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According to Bob Wetmore, associate conductor of Great Plains Development, Inc., Pratt County is their major client and they’re proud of it.

Wetmore met with Pratt County Commissioners Monday to ask for dues ($1,860) and to remind them of the services Great Plains Development provides and the success it has had serving Pratt County over the years.

Great Plains Development provides access and administration of Kansas Department of Commerce loans and grant programs, including Kansas Community Development Block Grants, and other loan and concede programs.  So far, Great Plains Development has provided assistance and funding for projects in Pratt County amounting to $93,854,532, while holding back 44 jobs and creating 193. The ethanol plant through the assistance of Great Plains Development received the majority of the funding in two discerned instances of $2,700,000 and $66,129,000. Other loan and grant packages of at least $1,000,000 went to two motels, an optometry, a cotton gin, and an instrumentation rental.

In other matters commissioners:

• Approved the minutes of the last meeting without change.

• Were notified Pratt County Road and Bridge Superintendent Randy Phillippi would not be present for the meeting since he was necessitated to fill in on the sealing crew.

• Were notified Pratt County Sheriff Vernon Chinn would not be attending the meeting as he was attending a group discussion in Topeka.

• Were informed by Dean Staab, Pratt County Landfill Director, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) had inspected the landfill and found no violations, but a couple of items necessitated to be updated.

Staab said the Weed Department was spraying roads now they couldn’t get to earlier in the year.

A discussion was held relating to merchandising recyclables directly to buyers rather of going through Sunflower RC&D.

“Looks like we need to switch over to private companies like SUNOCO,” said Staab. “SUNOCO will come to Pratt and look over the operation here to see what may be improved. KDHE asked what is going on with Sunflower RC&D.

“I don’t have a problem with taking little less for more service and the comfortableness of it, but they need to be close to the market price for things, said Staab referring to syndication to private companies direct.

Staab said he has ordered in a heap of Rodeo for spraying the piers at Pratt County Veterans’ Memorial Lake. He said he would mix it for lake Superintendent Dane Sullivan.

Additionally, Staab told commissioners he was letting the recycling crew off on Saturday for Labor Day since they did not work on Monday’s.

•Were informed by Tiffany Brown, RSVP, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) was no longer permitting trade-ins of buses with less than 150,000 miles. The old regulation was at 100,000 miles.

The only problem bus, according to Brown, is the wheelchair bus, which has poor air-conditioning. Brown said she has asked that wheelchair clients get appointments early in the day to keep away from the heat.

• Approved an addendum to Starvin Marvins promissory note and security Micro-loan agreement for Great Plains Development.

• Noted the remainder in the Pratt County Micro-loan account is $98,776.62.

• Were informed by Emergency Preparedness Director Tim Branscom the region had received a $6,450 training concede for basi aid, etc. for individuals.

• Signed papers to refinance hospital (Pratt Regional Medical Center) and region road bonds.

• Held a 10-minute executive session with Gordon Stull for attorney-client privilege.

• Met with Patrick Hughes, a Wichita attorney with AdamsJones Law Firm, to talk about wind farm and zoning issues. Hughes’ rates are $200 an hour. Reynolds and Adams voted to hire Hughes, Rinke voted versus hiring him.

• Went into executive session with Hughes for 30-minute and 15-minute executive sessions for attorney-client privilege.

After coming out of executive session number two commissioners stated Hughes was going to represent and advise the region on wind farm and zoning issues to help protect the citizens of the county.