The City of Great Bend

04/10/2026

Great Bend: The America 250 Series 🇺🇸

1885 - In 1885, Ordinance No. 77 was passed and officially renamed Curtis Avenue to its present-day name of Main Street.

Curtis Avenue had been named in honor of J. Lafe Curtis and Dr. Charles R.S. Curtis who both held various leadership roles in the Great Bend Town Company. J. Lafe at one time served as president of the Town Company and financially backed many of the city's early projects.

Ordinance No. 77 also renamed three additional streets:
- Bassett Avenue to Broadway
- Maggie Street to Forest Avenue
- Cowgill Street to Park Avenue

Today, Main Street is the heart of downtown and home to many local businesses and key city landmarks. It is also located on U.S. Route 281 which runs from the Canadian border at Dunseith, North Dakota, to Brownsville, Texas, just short of the Mexican border. Great Bend is the only city in Kansas on U.S. 281 with a population over 7,000.

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04/09/2026

In an effort to strengthen intergovernmental relationships, encourage collaboration and continue advancing shared priorities for Barton County and the City of Great Bend, officials from each entity will assemble on Wednesday, April 15 at 4 p.m. at the Great Bend Events Center for a joint public meeting.

Due to logistical challenges in transporting and setting up audio and visual equipment, the meeting will not be live streamed; however, the public is encouraged to attend in-person.

More details 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/CityCountyMeeting

04/08/2026

Enjoyed a great morning at the zoo celebrating the city's first solar-power charging table! ☀️🔋

A total of four tables were made through the creativity and generosity of Nex-Tech, along with the time and talents of the Barton Community College welding students. The remaining three tables will be installed at the Great Bend Sports Complex, Veterans Park, and SRCA Drag Strip at later dates.

We sincerely thank all those involved in the project for creating an innovative and modern enhancement to our city's public spaces!

Collaboration in action at the Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo today! 🐾💙💛

The Barton Community College Welding Program partnered with Nex-Tech and The City of Great Bend to create solar-powered charging tables, which have now been installed for the community to enjoy. 🙌

Funded by Nex-Tech, Barton welding students designed, constructed, welded, and painted the tables as part of a hands-on learning experience, and the City of Great Bend completed installation.

Each table features shaded seating, LED lighting, and solar-powered charging stations ⚡, offering visitors a convenient, sustainable way to stay connected. ☀️🔌

Thank you to Nex-Tech and the City of Great Bend for this meaningful collaboration and investment in our students and our community! 👏

04/08/2026

Thinking to freshen up your lawn with some new grass? Be sure to consider the right soil and seed for the best results! 🌱

Healthy grass with strong roots holds soil together and helps filter water runoff before it reaches our city's storm drains.

For Kansas terrain, ideal warm-season grasses include bermuda, buffalograss, and zoysia. The best cool-season options are tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass.

Plant smart to protect Great Bend!

04/07/2026

Happy Birthday, Assistant Chief Christy! 🎉

Happy 96th Birthday to retired Assistant Chief Dave "Christy" Christianson. GBFD Members were invited to join Christy for cake and celebrate his birthday today at Brookdale Assisted Living.

04/07/2026

𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙒𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧: 𝙒𝙒𝙏𝙁 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙥🚰

Yesterday, the Great Bend Public Utilities Department welcomed residents and members of city council out to the wastewater treatment plant for a tour of the facility. Attendees learned about the operations and processes the plant undergoes to clean and treat wastewater.

Wastewater is any water that's been used in homes, industries, or businesses and contains a mixture of human waste, chemicals, bacteria, fats, and other materials that make it unsafe for a direct discharge into the Arkansas River. The City of Great Bend’s plant receives waste from 21 lift stations and 400,000 linear feet or 76 MILES of sewer mainline pipe. It averages 1-1.2 million gallons of wastewater every day and operates 24/7, 365 days of the year!

There are five main stages of treatment at the plant:

• Preliminary Treatment – Removes large debris, rags, sand, grit, grease, and other materials from incoming wastewater to protect pumps and downstream equipment.
• Primary Treatment – A biological process where microorganisms (“bugs”) consume and break down dissolved and suspended organic material.
• Secondary Treatment – A physical settling process where wastewater is held in clarifiers so heavier solids settle to the bottom as sludge and lighter materials such as grease and scum float to the surface for removal.
• Tertiary Treatment – Advanced treatment that further improves effluent quality by removing nutrients, fine solids, pathogens, color, and other remaining contaminants.
• Sludge Treatment – Stabilizes, thickens, dewaters, and prepares sludge/biosolids for disposal.

More than 99.9% of what goes down drains and toilets is water. Only 0.01% consists of solids, organic material, nutrients, and other contaminants. The wastewater treatment plant removes those pollutants and safely returns treated water to the environment, protecting public health and reducing pollution in our rivers and streams.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and learn how the wastewater treatment plant and Public Utilities Department play an essential role in protecting the health and environment of Great Bend.

04/06/2026

City Council Meeting 4-6-2026

04/06/2026

Some additional information for all those planning to attend the wastewater treatment facility tour at 3 p.m. today! ⤵

More details 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/WWTFTour

04/05/2026

The City of Great Bend wishes all Happy Easter! 🐰

04/03/2026

Great Bend: The America 250 Series 🇺🇸

1873-75 – Due to its location on the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Great Bend became a secondary cowtown, drawing thousands of Texas longhorns into the area. Trading peaked between 1873 and 1875 during the months of May through October.

While the industry brought rapid growth and money to the city, it also earned Great Bend a reputation as a rough and rowdy town with numerous saloons and a brothel. Residents lived in fear as cattle drives brought dangerous cowboys, gamblers, and outlaws into city limits.

Great Bend’s role in the Wild West declined in the 1880s as the cattle drive era was starting to end with the expansion of railroads. The town shifted into a peaceful agriculture center and today remains a significant contributor to the advancement and involvement of agriculture in America.

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04/03/2026

Already two weeks into spring! 🌷 Review these checklist items as April showers can uncover stormwater damage left behind by winter.

Clogged drains, cracked pipes, and weaken soil can be concealed during the colder months until spring rain exposes them and turns small issues into costly problems.

04/01/2026

The Great Bend City Council will conduct a work session and facility tour at the wastewater treatment plant located at 200 Kiowa Road on Monday, April 6, beginning at 3 p.m.

This tour is open to the public and is intended to provide the council and Great Bend residents with insight into the wastewater treatment plant and the essential functions it provides for the city’s water system.

Following the tour, the regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held at the normal time of 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. After adjournment, a work session regarding the city’s water pollution control will immediately succeed. The discussion will be guided by a report from the city’s on-call engineering firm, JEO Consultation Group, about the city’s 2025 water resource recovery facility.

For questions regarding the wastewater treatment plant tour, please contact the utilities department at 620-793-4170 or the city at 620-793-4111.