Government and Services in Wamego, Kansas.

Government
The City of Wamego - www.wamego.org - is a city of the second class, governed by a manager-commission form of government. It provides electrical power, water, and waste disposal services in Wamego. A full-time professional police department, volunteer fire department, library, hospital, recreational and park services are also owned or managed by the city.

Wamego is a city of the second-class with a population of roughly 5,000 persons. The City has adopted the Commission-Manager form of government with a five-member commission. The City Commission meets twice a month. There are many City boards, including: City Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Construction Board Appeals, Code Review Committee, Municipal Airport Board, Hospital Board, Wamego Library Board, Recreation Commission, and Wamego Housing Authority.

Wamego City offices, court, and police station are housed in a building that has served many uses over the years. Built by Trout and Leach for their Wamego State Bank, the building later housed Wamego Telephone Company and Balderson Inc. The adjoining building on the right was constructed later. For a long time it was home to the Wamego Post Office. The original building was partially destroyed by a fire in 1973. Afterwards, both buildings were purchased and renovated by the City of Wamego to consolidate city operations.

Emergency Services
The City maintains its own police and fire departments, public hospital, and municipal court. Wamego has six full-time police officers on-staff as well as twelve volunteer fire fighters. The City has done an exceptional job at maintaining the best fire rating possible for its size. The Wamego City Hospital has several general practitioners on the regular staff, plus a number of associate and courtesy staff specialists. Emergency care is provided in the new state-of-the-art emergency facility. The hospital also operates a fitness center. The municipal court has jurisdiction over codes and traffic regulations only.

Library

The Wamego City Library contains 19,000 volumes, 89 periodical titles, and numerous audio books and videos. The library participates in the Kansas Interlibrary Loan System. Several activities are available. The library moved to a new location downtown in 2002.

Transportation
Wamego is situated along US Highway 24, which is four lanes westward and two lanes eastward, and along Kansas Highway 99, which is two lanes north and south. Manhattan, Kansas is 14 miles to the west, Topeka is a quick 40-minute drive to the east, and Interstate 70 is nine miles south. Wamego owns the municipal airport that is 2 miles east of the city. The airport features a lighted, 3,170 foot asphalt runway, and hangar space.

Communications Services
Communications services are provided by the Wamego Telephone Company - www.wamtelco.com - a locally owned, regional telecommunications company extending high-speed connectivity throughout Wamego and the surrounding service area.

"Leading Telecommunications Through The 21st Century"

Wamego Telecommunications Company, Incorporated is an independent telephone company located in the heart of the Flint Hills of Kansas, serving parts of Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, and Riley counties. This stockholder owned company with the main office located in Wamego, Kansas has served the communications needs of its customers since 1912 with cutting edge technology. Their goal is to provide high quality, affordable telecommunications with the latest technology to all customers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The demand for new technology has led to an expansion of products and services that are offered through Wamego Telecommunications. WTC was one of the first companies in Kansas to convert to digital switching services in 1980. Being the first to provide local dial-up Internet service to customers in 1995, this company saw the need to provide high-speed bandwidth to all customers, regardless of where they lived. The company's latest product, ADSL, provides download speeds of up to 1.54mbps. WTC also purchased a local Internet provider in St. Marys, opened a local office, and began to expand the Internet products that could be offered.

With a focus on one-stop shopping and convergent billing, WTC acquired the local cable TV system in September of 2000, in both the communities of Wamego and St. Marys. With the addition of three popular analog network channels in the fall of 2001, subscribers now have 49 channels for viewing enjoyment. Digital channel packages will be added in the near future to provide more movie channel choices, pay-per-view movies and events, as well as the addition of other popular networks.

During that same year, the company also saw an opportunity to increase services by becoming a long distance carrier with competitive rates, excellent service, and local service representatives available to answer customer questions. Other related products include low-cost inbound 800 services, convenient calling cards, and inexpensive international rates.

The company's latest projects include the construction of a new office facility at the intersection of KS Hwy. 99 and US Hwy. 24 in Wamego to house the company's 26 employees under one roof, as well as building the first phase of a fiber-to-the-home network that will bring fiber optic cable to over 850 homes in the core of Wamego, and replace aging aerial drops which could be more easily damaged by ice, snow, and wind storms. WTC becomes the first independent local exchange carrier in the state of Kansas to provide fiber-to-the-home to the area it has served for 90 years.

Wamego Telecommunications Company, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer, and continues to be a good corporate citizen that supports worthwhile community projects, all school districts within its service area, and economic development activities that would be beneficial to all residents.

For more information: http://www.wamtelco.com/

Senior/Community Center
The center is the focal point for many community activities and the meeting place for many organizations in the area. For senior citizens a noon meal is prepared and home delivered meals are available. A variety of programs are offered.