I will call to order the Ottawa City
Commission meeting for Wednesday, June
3rd, 2026. May I have roll call, please?
>> Mayor Clayton.
>> Present.
>> Mayor pro tem Crawley.
>> Present.
>> Commissioner Allen.
>> Present.
>> Commissioner Skidmore.
>> Present.
>> And Commissioner Van Laeden.
>> Present.
>> We are all present and accounted for.
Um, want to welcome everyone here in the
audience and out in the hallway, as well
as those watching online. We'll do the
Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the
invocation by Commissioner Skidmore.
» I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America,
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.
>> Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we give you thanks for
this gathering. We thank you for this
beautiful city hall you've given to us.
And Lord, for this beautiful city, as
well. We think of all the city employees
and the staff. We're just thankful from
top to bottom for every single one of
them, and just ask for you to bless them
and their families each and every day.
And Lord, as we look over the agenda
today and the and items on this, we just
ask for your direction and guidance as
we make these decisions to bring honor
and glory to you. All these things we
pray in Christ's name. Amen.
>> Amen.
» Thank you, Commissioner Skidmore.
That'll take us to item six, public
comments.
>> We have 12 registered.
Perfect. Our first one is Susan Hughes.
» Welcome, Susan. Please state your name
and where you live. Thank you.
>> Uh, I'm Susan Hughes. I live at 1201
South Ash.
Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners.
I know this is a very important, big
decision, what to do about the state of
center.
Um,
a wise man takes counsel from many wise
people. A lot of these people that are
opposing this data center
are intelligent, well-informed,
well-educated on this issue. So, it's
wise to listen to them.
One thing is really a problem is it
seems like we're not being told what's
going on. There's no transparency.
I know the city spent a lot of money on
proximity park, and then nobody wanted
it.
So, some data center comes in and offers
you some money and you grab it.
At the time, I know they were told said
it they were going to use solar panels
to power it.
And then the deal fell through, and now
this group is going to use
uh diesel engines.
We're jumping full steam ahead into
this, and they're going to create steam.
They're going to use 5 million gallons
of water a day to create steam.
We don't have that kind of water.
We We can't use that.
We don't have regulations to zone this,
to regulate the noise,
the um
the chemicals that are being released
from this, how much water they're using.
We really need to take some time, create
a moratorium. Sedgwick County did
because they need to rewrite their
regulations. We do not have adequate
regulations for a project of this size.
JF
RFK Jr. said it these data centers have
a horrendous risk to human life.
This is a serious matter. We need to
really give it some serious thought. I
don't know how far you're in the
process. I don't care if you lose
whatever money they gave you.
I think we need to save our environment.
We need to save our community. We need
to preserve our water. We need to quit
poisoning people downstream with it. And
the noise and vibrations, there's just
too many serious things. We just really
need to slow down,
take some time, do some study, go visit
some of these people that already have
them.
Look at some of the regulations that
some of other cities are writing up.
What do we need to do to protect your
people?
Don't protect the company that's doing
it. Don't protect the lobbyist. Protect
us that voted you in.
You are our voice. If this is a
democracy, we could vote today and it
would be down. But we're not a
democracy.
We're a constitutional republic.
So, we have to have you be our voice and
take our best interest at heart. Nobody
else's, just ours. Thank you.
» Rebecca Schmoe.
» Thank you. Um, first and foremost, I
want to say thank you to the commission
and to uh Mayor Clayton.
You guys are here because you love our
community and I appreciate each and
every one of you.
I am also here because I am your
constituents, um, living at 1526 South
Cedar
and I am opposed to the data center.
That being said, the real reason I'm
here is because these are our shared
constituents
and in order for me to share their voice
and their values whenever I'm in Topeka
and having these same conversations at
the state level,
I have to know what their voice is.
So, thank you guys for taking the
opportunity to listen to our
constituents so that I can also share
their values. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Rebecca.
» We have Rachel Rhodes.
» My name is Rachel Rhodes. I live at 3267
Kingman Road with my husband and seven
children.
Uh we are 2 mi away from Proximity Park
and um
I am not necessarily opposed to building
an industrial park there. I actually
kind of like the idea of my husband
having a 2-minute commute versus a
45-minute commute, but um I have real
concerns with using the area as a data center. Um one of the issues that I
see is um I don't see it as a being a
real source of jobs for Ottawans. Um
I've heard 30 jobs and I don't know
anybody
that um
has that type of job that's capable of
running a data center or a natural gas
energy plant. Um
and I'm not here to complain because
it's ugly and I don't want it in my
neighborhood. Um I know a lot of people
are opposed to these type of things
because they just don't want to look at
them and that is not the case for me.
Sorry, I'm nervous. I don't talk to
adults, I talk to children.
Um
Uh my main concern is the water usage um
that I've heard that these data centers
use. Um
So, I took what our household uses and
it is a large household
um and divided that by what I hear data
centers use and it comes up to something
like 11,000 the usage equal to 11,000
homes.
And my question is where does
where are we going to get that type of
water? You guys have seen the Meramec
every July how low it gets. Where
where's that water going to come from
and how is it going to be disposed of?
What what type of um
erosion is that going to cause in in the
riverbed? Um dumping that much back into
the river daily. I'm assuming if it
comes in daily, it's going out daily.
Um and what type of contaminants is that
going to um dump into the ecosystem
downstream? Um So, these are questions
that I feel like need to be answered
before
um we can
um be happy with proceeding with this
type or any type of um industry
industrial um business that wants to
come to Proximity Park. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Rachel.
» Roxanne Mettenberg
» Hello, my name is Roxanne Mettenberg. I
live in the county on Nevada Road, uh
zip code 66078.
And what I want to say to you is, um
when I was 20 years old, I was given
some advice from an employer.
