the area after his wife, District Court Judge Andrea Purvis, was appointed to the Linn County bench, told the council about his extensive experience in being a municipal judge. He also was city attorney for the cities of Chapman and Solomon as well as a defense attorney in U.S. District Court.
The council also approved a bid to remove the water slide from the La Cygne public swimming pool. The $8,900 bid by Welcoming Properties LLC of Paola included disassembling the slide sections and mounting them on pallets that, for now, will be stored on the parking lot. The bid also included any landscape or fencing alterations that had to be repaired or replaced.
Public Works Superintendent Dan Nasalroad told the council that the slide had not been in operation because it wasn’t used that much. He said the slide needed additional lifeguards to make sure it was used safely and it also needed resurfacing, an expensive procedure.
With the forecast calling for snow and bitter cold beginning last Thursday, the council also discussed preparations for the use of the La Cygne Community Building as a warming center. If electrical service to the city is shut down in cold weather, the city opens up the building to allow residents to stay warm until electricity is restored.
Nasalroad said the generator that would supply lights and heat in case of emergency had been tested and was ready in case power did go down.
The council also heard an initial proposal from Nasalroad about paving the gravel portion of North Eighth Street to Lincoln Street. He said he wanted to look at that project when the asphalt crew begins work this spring. It’s the only gravel road in the city, he said.
Councilman Danny Curtis said that at one time it was a through street and it was only recently given to the city.
In other business, the council:
Learned from Police Chief Tina Fenoughty that she was expecting provisional certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training for newly hired Officer Achilles Ferrell. Ferrell’s ability to carry a firearm are limited until that certification is received.
Heard Mayor Debra Wilson thank volunteers, businesses and city departments for their help in making Christmas on Broadway a success.
Learned from Nasalroad that the sewer relining crews had completed about 90 percent of their work. He said he expected them to be done as early as February.
Learned that the city’s fire department helped make Christmas better for 20 families, which included 50 children. He thanked all of those who donated and participated. He said that program has been going on for 10 years or longer.
Learned from City Treasurer Connie Gore that natural gas prices were down to pre-2021 cold-snap prices of about $5.50 per thousand cubic feet. She said that the expected frigid temperature could send prices up again.
Learned from Wilson that a meeting of Linn County mayors earlier in the week included discussion on new housing programs and extraterritorial jurisdiction for cities. Kansas law allows cities to have extraterritorial jurisdiction for various regulatory controls – including zoning, subdividing, flood plain administration, and building code authority – outside their city limits.
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