The county’s planning and zoning director presented a preliminary county comprehensive planning map with five possible transportation priorities for a new statewide transportation program during a Leavenworth County Commission meeting on Thursday.
Chris Dunn, county planning and zoning director, showcased the proposed projects after commissioners requested more information on Monday about how the projects would affect the county’s new comprehensive land-use plan.
The cities of Lansing and Leavenworth have each passed their own resolutions that endorse priority projects. The Kansas Department of Transportation will soon develop its new statewide comprehensive transportation program. KDOT’s 10-year comprehensive transportation plan is set to expire in January, and the Kansas Legislature will be asked to approve a new 10-year plan during next year’s session.
Among the list of transportation projects is an expressway connection from Kansas Highway 7 at McIntyre Road to Interstate 435 at Wolcott Road, which is part of Kansas Highway 5.
Other priority projects include a Leavenworth County regional airport, a Kansas Highway 92 bridge over the Missouri River, a west bypass from Kansas Highway 7 at McIntyre Road to Kansas Highway 92 north of the city of Leavenworth and a 30th Street trafficway west of the city of Leavenworth.
Commissioner J.C. Tellefson questioned the five possible locations that Dunn had plotted for a county regional airport. Tellefson said the county has yet to select an engineering firm that will conduct an airport feasibility study.
The designated airport locations were based on areas that Dunn said he had heard as possibilities, but they were “really no official endorsement of any one particular area.”
Commission Chairman Clyde Graeber also questioned the drawing of Lansing’s No. 1 priority project, which is the expressway connection.
When planning and zoning officials map in a planning process without exact routes, they draw “dumb-bell lines” that indicate a project could exist within those lines, Dunn said.
“That’s the wonderful thing about comp plans is that the lines aren’t set in stone,” Dunn said.
Despite the cities’ resolutions and a resolution that the county might soon adopt, Graeber expressed skepticism about the state legislature’s consideration of projects.
“I’m not dumb enough to sit up here and say that any of this is going to make a world of difference to the Kansas Legislature,” Graeber said. “They’re going to sit over there in their transportation committee and redo anything that we come up with in which they consider to be in the best interest of the state.”
The commission tabled further action on its own resolution until Dunn and County Administrator Heather Morgan could draft an additional clause that states the projects were identified as part of the county’s own comprehensive plan. Commissioners also requested that Dunn communicate with Lansing city officials.
In other business:
* PUBLIC WORKS — Commissioners reviewed and approved several bids during the county’s public works monthly report on Thursday.
Commissioners unanimously approved a new contract for public works’ uniform rental services. A commissioner will sign the contract after the county counselor has reviewed it.
The contract with Aramark Inc. for County Shop uniforms has expired, and the department solicited a request for proposals from four vendors. G&K Uniform provided the lowest bid of $78,738 for a five-year contract.
The commission also unanimously approved a bid for the replacement of two existing culverts on 250th Street, south of Kansas Highway 32. Pretech Corporation was awarded the lowest qualified bid of $2,846 for the purchase of two reinforced concrete pipe culverts.
According to a public works briefing report, the project will be paid with money received for 250th Street improvements from the developer of Stonegate subdivision, totaling $31,464.
Commissioners also unanimously authorized a rebidding process on a sign truck. Public works officials have already presented bids for the sign truck replacement twice before the board.
Doug Smith, assistant road and bridge superintendent, said the department could now bid on a local truck and have its bed built locally to the department’s specifications. The total savings could be between $25,000 and $30,000, Smith said.
Mickey Schwartzkopf, deputy director of public works, presented an update on the E-45 bridge replacement project. KDOT received bids from four contractors for the project, which is eligible for state-matching funds.
Commissioners unanimously approved the low bid of $849,900 from Midwest Construction. Leavenworth County can expect to pay $169,980 to fulfill its financial obligation toward state-matching funds, Schwartzkopf said.
Public works had allocated $187,000 in its 2008 and 2009 budgets for match funds.
