Author: Tracy Roberts

The City of Galena will hold a public hearing on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 6:00 pm, in the Galena City Council Chamber located at 211 W 7^th St. Galena, Ks for the purpose of considering an application to be submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for Small Cities Community Development Block Grant funds under the Community Improvement category. A specific project application to be discussed is purchase of a Fire Truck in an area generally bounded by Cherokee County which will consist of fire suppression activities.  The estimated project cost is $700,000.00 with the grant request for $525,000.00 of the project cost.  Other project proposals introduced at the hearing will be considered.  Oral and written comments will be recorded and become a part of the City of Galena CDBG Citizen Participation Plan.

Reasonable accommodations will be made available to persons with disabilities.  Requests should be submitted to the City Clerk’s office located at Galena City Hall 211 W 7^th St, Galena, Ks 66739 by 4:00 pm Friday, August 15, 2025.

This morning at approximately 9:00 AM, a representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) contacted the City to provide an update regarding the ongoing situation at the C&D Landfill. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted air quality testing at five different locations, both on and off the landfill site. The results of this monitoring indicate that there are no levels of concern detected by the EPA. The only readings recorded were on the landfill itself, and these levels were low and deemed not concerning at this time. We anticipate a more comprehensive report will be released later this week.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our firefighters, who have worked tirelessly and selflessly over the past two nights. Their dedication, along with the efforts of the landfill operators, has been instrumental in managing the fire effectively. We hope they are able to rest soon and that the fire does not start up again. Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time.

At 8:52 PM on August 1, 2025, a fire was reported at the Construction and Demolition (C&D) landfill site. Residents in the vicinity may observe smoke, which could drift into nearby roadways.

Fire watch operations are currently underway, with local crews actively monitoring and managing the situation to ensure public safety.

We urge drivers to exercise caution and, if possible, avoid the area. Crews are on-site and diligently working to address the situation.

We will provide updates as they become available.

We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we prioritize safety during this incident. 

We are collaborating with the Kansas Department of Environmental Services to determine the appropriate next steps.

It is important to note that fires at construction and demolition landfills can release hazardous materials, including asbestos and other toxins, which may impact air quality and pose health risks. We encourage residents to stay informed about air quality through reliable resources and to take necessary precautions to protect themselves and others from smoke exposure. Please avoid the area until further notice.

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.