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75¢ COLBY Wednesday April 30, 2014 Volume 125, Number 68 Serving Thomas County since 1888 10 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS College adds money to reserves By Sam Dieter The college made $152,919 on Colby Free Press student accounts last month, and [email protected] bills went out only on March 17 because of financial aid disburse- Accidents, dust clog roads Colby Community College has ments earlier in the month. recovered from its financial bind Overstreet reported that she The high winds that blew into against travel. On Monday, after- to the point that it has $100,000 wrote a letter to all donors to make town Sunday afternoon have noon, the Kansas Department of more in reserve, college trustees their donations to the college to stayed strong for the last two Transportation closed down U.S. learned last week. make sure they follow I.R.S. rules days, closing down roads and 83 from the Nine Mile Junction Glenda Overstreet, Vice Presi- for tax-deductible donations. causing several traffic accidents. to Selden and K-27 from Good- dent of Business Affairs, reported The Credit Card Committee is Minimal damage, mainly from land to the U.S. 36 junction near at the trustees meeting last Tues- writing a new policy for third par- tree limbs breaking, was spotted St. Francis. because of the wind. day that $100,000 has been put ty transactions. The financial aid in town, but dust and wind made Both stretches of road were re- into the college reserve fund, and department is making sure their for a difficult trip if you were opened that evening. the college is looking to put more procedures comply with the recent driving beyond the city limits. Around 4:10 p.m. Monday, a money into that fund. audit of the college’s finances. Winds around Colby reached 61 semi-tractor blew over as it was As she has in past meetings, In other business, the college mph and 64 mph in Goodland passing the Brewster exit, headed Trustees Linda Vaughn pointed heard reports from its other ad- over Sunday night, and measure- east. No one was hurt, but the out that the college still owes ministrators: ments from the National Weather east bound lanes of the highway money from months past, saying • George McNulty, vice presi- Service show that the wind has were shut down by the accident the college should really only owe dent of student affairs, reported been blowing at similar speeds and it took emergency responders back three months. the financial aid department has Monday and Tuesday. over an hour to get the semi off When Vaughn asked how the begun getting Pell grants and oth- The National Weather Service the road and reopen the highway. college would get through the er loans together to package stu- even issued a dust storm warn- next three months of the finan- dents for the next school year. ing Sunday night and advised See “DUST,” Page 2 cial year, and Vacik reminded the In all, 122 applications were trustees that the college has 2.3 processed and 60 campus visits million coming in money from its made in March, which makes 939 SAM DIETER and EVAN BARNUM/Colby Free Press Endowment Foundation and the applications and 319 visits for the Strong winds blew a semi-tractor on its side (top) Monday Pat Embree trust from gifts prom- year so far. Counselor Ryan Hale afternoon just west of the eastbound on ramp at the Brews- ised earlier in the year. spent 98 hours in direct counsel- ter exit. The accident stopped traffic (left) on Interstate 70 for According to Dr. Overstreet’s ing. By April 9, academic alerts over an hour as emergency responders got the semi out of the financial report, the college still for low grades were sent to 124 way while fighting high winds and visibility reduced by blowing had $5.6 million, or 39 percent, of students. dust. On Tuesday a second cattle truck (below) was brought its $14.5 million budget left at the The college is changing the pay in to transfer a load of livestock after the original hauler wound end of March. That is above the structure for its outreach classes up in the median near the Levant exit. A series of photos taken 33 percent the college thought it with area high schools, although looking toward 1-70 from the junction of U.S. 24 and Old U.S. would have when it approved the Quinter High School has decided 24 (bottom, let to right) show the conditions as blowing dust yearly budget last summer. At that to partner with Northwest Kansas made the overpass and a pile of road-repair material vanish. time, the college had $51,200 and Technical College. an unrestricted cash balance of A total of 249 students and as- $2,916,156. See “COLLEGE,” Page 2 Colby retiree helps Goodland Colby’s former city manager lar in Goodland to what it was has taken over as the interim man- like in Colby, and no major issues ager in Goodland, volunteering have popped up. her time until that city finds a new “It’s just like it was here, only manager. a different set of faces,” she said. Carolyn Armstrong has been Unlike Colby’s eight-member working as the interim city man- council, Goodland’s city com- ager of Goodland for about three mission has only five people, and weeks since Doug Gerber left his one of them is appointed to serve job there to work in Topeka. She as mayor. Annette Fairbanks cur- left her job as Colby’s manager rently holds that seat. in June 2012 after 19 1/2 years. Armstrong was chosen to fill in Working for free, she puts in a half because she is connected to the day at the Goodland manager’s of- International City Management fice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Association. The group sends re- Fridays. tired managers to fill in for cities “They’ve got good staff over on a volunteer basis, and this is there,” Armstrong said, “it’s just Armstrong’s first job in that role. nice to have someone answer the She also sits on the Colby Com- questions.” munity College Board of Trustees, Other than the schedule, Arm- having been chosen in February to strong said, her job has been simi- replace Bill Shields. Energy savings short of company’s guarantee By Sam Dieter who was the liaison for the project, was into the report. Lightbulbs in buildings lution, which came to $1,285,662. tirement package for any new employees Colby Free Press also at the meeting. can last 20 years, Mullican said, so the • Approved 26 part time employment hired after May 1, at the suggestion of [email protected] Since his company signed a contract college should reap these savings all five contracts, of which seven were paid, Trustee Linda Vaughn. to guarantee the college about $1.1 mil- years. mostly for instructors. Although her fellow trustees did not The Colby Community College board lion in savings over five years, Mulli- “I agree with Carolyn … the compari- • Approved a student travel contract approve, Vaughn also suggested not of- of trustees got an update on some projects can feels his company is about $40,000 son should have been made between 2013 with Western Experience and renewed a fering paid days off for hourly employees to improve the energy efficiency of the ahead of the curve so far. The first-year and 2012,” Kaaz said after the meeting. clinical education agreement with Gove when the college is closed unexpectedly, buildings on campus last Tuesday. savings were about $8,600 behind so far, The college expects to be paid by Hon- County Medical Center. for up to nine days in the year, pointing Honeywell Building Solutions did he pointed out the college saved around eywell for shortfall from what it expected • Discussed the board goals the trustees out that 43 percent of the college budget not quite save the college the money it $49,000 on its utility bill as Honeywell to save, Kaaz said, and college staff will set at a planning session on April 5. Trust- comes from payroll. She also said other guaranteed it would after it worked on was working on the project. prepare a response to the report. Kaaz ees Carolyn Armstrong felt that Secrist employees who have to work that day – the project from July 2011 to December Trustee Carolyn Armstrong felt the now works as a part-time Title III director wanted Vacik to set some of the goals, those who shovel snow if the college is 2012. The college saved $199,837 of company should have to prove that it for the college after resigning as dean of and the board members felt they should closed by a blizzard, for instance – get the $208,436 that the Tulsa, Okla.-based saved the college everything that it guar- external affairs last summer. discuss the goals in detail. paid time and a half, but still have to company predicted it would in 2013, ac- anteed it would. The college only paid Mullican gave the trustees a breakdown “I’m not one to have more meetings but cording the company’s own report. $177,837 less in energy bills in 2013; of where the utility bills were saved: I think that’s something we need to do,” See “ENERGY,” Page 2 Paul Mullican, a representative from another $29,000 in “operational savings” $3,725 in water bills, $55,629 in gas and Trustee Kenton Krehbiel.

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