News Flash

You’re invited to the City of Manhattan’s Budget Open House — a free, come-and-go event where you can explore the City’s budget and see the people and equipment that keep our community running. We offer two locations and times:

• 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 16 — Douglass Activity Center, 925 Yuma Street
• 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, August 21 — Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2850 Kirkwood Drive

Each City department will have its own Budget Open House station with displays, handouts, and department directors available to answer your questions.

A central station will explain the budget in detail, including how your property tax dollar is divided and how home valuation affects taxes. If you wish to provide your address, staff can produce a detailed breakdown of your tax bill.

Outside, enjoy a Touch a Truck display with fire trucks, Public Works equipment, and more! No registration is needed — just drop by and learn more about your City.

(MANHATTAN, Kan. – July 24, 2025) — This year’s Furniture Amnesty Day (FAD) event has been postponed by the City of Manhattan for one week, and it will now start at 8 a.m. Friday, August 1 in City Park.

The event is being postponed due to a forecast of excessive rainfall (3 to 5 inches) overnight and continuing Friday, July 25, leading to possible flooding. A Flood Watch is in effect for the Manhattan area through Friday afternoon.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we worked to make this postponement decision,” said Andrew Lawson, public information officer for the City. “Furniture Amnesty Day is a very complex event involving many community partners, so we needed to make a decision before the heaviest of the predicted rainfall came tonight. We urge everyone not to put out furniture tonight, and to contact us if you need to make alternate arrangements for leases that may be terminating within the next week that affect your donation.”

FAD is a free community event that gives people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. Anyone can participate. There are no income requirements or forms to fill out to choose from the donated items.

Registration for furniture shopping begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 1 in City Park. Free shopping will be scheduled in 15-minute time slots from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FAD participants can return to the park at their scheduled time and take home up to five (5) furniture items at no cost. Items in a set, such as a table and chairs, only count as one item. No additional paperwork is needed.

Volunteers will begin pickup routes at 7 a.m. Friday, August 1 and will continue gathering and dropping off furniture throughout the day, so there always will be a fresh selection of goods available. Shoppers must be able to haul away any furniture they select. Delivery service is not available.

The deadline to request furniture pickup closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 and will not be extended. For those who did not meet the deadline to request a furniture pickup, donations can still be dropped off at Miller Field in City Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, August 1.

Acceptable donations include: Sofas; couches; desks; recliners; dressers; headboards; chairs; entertainment centers; and end, coffee, and kitchen tables.

Donations that will not be accepted include: FAD will not be accepting mattresses, dishwashers, pianos, grills, refrigerators, washers, dryers, televisions, monitors, computers, lamps, or other electronics.

Any furniture left unclaimed at 4 p.m. on the day of the event will be open to the general public without registration. At 4:30 p.m., the event will end. Any remaining pieces will be hauled away by staff and volunteers.

If weather prevents the event from taking place on August 1, it will be canceled.

It takes lots of help to make Furniture Amnesty Day happen. HandsOn K-State is organizing the volunteer effort again this year. Anyone interested in helping should contact HandsOn at handson@ksu.edu. Volunteers can decide which 3-hour shift works best with their schedule. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Manhattan’s annual Furniture Amnesty Day is hosted by the City of Manhattan, the Staley School of Leadership Studies at K-State, HandsOn K-State, and Konza United Way. For more information, please visit cityofmhk.com/furniture.

(MANHATTAN, Kan. – July 18, 2025) — This year’s Furniture Amnesty Day (FAD) event will take place starting at 8 a.m. Friday, July 25 in City Park.

FAD is a free community event that gives people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. Anyone can participate. There are no income requirements or forms to fill out to choose from the donated items.

Registration for furniture shopping begins at 8 a.m. in City Park. Free shopping will be scheduled in 15-minute time slots from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FAD participants can return to the park at their scheduled time and take home up to five (5) furniture items at no cost. Items in a set, such as a table and chairs, only count as one item. No additional paperwork is needed.

Furniture will continue to be gathered and dropped off throughout the day, so there will always be a fresh selection of goods available. Shoppers must be able to haul away any furniture they select. Delivery service is not available.

“August is the most common month for people in Manhattan to move, with many leases expiring July 25,” said Ryan Courtright, assistant chief of risk reduction for the Manhattan Fire Department. “We used to see a lot of furniture abandoned at the curb every August. Since some refuse companies do not pick up those large items, we were issuing a lot of code violation notices and furniture just sat and deteriorated. Furniture Amnesty Day grew out of an idea to help solve that problem and get that furniture to people who could use it.”

