Savonburg speaks

Residents seek progress on goals from a community conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. This year's event addressed matters brought up last year, with small steps made toward their top concerns.

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Local News

September 18, 2024 - 2:36 PM

Savonburg Mayor David Janssen and his wife Janice provide input during Tuesday evening’s community conversation. Photo by Sarah Haney / Iola Register

Savonburg residents want to see more action taken towards their goals for improvement. Since they met a year ago, small steps have been made towards what they deemed the top three concerns at the time — electrical grid improvements, community involvement, and the town’s appearance. A small group of citizens gathered in the community building Tuesday evening to revisit and revise these goals during Thrive Allen County’s latest community conversation.

The meeting started out by assessing the previous year’s goals. “As some of you know, we’ve been working on the electric grid and trying to find some sort of grant,” said Marcia Davis, director of Community Engagement with Thrive. Davis said a new electrical grid would require new poles, wires, and transformers. 

Mayor David Janssen noted that he has been working with the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) on the matter. “They’ve been really good with us,” he said. “Anytime we call, they’re out here. They can usually get any parts that we need for repairs if we don’t have them on-hand.”

In terms of community involvement, City Clerk Mike Vile said they haven’t seen much improvement. “Over the summer we had an ice cream social and 10 people attended,” he said. “Later on, we had a cookout and had 15 people.” The population of Savonburg is 74.

As far as the town’s appearance, the city council has been holding town cleanups on Saturdays. “We’re progressing on that,” said Janssen. “We just got started a couple weeks ago.”

Davis asked the gathering what they thought was good about the community. Some responses included that it is quiet, laid-back, a 30-minute drive to bigger towns, the people are nice, it is near a lake, the internet service is good, and they have a good library.

Glen Wolfe talks road repairs at the Savonburg community conversation Tuesday.Photo by Sarah Haney / Iola Register

DISCUSSING improvements to the town, resident Rhonda Wolfe noted that the roads are in need of repair. “We’ve got potholes everywhere and it just tears your car up,” she said. “We haven’t been chipsealed in probably 10 years.” 

Mayor Janssen was asked if the county is responsible for fixing the roads. “I’m not sure how that works,” he replied. “I don’t know if the city contracts the county to do that.” 

Lifelong resident Glen Wolfe added that in the past, the city paid for the oil and the county would bring their equipment down and do the chipseal. “I don’t know if they still do that or not,” he said.

Davis noted that she would follow-up with the Allen County Commission to find out what the protocols are for road repairs. “Invite them to drive down the streets,” said Wolfe. “If they could at least come down and patch the potholes, it would help.”

Road and Bridges Director Jeremy Hopkins noted in a follow-up phone interview that the county is responsible for pothole patching. He encourages residents to call the Public Works department to notify them of needed repairs. “We don’t drive down all the roads in the county daily, so we don’t necessarily know there is a problem if we don’t hear from someone,” he said.

Everyone agreed that cell phone service is a big concern. “It’s spotty at best,” said Janssen. In fact, at the time of the conversation, it was noted that nobody in attendance had cell service. Several added the service isn’t any better at their homes. “We have a metal roof and siding, so we have to step out on the porch,” said Rhonda Wolfe. Residents mostly use Wi-Fi to make their calls.

Needed improvements at the city park were also discussed, focusing on the desire for running water. “If somebody rents the shelter, it would be nice to have some water so they are able to clean up after themselves,” said Janssen. Vile stated he has been inquiring about the cost of installing a water spigot. “I received a quote of about $2,000 for just the water meter,” he said. “This doesn’t include the water line.”

Additionally, Janssen said it would be nice to have something for older kids to do at the park. “The stuff we have is for younger kids,” he said. “The kids are getting older and we need something to entice them to go over there.”

Other suggestions for improvement included bringing in more businesses, hosting a health clinic or fair, providing exercise equipment, and communication. Narrowing it down to just three, the group decided the top priorities were road repairs, the electrical grid, and improved cell service.

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