He said to me, "The only people who
don't make mistakes are in the
graveyard."
The important thing is to own your
mistake
and correct it as quickly as possible.
That advice has served me well for 60
years.
Late in 2024, I think most of us had
little notion of economic and
environmental environmental implications
surrounding
hyperscale data center construction and
operation.
That label data center at that time did
not bring up visions of massive
resource-sucking industrial enterprises.
We also did not have federal or state
legislation that incentivized this kind
of build-out.
So, it is not surprising that a proposal
in late 2024 with promises of big
revenues to a community would fail to
raise false flags or or red flags.
But now in 2026, the reality on the
ground is quite different
than any of us may have perceived in
2024.
The resource utilization around energy
and water is staggering.
Kansas is a state that is prone to
drought, some lasting several years. I
have lived through them.
That is the case. Water has and is
historic has historically and is
one of our greatest
most fragile resources.
The energy demand is likewise
overwhelming.
Even if electricity is generated by the
data center AKA behind the meter,
hyperscale facilities will inevitably
drive up electrical rates as they
compete for natural gas that is subject
to the laws of supply and demand on the
commodity market.
And itself, natural gas, is a finite
resource.
The economic benefits and employment
benefits of data centers are also
elusive.
Fortunately, due to the extensions
requested by Lightfield, you all have
the opportunity to reevaluate this
project more thoroughly from sources
independent from these developers.
I ask all of you to read this
comprehensive analysis
from University of Michigan Department
of Science, Technology, and Public
Policy.
This report documents the true costs and
limited benefits surrounding this
nationwide gold rush to hyperscale
data center activity.
Both the state and Everett, Kansas, and
this city are stumbling into every
mistake
itemized in this report.
So, we ask you to pause
this effort, engage the public, and put
in place very specific zoning
ordinances targeted to the negative
aspects of data center development
before you continue to pursue this
endeavor. We also ask that you eliminate
>> Sorry.
>> the tax incentive financial incentive as
per recommendations.
>> Thank you, Roxanne.
» Jim Wonderly.
>> Thank you.
» I didn't prepare a speech or anything,
but uh
in my previous life I was a mechanical
engineer and I know these systems can be
put together with a very minimal water
consumption,
relative minimal,
but the demand will have to be on you
all to make sure the specs are there to
reduce water consumption.
They can put in
closed-loop systems on the cooling,
which is probably what's going to
consume most of the water,
and if that's not a closed water tower
system, the the demands are going to be
high, and that the your developer that
you're dealing with is not going to want
to do that.
Because it's a lot more expensive than
the conventional cooling system for
these computers.
So, you guys are going to have to put
the feet to the fire to make sure they
do what's
best for us.
The other part of it is the noise, and
the noise levels can be horrendous.
And same thing, noise can be attenuated
based on building construction, but they
have to put the technology into that construction in
order to keep the noise contained.
Cuz within a mile, it's going to be
unbearable.
And 5 mi it's going to be heard,
but it can be avoided.
So, I ask you to again, as previous
speakers have said, stop, pause, make
sure you get a
engineer on board before you even sign
the agreement to see what means you can
go to the extreme to save water and to
avoid noise. That's all I have. Thank
you.
>> Thank you, Jim.
» Jan Coons?
Hello, commissioners. My name is Jan
Coons. I live at 3442 Rock Creek Road in
Ottawa.
I respectfully ask that you place a
pause on allowing Lightfield Energy or
any data center project to move forward
in our community until additional
research, public input, and careful
evaluation can take place.
Please listen to the concerns of the
many local residents who call Ottawa and
Franklin County home.
We are deeply concerned about the
enormous energy demands, strain on
infrastructure, environmental impacts,
noise pollution, significant water
consumption, and the gradual loss of the
rural character that makes our community
so special.
Once a project of this scale is
approved, the impacts can be permanent.
We are simply asking you to pause, fully
evaluate the risks, and protect the
people, land, and resources that have
sustained this community long before
outside corporations arrived with
promises of economic development.
More than 700 Franklin County residents
have signed a petition opposing data
centers in our county in 1 week.
Their voices deserve to be heard and
carefully considered.
We have confidence that you will do what
is best for Ottawa and future
generations by thoughtfully
reconsidering this proposal before
moving forward. Thank you for your time,
your service, and your commitment to our
community.
>> Thank you, Jan.
» Chris Maze.
I live here in Ottawa.
On Locust.
And um in the past I've talked about
much of what has been talked to already,
but I kind of wanted to hit home a
little harder this time and speak to the
codes that you already have, like
14-101, which addresses stormwater
pollution.
Its purpose is preventing the discharge
of contaminated stormwater runoff and
illicit discharges within the city. It
goes on to say that this also applies to
pollution the water of the United
States.
It sets a precedent that both it and the
city can be held accountable to. It goes
on to say that this applies to the
improper discharge
of Sorry, I lost my place.
Wastewater, petroleum products.
Sorry.
Uh petroleum products, cleaning
products, hazardous waste.
Um the code speaks to the termination of
utility services even for this
pollution.
Um after notices of violation, fines,
orders of abatement. It says city
representatives can enter facilities, um
and it's a lot It's unlawful to try to
stop them.
I ask at the very least that you make
sure you apply those same standards that
may apply to stormwater. I'm not sure if
it directly applies to the data center
or not, but a public statement saying
that all of that will be
applied to the data center as well would
go a long way for me.
Um
but we also I mean you were also told
about that University of Michigan
report. Um and it says that tax breaks
for data centers do not deliver the
promised benefits such as high-paying
jobs. They can reduce tax revenues. They
shift burdens on the communities.
