Author: Tracy Roberts
Impending Weather: City Offices/City Council Meeting Update for 5/19/2025
City offices will closed today, Monday, May 19, 2025 at 2:00 pm due to impending weather. For Utility Emergencies please call 620-783-1991 ext. 9.
The regular City Council meeting scheduled for today, Monday, May 19, 2025 at 6:00 pm has been cancelled due to impending weather. A Special Meeting will be scheduled for a later date and time.
The most important things to remember about bad weather:
- GET IN – If you are outside, get inside. If you’re already inside, get as far into the middle of the building as possible.
- GET DOWN – Get underground if possible. If you cannot, go to the lowest floor possible.
- COVER UP – Flying and falling debris are a storm’s number one killer. Use pillows, blankets, coats, helmets, etc to cover up and protect your head and body from flying debris.
Here are Some Ideas
- Bathrooms
Bathrooms MAY be a good shelter, provided they are not along an outside wall and have no windows. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing magically safe about getting in a bathtub with a mattress. In some cases, this might be a great shelter. However, it depends on where your bathroom is. If your bathroom has windows and is along an outside wall, it’s probably not the best shelter.
Bathrooms have proven to be adequate tornado shelters in many cases for a couple of reasons. First, bathrooms are typically small rooms with no windows in the middle of a building. Secondly, it is thought that the plumbing within the walls of a bathroom helps to add some structural strength to the room.
However, with tornadoes there are no absolutes, and you should look closely at your home when determining your shelter area. - Closets
A small interior closet might be a shelter. Again, the closet should be as deep inside the building as possible, with no outside walls, doors or windows. Be sure to close the door and cover up. - Hallways
If a hallway is your shelter area, be sure to shut all doors. Again, the goal is to create as many barriers as possible between you and the flying debris in and near a tornado. To be an effective shelter, a hallway should as be far inside the building as possible and should not have any openings to the outside (windows and doors). - Under Stairs
The space underneath a stairwell could be used as a shelter.
Needs Assessment
*THE CITY OF GALENA IS LOOKING AT LONGTERM PROJECTS THAT WILL BENEFIT THE CITY AND ITS CITIZENS FOR YEARS TO COME. WE WOULD LIKE TO GET AN IDEA AS TO WHAT OUR CITIZENS BELIEVE IS MOST NEEDED/IMPORTANT. PLEASE COMPLETE THE SHORT SURVEY BELOW AND SUBMIT TO THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE.
**PLEASE NOTE, ALL PROJECTS TAKE TIME AND MONEY. WE WILL MAKE DECISIONS BASED OFF OF COMMUNITY INPUT, DEPARTMENT INPUT AND INSIGHT FROM THE GOVERNING BODY.
Letter from the Mayor-City Clerk Elected to CCMFOA Board of Directors
March 28, 2025
Citizens of Galena,
I would like to take a moment to recognize our City Clerk, Tracy Roberts, as she has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Association of Kansas (CCMFOA). Tracy is a valuable asset to Galena and a valued citizen to Galena. Her position on the board will help provide us insight into progress across the State, new legislation that will directly impact our town and future development that can help us all. Congratulations, Tracy, and thank you for working hard on behalf of the citizens of Galena and taking pride in our great town! When you see her out and about, take a moment to congratulate her!
*Attached is the formal press release for your reading pleasure!
Sincerely,
Ashley Qualls Groves
Mayor
Letter from the Mayor- Tornado Sirens
3.27.2025
Citizens of Galena,
Since we are entering storm season in the 4-States, we thought it would be beneficial to provide some information on our various sirens that you may hear every so often in town. We also recognize that we have individuals that have recently moved to town or may only work in town and are not accustom to the few different sirens that we set off. Please read the below explanations of what Galena has and how they work:
- Galena has 7 tornado sirens placed throughout the city. (Empire & Jefferson, 5th & Chicago, Fire Dept., 11th & Dewey, 12th & Yale, 21st & Dewey, Park Hill Blvd.) Riverton also has one tornado siren.
- When are the tornado sirens tested? They are only tested during the month of March on Wednesday’s at 10am. If the weather is cloudy or stormy, the siren test is postponed until the following Wednesday. However, the State of Kansas may issue a separate siren test at any given time.
- Typically, our dispatch services set off any rural sirens, allowing cities to manage their own sirens. However, dispatch does have the ability to set them off if need be.
- During potential upcoming storm events, a trained first responder is always at the Galena Fire Department to set the tornado siren off if the correct conditions are met.
- What conditions must be met during weather events to activate the siren? The tornado sirens are activated during a radar indicated tornado for our local area of the county, or a storm spotter has reported a tornado in our area of the county (e.g. our sirens will not be activated if the storm threat is in the northern part of our county and not close to us.). The tornado siren will also be activated if the wind speed reaches 70mph or above.
