[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6097000,"mediaKeyId","2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4","parentId",2829612,"title","City manager updates commission on water-tower delays, meter replacements and airport funding; federal funds included in project mix","audioSeconds",572,"startMs",2085000,"endMs",2657000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4&start=2085&end=2657","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4/thumbnail_2085000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6097000/Ottawa-City/Franklin-County/Kansas/City-manager-updates-commission-on-water-tower-delays-meter-replacements-and-airport-funding-federal-funds-included-in-project-mix","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097000-3e1c6cefd27ca679736387f420374bea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195478&Signature=K3eQGoC3T~9n3ahNsVwk-fedKYgtLFlbXSoA3oyno95rXLudxKIsNNUaK8pakLmR9stvl7loNwHjLQsUVRbNOzqStsbnH-ukoe5crEgp3Iv2ns-WmypuMsA6qPwCaLH~9xcKmnUW3PMdR0mbJ1a2~kTGzTojCghR3d9aM7IsoXWE84cpGOAZ7w5BIhDo26xxxkxOhFQ4eSp34J7Vkx-mRoa6dp6mQnAYWQsmhUkVVXHiwkVBibAKIWWvs5MtfW63ITdYXJPsVKFzmMOidXJPEo8OWIcPbNwfDVZ6O3WdYZ2XYquiaExLeaBeKprLNdjDDd41T4ECPcX4WnTYgal04g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Ottawa, Kansas","date","2025-01-29T00:00:00Z","article","City Manager Silcott briefed the Ottawa City Commission on Jan. 29 about active capital projects and funding status, saying several projects are underway and that federal grant money is part of the funding mix for major initiatives.

Silcott said the Proximity Park water-tower project remains delayed pending a high-pressure pump installation that should be completed by December 2025; the pump will allow the city to fill the 500,000-gallon tank at that site and improve pressure across town. He said practical project use could begin in December 2025, with final completion estimated in the first quarter of 2026. Silcott said the city is using Proximity Park sales tax proceeds and a federal base grant to finance parts of the work.

On electrical upgrades, Silcott said the residential electric meter replacement program is in progress and on schedule despite some supply-chain issues; the city expects to finish residential and commercial (three-phase) meter upgrades by the fourth quarter of 2025. He said the meter work requires back-end software integration and mapping tools to track outages and uninstalled meters.

Silcott reported the water-plant evaluation is essentially concluded and that staff should present findings within about 60 days. The Penn Oak lift station upgrade remains on schedule with completion expected within about 60 days, he said. Commission-room upgrades are delayed but a timeframe is expected around March–April 2025. He also summarized projects completed in 2024, including stormwater and intersection improvements on Mulberry and Dundee, a city-park playground upgrade, the Northeast sewer lift station and water-line replacement on Elm.

Silcott discussed federal funding tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and said the city has received tentative allotments through the office of Representative Sharice Davids for several projects, including the airport. He said federal funds in that mix are treated as over-and-above the local 10% portion of some aviation grants, not as part of the local match. A staff member present confirmed the total projected cost for a three-phase airport project is roughly $2,600,000 for all three phases combined.

Silcott invited department directors and staff to answer detailed questions and thanked a federal field representative for attending the meeting. He also announced several personnel notes including the onboarding of Drew Murphy as golf course superintendent and Captain Donovan’s acceptance into the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ottawa City Commission Meeting 01-29-25 ","oneSentenceSummary","City Manager Silcott told the commission on Jan. 29 that the Proximity Park water-tower project is delayed pending a pump installation expected by December 2025 and that multiple other capital projects are on track, with federal BIL funds included in some funding mixes.","taxTitle","Ottawa City, Franklin County, Kansas","taxId",70737,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6097005,"‘Trash talk’: Franklin County history presentation traces Ottawa’s 19th–20th century sanitation challenges",703,247000,950000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4&start=247&end=950","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4/thumbnail_247000.jpg","/articles/6097005/Ottawa-City/Franklin-County/Kansas/Trash-talk-Franklin-County-history-presentation-traces-Ottawas-19th20th-century-sanitation-challenges","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097005-ec0440071a2b02ab35a4ef90ad2aba7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195478&Signature=WytWwyTITu2iS~Rygo3pXmSo3D2TYJRJbzut-R1NS3nepzbp-Ummy3jPJUbb2EYm4T6ebJFlSfCTw4aIQiS4Wxxcjb7su7x2NicsDa3mH5WbgAK4E2B0vkysd-ffRr0mcUwoTaUijSTHOSzaXLPw3~Cfi9xt9ph2A~rjfc2ro40ujpwcm43ao0V2VW8jcLjjvF60q8IDBvZzOFSzIcIzcg82oU-QVCTaCGM0Q2VZrqt4CZ0qThpiAbpQfw6z6sB3p~con8RBIRzwvKRlRR-52GdLlHm8FqjGvdAQAg46e9FgUbMfgZGY2FPJ3WjHHbNy-zRYcMpIxlv676kppC9Z7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Jan. 29 Ottawa City Commission meeting, a presenter gave a detailed history of the city’s water supply and waste-disposal practices from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, highlighting public-health risks and the political resistance to paid trash services.

