[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6603226,"mediaKeyId","3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc","parentId",3000567,"title","Chamber seeks $15,000 for data tool; Juneteenth committee requests $2,000 from county","audioSeconds",2135,"startMs",1465000,"endMs",3600000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc&start=1465&end=3600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc/thumbnail_1465000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6603226/Atchison-County/Kansas/Chamber-seeks-15000-for-data-tool-Juneteenth-committee-requests-2000-from-county","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603226-1c370cbdef60646c244d678f23370eeb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440009&Signature=L9MDkDRMqShB8sLj2ToycHCBUssu9eiAr0YHkFA97Q~2UnTis7tU7dOct40ClryHTvoDS1Kj0t1Zmh~uNrDF99Y08M7OkogHpRKT2pdgAV-mzBlGcKr-RD6WFXYVTQwpa2Mm~0jtP7pYpj2qivANnXNJe66jyk9UQSaVJ0X57OLiNb-~77tkafZWX4PFTkImgkQg6Uwq55GKcOJGM3M6ukdJQ2cf9hOMAicfvTOzGQsKKPKLomcX9jBLqVuwhL1aeHa-VZKqXSRfUMGDx6iNQb0vup7GBPuRXiQpoH0COTmZ3tNjIgDgVHiNhyNFDojtiEXmiAHABDKyeiTzR9EwhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Atchison County, KS","date","2025-04-15T22:53:17.147Z","article","Two community organizations presented budget requests at the Atchison County Commission meeting on April 15: the Atchison Chamber of Commerce and the Juneteenth Committee.

Chamber request: Jill Thorne, the Atchison Chamber of Commerce director, outlined work since taking the role in January. Thorne described new website and directory work and asked the county for $15,000 to restore access to a location-analytics platform (Placer.ai) that the chamber previously used for event and tourism planning. She said Placer.ai was negotiated to an $8,400 annual rate but that the chamber’s first offer had been $15,000; the chamber’s current ask is $15,000 to restore the tool and marketing capabilities. Thorne said the tool helps the chamber target event attendees and market tourism, and she offered to provide staff documentation and sample reports to commissioners.

Juneteenth request: Donald (Don) Bratton and co-chair Rita Williams presented on behalf of the Juneteenth Committee and requested $2,000 from the county for 2026 festival costs. Bratton said the event aims to be free to the public, offers food and activities and has traditionally relied on volunteers and community sponsors. The committee requested the same $2,000 county support it had received in prior years and asked commissioners for additional publicity support and permission to promote the county’s involvement.

Neither presentation resulted in a formal vote at the meeting; commissioners asked for supporting documentation and said staff would follow up. Thorne and Juneteenth organizers said they would supply invoices, sample reports and sponsorship information to county staff.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Atchison County Commission Video 2025-04-15","oneSentenceSummary","Atchison Chamber of Commerce director Jill Thorne asked commissioners for $15,000 to restore a location-analytics tool and support marketing; Juneteenth organizers requested $2,000 to underwrite the community festival.","taxTitle","Atchison County, Kansas","taxId",70752,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6603231,"Commissioners propose new oversight, lease talks for Memorial Hall after trustees report shortfall",447,2749000,3196000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc&start=2749&end=3196","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc/thumbnail_2749000.jpg","/articles/6603231/Atchison-County/Kansas/Commissioners-propose-new-oversight-lease-talks-for-Memorial-Hall-after-trustees-report-shortfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603231-e46667ad3904a6cb71e4eb8e11a31d61/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440009&Signature=Hcl5j-7LDiN71L7Cj401bQm9-pe7pAxrhc9LIITxPeVCjNuB-zgNi9v5~LyWPBtvEu6qZ~pyxnfMW707KAfAFE5giscOfqD4oLV5zb0~iwhfruwOoz8Q6yv~ywqw~ZA3GT3VGgTbwzMlOGxFoGrTF2RCVLI5W77~IqjMyTxxCc8YIu6saRF8sEaFv8JQ6LA~RXbmvA0~Od9DsqyNrklK0jD6jbTGCvbcWC19SUY1xe~Vvy68d5Y0JSnN76aPDEkeX~XTaUWDGsm9WMlcg32PWc~t~pSj-iUbAB5H5VwTY8xXUXgqzS2efSzP9y90W6EQh1J7RXSwFT3r911AlkwlPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a meeting on April 15, the Atchison County Board of Commissioners expressed support for drafting a clearer management and funding structure for Memorial Hall and asked staff to schedule a workshop with the facility’s superintendent, trustees and the Action and Rec Commission.