Um it says their massive energy demands
are prolonging the operation of fossil
fuel plants and undermining green energy
goals. It advises the mitigation of data
centers environmental impacts with
substantial or sustainability goals,
laws like the German Energy Efficiency
Act, requirements for green energy use,
uh transparency through mandatory
reporting.
But I also ask you to just reconsider
this project. I don't think it's fitting
the values of this city. I think that
would be much better applied proximity
park to
uh housing development,
to small business development. Those are
things that I think anybody in this
community would applaud you for, love
you for.
Uh and this is a very controversial
thing that's seeing a lot of opposition.
The more people know about it, the more
word gets out, the more opposition I'm
seeing even. It's surprising me. I mean,
this community's working together across
party lines in ways that I never thought
I'd see.
So, it's been remarkable, it really has.
So, and if you don't think that
water pollution really applies to us,
that's just not a real thing. I mean,
there's reports by KDHE that will list
pollutants that are already in the
water. Now, I will grant you, not trying
to lie to you here, that some of those
can be naturally occurring, but they
also cite potential industrial causes as
well.
So, it's not like it doesn't happen, it
does happen, and it also doesn't get
abated.
It just continues.
I mean, do we all want to go to going to
the store to buy all our water and not
drink out of the faucet? Cuz if this
goes in, that's the first thing I'm
going to do. I'm not going to trust the
tap anymore.
Thank you for your time. I think my
time's up.
>> Thank you, Chris.
» Michael Lewis.
» My name is Michael Lewis, Ottawa
resident 433 South Poplar.
Thank you, Mayor, Commissioners,
everyone in attendance, those watching.
Last meeting, you approved an ordinance
pertaining to dog control.
Section two of that ordinance read, "To
protect protect and promote the public
health, safety, and general welfare of
the citizens of the city of Ottawa."
Chronic bronchitis and emphysema,
heart disease, heart attacks, strokes,
asthma,
neurological effects,
cancer,
premature birth, low birth rate.
Those are just some of the increased
health risks associated with a natural
gas power plant.
And yet, air pollution is only one part
of the conversation.
We are being asked, well, rather told,
to accept the water demands of a massive
data center,
the health and environmental impacts
that come with it, and the uncertainty
of what these combined burdens will mean
for our community in the years ahead.
When the health of our families, the
quality of our air,
the security of our water are all on the
line,
caution is not obstruction, it's a
responsibility.
When is the last time you've seen this
room filled week after week after week?
Just look around. This is not politics,
it is community.
I urge this body simply to do what you
are supposed to do in your role every
day,
highlighted by section two of our new
dog ordinance,
protect and promote the public health,
safety, and general welfare
of the citizens of the city of Ottawa.
Thank you.
>> Thank you, Michael.
Rich Colson.
» Good evening. Rich Colson, 1610
Bluestem, Ottawa.
Um at the beginning of this meeting, we
all stood and we pledged allegiance to
the Republic. A republic is defined as a
form of government in which the power
belongs to a body of citizens entitled
to vote and is exercised by the leaders
and representatives of those people. You
are not
representing these people.
I think a recent Gallup poll
indicated that 71% of US citizens oppose
data centers.
This community, I think, is a pretty
good representation of the American
public as a whole.
So, I think you could probably
extrapolate that around 70% of the
Ottawa citizens would be against this.
But, instead, this project was initiated
and advanced in secret, behind closed
doors, with no public input. That is a
violation of the trust we have given you
by voting for you, and a violation of
your responsibility and duty of the
office that you hold.
Everyone has stood up here and has told
you of the the water pollution, air
pollution, all of the negative impacts
that this has on the community. My point
is that you have done wrong by the
citizens of Ottawa by permit by by
perpetuating this by bringing this up by
even broaching the subject without some
sort of a ballot or at least initial
input from the citizens of Ottawa. You
did none of that. You sat behind closed
doors and you voted for this. That is
not okay.
And it will be remembered come voting
time. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Eric.
» Sean Torres
» All right.
Hello. My name is Sean Xavier Torres. I
can go, right?
>> Good. Okay.
>> Name Sean Xavier Torres. I've been a
resident of Ottawa since 6th grade. I've
been working at KOFAB since I was 15
years old and I own my own house in
town.
Um I haven't been able to hear too much
of everyone what everyone's been saying,
so I'm not sure if anybody's talked
about actually drafting an ordinance to
uh redo the regulations on what a data
center is and actually defining what a
data center is.
>> Chris, can you pull the mic down? Uh
sorry, Sean.
>> Yeah, no, you're fine. Is that better?
>> That's Thank you.
>> All right.
>> Good deal. Uh so, I had a whole draft
ordinance that I sent all the uh city
commissioners via email a few days ago
um to look at and look over and see if
you guys can't make that work and turn
it into an ordinance.
But uh I did have it here to submit to
you all if you wanted to see the
paperwork uh for yourselves. Actually,
I'd like to submit it for uh public
record. I think it is, right? Good deal.
Uh anyway, uh it's a whole four-section
deal here talking about amending the
local zoning regulations to define,
categorize, and regulate data centers
based on the infrastructure demand and
operational scale.
I could go through all of this, but I'm
not. I'm just going to go talk about the
definitions that it talks about here
because I think that's really key in
regulating data centers.
Uh first of which is enterprise data
centers. These are localized facilities
designed, constructed, and operated
primarily for the internal data
processing and storage needs of a single
primary organization.
So, like if Microsoft were to move to
town and build their own data center.
Uh the next one's colocation, and this
is a a facility designed to provide
services to other smaller enterprises.
