River Renewal supporter, critic make their cases at Salina City Commission citizens forum

SALINA, Kan. — A representative of the Friends of the River Foundation and a longtime critic of the Smoky Hill River Renewal project offered opposing views of the project during the citizens forum at the Salina City Commission meeting Monday, Oct. 26.

Jane Anderson, who said she works for the Friends of the River Foundation, defended the project's federal commitments. Salina resident Ben Windholz called for pulling local money out of the project and putting it toward water infrastructure.

The forum followed comments earlier in the meeting from Commissioner Doug Rempp, who called for moving $5 million back from the River Renewal project to water infrastructure.

'It's not my project'

Anderson said the project is the work of many people over many years.

"First, I'd like to say it is not my project," she said. "It's been a huge group of people that have been working on this for years. It's a big community group."

She said the Master Gardeners, whose garden is along the river, have known for years that they will be relocated, and that a donor will help pay for the move and infrastructure. She said the new garden will have almost four times the space, and that, while plans aren't final, the group hopes to build a gazebo it could rent for weddings.

Anderson said the current location along the riverbank has contributed to bank collapse because too many trees were cut down and too much watering occurred there. "They didn't intend for that to happen," she said.

Federal grant and the Corps of Engineers

Anderson said the city was fortunate to receive a federal RAISE grant for the project. She said only 10% of applicants are funded, and that first-time applicants usually are not.

She said that once the city signed the grant contract, it was obligated to build what it proposed.

"You don't get to decide once you've signed a contract what you get to do," Anderson said. "When you deal with the federal government, it's on a different level of consequences, both good and bad."

She said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees the riverway because it is part of the flood zone, and that the Corps has signed off on its study of the project. She said the Corps has determined there is enough water to run the river, and that the Corps can still shut down the river with its gates.

"That is not your riverway. It's not my riverway. It's truly overseen by the Corps of Engineers," she said. "So by them agreeing to come alongside and do a project is very unusual."

"It is a complicated project," Anderson said. "It has lots of different pieces working together."

'Let's hear the rest of the story'

Windholz, who said he has posted 18 videos about the project on a public social media page, focused on the 2016 sales tax vote.

"Nowhere on that ballot did it say River Renewal Project, ever," he said.

Windholz read from the 2016 ballot question, which asked voters whether the city should repeal a 0.40% special purpose sales tax set to expire March 31, 2019, and replace it with a 0.75% general purpose sales tax. He pointed to two of the listed uses for the proceeds: "constructing and maintaining capital improvements" and "funding bonded debt issued for capital improvements."

He argued those uses cover water infrastructure, which he called a major capital need that will require bonding. He said that when residents voted in 2016, they did not know about the condition of the city's water infrastructure.

"With infrastructure needed — needed, not wanted, needed — I think we should probably look into exactly where we're putting that money from 2016," Windholz said. "Pull the 1.3 out, get that $5 million back. Put it towards our infrastructure because, believe me, guys, if we don't, there is going to be one major problem down the road for this town."

What the city has said

In a question-and-answer page published after the Aug. 10, 2026, commission meeting, the City of Salina said the River Renewal Project is funded by several sources, with most of the money coming from the special sales tax voters approved in 2016. The city also said the commission transferred $5 million from the general fund during the 2024 budget process to support the project, and that the city has used federal funds and private donations.

In the same Q&A, the city said water and wastewater operations are enterprise funds supported by utility fees rather than general tax revenue. The city said the commission has directed staff to develop a more aggressive water main replacement plan, and that options to be presented may include General Fund support for future water main replacement.