County staff told commissioners that current arrangements — under which the Action and Rec Commission receives roughly $10,460 annually to manage Memorial Hall staffing and payroll while rentals produce about $5,000 — produce a shortfall when compared with estimated annual building costs. The county’s internal spreadsheet cited by staff put total annual costs at about $48,006.83 when insurance and maintenance were included.

County staff proposed bringing Memorial Hall into the county’s facilities inventory (so it would be managed like other county buildings), with the county maintenance director handling capital and repairs and a lease back to the Action and Rec Commission for programming and event booking. The staff recommendation would keep the trustees as local stewards while formalizing responsibilities in a written lease.

Commissioners said they expected a budget workshop with Memorial Hall superintendent Nick, representatives of the Action and Rec Commission and trustees to draft a proposed lease and a funding plan. Commissioners noted past denials of a Kansas Department of Commerce grant that listed a 2008 county resolution guaranteeing $30,000 to Memorial Hall as a potential complicating factor to some grant applications; they asked staff to pull historic resolutions and previous agreements for review.

Why it matters: Memorial Hall is a county-owned facility that trustees and the recreation commission manage informally; commissioners said a written lease and clearer financial accounting would protect programming and define maintenance obligations.

Ending: The board supported exploring a formal lease and asked staff to schedule a dedicated budget workshop (proposed dates discussed) with Memorial Hall trustees, the rec commission and county maintenance staff and return with a draft lease and budget options.","County commissioners discussed bringing Memorial Hall into county facilities management, negotiating a lease with the Action and Rec Commission and holding a budget workshop with trustees and the recreation commission to resolve operating shortfalls.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6603234,"Commissioners approve sports-complex payments, ARPA summary and IT purchase orders",424,978000,1402000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc&start=978&end=1402","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc/thumbnail_978000.jpg","/articles/6603234/Atchison-County/Kansas/Commissioners-approve-sports-complex-payments-ARPA-summary-and-IT-purchase-orders","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603234-3dd97b6316dc75499286131d0a6d561f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440009&Signature=WSd7ls3Kz-RI3LzjOaHFuHnygfMcdz38xQLahExjZQw64eKtS59EoHC8u7SDVnBIvGc-FQ~lrfZNGaNPdV~gQYHvCyGIyhpFmj5UCjPAZtu9xvk3wIhXx0hLWq-WD31Ph~uLlSIm9ev9xyeqdNXOMdJHPfZldQiNMfnYWIF-6G86yFTfJ~y3v4KRlsaSOigOOchsLlFM8XjHvCRSFBqrXfMrqLO76FDOyJ5s9Ty3Kja0O17N9fP~~PlAgaZFw4rzsb8Wh1iiJ9VMIKLAu8eVQotzM28hdoKHaOFqjrHQEsxuDZKZPq5gWKPrMa6QBYhHhC4VQNt2-B197yX0ZR5eZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Atchison County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved multiple vendor payments for sports complex repairs, accepted an annual American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expenditure summary and authorized two information-technology purchase orders.

The board approved payment requests charged to the county’s sports-complex funds (quarter-cent sales tax fund): Wheatland Contracting for a repaired leaking water line at the Effingham site, $597.89; Brooks Electric for lighting coil replacement at the Effingham site, $2,743; and an Atchison site electric bill for wiring at a new bathroom, $1,950. Each motion passed by voice vote, “Aye,” and was recorded as passing 3 to 0.

The finance director also presented the county’s ARPA expenditure-tracking summary. The director said the county had expended its ARPA allocation and submitted an annual report to the U.S. government; the board voted 3 to 0 to accept the ARPA summary.

IT purchases: Scott Howard, the county’s information-technology director, asked the board to approve two budgeted 2025 expenses. The first was a one-year website hosting and support fee to CivicPlus for $8,824.69; the second was a Cisco VPN configuration with multi-factor authentication provided by ConvergeOne for $6,181. Both purchase orders were approved 3 to 0.

All approvals were recorded as unanimous (3–0). Commissioners also received an update on remaining sports-complex allocations: Effingham has roughly $68,700 remaining of its $100,000 allocation and Atchison had roughly $84,300 remaining of its $400,000 allocation after the approved payments.

