The Manhattan City Commission considered a request Tuesday to add new signage to the lot containing Mercy Regional Health Center and other health buildings.
“It’s somewhat confusing for people going to the campus on just which building is which and which entrance is for which doctor and so that’s why they’re adding these signs. There’s 10 signs in all,” said Eric Cattell, assistant director for planning.
The Commission also approved updates to aging sign regulations.
“We researched regulations from similar cities around Kansas and other cities around the county,” Cattell said.
City staff has conducted 15 public focus groups and 4 total work sessions with the Commission and Planning Board over the course of a year and a half in development of the new regulations.
Among other changes, businesses will be soon able to use digital signage with mostly static images.
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The Commission reviewed the proposed City Hall Expansion project and renovation of Peace Memorial Auditorium.
The Municipal Facility Review is a process in which City administration assesses the public benefit of a proposed building project
The project initially caused concern as early plans included significant alteration of Peace Memorial Auditorium, which was originally built as a “living” war memorial. The City developed a new plan which includes a single -story addition to the front of City Hall, which will house the Parks and Rec Department. Peace Memorial will receive a new HVAC system and ADA improvements.
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The Manhattan City Commission voted to shed its own policy for appointing law board members, Tuesday, and decided instead to adopt the Statute established by the State.
If we look at it this year, we have 4 appointments, the 2 should be City Commissioners and they would serve for the time they were City Commissioners,” said Mayor Wynn Butler, “2 should be citizens of the City of Manhattan and they should serve for 2 years. That’s how the state statute was written.”
Other Commissioners were concerned that non-elected appointees may not fully grasp the importance of the position. The Law Board influences RCPD’s Budget, which is mostly comprised of property tax revenues.
Butler said the Statute allows the Commission to appoint elected officials to citizen positions, but he plans on nominating at least one non-elected member to the board whom he said was more than qualified for the seat.