- Who services our tornado sirens? Galena’s tornado sirens are monitored by a company called Blue Valley. When the sirens are tested, Blue Valley is notified and monitors the sirens output. This identifies if the sirens are working as intended or if they need serviced. If any resident notices a siren not functioning, or a siren pole damaged, they can call the Fire Department or City Hall to notify city personnel of the issue.
- Does Galena have an air raid siren? No, not officially. But the tornado or fire siren could be used if needed.
- What is a fire siren? A fire siren was the earliest way of summoning a volunteer fireman to a fire by the ringing of a bell that was either mounted atop the fire station, or in the belfry of a local church. As electricity became available, the first fire sirens were manufactured. The popularity of fire sirens took off by the 1920’s. Since the 1970’s, many communities have since deactivated their fire sirens as pagers became available for fire department use. Some sirens remain as a backup to pager systems. Galena has kept this long-standing tradition in place to honor not only the fire department community as a whole, but also to honor the memory of longtime, former Chief Bill Hall who was determined to keep this tradition alive in our community.
- When are fire sirens Used? In Galena, they are only used to alert volunteer firemen during the daylight hours, year round. Once the sun goes down, they do not deploy the use of the siren.
- How can I tell the difference between a tornado siren and a fire siren? As previously mentioned, the tornado sirens are placed throughout the City of Galena, as opposed to the fire siren, which is only at the Fire Department. While they may be initially similar in pitch, citizens can discern the difference by listening to the tones the sirens give. Traditionally, tornado sirens give off a more long standing wail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOSTEarWrqQ
- Fire sirens gives off alternating shorter tones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqGpTn4ggFI or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cYIJDlvXFk
We hope that this helps provide some clarity to the different sirens and helps you and your family better prepare for nature’s events that occur more often than we prefer. I personally ask, whenever you hear one of the sirens, say a prayer…you never know whose property or lives are at stake! And we appreciate all of our first responders that are continuously dealing with the impacts of both of the sirens mentioned above!
*P.S. I would like to thank Officer McCool for gathering the information contained in this letter. She worked hard, on her own merits, to obtain this information for the benefit of our community!
Sincerely,
Ashley Qualls Groves
Mayor
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR POOL MANAGER
Job details
Pay
$400 per week
Job type
- Part-time
- Temporary for the 2025 Summer Season
Number of openings for this position
- 1
Schedule
- Weekend availability
- Monday to Sunday
- Day shift
- Night shift
- Other
Job description
- Manage and supervise pool staff; run weekly in-service trainings.
- Signup lifeguards for first aid, CPR and lifesaving skills classes by a licensed instructor.
- Create and assist in implementation of new procedures to improve daily operations.
- Supervise the pool lifeguards, ensuring and enforcing compliance with all establish safety rules and lifeguard certification requirements.
- Certify in all required fields.
- Interview, hire and train a full staff.
- Provide proper first-aidcare for guests that struggle swimming or other first-aid interventions.
- Maintain, stock, and run day to day concessions.
- Lead first responder for any medical issues that occur.
- Train and certify in basic lifeguarding skills, first-aid, and AR/CPR procedures.
- Complete daily checklist (ensuring pumps, skimmers and drains are operating properly).
- Obtain and maintain required certifications.
- Obtain certifications to maintain position.
- Recruit Lifeguards.
- Be available for daily hours and parties planned.
- Hire an assistant manager to help with the day to day operations when not available.
For more information please call the City Clerks office at 620-783-5265 ext. 1. Applications can be found online at www.galenaks.gov. All applications can be returned to the City Clerks office located at 211 W 7th, Galena, Kansas 66739.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CEMETERY MAINTENANCE
The City of Galena, Kansas is requesting proposals for professional services to provide maintenance of cemetery grounds of Oak Hill, Old Galena, and Hillcrest cemeteries.
Qualifications
Proposals will be accepted only from qualified contractors with experience and competency in mowing and grounds maintenance. Successful bidder(s) will need to maintain a current business license with the City of Galena.
Length of Contract
Length of contract for services requested is for one year, beginning April 1, 2025, through
March 31st 2026. The contract will be paid by the city monthly, beginning May 1st, 2025 through April 1st, 2026. The City, upon request from the contractor reserves the right to extend this contract as needed based on satisfactory performance.
Nature of Services Required
Oak Hill Cemetery – Maintain cemetery grounds, including all areas within the property occupied by grave sites, future grave sites, grass roadways and the lawn area near the front entrance both inside and outside the rock wall surrounding the East and South sides of the cemetery including the road ditches. In total, this includes maintenance of approximately twenty-two and one half (22.53) acres of area used or reserved for cemetery use.
Old Galena Cemetery – Maintain cemetery grounds including all areas within the property occupied by grave sites. In total, this includes maintenance of approximately nine and one quarter (9.27) acres of area used or reserved for cemetery use including the areas outside of the rock wall next to the streets.