Ending: The board’s approvals were routine, according to staff, and will be reflected in the county’s accounts payable and budget records.","Atchison County commissioners on April 15 approved several payment requests for the county sports complexes, signed off on an ARPA expenditure summary and authorized IT spending for website hosting and a VPN multi-factor configuration.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6603239,"Residents urge commissioners to keep Atchison County Lake public, cite WPA history and safety concerns",6065,3269000,9334000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc&start=3269&end=9334","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000567-4f1d96911458806d019e7889c27161dc/thumbnail_3269000.jpg","/articles/6603239/Atchison-County/Kansas/Residents-urge-commissioners-to-keep-Atchison-County-Lake-public-cite-WPA-history-and-safety-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603239-220b926e1f50f178b8c706614fdf9eab/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440009&Signature=COt~E59kXweQ09cx01tkPKb2AfeeHV7Dc0os0eEFU5ztvAKa1KNNsUbtPmuMKw1gsFfVrLBPlm12E0KKbScLuzR9~l4ZL3Fj7A4P9rCY4QXBuJYjoxMxU3X2Kj31QYZJ2Qk5yqXLAw40DOX5O0Eu5ntu-hQFjmev12HBVu~yiFTJqNzismAn2wf1~zVIblKICtVpaR~wNJt6NL64QeIQ4F656mLfjVaVD3vr627uVEXxyPTR8MVa60anW55Nlilx~WlRrO0q2N5JS82I3dsGNrdodOFtq19OTsVuCrwOzuSfocfMfD~G-jt~DrGS7O1oFY88E7mHt32RRvo0Wcq9vg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents urged the Atchison County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to abandon plans to sell Atchison County Lake and instead invest in repairs and management to keep it open to the public.

Speakers at an 11:30 a.m. public forum described the lake as a longstanding community resource and raised legal, environmental and safety questions about any sale or redevelopment of the property.

The community urged the board to pause the sale conversation and complete a full historical and legal review. Resident Jessica Saxton told commissioners the lake is used year-round by local families and students and said reports that “no one uses the lake” are incorrect. “There is never a time when this lake isn’t being enjoyed,” Saxton said. She also asked whether potential buyers had been informed about restrictions that may attach to land acquired via eminent domain or federal programs.

Why it matters: Speakers said the lake was created during the New Deal-era and that history and public access are at stake. Several residents asked the county to confirm whether New Deal/Works Progress Administration (WPA) records or deed conditions impose limits on resale or require offers to original landowners.

Residents recounted family history tied to the lake and asked the commission to pursue alternatives to sale, including grant funding, volunteer stewardship and a county-sanctioned management plan. Trudy Wishrip read a written statement from local landowners asking the board to halt the process “until a complete legal review is conducted,” noting family accounts that the lake was developed through New Deal-era work programs and that some parcels may carry reversion or right-of-first-refusal provisions. Wishrip said the group had asked the county to search original abstracts and deeds before proceeding.

Speakers also flagged maintenance and safety issues. Resident Glenda Torkelson pointed to a stone entrance pillar that was knocked down the prior year; county staff responded that insurance proceeds and an account earmarked for lake repairs exist and that the pillar repair would be scheduled. Several speakers urged the county to repair and study the lake’s spillway; resident Ian Saxton asked whether emergency-management or engineering studies had examined the consequences of a catastrophic spillway failure and who would be liable if downstream flooding occurred.

Other concerns included access and easements. Cindy Saxton said there is no recorded easement for the driveway she uses and that, if ownership changed, her home could be landlocked without a negotiated access agreement. Several speakers asked the county to offer adjacent original landowners the opportunity to repurchase land if legal title included reversion clauses.

Commission response and next steps: Commissioners said the board has not received formal offers and emphasized that no sale has been completed. They described the current phase as exploratory and said the county is gathering information — including ownership history, maintenance costs and potential grant programs — before any decision. Commissioners also confirmed the roads that circle the lake are county roads and that typical access would remain under county control unless a formal sale and reclassification were approved.

The board set a follow-up public meeting for May 15 at 7 p.m. in the county commission room to continue the Atchison County Lake discussion and asked staff to gather additional documentation, including historic records and maintenance/engineering information.

Ending: Commissioners told attendees they value public input and will publish additional notices about the May meeting. Meanwhile residents who oppose a sale urged the board to place any formal action on hold until historical, legal and safety questions are resolved.","Dozens of residents told Atchison County commissioners on April 15 they oppose selling Atchison County Lake, citing New Deal-era origins, access and safety concerns about the spillway and potential loss of public recreation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Chamber seeks $15,000 for data tool; Juneteenth committee requests $2,000 from county

Commissioners propose new oversight, lease talks for Memorial Hall after trustees report shortfall

Commissioners approve sports-complex payments, ARPA summary and IT purchase orders

Residents urge commissioners to keep Atchison County Lake public, cite WPA history and safety concerns