By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Central Kansas Community Corrections will be getting some new wheels. Eight of them to be exact. CKCC Director Brooke Haulmark went before the Barton County Commission Tuesday morning to seek approval for the purchase of a used 2024 Ford Escape from Marmie Ford in Great Bend, and a 2016 Chrysler 200 from Luxury Imports in Hutchinson.
"The last time the vehicles were replaced in our office was over a decade ago," Haulmark said. "We did have an RFP out in April of 2024 asking to possibly trade or just purchase new vehicles, but we did not receive a response."
Haulmark said both of the vehicles average better than 30 miles per gallon on the highway, which is important for CKCC because it serves five counties in the 20th Judicial District. Haulmark's effort to purchase the vehicles locally did not go unnoticed by Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson.
"Thank you for going the extra mile in trying to keep this money as local as possible," he said. "I know one of these has to be purchased from out of town, but that's just because of supply."
CKCC will pay a total of $29,038 for the new vehicles, with credit from the trade-in of CKCC's 2013 Chevy Malibu. The other CKCC vehicle, a Pontiac G6, was sold for $16,000, which will go toward the purchase of the Escape and 200.