And then we have the ones that we're
talking about now, which are hyperscale
or AI, which uh you can read through
this and figure out all the uh specifics
here, but it says things like a total
cumulative electrical power demand
exceeding 50 MW, continuous power
consumption design rates exceeding
50,000 gallons per day, which I know has
recently been resolved. Uh the inclusion
of onsite dedicated electrical
substations or high voltage transmission
line upgrades, and aggregated backup
generation capacity utilizing more than
20 industrial diesel generators, and a
whole list of other things that talks
about here as to defining the
regulations and all the stuff here. I
don't really want to go through it all
in a public meeting setting, but like I
said, I will submit it to you all for
public record.
That's all I had today.
>> Thank you, Sean.
>> Thank you.
so much.
Okay, Scott Yergens.
» You You guys are pretty patient.
I'm Scott Yergens, 3332
Rock Creek Road.
My dad was a mayor. I think I told Zach
this
twice
on the city council then mayor two term.
Mexico, Missouri, a town about
3/4 the size of this town.
When I was about 12, I asked my dad why
people voted for him.
And I did been 13 and he said,
"I thought it was the black people." But
my dad, I'm pretty old, so he might have
said colored people. I don't remember.
And I asked him why and he said,
"I'll show you after dinner." So he came
home from his store. He owned a store in
Mexico.
And um
he said, "Let after dinner." He said,
"Let's get in the car and
uh
so he drove us to where it was a
segregated
community.
And he said, "After when we got there,
my brother said, 'Roll down your window
and tell me what you see and smell.'"
So it was kind of shacks with lights
penetrating through these vertical
slats.
And I asked my dad like, "What is that?"
And he said, "These people have
newspapers for insulation."
And he said, "What do you smell?" And I
said said,
"You're right." And he daddy said,
"You mean piss?" And I said, "Yeah,
that's what I smell."
And I asked him why and he said,
"There's no These people have
outhouses."
And they um
there's one guy
um Mr. Morris who owns most of this
these black houses.
And he said
these houses are grandfathered in
to the zoning code and it's a
I can't remember what my father said, a
competition between law
and what's right.
And um
So, and he said this is what results.
So,
it's an analogy. Proximity Park,
I think it should be zoned before this
Lightview comes here or any similar
entity.
The zoning
helps us prevent
what my dad showed me in Mexico,
Missouri when I was 12 or 13.
It's a city that smells like piss.
So, I appreciate your time. Thank you
very much.
>> Thank you.
» Brooke Sheets
I'm actually not Brooke Sheets. I'm
reading on her behalf, but before you
start the timer, I just want to make
sure the commissioners are aware that
the live stream is not working. I hope
that means we are recording, but just
not streaming.
>> Cuz we have some frustrated people who
thought they were going to be able to
watch it, but cannot watch it. So,
Okay, so I'm reading on behalf of um
Brooke Sheets. Um let me find my notes
for her. She lives at 1409 South Elm.
She's unable to be here tonight due to a
family emergency.
We all share the same air, the same
water source, and the same soil.
When hearing that a power plant would be
built directly outside our city to
accommodate a data center near homes
with farmland, I was concerned that the
zoning was not appropriate for this
use case or that surrounding areas would
be can affected by eminent domain.
But now I have even more concern in the
area of light pollution, air pollution,
and general disruptions to our health.
There are many third-party studies
pertaining to the impacts of data
centers.
Maybe you've heard of Data Center Alley
in Virginia.
It's been studied extensive extensively,
and these studies have shown many amp
impacts to the people of Virginia per a
subject matter expert
on the Virginia Data Center Belt.
Additionally, many groups have been
working to inform the public of the
risks associated with low-frequency
noise or LFN.
exposure has been associated with
negative physical and mental health
effects to children,
the elderly, and those who live within a
2.5-mile radius of constant long-term
exposure.
Anthropogenic noise, and if you don't
know what that multisyllabic word means,
it refers to unwanted excessive sound
generated by human activities such as
transportation, industrial processes,
and construction that negatively affect
human health and the environment.
This type of noise is distinct from
natural sounds, and it can disrupt
ecosystems and wildlife behaviors.
This noise from data centers can be
heard and or felt by humans and animals
from distances radiating for many more
miles.
The human autonomic nervous system is
subject to cardiovascular disease, high
blood pressure, sleep disorders,
migraines, anxiety, and depression.
I'm sure all of us have experienced this
when we are under stress. Our body goes
haywire.
Is this what we want for our children
and our grandchildren's brain
development while they're at school, or
playing at a park, or participating in
after-school activities?
John Lever, a retired NASA analyst,
actually tracked the noise from a data
center in his own neighborhood as an
advocate for the public interest for the
Prince William Data Center Ordinance
Advisory Group, and he was himself a
member of the Prince William
Planning Commission.
He said, quote, "I'm finding that the
noise is far worse than anybody ever
figured it was going to be, end quote.
Is this possibility really what we want
in our community?
Thank you, and I urge you to take time
to reflect on the situation that we all
find ourselves in. And as others have
said, please pause.
When we know better, we do better. Thank
you.
>> Thank you, Corrine Linda.
Thank you all.
Uh we'll skip item seven, appointments,
proclamations, recognitions, and
nominations, as there are none.
That'll take us to item eight, consent
agenda, which which consists of minutes
from the May 20th, 2026 regular meeting,
minutes from the May 27th study session,
and agenda approval.
>> Motion to approve.
>> A motion, is there a second?
>> I'll second.
>> Motion and second, all in favor say I.
>> I.
>> All opposed?
Motion passes.
Item nine, declaration. At this time,
I'd like to give the commissioners a
chance to declare any conflict or
communication they might have they have
had that might influence their ability
to consider issues impartially.
Hearing none,
we'll skip item 10, unfinished business,
as there is none. Item 11A, conditional
use permit, 628 South Willow Street.
The planning commission recommends
approval of the conditional use permit
for 628 South Willow Street with the
condition that the sidewalk along South
Willow be completed in accordance with
city standards. And we have city planner
Welms.
