Evergy has confirmed to Salina311 that the utility did not receive a request to prioritize power restoration at Oakdale Park following the June 8 storm.

Salina311 reached out to Evergy on June 23 and spoke with a company spokesperson about the decision to restore power to the park while some homes and properties in Salina were still without electricity.

According to the Evergy spokesperson, no request was made to prioritize Oakdale Park.

The spokesperson also said the decision to restore that section of the system did not only affect the park. When power was restored to Oakdale Park, approximately 300 additional homes were also restored as part of the same work.

The clarification follows public questions about why Oakdale Park, home of the Smoky Hill River Festival, had power restored as Salina continued recovering from widespread storm damage and outages.

Mayor Mike Hoppock previously addressed the issue during a City Commission meeting, saying he contacted an Evergy regional representative after residents began asking why the park had power while some citizens did not.

Hoppock said Evergy explained that one of its primary lines ran near Oakdale Park, and once that line was restored, connecting the park was relatively simple. He said Evergy also knew the Smoky Hill River Festival was approaching and considered it a significant event for Salina.

Hoppock said at the meeting that Evergy made the decision to leave one crew, one truck, and two workers at the park.

He also said he did not request the park be prioritized.

“I can vouch for the fact that I did not call Evergy and ask for that,” Hoppock said during the meeting. “I’ve talked to the city manager, he did not call and ask for that, so that was a decision that Evergy made.”

Evergy’s June 23 statement to Salina311 supports Hoppock’s earlier comments that the decision came from the utility, not from city leadership.

The additional detail from Evergy also adds context to the restoration decision. While Oakdale Park became the visible point of public concern because of the River Festival, Evergy said the same restoration work also brought power back to roughly 300 homes.

The issue drew attention because of the timing. The June 8 storm left many residents dealing with power outages, downed trees, damaged property, blocked streets, and cleanup concerns across the community.

Evergy’s explanation indicates the restoration was tied to the structure of the electrical system, not a separate request from city officials to move the park ahead of residents.