Manhattan City Commission Meeting - March 10, 2026
Manhattan City Commission Meeting - March 10, 2026
The Manhattan City Commission met on March 10, 2026. The meeting opened with a proclamation for International Women's Day. Several items were pulled from the consent agenda for extended discussion, including a grant agreement for home rehabilitation, a contract for litigation related to PFAS chemicals, and a proposal to recognize a long-time public servant. The bulk of the meeting centered on a comprehensive debate over the 2026 amendment to the MOVE MHK parks and recreation master plan, which was ultimately tabled for a future work session.
Proclamations
- International Women's Day: Mayor Adam Track proclaimed March 8, 2026, as International Women's Day in Manhattan. Representatives from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) accepted the proclamation and highlighted an upcoming community event featuring a panel of K-State graduate students.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda, including the appointment of 11 individuals to various community boards, was approved unanimously (5-0) after items D1 (Habitat for Humanity Grant), D2 (PFAS Legal Contract), and E1 (Dr. Roger Wrights Recognition) were removed for separate discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Roger Wrights Recognition: Several community members spoke in strong support of recognizing Dr. Wrights. Speakers Mike Madson, David Lewis Guthels, David Kreller, Jackie McClaskey, and Russell Rice detailed his decades of service as a physician, state legislator, city commissioner, and advocate for the Union Pacific Depot restoration. A commissioner also suggested the fundraising committee address the noise level in the depot.
- MOVE MHK Amendment: Phil Anderson and Tracy Anderson presented their citizen-led Riverfront Master Plan as an aspirational vision. Sue Mays of the park board requested clarification from the commission on how the parks board would be involved in setting priorities.
Discussion Items
- D1: Habitat for Humanity Grant: Authorized the City Manager to execute a $150,000 grant agreement for the 2026 Home Rehabilitation and Repair Assistance Program. The commission retained the recommended five-year mortgage term, rejecting a proposal for a ten-year term, to allow homeowners to access future assistance sooner.
- D2: PFAS/PFOS Legal Services: Authorized a no-cost legal services contract to participate in litigation against chemical manufacturers and have the city's source water tested for PFAS and PFOS contamination.
- E1: Dr. Roger Wrights Recognition: Approved the process to develop an official recommendation for recognizing Dr. Wrights at the Union Pacific Depot. A committee of historians, family, and staff will determine the form of recognition (e.g., plaque or marker), funded entirely through private donations.
- Ordinance 7815: Vacating Platted Setback: Approved vacating a 25-foot platted front yard setback on Lot 13 of the Baldus Roll Addition to align with the standard 20-foot setback required by the city's development code.
- MOVE MHK 2026 Amendment: Staff proposed the 2026 amendment to the comprehensive parks plan, including an Indoor Aquatics Survey (finding 55-80% opposed new taxes for a facility), the Riverfront Concept, and a Sculpture Trail Plan.
- Commissioner Morrison strongly criticized the survey, arguing the community was never given reasonable cost options beyond a $60 million projection, and requested clearer itemized reporting on park maintenance and capital improvement priorities. He expressed concerns about a shift toward 'pay for play' recreational models.
- Commissioner Von Lintel echoed concerns about rec center fees and tournament closures restricting public access, advocating for small-scale improvements at neighborhood parks (e.g., dog parks, ADA compliance).
- Mayor Adam Track and Commissioner McCullough supported the riverfront concept as a non-binding aspirational document and suggested scheduling a work session to address the commissioners' data requests and refine the plan.
- Motion: Commissioner Morrison moved to table the item for a work session.
- Vote: Tabled 4-1 (Commissioner Von Lintel opposed).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved 5-0.
- D1: Habitat for Humanity Grant: Approved 5-0.
- D2: PFAS Legal Contract: Approved 5-0.
- E1: Dr. Roger Wrights Recognition: Approved 5-0.
- Ordinance 7815: Approved 5-0.
- MOVE MHK Amendment: Tabled 4-1 for a future commission work session (proposed for late April) to further discuss parks and recreation finances, priorities, and data reporting.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by a unanimous voice vote.
Meeting Transcript
Sorry, a little enthusiastic there. Good evening. Welcome to the March 3rd, 2026 meeting of the Manhattan City Commission. Would you please call the roll? Mayor Adam Track. Here. Commissioner McCollow. Yes. Commissioner Fox. Here. Commissioner Morrison. Here. Commissioner Von Lintel. Here. Mayor, we have five commissioners present. The quorum of three is met. Thank you. Would you please rise and join me in saying the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. And to Republicans, one nation under our individual with liberty and justice. We have a proclamation to issue tonight honoring International Women's Day. You should ready, the president of and Barbara Gatewood, web coordinator of the American Association of University Women, are here to accept the proclamation. Oh, I couldn't see you back there. Whereas in 1911, International Women's Day was first honored in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, when more than one million women and men attended rallies campaigning for the women's right for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office, and for an end to gender discrimination. And whereas in 1977, United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on member states to proclaim a day for women's rights and international peace. And following the United Nations lead, each year, the United States President issues a proclamation calling on all citizens to observe March as National Women's History Month, as well as a separate proclamation on International Women's Day, which is March 8th. And whereas advancing the rights, opportunities, and full participation of women and girls is the great unfinished business of the 21st century. And whereas International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the collective power of women, uphold women's achievements, recognize challenges, focus greater attention on women's rights and gender equality, encourage and mobilize all people to do their part to bring about positive change. Now, therefore, I, Susan E. Adam Chak, Mayor of the City of Manhattan, to hereby proclaim Sunday, March 8th, 2026 as International Women's Day in the City of Manhattan to motivate and unite friends, colleagues, and the community community to actively give their support in order to advance and gain gender equality. To give to give to gain. In witness thereof, I have set my hand and cause the seal of Manhattan, Kansas to be affixed. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Mayor Adam Chek, um for the proclamation. This is our 11th year celebrating International Women's Day. I'm president of AAUW, which is the American Association of University Women. It's an organization for everybody, of course, not just uh women and not just from universities. But we are celebrating on Sunday, March 8th at the Holiday Inn on campus, and we have five wonderful panelists. Uh three of them are AAUW scholarship recipients, and all of them are from K-Straduate School. We have Barbara Baker, she is a first generation college student. Miriam Gassimpore from Iran, and she is in uh mass doing her master's in photography. Nicole Kuturov, who is doing a doctorate in entomology, Megan Rice, uh, she is a doctorate in organic chemistry, and Minutia Vikaramsing, and she's from Sri Lanka, and she's doing a doctorate in biology. Uh, this is open to the public. We have social hour at five. Six o'clock is the program, sorry, dinner, uh catered by Nikos, and at seven o'clock are the panelists. And it is like I said, the program is free to everybody. Dinner is $30. But this is something we want to celebrate in our community. We have a lot of women that do wonderful things and are very inspirational. But we also want to recognize our youth and our future leaders from Kansas State University.
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