Welcome.
>> Good evening, commission.
All right, so this conditional use is
for 628 South Willow Street.
And uh planning commission did recommend
approval of the conditional use with a
um condition.
A little bit of background, this lot is
a vacant 75 by 150 lot, which is about
11,250 square feet. It's currently
vacant and zoned R1.
Uh duplexes are allowed with approval of
a conditional use permit
uh provided that the lot area is greater
than 9,000 sq ft um and the duplex
will also require two parking spaces per
unit.
Uh here's a little bit of background.
The overview shows um it's north of 7th
Street, the second lot in off of Willow.
Ooh.
Here's currently what the street view
looks like.
Uh this is what the developer proposes
uh the duplex to look like. Uh he said
minus the
uh stone facade.
Um but a reminder that nothing is final
until a building permit uh has been
issued.
The findings, staff found that the
proposed conditional use is consistent
with the intent and purpose of the zone
in which it is located.
That the proposed duplex is compatible
to other land uses in the surrounding
neighborhood.
That the proposed duplex will not place
an undue burden on the existing
transportation, utility, and service
facilities in the area.
The proposed duplex is not necessary due
to changed or changing conditions.
The subject property has been vacant for
over 5 years.
The subject property is suitable for the
proposed use.
Staff ha- did recommend approval.
The proposed duplex is in conformance
with the future land use map and the
comprehensive plan duplex will not
adversely affect surrounding properties
so long as all standards are met.
And the planning commission recommended
approval of the condition use permit
with the condition that the sidewalk
along South Willow is completed in
accordance with the city standards.
And with that
I can answer any questions.
>> Thank you. And first of all, it's nice
to meet you. This is the first time
you've come before us and presented.
>> Yes. So is there is there anything
before we start asking questions that
you want to say about yourself?
>> I grew up in Topeka, went to K State.
My first job out of college was in
Laramie, Wyoming.
And now I'm here. And my last name is
pronounced Wilmes.
>> Oh, thank you. Wilmes.
» Mr. Wilmes did the planning commission have a
public hearing on this?
>> They did.
>> Was there any opposition?
>> There was there was a public comment.
And they commented on the parking.
Um
but I believe their comment was taken
care of after finding out that we would
require two parking spaces per unit.
Um
off-street.
>> No other opposition?
>> Thank you.
>> Is there parking allowed on both sides
of Willow? Is that correct?
>> I believe so, yes.
>> I just thought that was an issue or not
there, too. Well, I live next door to a
duplex and I see no problem with this
and then the way the construction
appears on what you're describing there
showed me to it'd be certainly be an
improvement even to the neighborhood, so
I think it's a great deal we have before
us.
» Yeah, I drove by it today. It looked to
me like there's plenty of room. I mean,
it's a big enough lot and there's not
Yeah, there's not a lot of cars on that
street anyway.
» I know they're concerned about kids
walking to school, but I don't think
that school would be used currently for
full-time students. I believe that's not
a
traditional grade school or any anymore.
So I wasn't too concerned about kids
walking by there, but I guess that's
been mitigated with regard to the two
parking places and so yeah.
» I'll go ahead and make the motion we
approve item 11A on our agenda.
>> We have a motion. Is there a second?
>> Second.
>> Motion and second. Any other discussions
or
questions?
May I have roll call, please?
>> How do you vote, Commissioner Skidmore?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Van Leyden?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Allen?
>> Yes.
>> Mayor pro tem Crowley?
>> Yes.
>> And May- Mayor Clayton?
>> I vote yes. Motion passes.
Thank you.
It was nice to meet you as well.
» That'll take us to item 11B. Consider
resolution setting a public hearing for
the condemnation of structures located
at 1641 South Main Street.
Staff will present a resolution setting
a public hearing to consider whether the
commercial structures at 1641 South Main
should be condemned and ordered repaired
or demolished. And we'll have property
improvement partner Hodges.
» Greetings.
I'm Keith Hodges. I work for the
community development department and for
you. Uh
We have two items that are very similar
on today's agenda. Both of them ask you
to consider setting a hearing date to uh
consider ordering a demolition or
repairs on two separate properties.
Uh this is the first. It's Knights Inn,
which I'm sure you're all familiar with.
At 17th and Main here in Ottawa, was
destroyed in the tornado.
Um
Pretty significant damage.
The The background on this is is pretty
simple. Severely damaged by the storm.
The property is at one of Ottawa's
busiest intersections, highly accessible
to the public, and highly visible.
Multiple buildings lost their roofs, as
you can see in the pictures.
Remained open to the weather, and so
they further deteriorate- deteriorated
since the uh storm.
Building materials have continued to
blow outside of the fencing that we
required them to put up to control for
access and to control for
um the damage spreading out into the
public.
Uh no repair or demolition permits have
been pulled.
More than 6 weeks have passed since the
tornado.
KDHE has required that an invest
asbestos inspection
be performed before any demolition
begins.
Now, the owner has been cooperative with
us and is actually supportive of this
process and hopes that it will help uh
apply pressure to its insurance carrier
to make a decision on the claim here. He
wants to demolish these buildings
uh and and uh and move on. But, uh the process has has not been as fast
as he had hoped. Our city attorney, uh
Mr. Finch, has contacted the carrier and
uh
sent a pretty uh compelling message
notifying them of our lien rights and uh
urging a prompt resolution to this.
The financial considerations.
Uh the owner is Mar Parvati LLC.
The property was appraised at $814,000
by the county.
Uh 453 of that has been the improvements
on the property and about 312,000 in
land land value.
Taxes are
uh not behind.
They have paid the the uh
the half that they needed to pay and owe
another 15,546
later on this year.
It is mortgaged for most of the
appraised value
at 728,200
uh to Oxar Bank.