The presenter described the 1884 Sanborn map showing wells and outhouses across the city before centralized water and sewer systems. She noted discoveries such as a nearly complete mastodon skeleton found in the 800 block of Main Street and said that, before municipal services, residents relied on private wells and outhouses. By 1888, the presenter said, the city began installing water and sewer lines; however, attachment to those systems was not mandatory and outhouses remained common through World War I.

The presentation tied poor sanitation to disease: the presenter said that in 1910 nearly a quarter of typhoid cases in Franklin County were linked to Skunk Run. She outlined a sequence of makeshift dumps — at Pontiac and Cherry Streets and other riverbanks — and described repeated public complaints. A municipal dump that grew beyond its intended acreage, spontaneous dumps on private land, and the city’s difficulty establishing regulated disposal were chronic problems into the early 1900s.

The city considered an incinerator and later experimented with contracted private collectors. The presenter said an April 1912 citywide cleanup marked an early organized effort to remove refuse; later, an old quarry at North Cedar and Logan Streets was filled and converted into park and residential space. She also recounted mid-20th-century debates over a sanitary landfill, noting a 1956 ballot measure that rejected a city-provided trash service because many residents did not want to pay for the system.

The presenter concluded by connecting history to present-day concerns, saying county-level disposal and recycling efforts, conservation work and recent recycling access had improved outcomes but that questions about trash and roadway dumping still appear on county agendas.

The presentation accompanied a Kansas Day proclamation and was described by one speaker at the meeting as “trash talk.”","A historical presentation at the Jan. 29 city meeting recounted Ottawa’s early water and waste systems, outbreaks linked to Skunk Run, improvised dump sites, and the evolution to a sanitary landfill and county transfer station.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6097010,"Ottawa City Commission issues proclamations for Kansas Day, Black History Month and Human Trafficking Awareness; honors local officer",1334,642000,1976000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4&start=642&end=1976","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4/thumbnail_642000.jpg","/articles/6097010/Ottawa-City/Franklin-County/Kansas/Ottawa-City-Commission-issues-proclamations-for-Kansas-Day-Black-History-Month-and-Human-Trafficking-Awareness-honors-local-officer","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097010-6fb40416bca8707b96b5f493e0907ab2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195478&Signature=kucwlaTukwc~bKJvtwEx6DCeRKpUZD4~Y3n8wK6pSJLUllRrdgWH1mCFJhgCWHzfKcvrmxwVybern2mDfagoCw56aZdLA8XjFfRdn4TWUxAEzOsbOOFeKEpZrxouFMAZNKkJl8rKQIqKNd4BuGPJ9m6GAMtL1q3dRUFFRl~0N2kMNIe027W2z6pVJG626-ZubHrdV7EZPlbux0eFut9eRrnHnizkNFhcNk6r-a2D8KokCCgSTh0NB5lqFhDUqH4eH3ZTt3EuAAXlbn0lx8x4USeaYveXXybTEnSjc3rb-mWdZxrUAhdVoDBwowg2B2iIE1CP2MaWuzh2EF4m6B3kuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ottawa City Commission on Wednesday, Jan. 29, proclaimed Jan. 29, 2025, as Kansas Day, February 2025 as Black History Month and January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and recognized Master Police Officer Larry B. Alexander with the Richard Lemunyan Hall of Fame Award for his fundraising and advocacy on behalf of Special Olympics.

