County Seeks To Prevent Rock Thefts

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Grant County Road and Bridge Department recently had more than $2,000 worth of half-inch rock stolen from the county stockpile, and Supervisor Shaun Minks wants to put an end to it.

Minks told the county commission about the theft June 3 and said he knows who committed the theft, but did not publicly name the perpetrator.

“They grabbed a skid steer and they went around and stuck it in their yard until somebody called me” Minks said. “It’s happening way too much. Everyone is stealing the half-inch rock, it’s 55-60 dollars a ton, it’s expensive.”

Minks is going to put up a makeshift fence around it, padlock it and put some signs up.

Minks plans to send the perpetrator a bill. They left their skid steer, but eventually retrieved it, and Sheriff James Biddle said if they had done a case on it, they could have held the skid steer until court.

Minks allows people to come to the yard for sand, because sand is hauled in from Lakin and the county is not charged for it.

“Everyone comes for sand, and they go and get the half-inch rock on purpose,” Minks said. “I’m shutting them off.”

Commissioner Mark McGaughey said there definitely needs to be signage, at least.

The person who stole the rocks believed it was for anybody’s use. It is not.

“That stuff isn’t for public consumption, it’s for county use only,” said Commissioner John Martin. “Right now, we’re just gonna put some signs up that say 'County Property, Not for Public Use'.”

McGaughey said it wasn’t somebody with a couple buckets who took a few rocks, they brought a skid steer and there’s a very large amount missing.

“People are taking it, they know they’re taking it, they know it’s not theirs, and they shouldn’t be doing it,” Martin added.

In other business:

•County Treasurer Terri Trotman said her office will be closed the second Wednesday of each month from 10-10:30 a.m., so she and her staff can be a part of a state-mandated conference call.

•County Commissioners amended Resolution 25-05 appointing Cynthia Wellbrock as County Appraiser for a four-year term instead of one year, as previously approved.

•Health Department Director Denise James said 310 patients went to the clinic in May, and they are hosting a phlebotomy student from Pratt Community College for clinical rotation. The health department is continuing to test and screen for measles and had one case of the measles last month – an infant who had not yet been vaccinated - in the far eastern part of Grant County who was exposed in Finney County.

“They received the IV treatments,” James said.

James reported 244 clients through the WIC program and recently completed the Shoes for Shots program through the Sunflower Health Plan. They will soon do Backpacks for School for children ages 5-18 who are on Sunflower.

•EMS Director Jeff Baier said they ran 15 calls in May, and three more students dropped the EMS class that began in January, leaving four students that will test at the end of this month. The students who dropped out are responsible for paying back the grant to the state.

Baier added that in addition to reimbursing the state, students will receive a bill from Grant County for the $300 cost of the books.