The City of Great Bend Public Works Department will conduct a three-day open burn from Dec. 9-11 to reduce the volume of trees before winter weather sets in.

The fire will take place at the compost site located at 97 SW 5th Ave. beginning Tuesday with round-the-clock in-person monitoring throughout the duration. Public Works will not feed the fire overnight.

The city conducted an open burn earlier this year during the week of Nov. 3. While the initial burn put a healthy dent in number of trees, another is needed before the new year to avoid encountering snow and stronger winter weather in the coming months.

Forecasts for next week show southwest winds between 8-17 mph on Tuesday, with gusts up to 27 mph before shifting to northwest winds that night. The northwest winds will continue into Wednesday at 7-18 mph with gusts up to 21 mph. Thursday is expected to bring mixed southwest and northwest winds at 7-15 mph with gusts up to 28 mph.

Favorable conditions for the burn include sustained north winds. With mixed winds predicted, strong gusts from the south would be optimal to carry smoke out of the city and prevent it lingering and becoming a nuisance.

For related questions, please contact Public Works Director David Dunekack at ddunekack@greatbendks.net or by calling 620-793-4150.