It's insured by Lloyd's of London.
The claim is actually being processed by
a claims administrator and not by
Lloyd's themselves.
If the city decides to um
after the hearing Of course, this is not
what we're asking you to decide today.
We're just asking that you consider it
important enough to set a hearing date
to hear from all sides.
But if after the hearing the city
determines that repairs or demolition is the right route and so
orders that
if the property owner doesn't carry out
those orders then the city has the right
to contract for that and charge the
expenses to the property.
Then if they're not paid, tax lien on
the property is possible.
So
I wanted to briefly outline to you this
process according to article 14 of codes
which govern this process.
Uh
number one is where we're at today,
which is just setting a hearing date.
Then the uh our department would carry
out the proper notifications.
Which is why we ask for some time
between now and the hearing date to
carry that out according to the uh statutes.
And we would mail certified letters and
publish notifications in the newspaper.
And then when the hearing is held you
will hear from the property owners.
Uh and uh and from our department, our
recommendations.
And you'll have the opportunity to order
repairs or demolitions.
You have other opportunity other options
as well, but those are the two
significant options that you can that
you can order.
And you can issue a deadline to begin
work.
The community development department
within within monitor that process
to make sure that your orders are being
carried out.
And if the work is not started on time
or diligently pursued once it is begun
then the city has the option as I said
before to carry out the demolition
repairs with its own contractor.
If we pay for the repairs, the owner is
billed. If the owner doesn't pay, then
uh the city can place a tax lien on the
property.
Which does run with the land, so that if
there is a buyer,
that tax lien still holds.
So, our recommendation is that a public
hearing be set
no earlier than July 22nd,
and the resolution that we are
recommending does name July 22nd as the
date
to consider ordering ordering the repair
or demolition of the structures.
Your alternatives are to follow our
recommendation or deny the request
or defer
to a future agenda for continued
deliberation.
» Thank you.
>> Oh, I'm good. I have a question for you
on that. Um, so July 22nd being well
over a month out, say um the ball gets
rolling with the insurance company,
everything, we've already set the public
hearing date. Are we then able to cancel
that hearing legally since it's been
published or do you still have to have
the hearing to go through the motions or
how does that work?
>> If the commission decided to take the
public hearing off of its agenda, it
could do that.
>> Okay.
Thank you.
>> And thank you to you as well for
everything, and it's nice to meet you,
too. So, a lot of new faces tonight from
community development.
>> the city.
>> Yeah. Thank you. Um
is it all of the buildings? Just the
specific buildings that are most
extensively damaged? Do we Do we have an
assessment on what that condemnation
would look like? Is it
at this point is it Are we looking at
>> That's a great question. There are Let
me see if I can back up a little bit.
You can see Can you see all five
structures there? Yeah. Um if you look
at the top picture, you'll see on the
left there's a little office building.
>> Mhm.
>> And then it is the only building that
the owner feels, and uh some of our advisors agree with this is
the only building that might be
salvageable.
However, the insurance company is
arguing that the largest building that's
shaped like an L
is at least partially salvageable.
So, the insurance company at this point
has designated
two of the five buildings as as
uh
ready for demolition. That when they
settle they haven't settled yet. They
said when they when we settle, we're
pretty comfortable with ordering it with
uh paying for a demolition on these, but
uh two or three of the other buildings
they're still debating.
>> Thank you.
>> Um but to answer your question, the city
would have options. And you as the
governing body would be able to order
various options and it might be a
building-by-building decision or it
might be a whole property all at once.
>> Thank you.
And then do you have an idea you'd
mentioned we would set the time frame
from if we you know, deemed it condemned
to when it would have to be torn down or
you see meaningful work towards that.
Is there a typical time frame that that
looks like? Is that 60 days, 30 days,
90?
>> Finch has said typically 30 days and
then you would have the option of
extending deadlines. The code says a
reasonable amount of time to carry out
the work.
» Thank you.
>> Mr. Hodges, I know we're talking about
the Knights Inn right now, but while we
have this picture up, the front built
that the bottom picture,
um that's the McCarty Mechanical
Building or Mechanics Building.
Uh do we have any update on the
structure on the north side of it
because it's, you know, pretty much uh
demolished, too.
>> Um yes, we they are working on getting
that demolished. They don't have any
precise plans right now. Um I don't want
to divulge too much because of private
discussions, but they're they're in uh
um some discussions about the ownership
status of of the property and and that
may affect their plans. Okay. they've
been very cooperative as well
and and
I expect they're going to resolve that
problem maybe not as soon as we'd like,
but we do know that the structure itself
the rest of that structure
it doesn't appear to be an unsound
structure at this point.
>> Just the adjoining structure on the
north.
>> Right. And we did have them fence that
off. So, I don't know if you can even
see it in this picture, but we did have
them at least fence that off so it's
less of attraction for uh
>> People are breaking in
>> do things that I would have done when I
was young.
>> Thank you.
Um thank you. Along with that um
pending you know determination, would
that also include filling in the the
pool or would it be structure demolition
leaving the pool? Would that be included
in potential
>> That's a good question. I don't know the
answer to that.
I imagine you would have options on that
as well.
» Uh do you know does the owner you know
prefer to prefer to rebuild or or what their plans are? Have they
mentioned
>> The owners made it clear that they want
to demolish. They wanted to they want it
all gone.
>> Uh-huh.
>> And whether he wants to hang on to the
land and rebuild, he wasn't so clear on
that, but
my suspicion is he wants to take the
money and move on.
» Thank you for this and you said the
resolution that we'd be voting on is
July 22nd.
>> It was a public hearing.
» Mr. Mayor, I'll make the motion that we
set a public hearing for the
condemnation of structures located at
1641 South Main for
July 22nd of 2026.
>> I'll second that.