The proclamations were read during the meeting and accepted by representatives or designees. Commissioner Koehler read the Kansas Day proclamation, which noted that 2025 marks the 164th anniversary of Kansas’ admission to the Union in 1861 and described early local public-health and sanitation challenges. Erin Christopher, identified in the meeting as a student at Ottawa University and president of the Black Student Union, accepted the Black History Month proclamation and said the month “is a call to action for unity, education, and justice,” adding the student group expects to publicize events planned on campus.

Margo Self, director of community services at the Willow Domestic Violence Center, accepted the human-trafficking proclamation via Zoom and thanked the commission for the recognition and the opportunity to highlight the center’s work, including shelter, court advocacy and case management. The human-trafficking proclamation referenced Kansas statutes that define commercial sexual exploitation of children and urged community collaboration on prevention and survivor-informed responses.

The commission also recognized Master Police Officer Larry B. Alexander for his long service raising funds for Special Olympics through events including the Polar Plunge, Tip-a-Cop and the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Master Police Officer Larry B. Alexander said he will travel to Athens and then carry the torch through Italy ahead of the 2025 World Winter Games and described the upcoming international events and additional fundraising activities he will participate in while abroad.

No formal votes were required to issue the proclamations or to present the recognition.

The meetings’ ceremonial items preceded a staff report and the formal consent agenda.","At its Jan. 29 meeting, the Ottawa City Commission issued three proclamations — marking Kansas Day, Black History Month and Human Trafficking Awareness Month — and recognized Master Police Officer Larry B. Alexander for work with Special Olympics.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6096996,"Ottawa City Commission unanimously approves consent agenda including minutes and financial reports",25,2044000,2069000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4&start=2044&end=2069","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2829612-be49c34afd7eee9ad37f7559b581edd4/thumbnail_2044000.jpg","/articles/6096996/Ottawa-City/Franklin-County/Kansas/Ottawa-City-Commission-unanimously-approves-consent-agenda-including-minutes-and-financial-reports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096996-15fd18b813ea9e41dee90cc32d62810b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195478&Signature=Y3bwBhiuUm6ELTvO~8vvTGE1JDTZV680V1KT6TyrtaxMOgg2Lzpvc7bLmMSvQl4pbNKtJGnpQzjRa1EO4vKOoMtaNrFLENK5jevZMiihbEcigTb58zOuuEsaZf320RjszAyUQWO5YJlP-ziArdPmxtVazDlfpHPUl-SwJx1Ye69xr4WrlPIYOJTEAYpguBEE7QQ5pV2RxS5nOc7eiZSxTrtd1~QHN4ILwQscVIxE2i38wzLsF2FBLdjyG13SM8-8vA6ITtunKWuIKEPKZC36q3Ll-slbj3NToABbpu4KgTjlkbJwxcVWkHYP5O41A0jNkrJLRTI~F43-nEgTOzMifw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ottawa City Commission voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda at its Jan. 29 meeting. The consent package included the Jan. 15, 2025, meeting minutes; the December 2024 financial report; outside-agency reports for December 2024; and the agenda for the current meeting.

A commissioner moved approval, a second was recorded and the mayor called for the vote. The mayor called for the ayes and the chair declared the motion carried after no opposition was voiced.

No recorded roll-call vote with individual member tallies was provided in the transcript beyond the verbal “aye” response; the meeting record states the motion carried.","The City Commission unanimously approved the consent agenda at its Jan. 29 meeting, adopting the minutes from Jan. 15, the December 2024 financial report, outside agency reports for December 2024, and the agenda approval.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City manager updates commission on water-tower delays, meter replacements and airport funding; federal funds included in project mix

‘Trash talk’: Franklin County history presentation traces Ottawa’s 19th–20th century sanitation challenges

Ottawa City Commission issues proclamations for Kansas Day, Black History Month and Human Trafficking Awareness; honors local officer

Ottawa City Commission unanimously approves consent agenda including minutes and financial reports