Following a vote last week to provide $500 to three area food banks — Allen County Community Pantry (Iola), Humboldt and Humanity House — this week the Commission voted to fund a fourth: Moran PRIDE.
The request came from Larry Manes, who had written commissioners after learning the county was helping provide additional funds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food banks around the country have been slammed lately, with the number of people taking advantage of such services skyrocketing due to unemployment and other factors.
In other news, commissioner Jerry Daniels shared information from a conference call he’d done with Gov. Laura Kelly’s office and staff.
Daniels said the state had exhausted a $5 million fund to help the hospitality industry. Individual businesses were granted up to $20,000. Within 24 hours, 346 businesses were granted the funds, though the demand is three times that.
Daniels said that, according to Secretary of Commerce David Toland, the state had disbursed as many small business loans in 14 days as it had over the past 14 years.
Daniels also added that state officials said additional monies may soon be available to help fund food banks.
Commissioner Bill King then took a moment to thank county employees for their continued work in the midst of the pandemic.
“Not much has been said, but I want to compliment you all for the way you’ve conducted yourself over the last several weeks,” he said.
A discussion next developed over purchasing “sneeze” or “splash” guards – a safety measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – for county offices and polling places akin to ones used in convenience stores or the post office.
Commissioners ultimately voted to approve purchasing 12 sets of guards, and planned to likely purchase more in the future.
Another discussion that took place regarded whether or not to ease restrictions on access to the courthouse, a “soft opening,” though no specific changes were made at this time.
If changes were to occur, commissioners suggested, they would likely be accompanied by the following measures: allowing access only through the north door, digitally taking the temperatures of employees, screening by deputies and limiting the number of people that could be in the building or department offices at any one time.
Any such changes will likely not take place until after May 3, when Gov. Kelly’s executive “stay at home” order may be lifted.
Even if Kelly’s order is not lifted, however, commissioner Bruce Symes said there seems to be enough “leniency” contained in it that county offices might yet be reopened in some way.
