An unsuccessful attempt to steal metal from along the Prairie Spirit Trail route caught the Iola City Council’s eye.
Councilmen spoke Monday about the arrest last week of an Iola man, who attempted to use a cutting torch to remove scrap metal from a battery box along the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad corridor.
The attempt was unsuccessful because the man was spotted by nearby bus drivers.
The box’s location, near a taller abandoned metal tower, has the city wondering whether old rail artifacts would prove to be “attractive nuisances” to youngsters or other trail users.
They directed City Administrator Carl Slaugh to have the tower removed before the trail’s extension from Cofachique Park to the north edge of Riverside Park is complete.
Mayor Bill Shirley also pointed to other boxes and rail equipment along the trail north of Miller Road.
Councilmen also spoke with Jim Manning, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, about assisting with KDWP’s efforts to print out new brochures containing detailed information about the trail, which extends from Iola to Ottawa.
Manning hopes to print 10,000 brochures, at a cost of $3,000. He is asking various municipalities and other groups to chip in $500 apiece to defray the costs.
Manning said KDWP’s trail operations are largely self-sufficient, but rely sometimes on state general fund expenditures. One of Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposals is to remove the general fund component from KDWP’s budget, replacing it with proceeds from casinos. That is still to be decided.
In any case, the department’s austere budget prevents the agency from printing the brochures without help.
In response to questions from the council, Manning said bids have been sought for sandblasting to remove charred wood and paint from a burned bridge along the trail in Iola. The bridge caught fire in September, but remains structurally sound.
He declined to give a timetable on when the bridge would reopen.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, following a 35-minute executive session, approved the immediate termination of Lisa Cole’s employment with the Iola Police Department. No reason was given. The vote passed, 5-0-1, with members Don Becker and Beverly Franklin absent. Councilman Steve French abstained from voting.
Councilmen also promoted Chi Wiggin, an assistant cashier with the city clerk’s office, to also handle ambulance billing services for the city.