>> We have a motion and a second. Any other
discussion?
>> Can I Can I just clarify that motion
that you're passing the resolution that
sets that date for that time?
Perfect. How do you vote, Commissioner
Skidmore?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Van Leyden?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Allen?
>> Yes.
>> Mayor Pro Tem Crowley?
>> Yes.
>> And Mayor Clayton?
>> I vote yes. Motion passes. Thank you.
That'll take us to item 11C.
Consider resolution setting a public
hearing for the condemnation of
structures located at 1017 South Ash
Street. Staff will present a resolution
setting a public hearing to consider
whether the structures at 1017 South Ash
should be condemned and ordered repaired
or demolished.
>> Thank you. Yeah, so here we have same
question, different property. Uh 1017
South Ash, close to the high school. I'm
uh some of you may be familiar with this
property. This is the view from uh Ash
Street
uh looking east toward the property.
There are two structures here, and I'll
refer to the one on the left as the
north structure, and the structure on
the south on the right as the south
structure. The structure on the right
um has has five units, and they face to
our right, so they don't face Ash
Street. Uh it's it's bigger than it
looks in that picture.
And once again, the staff recommends the
city commission set a public hearing
date. Again, we're not talking about
what to do today with the buildings, but
to just to decide to set a hearing
to order the repair or demolition of the
structures at 1017 South Ash.
The background on this, uh as I said,
there are two structures. The top
building is the north structure,
and the bottom building is the uh south
structure.
The north building has had two units. It
was fire damaged in October of last
year. It's currently unoccupied,
and uh it's it's beyond repair.
The south building has five units.
There was also a fire in this building
in 2022 and two units were burned.
One unit that was burned, the more
severely burned of the two,
remains gutted with charred joists. It's
unrepaired and unoccupied.
The other unit that was damaged appears
to be occupied.
The owner has on at least two
occasions
prevented denied access to city
inspection.
But there's no reason there's no
evidence in the system right now that it
has been repaired. Permits and such are
lacking.
Um
of the of the five units
three
uh
appear to be lived in. One by the owner
one in the fire-damaged unit, the
suspected fire-damaged unit, and one in
another unit. We were not We were
allowed to inspect the owner's unit. The
unoccupied fire-damaged unit, which
you'll see later in pictures right
there.
Um and but we were not allowed to
inspect either of the units occupied by
tenants.
Uh further
uh
possible correction is that there is a
attic space that the owner was trying to
repair and rent out as a sixth unit. But
um
he he was told during a recent
inspection that that he cannot do that.
Both structures have additional code
violations beyond the fire damage.
In addition to the structural code
violations, there are many code
violations on regarding the the general
management of the property and the
grounds.
In the past 9 years, 19 nuisance cases
uh show up in our system.
29 written notices were sent. No
responses are in our system from the
owner.
The code violations that persisted
several years ago persist today.
They include things like inoperable
vehicles on the grounds.
Construction materials that are just
piled up.
Trailers full of garbage, things like
that. Chapter 10 environment code
violations.
Furthermore,
um
there have been 175 police calls for
service in the last 10 years.
And two fires in the last 4 years.
These are things that you can take into
consideration beyond just the structural
considerations on this building.
Uh financial considerations.
It's owned by
the uh LLC 1017 South Ash LLC.
It was appraised at $84,000
uh for 2025.
Of that 84,000, 11,000
760 is the appraised value combined for
the two structures.
So, the vast majority of that appraised
value is land.
The taxes are up to date.
Uh total tax bill 1358 for the year. 653
is the balance still owed.
Uh one thing to consider, and this is
true for both properties, and this may
come into play should you hold a hearing
and and decide on on on on uh what
action to take, uh or it may not. Um it
one thing to note though is that
the code requires that if the repair
costs exceed 50% of the fair market
value of the structure, then the order
must be demolition and not repairs.
Uh once again, in In case if the owner
fails to act, the city can proceed with
its own demolition or repairs.
Um and if necessary, this steam the city
can place a tax lien on the property to
recover its costs.
» And just to go back to that slide, just
a quick question here. So, the uh
okay. So, if the 50% of fair market
value of both structures, we're not
talking about the $12,000 there. We're
talking fair market value of the
structures.
>> Not the property as a whole.
>> Mhm.
>> Yeah, but just but just that the 12,000
right there.
>> Right.
>> So, 50% would be about 6,000, right?
>> Well, repairs can
>> Combined.
>> Both properties.
>> Okay.
>> I think anybody's going to be able to
repair that for 6,000 or less. So, okay,
I get the
>> I'm no builder, but
>> I think Mr. Clayton would agree.
Make sure I asked him that. Thanks.
» So, once again, the legal considerations
here are the same as for Knights Inn,
but um
just for clarity's sake, we'll repeat
them. Uh the city commission sets a
public hearing date. That's what we're
asking for today.
The next thing that the Article 14
uh
requires is that we notify
anyone with an interest in the property.
Then the hearing is held.
Commission listens to the owner and
staff and the public.
And the commission then may
issue a resolution with its finding to
uh repair or demolish with a deadline to
begin work.
Then your community development
department would monitor the compliance
with that.
And if the work is not started on time
or if the work is not diligently
pursued,
city can carry out the orders uh
themselves.
And then once again, the city if
the city pays for the demolition or
repair costs,
the owner's billed, and if the owner
doesn't pay, tax lien can be filed on
the property.
As with before,
the recommendation is that the
commission set a public hearing date
uh
on or after July 22nd and again July
22nd is the hearing date in the
resolution that we suggest
uh
to consider ordering repair or
demolition of the structures at 1017
Ash.
The alternatives are to deny the request
or to defer to a future agenda date.
