Mound City could see new business on Main Street
- Roger Sims, Journal Staff
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
By Roger Sims, Journal staff
MOUND CITY – A Mound City official is keeping under wraps the name of a prospective buyer of the lot where the former Mound City swimming pool was located. The lot is west of Food Fair on the city’s Main Street.
Councilmember Shayna Lamb told the council at the end of its meeting on Monday, Feb. 3, that someone planned to come to the March meeting to discuss it with the council. She said the individual planned to build a building for a business there.
Lamb said the prospective buyer knows that the former pool is full of fill material and that the sale would not include the water salesman on the west end. The lot is also the site of the newly constructed Cultivate Kindness Garden, which was promoted to the council by Lamb over a year ago.
After five minute executive session with City Clerk Shelby Murray, the council voted to advertise for the city treasurer post currently held by Sharon Davis. In December the council asked Murray to shadow Davis to learn about her job and whether it should remain a full-time or become to a part-time position. Davis, who is also the city planning and zoning administrator, is a full-time employee who plans to retire within a few months.
The council approved a motion to advertise for a person to be city treasurer and court clerk that will work 32 hours weekly.
Murray told the council that Davis asked to take her older model computer with her when she leaves. Murray said the computer is slow and needed to be replaced. There was also concern that it would be difficult to transfer data stored on that computer. The consensus of the council was that Davis could take the computer when she left.
The council also approved a two-year agreement with Jayhawk USD 346 on the use of the ballfields for the boys baseball and girls softball for the spring season that begins in March.
The council also granted permission to allow the American Legion baseball team for a league that starts after the school season ends. American Legion Hewitt New Post No. 248 of Mound City is sponsoring the team.
Christy Nickelson, who has been instrumental in organizing the team, told the council the league couldn’t get underway until early summer so that it wouldn’t run afoul of Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) regulations. (See our article on the team with this link.)
Mayor Wade Doering welcomed the new league. “If you can get the kids playing ball, that’s great,” he said.
The council agreed that the team could use the ballfields at no charge, but would need to
complete the ballfield usage agreement and provide the city a game schedule.
Later in the meeting after Nickelson finished her presentation and left building, Bruns reminded the council that about half of the ballfield lights were either out or pointed in the wrong direction, and that the school and Legion teams would need to recognize that they would not be fixed.
The city has looked into the cost of fixing or replacing the lights a year ago, but prices were in the five-figure range and the council decided against replacing them.
Nickelson in a Feb. 4 email said that more than 25 boys had signed up for tryouts. When told about the lights situation, she suggested that the organization might have to conduct a “keep on the lights” fundraiser.
In his report to the council, codes officer Jacob Bush said that the owner of a two-story home on the corner of 12th and Walnut streets told him that a potential buyer for the house indicated it had significant historical value and wanted to purchase it.
The city has been working to force the owner to make repairs or condemn the building and tear it down. Bush said he doubted the house would withstand a move.
The council also firmed up dates for city-sponsored events. Those include:
Easter Egg Hunt- April 4
Fishing Derby- May 9
Spring Citywide Garage Sale- May 15–16
Jayhawk Blast- September 12
Fall Citywide Garage Sale- September 18–19
Christmas Event- December 5
Bruns also reported on progress being made on the fishing pond being created west of the city’s maintenance shop. He said that although work slowed because of poor weather conditions, it was half completed.
He also said the contractor was interested in doing residential work for the city when it is necessary.
The council also approved a sick leave ‘bank’ policy for employees so that employees who need more sick time can have that time donated by employees that don’t need it.