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Commission hears shelter gaps after record snow as public works outlines multi‑day response
Summary
Public commenters said volunteers scrambled to shelter people during the Jan. 4 blizzard and urged stronger city coordination with Riley County; city staff described a multi‑department snow response that cleared hundreds of lane miles and hauled thousands of tons of snow.
Public comment and staff briefings at the Manhattan City Commission meeting on Jan. 14 centered on gaps in emergency daytime shelter during the historic Jan. 4 winter storm and a city public works update on the multi‑day snow response.
Speakers from the volunteer Center of Hope Ministry and First Congregational Church said the community’s volunteers kept people safe after daytime facilities closed, and urged the city to coordinate more formally with Riley County Emergency Management and local nonprofits to avoid future gaps.
Jeremy Harmon, community relations director for the Center of Hope Ministry, said the nonprofit opened a shelter at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 4 after other daytime options closed and that volunteers and a host church sustained shelter operations for 41 hours. "We were able to open…
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