Pictured, from left, are Douglas County Buildings and Maintenance Director Jimmy Wilkins, Eudora machinist Wayne Neis and Capt. Jason Grems, of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Neis was able to create a bronze gear that fixed the historic Douglas County Courthouse clock.

Eudora machinist Wayne Neis voluntarily fixes historic Courthouse clock

Before the year winds to an end, we want to give a very special shout-out to Eudora machinist Wayne Neis who fixed the historic Douglas County Courthouse clock!

When the 117-year-old clock stopped working in August, our Buildings and Maintenance Director Jimmy Wilkins did not think it would ever get fixed because the parts no longer existed. By chance, Wilkins was connected to Capt. Jason Grems, of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who owns a welding shop. Grems looked it over and decided the project was probably “out of his league,” so he then reached out to his longtime friend Neis to see if he could help. Neis was able to create a bronze gear that worked! He not only created one, but two gears along with a template. The hope is each gear will last for at least 100 years. The clock started ticking again on Nov. 28.

Wilkins said, “The steps that he had to go through to even re-establish the original size and exact parameters of the old gears are mind-boggling.”

Grems described Neis as brilliant. “There was a lot of math that went into figuring out the part. They’re not just teeth that are cut. They are cut at a certain depth, a certain pitch and a certain dent. It had to be very precise.”

Neis was worried that the tool he used to create the gears wouldn’t last to make one – let alone two. Luckily, it did. He did the work voluntarily and said he was happy to help. He said he loves history and he enjoyed getting a tour of the Courthouse clocktower on Dec. 28. “I like to keep history alive,” he said.

Grems said, “It’s pretty neat. We’re good for 200 years. The project kind of reminded me of ‘Back to the Future.’”

Wayne Neis, left, takes a photo of the clock inside the County Courthouse clocktower. Pictured at left is Capt. Jason Grems, of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, a longtime friend of Neis.

Eudora machinist Wayne Neis is pictured Dec. 28 inside the County Courthouse clocktower.

Commissioners approve map for five districts

County Commissioners approved the map above called "Douglas County H" for five districts during their Dec. 21 meeting. They recommended waiting until the 2024 general election for election of the two new Commission districts. They sent the recommendation to Governor Laura Kelly, who approved the recommendation.

"Based on the commission's recommendation, I declare that the two new county commissioners be on the ballot during the next regularly scheduled general election," Gov. Kelly said in a letter that was sent to County Commission Chair Shannon Reid on Dec. 27.

Commissioners needed to approve a map outlining the new districts before or on Jan. 1, 2023. All of the districts needed to be contiguous and have the same population size.

• View the map by districts with precincts

Sustainability Office hosting focus groups

The Douglas County Sustainability Office is hosting focus groups to get a pulse on how the community is experiencing climate change. The information will help develop and guide the County Climate Action Plan. Food will be provided. 

The next one is Thursday, Jan. 5, for those who work or reside in Baldwin City and unincorporated areas of the county. It will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Lumberyard Arts Center, 718 High St., in Baldwin City. Please RSVP at: https://arcg.is/1aDme5.

Others scheduled:

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), Tuesday, Jan. 10, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St. RSVP: https://arcg.is/GPzGz
• Lecompton and unincorporated areas of the county, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., Lecompton Community Building, 333 Elmore St., Lecompton. RSVP: https://arcg.is/0vz1qa
• Farmers, Thursday, Jan. 26, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St., in Lawrence. RSVP: https://arcg.is/1X5vWi1

Central Grazing Company seeking input on feasibility of local meat processing facility

Central Grazing Company and project partners are studying the feasibility of establishing a local meat processing facility, Kaw Valley Meats, in Douglas County. 

They are seeking input through a survey and would like to hear from you, especially if you represent a grocer, restaurant, producer, hunter, food provider or consumer. 

In June, the Douglas County Commission granted funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to study the feasibility of establishing a local meat-processing facility. By addressing the lack of processing facilities to accommodate smaller operations, the proposed facility would localize food supply chains and encourage entrepreneurs to enter the local food and farm system.

Public meeting about wind energy regulations set for Jan. 12

There will be a public meeting about Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) regulations at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Greenbush Resource Center, formerly Wakarusa School, 1104 E 1000 Road.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission directed Planning staff to review existing regulations in January 2022. This came from an interest to better aligning the wind regulations with that of the recently adopted solar regulations.

The draft revised regulations were published on Dec. 7.

Members of the public are encouraged to submit comments regarding the draft language to [email protected]. Comments will be accepted until Feb. 5.

There also will be an open house from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at the Riverfront Building, 1 Riverfront Plaza, where community members can meet with Lawrence-Douglas County Planning staff.

Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge set for Feb. 24

The Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) will be Friday, Feb. 24, at Peaslee Tech. Students in grades 6-12 can earn up to $1,250 in prize money while gaining hands-on experience in public speaking and business development! Students can compete individually or as teams.

Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council accepted into national network

The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council was recently accepted into the National Network of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils (NNCJCC) by the Justice Management Institute. Douglas County is among 12 new member jurisdictions, bringing the total number of councils represented in the network to 40.

The Justice Management Institute created the NNCJCC in 2010 to provide a peer learning forum for coordinators to learn from each other as jurisdictions problem-solve challenging issues in their local justice systems. The NNCJCC seeks to provide a platform for advocacy and a national voice for counties and criminal justice practitioners that supports systemic, transformational reform in the justice system and promotes fiscally-responsible decision making.

“Our selection to the NNCJCC provides us with an opportunity to share challenges, solutions, resources and lessons learned in addressing pressing public safety concerns with leaders across the country,” Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinator Katy Fitzgerald said.

We're seeking to hire, offer excellent benefits

We are seeking to hire people with all kinds of talents, skills and occupational interests. Our job openings include:

• GIS technician
• Heritage Conservation Council program coordinator
• Public Works equipment operator and maintenance worker
• Assistant District Attorney
• Reentry case manager in the Sheriff's Office Corrections Division
• 911 dispatcher/first responder in the Emergency Communications Center
• Corrections officer in the Douglas County Corrections Facility
• Management analyst - finance in the Sheriff's Office

For more information and a full list of Douglas County job openings, visit: http://dgcoks.org/jobs

Douglas County Government’s offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, in observance of New Year's Day.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Emergency Communications Center, Criminal Justice Services will be operating. If you have an emergency, please call 911. If you have a non-emergency, call 785-843–0250.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044