» Thank you. Do you know
with these being potentially rentals
is there any process from today when we
if we if we do set the public hearing
date to notify the tenants
that there is a possibility that they
may not have a place to live in 90 days
or if the owner's not telling the
tenants
that they would be notified now so they
can at least start a process?
>> Yes, sir. They're they're one of the
people who get notified by certified
mail and Mr. Finch has also advised us
to post it on their door and I will
personally knock on their doors and talk
to them to make sure they understand.
>> Thank you.
» And that'll happen
almost immediately after your vote today.
>> Okay.
Do we have any other questions or how do
we like to proceed with item 11C?
» Mr. Mayor
I move that we approve item 11C on our
agenda.
>> We have a motion. Is there a second?
>> Second.
>> Motion and a second. Any other
discussion?
Hearing none, may I have roll call,
please?
>> How do you vote, Commissioner Skidmore?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Commissioner Van Leyden?
>> Yes.
>> Commissioner Allen?
>> Yes.
>> Mayor Pro Tem Crowley?
>> Yes.
>> And Mayor Clayton?
>> I vote yes. Motion passes.
Thank you.
>> Thank you.
» That will take us to item 12, comments
by our city manager.
» Don't Don't take that as a sign of they don't
want to listen to you.
>> Yeah, that's I'm a little disappointed.
We're just getting to the good parts.
» Uh honorable mayor and commission, uh
water plant continued troubleshooting on
the three basin and managed ongoing pool
system issues. Uh
pool has been a little foggy with the
rain, but you know, just want to let
everyone know if there are safety issues
with that water, we will close down the
pool. We are testing it, but trying to
get it dialed in with the excess rain
here. Um water distribution crews
responded to a water main break,
completed sewer repairs, and continued
work on the 19th Street waterline
project. Uh production completed
cleaning and inspections on critical
cooling tower and uh fuel stool storage
infrastructure.
Over in public works, uh parks
department completed mowing and weed
eating across parks, trails, and
cemeteries. Uh streets department
continued work on uh 10th Street
improvements.
Few pictures of those there.
Just wanted to remind everyone, got
quite a few events in Ottawa here on
Saturday. I have the duck race down at
City Park. That's from 10:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. Uh Treasures in Ottawa down at
Lake Legacy Square from 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Uh city band concert at the OMA on
Tuesday, June 9th. That's at 7:30.
And then reminder of those uh two watch
parties uh coming up this month for
the upcoming World Cup.
I just got a flyer here for Teen Safety
Academy.
Attendant of items for the June 10th
meeting recognition of
I won't try to say his name Raymond for
completion of the power plant operator
course KMEA Board of Directors
auto representative Kansas Municipal Gas
Agency appointment of a representative
to that board and then proclamation
recognizing June 19th, 2026 is June
10th.
Just reminder we have some open
positions right now. So encourage folks
to go to our website and apply for those
vacancies.
I'll take any questions.
Thank you.
I don't know if
>> Any questions for city manager or staff?
Nope. I don't think so this week. Thank
you.
That'll take us to item 13 comments by
governing body Commissioner Van Leeton.
I got no comment tonight.
Commissioner Allen.
>> I was just going to add to the busy down
June 6th.
I was trying to pull up the email. It
looks like there is a Prairie Spirit
Rail Trail 30th Anniversary celebration
in Garnett at 9:30 to which of course
goes through Ottawa. The trail does so
let's go celebrate in Garnett.
>> Yeah.
>> That's all I have.
>> Thank you.
Commissioner Skidmore.
>> Well, I just wanted to commend DJ on
your mowing again uh
with all the rains we've had and you
guys been able to sandwich those in
between the rains. I don't know how you
do it. I can't even do that on my small
yard. You did it for the whole city. So
thank you for that. I played disc golf
at
Kansas Park this today. It was nicely
all mowed. I can't blame the tall grass
for my scores, so it was well well
manicured, I must say. But, it looks
nice and then again, compliments to you
and your department. Kudos.
>> Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem Crawley.
>> I have no comments.
>> Um I will just say you stole my one
about the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail. Um
the event begins at 9:30. They're having
a bike ride, run, walk, and a few other
things down there in Garnett um for the
30-year anniversary of the trail. Along
with trails, this past weekend was the
Unbound Gravel Race in Emporia. Um and I
know last week there were several folks
in town from that. I think they said
seven continents, 54 countries, and
every single state was in Emporia last
week and
um it was a muddy mess, it looked like.
Um I know some businesses here in town
were down there.
Um so, that was just a a great thing for
the trail community as well.
Um
I do want to welcome uh our Ottawa Main
Street Association is hosting quarterly
training for all of the Kansas directors
who are in town this week.
Um and then I did want to ask a question
of staff. I'm not sure who would be the
best person to direct to.
Um I've heard there's a building
downtown that has had a roof collapsed
and we
and just wondered if there was any
updates about that, if there's any
concerns, anything with that.
>> Uh Mr. Mayor, I believe we'll have
something on the commission agenda for
next week on that subject, so
um probably similar to what you saw
tonight, just go ahead and setting that
public hearing and
you know, again, when we're setting
these hearings, we're not really taking
action on the first time, so it allows
an opportunity for the owners to to
visit, attend that public hearing, and kind of make the case of what the
plans are for repairs, so
>> Okay.
>> obviously, if repair, temporary or
permanent, happens before then, we can
always
take that off the agenda if it's added,
but that'll be up for your consideration
as early as next week.
>> Perfect.
>> Thank you.
Um
with no other comments,
that'll take us to item
14, announcements.
June 10th commission meeting is here at
4:00 p.m. in City Hall. June 17th
commission meeting is here at 10:00 a.m.
in City Hall. And June 24th study
session is here at 4:00 p.m. in City
Hall.
No other matters to come before the
commission, we are adjourned.