Saying that $2 million in federal grant money had suddenly become available “from another project that just fell through” Patty Richardson of Great Plains Development told Greensburg’s City Council last Monday Great Plains would administer the application for and distribution of the grant funds for a fee of $20,000.  As a result the City signed off on filing of Form 424, or the pre-application paperwork for the money to be put toward Greensburg’s streetscape project.
   With a total price tag of $2.45 million for the project and the $20,000 fee included, the City’s share of the expense would come to approximately $468,500 if the grant application proved successful.
   Noting the application was for grant money to design the four-block downtown area, Richardson said she won’t be able to send in the actual application without the City having the $468,500 gap funding in place.
In other matters…
   *Lynn Billman of NREL directed a conference call during the meeting with John Thornton and Tom Wind in regard to continuing to put together documentation to allow residents to install small solar and wind energy generating units.  Thornton had spoken previously with Council in his area of expertise on solar power, as has Wind in regard to his area of interest in wind.
   Sample ordinances for either source of energy were considered, with City Attorney Gordon Stull noting City Administrator Steve Hewitt was wanting council “to give your tentative approval to wind and solar ordinances so they can be passed on to the planning commission.”
   Both documents were, in fact, given tentative approval in order to be moved to the planning commission, subject to modifications by Stull to bring either into alignment with Greensburg City statutes.  Stull indicated the planning commission would need to hold a public hearing on both matters.
   Referring to an area yet to be resolved, Stull mentioned two possible ways of approaching an interconnect agreement policy whereby residents can be connected to the local utility grid.
  One such option would be to form individual contracts with each person wanting to sell electricity back to the City, Stull noting the existing documents were “slanted” in that direction.
   According to Stull, the alternative would be to file a tariff with the State of Kansas and “get it approved in advance,” so that “the tariff would be in place for everyone so they know the conditions.”  In the event a dispute arose Stull said the matter would be arbitrated by the Kansas Corporation Commission.
   Stuff told the council he and Wind could “work on the interconnection agreement” and get modifications in place in time for the special meeting of April 16, while bringing “more information on the tariff approach.”  Council agreed with him doing so.
   *Pratt County Humane Society Executive Director Mike Hill and President Pam Howell appeared before the council as they had before the county commission a month earlier, inquiring as to the possibility of reaching a contractual agreement for taking in displaced cats and dogs from Kiowa County.
    Being told to look into the possibility of bringing the three primary towns of the county into the mix of any such understanding, the two began that effort with Greensburg.
   “Rather than you guys building a pound, we could take the animals right away and let you publish it in the paper,” Hill said.  Before May 4 the City had been holding stray animals three days before taking them to the shelter in Dodge City.
   Howell added she and Hill were thinking of an agreement whereby a “set fee per animal” would be charged
   It was agreed they would take a draft copy of such an agreement to Stull, after which the document could be brought before council for its consideration.