Christmas will be a little brighter for about 50 children this year, thanks to the annual Shop with a Cop sponsored by the Great Bend Police Department and the Great Bend Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 23. While it is a long-standing tradition to take children to Walmart and give them a gift card, Police Chief Steve Haulmark said the cards weren’t for very much money. On Monday, he asked the City Council to approve a $4,000 transfer to the FOP account so they can boost the amount.
The money will come from the Great Bend Municipal Court diversion program fund. People can apply for a diversion to avoid formal charges and convictions by paying a fee and agreeing to other conditions. There is $36,000 in the account, Haulmark said.
Each year prior to Shop with a Cop, Great Bend USD 428 is contacted and school staff provide the names and contact information for students whose families may be suffering hardships or financial difficulties. These children then come to Walmart where they are given the gift cards and escorted by police officers as they shop.
“The program aims to build positive relationships between our community’s children and the police to help children who might otherwise go without gifts during the holidays,” Haulmark reported to the council. “While the children are the focus of the program, it is not uncommon to see acts of selflessness. Children will frequently buy gifts for their siblings or parents.”
The amount of money provided to each child depends on the number of participants and what money is available. The primary funding of Shop with a Cop comes through fundraising conducted by FOP members.
“However, this is not the only outreach event that the FOP funds each year. (They also sponsor a scholarship.) Last year, the PD augmented the amount of funds utilized by donating from our asset forfeiture fund.”
A motion to use $4,000 of the diversion funds this year was approved unanimously.
Well replaced
The Great Bend City Council on Monday approved the purchase of a primary wet well pump from FTC for $35,381.
Public Works Coordinator Jason Cauley explained the need. The primary wet well has two pumps that alternate in pumping sewage to the upper headworks. In July, one of the pumps quit operating.
“We have been operating one pump since,” Cauley reported to the council. Being a Flygt pump, the city contacted JCI, the Flygt dealer.
“Rebuilding the pump from JCI would cost $47,020,” Cauley said.
Since it was cheaper to buy a new pump, the city asked for quotes from three vendors: JCI, Fluid Equipment and FTC, the low bidder.
The warranty is for five years and the lead time for the pump will be six to eight weeks. The old pump has no trade value and will be scrapped.
Meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at other actions taken at the Dec. 2 Great Bend City Council meeting.
• The council approved the 2025 Property & Casualty Insurance renewal. Carly Walker with Gallagher presented the information.
• Bills were paid; the payroll register ending Nov. 23 was paid in the amount of $356,092.73. No appointments were presented as Mayor Cody Schmidt was absent due to illness. Councilman Cory Urban presided over the meeting.
• City Administrator Logan Burns presented an update on what is happening within the city, and Christina Hayes reported on the success of the Home for the Holidays event.
• An ordinance amending city code sections pertaining to pretreatment of industrial waste and the enforcement response plan was adopted and the response plan was approved. Both state and federal statutes and regulations require cities with wastewater treatment plans to have the ordinance and plan. Periodically, these must be amended to align with updated requirements. Public Works Coordinator Jason Cauley, Pretreatment Coordinator April Batt and City Attorney Allen Glendenning worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over the past several months to put together the new version.