Furniture can be donated in two ways: 1) residents within Manhattan city limits can sign up online by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 to have volunteers pick up their donated furniture at the curbside of their residence; or 2) donations can be dropped off at Miller Field in City Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 25.

Acceptable donations include: Sofas; couches; desks; recliners; dressers; headboards; chairs; entertainment centers; and end, coffee, and kitchen tables.

Donations that will not be accepted include: FAD will not be accepting mattresses, dishwashers, pianos, grills, refrigerators, washers, dryers, televisions, monitors, computers, lamps, or other electronics. “Generally, we don’t accept anything that needs to be plugged in,” Courtright explained.

Volunteers are available to pick up furniture donations at the curb for anyone living within Manhattan city limits. Volunteers only will pick up a maximum of five (5) furniture items per location. Again, furniture sets such as a table and chairs still count as only one item.

To register for pickup service, please sign up online at cityofmhk.com/furniture or call the City Manager’s Office at (785) 587-2404 during regular business hours. The deadline to register for pickup service is 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23. All items for donation pickup need to be at the curb by 7 a.m. Friday, July 25. Volunteers will not enter homes or private property to pick up donations.

Donations also can be dropped off at Miller Field from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 25.

Any furniture left unclaimed at 4 p.m. on the day of the event will be open to the general public without registration. At 4:30 p.m., the event will end. Any remaining pieces will be hauled away by staff and volunteers.

If weather prevents the event from taking place on July 25, it will be canceled.

It takes lots of help to make Furniture Amnesty Day happen. HandsOn K-State is organizing the volunteer effort again this year. Anyone interested in helping should fill out a volunteer form here. Volunteers can decide which three-hour shift works best with their schedule. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Manhattan’s annual Furniture Amnesty Day is hosted by the City of Manhattan, the Staley School of Leadership Studies at K-State, HandsOn K-State, and Konza United Way. For more information, please visit cityofmhk.com/furniture.

(MANHATTAN, Kan. – May 28, 2025) — The City of Manhattan and the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Foundation invite businesses and organizations to “create an impact in our community” through naming rights and sponsorship opportunities at the brand-new CiCo Park baseball/softball complex — an exciting addition to the region’s recreation landscape and a major investment in the Manhattan community’s future.

Located in the northeast portion of CiCo Park, the new complex will feature four new youth baseball and softball fields, upgraded amenities, and a community-centered atmosphere that attracts more than 300,000 annual visitors and sees 15,000 vehicles drive by daily. Designed to host leagues, tournaments, and special events, the complex will be a hub for families, fans, and athletes alike.

“This is an incredible opportunity for local and regional organizations to gain premium brand exposure while supporting the values of youth development, active lifestyles, and community engagement,” said Aaron Stewart, director of parks and recreation.

“It’s also part of our broader strategy to fund park operations in creative, sustainable ways that help to ease the burden on local taxpayers.”

Hall of Fame naming proposals will be reviewed starting June 27, 2025. Signage will be professionally designed to match facility aesthetics and feature the organization’s desired branding. All proposals are subject to City policy.

Available naming and sponsorship packages include:

• Hall of Fame Naming Rights — Name the entire complex (accepting proposals)
• MLB Package — Name the outdoor view deck (starting at $100,000)
• AAA Package — Name one of the four fields or warm-up areas ($75,000)
• AA Package — Name scoreboards, playground, dugouts, or bullpen ($5,000 to $50,000)
• A Sponsorships — Fence signage, foul poles, streaming ads, and more (starting at $1,500)

Interested organizations can view the full sponsorship package and proposal form at mhkprd.com/cicocomplex. For more information, please contact:

• Aaron Stewart — aaron.stewart@cityofmhk.com | (785) 587-2754
• Gail Urban, Manhattan Parks and Recreation Foundation Chair — info@mhkparksandrecfoundation.org | (785) 556-2468

Why Sponsor?

• Gain premium exposure and visibility through signage, event materials, social media, live events, and the complex’s website.
• Reach family-focused audiences who frequent Aggieville, Downtown, and area businesses with targeted marketing.
• Use strategic community engagement to reach attentive audiences during games and events, with average visits lasting 1 1/2 hours.
• Measure your impact with access to visitor spending and engagement insights to help to tailor your brand strategy.
• Minimum 5-year commitment for naming rights and 3 years for A-level sponsorships provide long-term value.