Ark Valley News - District fined for overuse of water well

District fined for overuse of water well
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: October 11, 2018

It may be impossible to irrigate a couple of athletic fields in the Valley Center school district next year when they need it most because of a state order.

District officials were notified last month that the district was being fined by the Kansas Department of Agriculture for overusing a water well that feeds irrigation systems at Sward Field and Stevens Field, both behind the intermediate school in the 700 block of North Meridian.

Mike Bonner, assistant superintendent, said the ag department monitored the well in 2017.

The consequences are a $1,000 fine and discontinued usage.

Bonner said the district was notified the well was being monitored and steps were taken to not use as much water. However, use still exceeded what was allotted.

The district has been ordered not to use the well in 2019.

A settlement hearing was set for Jan. 16.

"It's not great news, but we're going to do everything that we can to appeal that and get some remedy for that," Bonner said.

Sward Field is rarely used for athletic competition. The middle school football teams used the former high school football field once this year due to a scheduling conflict with the District Stadium. Practices also have taken place at the field when the stadium is not available.

"We try and use the big field behind VCMS for all events," Principal Pete Bastian said.

Stevens Field, on the other hand, is home to the high school varsity baseball team in the spring. It also is where the collegiate-level Mud Daubers play their home games in the summer.

In other business Oct. 8, the board:

•Approved supplemental contracts for Samantha Aeschliman (middle school girls basketball assistant coach, $2,898, Oct. 15), Brandon Robertson (high school baseball assistant coach, $2,898, Feb. 25) and Brandon Tideman (high school girls basketball assistant coach, $3,519, Nov. 12).

•Approved the hiring of Bradley Hawthorne (network administrator, $25.40 per hour, Oct. 8), Gilberto Periera (intermediate and middle school ESOL aide, $11.55 per hour, Oct. 4) and Barbara Johnson (high school cook, $10.35 per hour, Oct. 1).

•Approved resignations/releases of Tiffany Flowers (bus driver, Sept. 11), Claudia Paredes (ESOL aide, Sept. 4), Brandy Smith (bus driver, Sept. 14), Pat Brashers (Wheatland custodian, Sept. 14) and Amy Unrein (high school cook, Sept. 25).

•Accepted a grant of $2,000 from Cox Communications of Kansas Charitable Fund for a drone project by middle school teacher Bryce Westphal; a grant of $10,560 from the Kansas State Department of Education for career and technical programs; a gift of $620 in cash and gift cards from Pathway Church for The Learning Center.

•Approved a facility use agreement with the Valley Center Recreation Commission.

•Heard a report on the five-year vehicle replacement plan.

•Heard a report on state aid and estimated state funding for 2018-19.

•Approved the purchase of three 10-passenger Transit vans from Rusty Eck Ford and two seven-passenger Caravans from Davis Moore for a total cost of $122,626.30.