By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Hoisington football fans who have made the trek north to Beloit for playoff football likely know all about the deluxe port-a-potty, which are located on the visitor's side of the football stadium. Now, Barton County employees are aware, as well. Plumbing at the leased county building at 1500 Kansas Ave. in Great Bend stopped working approximately two weeks ago. County Administrator Matt Patzner said the county was able to provide air-conditioned portable bathrooms, complete with sinks and stalls.
"We finally got to the point where if we have no working toilets, we have to do something for our employees," he said. "It just worked out that someone had one of those. They happened to overhear about our situation here and said we can have one there for you tomorrow."
In the meantime, contractors are working to solve the plumbing problem. One facility still works inside the building, and the portable unit outside offers both a men's and a women's facility.
"They've gone through the process of really going down, figuring out where everything connects, where the cleanouts are, how it gets to the main," Patzner said. "It's just an old building. When you don't use the restrooms for 8-9 years, it's going to happen."
The other remaining issue at the building is the air conditioning unit. At the July 11 meeting, the commission hoped for a permanent solution by the end of that week. Instead, a generator and portable cooling unit have been plugged into the west side of the building to provide cool air. Patzner said a county road and bridge generator is being used to power the air conditioner, but the county has otherwise incurred no additional costs. Repair for the rooftop units could be completed as soon as Wednesday.
"It's in the process of getting there," said Patzner. "I think we're at the point where we at least know what's wrong with it and we've got the right people on it that really deal with this size of HVACs. They should be here today and tomorrow."
All in all, the transition to the former JC Penney building has gone well. The county offices using the building were functional as of July 12.
"We've identified what's going on here and we're in the process of fixing it," Patzner said. "Once the plumbing and HVAC get up and running, we're going to be here and be comfortable."