Hillcrest Cemetery – Maintain cemetery grounds including all areas within the property occupied by grave sites and future grave sites. In total, this includes maintenance of approximately thirteen and one third (13.39) acres of area used or reserved for cemetery use including the area outside of the wire rope fence to the south near the highway and the ditch line to the east and north where the property borders the street.
Maintenance provided by the Contractor shall include the following:
A. Mowing of all mowable areas during the growing season to maintain a grass height not to exceed three (3) inches, and not less than two and one half (2.5) inches. The typical growing season shall be defined as March 1st through October 31st.
B. Trimming around all gravestones and markers within the cemetery so that vegetation around such obstacles does not exceed a height of three (3) inches. Includes removal of any grass clippings from gravestones and markers.
C. Removing fallen limbs year-round and leaves in the fall.
D. Removing any tree or brush growth from around grave markers or headstones.
E. Removal of old floral arrangements from grave sites.
F. Removal of all trimmings from the cemetery. Trimming of trees, brush and grass may be mulched at a site within the cemetery only upon approval of the site by the City Superintendent and provided such mulch site is properly maintained.
The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, tools, and equipment to perform said cemetery maintenance.
The Contractor shall not be considered an agent or employee of the city for any purpose and shall be deemed an independent contractor. The Contractor shall be solely liable for any injury to persons, employees, property of the Contractor or property of others.
The Contractor shall maintain contractor’s liability insurance in the amount of $300,000 for all services outlined. A certificate of insurance must be submitted to the city for the term of the contract on or before April 1, 2025. The contractor must also carry workers compensation for all workers in accordance with Kansas law. Failure to submit a certificate of insurance or cancellation of said insurance without prompt replacement will be cause for immediate termination of contract.
Proposal Criteria
Proposals should include qualification and annual maintenance charge for each cemetery listed separately. The city may select up to three different contractors, assigning one cemetery to each contractor based on the proposal that will be deemed the most advantageous to the city.
Request for proposals should be sealed and directed to:
City of Galena
211 W. 7th St
Galena, KS 66739
Proposals must be received by March 14, 2025, at 12:00PM.
The City of Galena will answer any question prior to the deadline for proposals. The selection of a contractor will be based on the evaluation of the proposals. The City reserves the right to select a contractor directly from the written proposals. The award may be made to the most qualified contractor whose proposal is deemed most advantageous to the city; all factors considered. Unsuccessful contractors will be notified as soon as possible.
The city reserves the right to negotiate an agreement with the selected contractor based on fair and reasonable compensation for the scope of work and services proposed as well as the right to reject all responses deemed unqualified, unsatisfactory, or inappropriate.
CITY OF GALENA
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR
CEMETERY MAINTENANCE
Contractor Name: _____________________________________________________
Business Name: ________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________________________________
Number of Employees: __________
April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026
Oak Hill Cemetery Annual Fee: ______________________________
Old Galena Cemetery Annual Fee: ____________________________
Hillcrest Cemetery Annual Fee: ______________________________
Request for proposals should be directed to:
City of Galena
211 W 7th St
Galena, KS 66739
Proposals must be received by March 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
All questions can be directed to Superintendent Josh Reed at 620-783-1991 ext. 2
Update from the Mayor
March 3, 2025
RE: Smell in town
Greetings,
To provide an update on our ongoing efforts to pinpoint the smell in town and find resolutions to that smell, attached is a letter from KDHE.
A few things to note:
*Hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds were periodically detected at the top of the landfill in the ambient air. There was an idle truck parked in the area during the time of the observation.
*No carbon monoxide was detected in the ambient air.
*No hydrogen sulfide or volatile organic compounds were detected at a point off-site and downwind, but slight odors were observed.
After we complete the monitoring plan and KDHE gives their okay, we will provide written documentation with those plans and recommendations.
Again, I know that it may appear like we are moving at a snail’s pace, but we are actively doing what we know we can do to locate the root cause and find viable solutions. If possible, we ask that you continue to keep a record of when you notice the smell (time of day, temperature, wind direction, etc.) as it might help us with the solution. Thank you for being understanding as we continue to work toward a solution.
Sincerely,
Ashley Qualls Groves
Mayor of the City of Galena
City Offices Closed on Wednesday due to inclement weather
All City Offices will be closed Wednesday, February 19, 2025 due to inclement weather.
Solid Waste routes will be postponed until further notice. We will keep everyone updated as soon as possible.
For all utility emergencies, please call 620-783-1991 ext 9.
City Offices Closed on Tuesday due to inclement weather
All City Offices will be closed Tuesday, February 18, 2025 due to inclement weather.
Solid Waste routes for Monday and Tuesday will run as long as the weather permits.
For all utility emergencies, please call 620-783-1991 ext 9.
City Council meeting is cancelled for Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 6:00pm.