I apologize for the long wait on the Greensburg episodes. My DVR went belly up, and the replacement was a dud. So, get yourself a cup of coffee or tea, ’cause it’s a long one and here we go….

March, 2009

Steve Hewitt (Greensburg City Administrator), is a little frustrated, with all the construction projects like the hospital and schools in full swing, the Business Incubator should have been completed six months ago. The outside is finishing up construction, but the good thing is the interior is completed and hopefully in the next couple of weeks will come the ok to start moving business’ in..

Main Street is all torn up for building the Street Scape which will make it difficult to get to the Business Incubator even if it was completed. Not to mention the street construction is bad for all retail business’. Steve says you got to go through the bad to get to the good but it seems it is getting worse and worse with the Streetscape construction, like tearing up water lines and trying to pour concrete. But the good thing is they’ll only be in construction mode a couple of months.

The Kids, (Taylor Schmidt, Alexsis Fleener, & Levi Smith), are taking pictures around town. The Historical folks had found some pictures which survived the tornado, pictures of Greensburg from the late 19th century. So the kids thought it would be “kinda neat” to retake those pictures – one century later. Mustering their courage they go to the top of the grain elevator to recapture an old 1917 aerial shot of the town. They can see the whole town and marvel at how much the town has changed since the tornado two years before. (more…)

May 2008

The new city council is meeting for the first time.  Mayor Dixson asked Steve
Hewitt to give the administration update.  Steve lets the council know that
the business incubator is fully funded.  Kim Alderfer, Recovery Coordinator,
and Steve visit the business incubator site only to find that 3 days of rain
has slowed all activity.

Tyler Schmidt is running for student body president.  Shane Engelken is also
running for student body president.  They put their flyers together, hung
them in the most unique areas and are getting their speeches ready. (more…)

April 29, 2008
One year after the tornado

Farrell Allison’s house is being invaded by CBS news.  Greensburg is getting
ready for the 1 year anniversary.  They are going to break ground on the business
incubator, a memorial service for those that died due to the tornado, and
re-dedicate the new water tower.   The seniors will be graduating, and the
President will be in town.

Dealing with the news media gives them exposure to hopefully extra monies to (more…)

Ice Storm

End of November 2007, Steve Hewitt is worried over rebuilding downtown with no money. A contractor meeting for the business incubator is held. The project will be a 9,300 square foot facility that will contain retail shops and professional services. And to initiate this going green project as quick as possible. Steve is hoping to get it out to bid, designed, and start construction in the spring, for completion in the summer. Before the storm Richard and Rhonda Engelken owned three commercial buildings, one rental house, four cars, and their own home. After the storm, all gone. Rhonda’s (more…)

The Building Begins

The City Administrator Steve Hewitt goes to Kansas City to talk to BNIM about building
the downtown “Main Street Small Business Incubator” LEED’s platinum certifiable.

Getting back to his home in “FEMA Town” in time to take his toddler Trick or Treating
dressed as a skunk (cute!). (more…)