Shawnee County Newsletter

The grand old shelter was built in 1934 as a Civil Works Administration (CWA) project. CWA projects were established during the Great Depression in order to create jobs. The shelter was built for $4,144 (material cost only). It was considered to be an all-weather shelter, even though, in its beginnings, it was an open-air shelter with no windows or doors.

Inside the shelter, a large stone fireplace, located on the north end was for heat. Flanking the corners on the sides of the fireplace were brick ovens in which users could prepare food. As for furnishings, that were quite unique for the times, the shelter was filled with round tables instead of the long, cheap pine-board tables that were the norm. There is a bronze plaque on the fireplace that clearly identifies the shelter as Snyder’s Cabin. I know what you’re going to say. “That’s not Snyder’s Cabin!” Yes, it was the ORIGINAL Snyder’s Cabin. I am not sure why or when the name was changed to Big Gage Shelter. Harry Snyder did so much for the park department; his name was later attached to a diminutive cabin that was built long after his tenure as commissioner of parks. Commissioner Riphahn

K9 Laika and her partner, Corporal Boling, received her new ballistic vest donated by the Ross family and  Friends of the K9 Vest, Midwest  K9 Laika is more than proud to carry on the memory of Jerrie Ross (JR) with her everyday. Check out the story by WIBW:  here 

On February 9, 2022, the Shawnee County Commissioners helped celebrate a California based company called The Honest Kitchen and it's new location to Topeka. One of the first human-grade pet food companies has a new location in Topeka, just south of Highway 24, off Menoken Rd.

The Honest Kitchen has been around for 20 years and just recently created a partnership with Kansas-headquartered J-6 Enterprises to improve access to ingredients.

A new off-leash dog area is now open on the west side of Lake Shawnee north of the tennis courts. In a survey, the public overwhelmingly chose Lake Shawnee as the preferred area for another off-leash dog area.

As soon as the light poles are installed and wired, Hills Bark Park in Gage Park will be reopened for use while work continues into the spring installing shade structures, benches, drinking fountains and other amenities.

The public watched as part of 7,000 pounds of rainbow trout were stocked into Lake Shawnee on February 25, 2022. Trout have been released into the lake each October and February since 1979 to offer anglers a unique fishing experience. Lake Shawnee is closed to fishing until 6 a.m. March 3, 2022, to give the fish a chance to acclimate. A $14.50 trout permit is required through April 15, 2022.

$16.17/hr Under the direction of the Aquatics Supervisor, the Aquatics Manager serves as a member of the Park Services Division. This position hires, schedules, and supervises seasonal staff in the aquatics facilities in the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation system. Controls inventory, orders and stocks concession items, and develops aquatic fitness classes. Performs basic mechanical tasks and troubleshoots concession issues. Monitors KDHE food handling regulations, customer satisfaction, and staff performance. Assists the Aquatics Supervisor in general pool operations, bid sheets, and requests for proposals (RFPs). Performs other duties as required. (SEE POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS)

$20.00/hr Under direct supervision, this position receives requests for services of a public safety nature including fire suppression, medical emergency and law enforcement and relays them to the appropriate agencies providing these services. Performs other duties as required. This position is supervised by a Shift Supervisor. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS High School Diploma or GED Certificate. No felony convictions. Required to type thirty-five (35) words per minute. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Required to pass a background investigation, pre employment physical and drug screen. Must be able to work most weekends and holidays, hours other than regular daytime schedule and work a rotating day off schedule. NCIC full-access certification or able to obtain certification within one (1) year of employment.

$17.37 - $19.16/hr  Under general supervision, this position has direct responsibility for payroll, internal audit functions, benefit plans, retirement programs, garnishments, and other duties as required. This position is supervised by the Human Resource Director. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS High School Diploma or GED Certificate Four (4) years’ experience in bookkeeping, conducting payroll, or conducting Human Resources activities with payroll related duties. OR Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources or related field.

Apply online:   https://www.snco.us/oasys 

Shawnee County employees raised money during February to donate to Project Topeka. The Department of Corrections sold Burritos and Fish Sandwiches. Audit Finance, Human Resources and Register of Deeds teamed up for a Bake Sale. Biscuits and Gravy were sold by the Treasurer's Office. The Sheriff's Office held a Chili/Dessert Contest and also a Taco Sale. Pizza and Pop were sold by the Appraiser's Office and Public Works Department. Shawnee County and Courts employees participated in the Annual Online Auction. Employees and Departments donated items that were up for auction on a website, similar to Ebay.

The Shawnee County WIC Office, located at 2600 SW E. Circle Dr. is currently open for in office appointments to assist our clients during this stage of the Covid Pandemic. Measures are being taken to reduce exposure concerns with our clients. We encourage our clients to utilize our services in a manner they feel safe with, and in our offices, our staff are meeting those needs with the wearing of KN 95 masks, extended space during office visits if desired, and with frequent cleanings of the office and any equipment that may be used during the appointment.  Please refer your friends and family members who may be eligible for WIC, not sure if you quality for WIC yourself, call our offices to find out.  785-251-560    

Summer Camp registration starts March 1. We’ll post on parks.snco.us a link that will go live at midnight, March 1 for people to start registering for Shawnee County Parks + Recreation’s seven summer camps.  https://parks.snco.us/8/Day-Camps?fbclid=IwAR1D8eZiIrk_klCE48sW3Vkz7Cz0o96jU6BDE0wEROyS0Tv_C8-dFVXGsgM 

Each year the Kansas Association of Counties (KAC) sends out a call for service award information so we can help our member counties recognize their employees and elected officials for their years of service. 

Awards will be given for the completion of 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 44 and 48 years of service. The required period of service must be completed by January 1 each year, to receive credit for the previous county service award.