Following the lifting of Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive stay-at-home order, visitors are now permitted inside the courthouse, though they should expect to encounter a number of COVID-19 related changes.
Currently, entry into the courthouse is only permitted via the north doors; hence commissioners asked that county employees be courteous and save that area’s parking spots for residents in order to improve accessibility.
At the north doors, Sheriff’s deputies are taking temperatures of all-comers with a contactless thermometer.
Although the number of visitors allowed inside the courthouse has been capped at 10, wait-times have not been an issue, according to multiple county employees.
Inside the building, social distancing measures have also been put in place: only two visitors are permitted in the public areas of department offices, and caution tape and other physical barriers have been installed.
For now, this is the “new normal.”
In relation to the stay-at-home order having been lifted, as well as Gov. Kelly’s three-phase plan to “reopen” Kansas, commissioners suggested they’d been involved in conversations to enact the governor’s policies at a local level, though at this time a plan has not been drawn up in any formal manner.
IN OTHER news, a resident was accidentally locked inside the courthouse last week (which did not make them very happy), which in turn led to a discussion of purchasing “push-bars,” so that doors locked on the outside can still be opened from the inside.
Due to fire codes, if push-bars are to be installed, they must be installed at all nine primary doors; hence provisional bids were sought to investigate how much this project would cost.
According to Public Works director Mitch Garner, despite the severity of weekend storms, no major damage was done to any county property beyond a few vehicles getting dinged by hail.
County employees are also continuing clean-up after the storm, and continue combing the area for debris.
Regarding the EMS barns currently being constructed by the county, the facility in Humboldt is estimated to be finished some time in May, though the facility in Moran will require at least another couple months of work.
Prompted by questions from concerned residents prior the meeting, commissioner Bill King encouraged discussion on a few key questions, for which here are the answers provided by undersheriff Roy Smith:
-The number of persons incarcerated at the county jail is down.
-Prisoners are not being accepted from outside the county.
-The Health Department nurse is currently in contact with the Sheriff’s Office regarding the health of prisoners.
Regarding the proposed communications tower that will serve the southeast corner of the county, according to county counselor Bob Johnson, six out of the seven parties approached are interested in making bids.
