Moran chief deals with wild animals

MORAN — Shane Smith has made a dent in a wild bunch that has been running rampant in Moran.
“I’ve caught four fox, eight skunks and I don’t know how many possums,” Chief of Police Smith told city councilmen Monday night.
The animals, in town to forage for food put out with trash, have been apprehended in three live traps. Once an animal is caught, he has several places a few miles out in the country where he has permission to free them.
To avoid unsettling his prey, particularly skunks, a blanket is placed over a trap before it’s moved, which has a calming effect.
“I imagine some of them make their way back to town,” Smith said, but that hasn’t deterred his efforts.
Fox are a prime target, because some appear to have the mange, a parasitic skin disease that occasionally can be transmitted to humans.
Smith figures his success is pretty good, with him never having been a hunter or trapper.
The chief also reported seatbelt use will be checked at Marmaton Valley High School from Feb. 24 to March 7, at behest of the Kansas Department of Transportation.
“Our goal is education, to get the kids to buckle up,” Smith said.
Final check-off on a $700,000 improvement of 17,000 feet of sewer mains and 44 manholes will be done in the next month or so.
The project began last April and was funded 50 percent by a grant from Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the remainder by a loan from the same agency. The loan will be repaid with revenue from sewer service charges.
Council members looked through a dozen large photos of 1950s scenes in Moran, given to the city by Bill McAdam.
Clerk Lori Evans will look into frames or another means of displaying the photos in City Hall, where a number of photos from the “old days” already hang.
The photos recorded a busy downtown, with a number of businesses including two groceries and the Miner Theater.
Fire Chief Phillip Merkel — he’s also mayor — received permission to purchase a new primary nozzle for the city fire truck, which is expected to cost $650 to $700. Merkel said the older nozzle was leaking and not as effective as it should be.
A leaking fire hydrant will be replaced when weather permits, as will about 140 feet of 4-inch sewer line in the downtown area. The line is leaking and has been removed from service, possible with a backup loop around the troublesome area.