MONTGOMERY COUNTY THURSDAY ALWAYS APRIL 23, 2020 CLEAN AND 14 PAGES NEWSY! $1.00 PER ISSUE Water tower upkeep discussed CVHS seniors Funding options for a 10-year maintenance agreement don’t find many fans at meeting to ‘Shoot the U’ BY ANDY TAYLOR [email protected] CHERRYVALE — Prospects of increasing water rates in for graduation an effort to maintain the City of Cherryvale’s water tower did not get a warm reception at Monday’s meeting of the Cher- May 15 along Fourth Avenue ryvale City Council. High school seniors in the downtown business dis- Councilors held their first discussion about the mainte- to receive diplomas trict. nance of the water tower, including the painting and clean- Blake Vargas, USD 436 su- ing of the interior and exterior of Cherryvale’s tallest struc- in unique setting: a perintendent, said a tempo- ture. Clinton Dean, city superintendent, told councilors that rary stage will be erected on painting and cleaning the water tower (interior and exteri- ‘Shoot the U’ cruise the south side of the Spring or) could cost in excess of $200,000. Dean presented a pro- Street and Fourth Avenue posal from a water tower maintenance firm that seeks an in downtown Caney intersection. CVHS seniors eight- to 10-year maintenance commitment from the City will be allowed to drive their of Cherryvale. Most firms allow city governments to pay out BY ANDY TAYLOR vehicle, starting at the Lin- those costs over the duration of the agreement. If so, then a [email protected] coln Memorial Elementary maintenance agreement would commit Cherryvale to about CANEY — The COVID-19 School and proceeding to- $20,000 per year over 10 years. pandemic may have caused ward Spring Street. At Spring Maintenance firms also would be responsible for perform- an abrupt change for seniors Street, the senior caravan will ing annual inspections and making necessary repairs during at Caney Valley High School. take a right turn onto Fourth those 10 years, Dean added. However, the global viral Avenue, make a pass along The City of Cherryvale does not have a dedicated revenue threat will not stop graduation the main thoroughfare be- source for the maintenance of the water tower. City admin- ceremonies. fore “shooting the U” at Fawn istrator Jonathan Booe said one option was to raise the base In fact, the CVHS class of Street and Fourth Avenue, fee to the city’s water rates. He admitted that prospects of 2020 will be given a unique and then return to the tem- raising the base fee would not seem palatable to Cherryvale salute in a tradition that befits porary stage. At the stage, the water customers. the Caney community: “shoot- senior and his or her immedi- That was a sentiment echoed by city councilor Rick ing the U.” ate family will be allowed to Valverde. On Monday, the Caney exit their vehicle. The senior “I, for one, am not in favor of raising water rates,” he said. City Council gave enthusias- will come to the stage, receive “Most of us who live here feel that’s we’re taxed out and tic support to a request from a diploma, pose for a photo, tapped out.” the USD 436 administration to and then exit Fourth Avenue Additionally, using property tax funds to pay for the proj- block off Fourth Avenue in the in the vehicle to the east. ect would not be viewed kindly, Booe added, noting that downtown business district Spectators will be allowed Cherryvale faces prospects of lower property valuations and for a commencement exercise to bring their lawn chairs and lower sales tax receipts. that will involve a drive-thru line Fourth Avenue to view However, Booe said some type of a revenue increase cruise experience for graduat- the unique graduation cere- would have to be considered if the council wants to pursue a ing seniors and their families. mony — provided that they maintenance agreement for the upkeep of the water tower. The cruise will also allow se- practice social distancing by For the sake of comparison, construction of a new water niors to travel Fourth Avenue separating themselves by six tower could cost in excess of $1.5 million, Booe said. in their own style of “shooting feet and wearing facial cov- Dean told councilors that there were some repair needs at the U” — the Caney tradition erings to protect themselves the water tower that should be addressed soon. Councilors of cruising the main thorough- from viruses. can give him authority to make those repairs now without fare (the cruise requires mak- Preliminary plans call for signing an agreement with a maintenance firm, he said. ing a U-turn at Fawn Street the graduation ceremony to However, he also said the Kansas Department of Health and Fourth Avenue . hence be broadcast via one of the and Environment, which oversees and