Go
Saints!

Thursday
March 28th, 2024

The most recently completed project was a set of three batting cages, which are set up in the building’s former cafeteria area. The batting cages, Quint said, are just one part of the puzzle. 

“We're nowhere near reaching the full potential of what this building could be. The batting cages are just one stop on the road and we have a lot of other projects coming up and a lot of goals for this place,” Quint said. “During the course of all of this there have been so many people who have come up to me and asked 'Could you do THIS?' or 'Would THIS be something that could work in that building?' and we love that input from the community. I know laser tag has been suggested, and I know we're repurposing the track outside, so there are several possibilities with that, I know the idea of making it into a go-kart track has been put out there, and again, we love the community input. We were actually at one of the middle schools a few weeks ago and we asked the students 'What would you like to see in that building?' and there were so many ideas given to us like archery tag and laser tag and so many other activities, and it's great to have the input from that age group because that means they will actually want to come to the recreation center, and that will keep them off the screens and off the streets, which is great. I'd love to take all those ideas from the community and see what we can do, that's the best part of what I do, and that's been my favorite part of this process. And for those who want to reserve a time, they can e-mail us at the recreation center or message us through Facebook or come see us in person, whatever works for them, and there are three cages for use that have a 90-minute time limit. Anyone who wants to use the batting cages will have to sign a waiver and go through the rules with us about safety and all of that. The batting cages are for anyone who wants to improve on that skill, whether they're in school or on an adult softball/baseball team.”

With projects coming together, Quint offered encouragement for people in the community to visit not only the batting cages but also the rest of the building to hear what plans are for the other areas of the space. 

“We've put some photos up on our social media pages, which a lot of people have seen, but it's better to come in and see them for yourselves and use them. And we love showing people around here and giving tours and telling them what certain rooms are going to be used for and things like that, it's great sharing that with the community. So come on out and see for yourself what all is going on here,” Quint said. “The next project we'll be working on is working to turn the old library room into a large meeting room and ultimately the Liberal City Commission chambers, so we're eager to get working on that. We have the drawings and designs ready to go and we're ready to get working on making that project happen. Then we'll also be working on a bunch of other projects throughout the building, it's going to be amazing when everything is fully set up in here. I want to give another shout-out to the community, they've been amazing through this whole process. I also want to give a big thanks to the Parks Department, the Water Department and so many others because basically every City of Liberal department has been in on this and helping it move forward, so I can't thank the city enough. When we started this six years ago, so many people said 'This will NEVER happen' and today is when we cut the ribbon and opened the first part, so that's really showed us to keep pushing and keep moving forward in making things happen if you really want it.”

Liberal Mayor Connie Seigrist also shared her thoughts on the project at the end of the ceremony Wednesday. 

“I have been wanting to see this happen for more than 30 years because this is something the community has wanted and needed, and it got to the point where I wondered if I was going to live to see this project come to fruition,” Seigrist said. “I'm proud to stand here today and say I did live to see this happen, this will be great for Liberal.”

Liberal Local News

Governor Kelly signs bill honoring wartime chaplain Father Emil Kapaun

kapaun funeral church pageThe remains of Father Emil Kapaun are brought out from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in September 2021. Last Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill directing the creation of a memorial honoring Kapaun and his service. FILE PHOTO/TRAVIS HEYING/THE WICHITA EAGLEELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Father Emil Kapaun has been a prominent figure for Kansas Catholics for many years, having served as a chaplain in the Burma Theater of World War II, then served again as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was captured and ultimately died in a prisoner of war camp. 

His remains were unaccounted for until 2021, when they were finally returned to Kansas and interred in Wichita.

Last Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 431, which directs the Capitol Preservation Committee to create a memorial honoring Chaplain (Captain) Kapaun, according to a release from the State of Kansas.

“Father Emil Kapaun was known for his selfless, dedicated service and providing care to all, regardless of their religion or beliefs,” Gov. Kelly noted in the State of Kansas release. “I am proud to honor his legacy and sacrifices for our country by signing this bipartisan bill. Father Kapaun is the most highly decorated chaplain in United States Army history. After serving as a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Wichita, he tok his ministry to World War II and the Korean War. He was captured in the Battle of Unsan while refusing to leave the wounded and ultimately died as a prisoner of war in North Korea.”

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ELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

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Southwestern Heights High School Principal Ryan Kisner has [ ... ]

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Seward County EMS Director John Ralston talks about some of the activity his department sees on a daily [ ... ]

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Elsa Manriquez with Al Shank Insurance looks over some notes while talking to the Liberal City Commission [ ... ]

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Liberal Area Sports

EARL WATT • Leader & Times

 

Two first round upsets busted brackets early in the Bracketbuster [ ... ]

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Taylor Harding (4) gets a high five from Lexi Miller after scoring a run against Bucklin Friday. Harding [ ... ]

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The swimming season kicked off at the Northwest Invitational [ ... ]

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Other Interests

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Opinion

Key bills still have a chance to pass

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

 

This last, Week 11, for most committees to meet in the Legislature was kind of different from past years, in that there didn’t seem to be any big “crunch” to get everything done. 

We did work a fair number of bills — particularly in Ag and Fed and State, but used our full hour of meeting time only once — and that without even approving the bill which consumed most of it (SB 446, seeking to limit foreign property ownership) because it had simply become too cumbersome. 

The big news, I suppose, was that both houses held hearings on Medicaid expansion for the first time in four years, yet without moving it out of committee. The House provided some hope that tax relief might have another shot; however, with a two-tier instead of single rate like that adopted by the Senate, there is still a lot of “negotiating” to do to get a finished product that is “veto proof.” We’ll know more after their formal Floor consideration next week, but right now I’m optimistic we can come up with something taxpayers have been waiting on far too long.

Three totally unrelated measures that have generated a lot of constituent interest and do have a good chance of making it through are S Sub HB 2124, dealing with operational enhancement for “little guy” microbreweries; HB 2783, prohibiting government agencies from restricting the sale of motor vehicles based on energy source; and SB 527/HB 2813, making it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion. 

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