Riley County Police Department Captain Josh Kyle told county commissioners Monday morning his department will partner with Kansas State University and the K-State police department later this month with a traffic plan as students move into dorms on Aug. 16 and Aug. 22.
“We’re going to coordinating with K-State for the first time ever on two of their busiest days when students are going into on-campus housing,” he said. “We know that creates a lot of traffic concerns and then there’s additional concerns because of the North Manhattan project and other projects going on on campus.
“Students are moving in all throughout that week, but those two days are of special concern because they have over 1,000 students moving in.”
In other items, Kaw Valley Rodeo representative Steve Frazier told commissioners this year’s rodeo was well-attended and safe during last week’s Riley County Fair.
“Thursday was a good crowd, there was about 2,200 people,” he said. “Friday night was at 1,900 and Saturday night was at 2,000.”
Frazier said his biggest gauge of success measured safety, though.
“What I consider success is no major injuries,” he said.
No animals were hurt and as far as the cowboys, Frazier said one steer wrestler may have torn an ACL.
Commission Chairman Ron Wells urged the public to attend a meeting Wednesday night at City Hall concerning a National Disaster Resiliency Grant the City of Manhattan is looking into. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. and Wells said he’ll be in attendance.
“The main focus of this grant for the City of Manhattan is to help mitigate, or reduce the impact of flooding in the Manhattan area and Riley County,” he said.
Wells said the city may use the grant to offer buy-outs for 122 properties in flood territory, though he’s concerned about the long-term effects of that plan.
“From a county perspective I’m concerned about what’s going to happen to the lost tax revenue on the structures,” he said. “I prefer they take the entire $25 million and mitigate the flooding on Wildcat Creek, as opposed to waiting and buying out property.”
