ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

After multiple years of citizens requesting it, a new dog park will finally be coming together in Liberal thanks to action by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting Tuesday evening.

“I’m glad we’re able to present this at long last, because residents have expressed their desire for a community dog park in recent years. As you might remember, the 2026 budget allocated $75,000 towards this project from the Community Development portion of the 1-cent Sales Tax. Over the last several months, we developed plans and gathered quotes to bring this request to life as a solid proposal. The location selected for this project will be on South Pershing Avenue, north of McCray Park, with initial plans including paved, off-street parking that can be shared by both play areas,” Liberal City Manager Scarlette Diseker said. “The plan includes a proposed drawing of the dog park, including two separate spaces for small and large dogs, landscaping, fencing, and concrete parking, pet turf and overhead shade quotes from three companies, fence quotes from two companies, seating, water fountain, and agility obstacle quotes from online sources, and an overall estimated project cost. Because of the upkeep that goes along with a grass facility, we would recommend pet turf, which will increase the overall price but provides long-term benefits such as low maintenance, durability, and water conservation. The pet turf installed at the Liberal Animal Shelter has proven to be a practical solution for an outdoor play area, giving dogs an easy to clean space for exercise and socialization. Based on the quotes received, we recommend the bid from All-Inclusive Rec for the Xgrass Pet Turf ($113,378.77) and shade structure ($25,210.62). The turf would be professionally installed by the company. We also recommend the bid from Tex Mex Fence in the amount of $10,106.30. Combined with concrete parking, seating, landscaping, and irrigation, the total estimated project cost will be $194,000. There is additional budget authority within the Community Development portion of the 1-cent Sales Tax we do not anticipate using in 2026. There has been a lot of work done to get to this point, and I’m excited to see things shape up.”

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

A solution to fire protection for Kismet and rural Seward County may soon be found.

The Seward County Commission met with Kismet residents last Friday to discuss finding a fix for getting faster response to fires in and around that community.

The work session came after Kismet community members came to a commission meeting in April wanting to know why there was a slow response to a fire that occurred there earlier that month.

One of the suggestions brought to the commission is forming a second rural fire district with volunteers making up a large part. At Friday’s work session, former Emergency Management Director Greg Standard said the idea of a new fire district had been brought forth during a meeting of Kismet residents, and at that point, it had already gained popularity.

Seward County Community College

The Seward County Community College Respiratory Care program has received two ventilators from Kearny County Hospital, further strengthening an impactful partnership between the two institutions.

The hospital, located in Lakin, donated the ventilators, which were previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the facility expanded and upgraded its equipment, the machines were no longer in regular use, prompting leaders to find a meaningful way to repurpose them.

ROBERT PIERCE

    • Leader & Times

Since 1996, the Western Kansas Community Foundation has been working to connect great programs and charities with donors who care.

Thursday, May 21, the foundation will host a come-and-go celebration at its office at 402 N. Main Street in Garden City. WKCF Program and Marketing Director Stacie Hahn said those who come can enjoy snacks and meet the staff, and the Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce also be on hand at 10 a.m. to do a ribbon cutting.

The celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Hahn said everyone is invited to come.

“We’re also going to have a little display set up through the office of some historical information about the organization people can read through, engage with us to get to know more about us and celebrate with us,” she said.