Month: September 2017

Epp receives distinguished water service award

Jim Epp, center, recently received a distinguished service water award. (Photo from Board of Public Utilities)

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities’ manager of water operations, James (Jim) A. Epp, has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2017 George Warren Fuller Award by the American Water Works Association.

The award recognizes Epp’s distinguished career and management of the BPU water utility division, as well as his leadership role within AWWA itself.

The George Warren Fuller Awards are presented annually by AWWA to individual sections’ respective selected members for their distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of the sound engineering skills, interpersonal skill, and the constructive leadership which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.

The class of 2017 Fuller Award recipients will be recognized at the AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jim Epp has worked at BPU for 28 years, starting with BPU as a civil engineer. In 1990, he was promoted to director of water support services and he has served as manager of water operations since 2004.

He has been involved in the ongoing development and review of BPU’s Water Master Plan, which led to the construction of the Nearman Water Treatment Plant with its state-of-the-art horizontal collector well, the largest alluvial well of its kind in the U.S.

Epp has also served as a pension trustee for BPU’s retirement plan for 21 years and is currently chair of this group. He has also served on various task forces and committees at BPU, including the Leadership Team for BPU’s Strategic Planning process.

Piper results

Piper debate award winners. (Photo from Piper schools)

Piper High School – football vs. Bonner Springs
– Piper junior varsity lost 20-32
– Piper 9th won 36-0

Piper High School – football at Bonner Springs
– Piper varsity lost 7-24

Piper High School – volleyball
– Piper JV at Louisburg
o Lost to Paola 0-2 (11 and13)
o Lost to Louisburg 0-2 (9 and 12)
o Lost to Basehor-Linwood 0-2 (7 and 25)
o Lost to Olathe South 0-2 (9 and 11)
o Lost to Baldwin 0-2 (7 and 14)
– Piper 9th grade at Tonganoxie
o Defeated Tonganoxie 2-0 (23 and 12)
o Defeated Bonner Springs 2-0 (15 and 22)
o Lost to Basehor-Linwood 0-2 (16 and 16)
o Defeated Bishop Ward 2-0 (19 and 28)
o Defeated Turner 2-0 (13 and 17)
o Lost to Lansing 1-2 (19-25, 25-23, and 13-15)

Piper – debate at Washburn Rural
– Chris Baumli and Kara Evans go 6-1. Drop in quarter finals to take 4th in Open
– Dylan Hendrix and Taran Kerst go 5-2. Drop in quarter finals to take 4th in Open
– Andrew Flory earns 10th best speaker in Open

Piper soccer at Louisburg has been re-scheduled for Oct. 16. Piper JV at 4:30 p.m. followed by varsity.

– Doug Key, Piper High School activities director

Injuries reported in I-35 accident

A driver who stopped on a ramp on I-35 to check on a vehicle that rolled over was hit from behind about 1:48 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18.

The vehicle was hit by another vehicle that failed to yield on the ramp from northbound I-35 to southbound Mission Road, according to a trooper’s report.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report, the 71-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, driver of a Chevy Malibu had a possible injury after stopping on the ramp. The driver was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle.

A 53-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, woman who was a passenger in the Malibu also had a possible injury, the trooper’s report stated.

A third person in the Malibu, a 3-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, girl, had a possible injury, the report stated. The two occupants were taken to the hospital by a private vehicle.

The driver of a Toyota Avalon in back of the Malibu had a possible injury and was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle, according to the trooper’s report. The driver was a 61-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, woman.