regulates water sys- the nickname “shooting the area radio stations, thereby tems in Kansas, frequently reviews the maintenance and up- U”). allowing for a wider audio keep of water towers across the state. Part of that review Details about the com- Evening sunlight bounces off the face of the City of Cher- reach. involves the long-term maintenance, such as painting and mencement event are still be- The use of a drive-th- ryvale water tower. The nearly 50-year-old water tower rust removal from the structure. If KDHE sees that the City ing put together by USD 436 ru cruise as a way to honor was the focus of discussions at Monday’s Cherryvale City does not have a long-term maintenance program in place, it administrators, but the pre- graduating seniors is a far Council meeting regarding long-term maintenance and up- could force the City to adopt one. liminary plan calls for a com- cry from the more-formal ex- keep. ANDY TAYLOR / MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHRONICLE • see CHERRYVALE, page A5 mencement ceremony to be ercise of a high school com- held on the evening of Friday, mencement ceremony in a gymnasium. However, Vargas said the “shoot the U” gradu- ation ceremony will make for County inks agreement with Prosperiti Builders a unique and memorable ex- perience . and possibly put Inducement agreement includes incentive • 62 as of Jan. 1, 2010; levels in the first five years of for its purposes, and begin a Caney on the map. • 113 as of Jan. 1, 2023; the project, then Montgomery hiring phase in the late sum- “When you think of Caney, to company based on number of workers and County can impose a payment mer and early fall months. you think of shooting the U,” in lieu of taxes, also known as “Prosperiti’s goal is to have said Vargas. “The social dis- • 119 as of Jan. 1, 2024 a PILOT payment, as an op- a work force hired in October tancing parades that have who reside within Montgomery County and upon each Jan. 1 there- tion for collecting tax revenue. and have its production in op- been held recently prove that after for the remainder of the BY ANDY TAYLOR That PILOT payment amount eration by November,” said people enjoy cruising Fourth ty at the Coffeyville Industrial agreement. [email protected] Park. Prosperiti is a manufac- would have to be agreed to by Purdon. “From what I have Street. What better way to COFFEYVILLE — A 10- turer of pre-fabricated, modu- Prosperiti also agrees to Montgomery County and Pros- learned this week from Pros- honor seniors than to send year property tax exemp- lar housing units that will be pay its full-time employees periti Builders. periti, the company is faunch- them off with a Shoot the U tion will be granted to a new manufactured in Coffeyville a median hourly wage of not Trish Purdon, director ing at the bit to get their Cof- cruise in their honor.” Coffeyville industry with ad- and assembled at construction less than $14.13 per hour, of the Montgomery County feyville project started.” Vargas said the commence- ditional incentives based on sites across the region. plus benefits. Action Council, told county Purdon also said the Pros- ment-street cruise concept employment levels, county Under the terms of the The agreement also calls commissioners that Prosper- periti Builders’ recruitment should make for an ideal end- commissioners announced agreement, Prosperiti Build- for Prosperiti Builders to per- iti Builders’ owners and top and occupation of its Cof- ing to a difficult and challeng- Monday. ers will receive a 10-year form a cost-benefit analysis on management officials were feyville facility will mark a ing year for the class of 2020. County commissioners property exemption beginning or before July 1, 2026, which ready to close on the acquisi- fast pace in terms of a suc- More details about the signed an agreement with on Jan. 1, 2021. In return for would mark the halfway mark tion of the Southwire facility, Shoot the U ceremony will be Prosperiti Builders LLC of the tax exemption, Prosper- of the 10-year tax exemption. start retrofitting the facility • see PROSPERITI, page A5 announced next week. Springfield, Mo., which is in iti will have to maintain the If that cost-benefit analysis the process of acquiring the following levels of full-time shows that Prosperiti has not now-vacant Southwire facili- equivalent (FTE) employees: maintained its employment Today’s Voters to receive letter Chuckle FunnierU.com concerning ballot options Most people are not All Montgomery County registered voters will receive a let- shaking hands because of ter by mail soon from the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office Ritter Umbarger Kuehn Murdock Trout Mah concerning upcoming elections.