The department also provided an update about its road maintenance schedule. Public works is 95-percent complete with its asphalt patching maintenance for the year, with County Road 25 and Timber Lakes as the two final patching projects.
County public works also has completed about 80 miles in its chip and seal maintenance program. The county has 14 miles remaining for the year in the maintenance program, which will cost $177,408.
Road and bridge maintenance will start marking stripes on the roads during the first week in September, Smith said.
* LIQUOR — Pat Paden, owner of Fatheads Irish Pub, addressed Leavenworth County’s law regarding liquor by the drink with a 30-percent food requirement in restaurants. Paden said he previously addressed the commission regarding the issue about three months ago.
“Please take this opportunity to support local business owners and their request to focus on what is really important to our customers and community,” Paden said during Thursday’s public comment, “by removing this time-consuming duty and antiquated law so that we may provide a relaxed and safe environment to our customers.”
Kansas law allows each county’s board of commissioners to make a motion for a ballot question regarding the requirement, County Counselor David Van Parys said. Van Parys said Kansas also allows individuals to present a petition before the commission that would require the question on a ballot during the General Election or a special election.
Paden said he has not attempted a petition and that he had waited for comment from the commission about their previous meeting three months ago.
The deadline to accept questions for November’s General Election ballot is Sept. 2, County Clerk Linda Scheer said.
About 10 county residents attended the public comment in support of Paden. Eighteen Kansas counties now have exemptions to the requirement, Paden said.
Van Parys said he would prepare a briefing report and present it before the commission during Monday’s regular meeting. The report would address possible ballot question wording and the potential effects that the question could have on the county.
“The laws that are involved in this are sometimes rather old, sometimes new and sometimes in potential conflict with each other,” Van Parys said. “Because of the way Kansas laws work on this, it is not a simple topic, but we will get an answer to it.”
* SPRINKLER — Commissioners unanimously approved a low bid of $3,280 for repair of the Juvenile Detention Center’s fire sprinkler system. Tim Goetz, director of special building, received two bids for the project, Morgan said.
The commission also approved a motion for Goetz to review the maintenance contract for JDC.
* JUSTICE CENTER — While replacing the chiller unit at the Justice Center, the special building department identified an oil separator that needs replaced. Commissioners unanimously approved to waive the board’s purchasing resolution and allow the chiller’s contractor to install a new oil separator. The replacement will cost about $4,000.
“The stipulation is that the person who just worked on the chiller will not warranty their work if we go with a different company for this part because they’re so intertwined,” Morgan said.
* COPIERS — Commissioners unanimously approved for the commission chairman to sign a five-year agreement for lease copier maintenance. Larry Malbrough, director of county information systems, found available depreciation funding for financing the agreement, Morgan said.
During their Aug. 14 meeting, commissioners approved an agreement with KK Office Solutions for lease copier maintenance of 23 county copiers.
* TRAVEL — The commission tabled three travel requests from the Leavenworth County Health Department until Donna Martin, health department administrative director, can provide further information.
Commissioners unanimously approved a $801 travel request for two county clerk’s office employees to attend the Kansas County Officials Association annual conference in Wichita.
The commission also unanimously approved a $1,794 travel request for the county attorney’s office to attend a National College of District Attorneys conference.
The travel funds will come from the attorney’s training fund, which is not paid through property taxes.
* VETERANS DAY — The commission approved the Veterans Day committee to use the Justice Center and Leavenworth County Courthouse parking lots for the Veterans Day parade.
Commissioners also unanimously approved funding for portable toilets during the parade.
* CLOSED DOORS — Commissioners, the county administrator, the county director of public works, the county deputy director of public works and the assistant road and bridge supervisor met behind closed doors for 10 minutes regarding personnel matters.
The issue received no further action in open session.
Commissioners and the county administrator also met behind closed doors for 10 minutes regarding the acquisition of real property. The issue received no further action in open session.
The commission will next meet at 9 a.m. Monday at the county courthouse, 300 Walnut St.
Leavenworth, Kan. —
