Elk Konnected

[Jo McDonald]

You ornery kid !!!1

Me No Talk to Buffalo Butt !!!

[Joanna]

Why, Thank You, Jo.  That's very nice! There aren't many bugs I consider cute, but I'll accept it as a compliment.  Much better than a buffalo butt though, no doubt there.  I suppose it's not so bad to talk to them, but you have to hope the answer comes out the other end!

Now we'd better be good or Ms. Monitor will have to get all over us 'cause I think I helped lead things off topic a while back somewhere.

[L Hendricks]

Wow - haven't been on for a few days and interested to see what has been posted - thank you Tobina for your positive comments and Rudy for your frankness.  I personally think the unique aspect of the Elk Konnected process is the fact it is "grassroots" meaning coming from the citizens, not a govt entity.  I am hopeful that from the Vision retreat some creative ways will come forward to deal with some of these issues.  Teresa - you are right on about the city council having a tough job - it is a lot easier to sit on the outside and say what needs to be done then get in there and do something - we have some many regs already constricting us - I think the key is "community involvement and citizen engagement".  Joanna is right that the Lions club has made strides to cleaning up some property.  There is also a group of members from ea of the 5 city councils and the county govt working together to help with the abandoned houses, etc.  The Elk Co Comm and Ed Fdn is also working on a project to help people paint their houses.  Again the key is Citizen engagement - which I would like to see getting our school kids out to help - we have a lot of energy out there and if we and the kids can get together - we can turn this community around... Keep it positive....

[indygal]

I like Tobina's approach of "neighbor helping neighbor"...with their consent, of course. Many times people accumulate stuff because it's just too difficult (and sometimes expensive) to haul away, or they think "Oh, I'll use that for something later," etc. Terrell and I are packrats/scavengers too, but we do try to keep our "mess" under wraps. But there are some folks, especially the elderly or incapacitated, who simply don't have the energy or will to clean up the mess. It's probably as depressing to them as it is to everyone else. It's a mountain-high chore that is daunting, which is why it rarely gets done.

I agree that run-down homes and yard accumulation aren't the most attractive "welcome to the community" sights, but I don't think anyone visiting or passing through judges the whole town based on a few "bad apples." The two places that bothered me most on our first visit to Howard were the bank building and the old school -- neither of them on the highway through town. And as bad as they are, I still find the town to be one of the finest places in Kansas to call home....because of the PEOPLE.

Many kudos to the Howard Lions Club and any other group that works to improve the quality of life in Elk County. Once we get settled in as full-time residents, I intend to get involved in some volunteer activities, especially those that make life more pleasant for everyone. Anyone who knows me knows I"m not afraid of a little hard work...especially when the end result is so gratifying.

If the worst we can say about our community is that it's got some junky places, then we're blessed. Junk is a lot easier to handle than dope dealers, turf wars, etc. And I certainly DON'T want to ever live anywhere that I have to get someone else's approval for my property improvements.

[Jody]

Do you have clean up week and offer help to remove junk from the yards?

[Mom70x7]

Howard has clean-up weekends twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall.

For the last two events, people could call the city offices and say they had stuff to dispose of.
The Howard Area Lions Club helped the city workers and they picked up and disposed of people's stuff,
sometimes going into the houses and hauling it out for them.

[Tobina+1]

What about a large item removal day?  Refridges, sinks, etc that the trash pickup usually doesn't take?  When I lived in KC, they had a day like that once a year (each part of town had it once every 2 years), and it was funny to watch people drive around neighborhoods and take what they wanted from curbs before the trash people came!  Almost like a free garage sale, but large items!

[Mom70x7]

I know the Lions picked up at least one refrigerator or freezer this last go-around.
It was in someone's basement, and they talked about the difficulty getting it up the stairs.

So they do take large items, but they were from a list from the city office.

[Judy Harder]

Longton too has a pick up day or two,............I know there is one in the spring
that goes along with the Apprieciation Day that the school kids and their sponsors
donate to the town.

If I had to pick out a favorite time of year, it is when the school kids from preschool to senior  class and any and
all adults who want to help....paint and fix up the town and cemetary and they go to Oak Valley and Elk City, too.

I do admit we are very lax when it comes to keeping streets and sidewalks swept off and there are a few places here that
the city is trying to get fixed up or condemned.........but, as with a few other problem this is just another one that
takes time and will be fixed in time.

A few times a year they park a huge dumpster up on main street and any who can bring all their heavy duty trash up there
and if you just call city hall, they will send someone to help you. (most of the time for free)

One of the reasons I love living here  is that we can holler for help and we will get it some way and any who do help, don't mind at
all........isn't that nice.....!! and yes we have our pills, but that is just it, It (or they) are our pills and we
will deal with them when it is time.

If you don't like the looks of something just keep on driving by and ignore  it.  We all would get along better if that
happened.

God bless America (and us)

[Diane Amberg]

We have a city truck that will come pick up anything you can get to the curb. We just call the city and make arrangements. We've had a very nice change in how our trash is handled. The city provided big wheeled lidded cans that a "one man truck" picks up at the curb twice a week. The driver doesn't even have to step out of the truck. There is a clever grabber arm that encircles the can and flips the contents into the truck. I was skepitical at first but it has worked out very well. Isn't it nice when kids and adults come together to clean up and paint?