The Leavenworth County Commission reviewed a resolution on Monday that would endorse transportation improvements throughout the county.
Among the list of five priority 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. The city of Lansing has already approved a resolution that endorses the project, and several city officials made a presentation before the county commission.
City of Lansing officials list the possible expressway connection as their top priority because of safety reasons and economic development opportunities, said Ken Miller, public information officer for the city of Lansing. The proposed expressway would exist about evenly within Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties, Miller said.
The resolution will be considered as the Kansas Department of Transportation develops its new statewide comprehensive transportation program. KDOT’s 10-year comprehensive transportation plan is set to expire in January. The Kansas Legislature will be asked to approve a new 10-year plan during next year’s session.
The city of Leavenworth also has already passed its own resolution that endorses priority transportation projects. The county commission delayed further action on its own resolution until Thursday. Chris Dunn, director of county planning and zoning, will present the five priority projects and their potential effect on the county’s comprehensive land-use plan.
Though the county commission did not formally pass its transportation projects’ resolution on Monday, Commission Chairman Clyde Graeber told Miller that the proposed expressway is the commission’s “No. 1.”
“I think it’s a very important project and one that I certainly support,” Graeber said. “If the Village (West) down there expands and if they get a casino, that connecting road could really be important in this town.”
Other priority transportation 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.
County Administrator Heather Morgan asked how Lansing officials would work to get the resolution and its priority projects implemented into KDOT’s new comprehensive transportation plan. Miller said the city would address Wyandotte County and KDOT officials about the proposed project.
He also said the city plans “to be knocking on a lot of doors, talking to anybody who wants to hear us talk about it.”
Graeber said Lansing should also incorporate the Leavenworth County Development Corporation in its outreach efforts. He also suggested that Lansing officials contact officials at Fort Leavenworth and ask them to sign a letter of support for the proposed expressway connection.
Mike Spickelmier, director of county public works, shared his thoughts about the project during Monday’s meeting.
“Lansing has been in some discussions with me, and I think it’s a very positive step forward for the county and for the communities within the county,” Spickelmier said. “We all know that the economic engine that drives the economy of the region is the city of Kansas City, and viable transportation links to that engine are going to benefit everybody.”
County Resident Louis Klemp provided feedback after Lansing officials presented their side.
“I don’t know how many projects we can have,” Klemp said. “It’s not a bad project because it’s not getting into Missouri, so we don’t have to play their politics. It’s not all bad, in that aspect.”
Based on her previous working experiences with Kansas legislators, Morgan said they will probably give “no thought” on how the priority transportation projects would connect.
“They’re just going to pick the projects and stick them in the plan with very little detail or thought,” Morgan said.
The priority transportation projects endorsed through city and county resolutions also will most likely change once they reach the state level, Graeber said.
In other business:
* HEALTH INSURANCE — The commission took action on several aspects regarding county employees’ new health insurance policy with Humana and Delta Dental plan. As a policy decision, commissioners decided to allow dependents to stay on a family insurance plan until age 25, if they are students.
Dependents who are not students will remain on the plan until age 19. The change will not cost the county any additional money, Morgan said.
The county’s new insurance carrier also directs that only Leavenworth County employees, county employee retirees or family members of a Leavenworth County employee be covered under the health plan.
Commissioners also unanimously approved to allow $429.13 per month per county employee to go toward health or dental care. If an employee opts to not use $17.94 each month toward dental, that money could go toward the total “pot of money” for Humana, and vice versa, Morgan said.
The total of the Delta Dental and Humana with vision monthly plans is $429.13 for each employee.
* CLOSED DOORS — Commissioners, the county administrator and the county counselor met behind closed doors for 30 minutes regarding specific personnel issues. After the executive session, the commission unanimously approved the county administrator to implement the specific personnel actions that commissioners discussed. The motion also directed the county counselor to assist the administrator, as needed.
Along with the motion, the county counselor also suggested that “appropriate personnel actions be prepared and presented to the board for final approval.” Commissioners unanimously approved the motion.
Two commissioners, the county administrator and the county’s solid waste director also met behind closed doors for 15 minutes regarding specific personnel issues. The commission took no further action on the issue.
* SEWER DISTRICT 3 — The commission unanimously approved the engineering firm selection for the expansion of the Sewer District 3 collection system. MHS Engineering, based in Leavenworth, received the agreement. Representatives from the county’s public works department, Commissioner Dean Oroke and Carl Slaugh, city of Basehor city administrator, interviewed three engineering firms about two weeks ago.
Commissioners also approved public works to move forward on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s revolving fund loan application, which will pay for the between $75,000 and $100,000 of design fees.
Oroke asked whether the properties outside of the geographic sewer district would need to be included within Sewer District 3 before the project’s approval.
County Counselor David Van Parys said the county can process its application of the KDHE revolving loan. Commissioners, as the board of directors for Sewer District 3, also can track the justification for the adjusting of the district’s boundaries.
The commission also convened as the board of directors for Sewer District 3 and unanimously approved the same engineering firm contract.
* DEMPSEY ROAD — Commissioners unanimously approved an on-call land surveying firm that will provide professional land surveying services for the public works department. Herring Surveying Company will provide its services for the 2009 local road project on Dempsey Road from 147th Street to 155th Street.
Herring provided the lowest project bid amount at $10,560. Two other applicants, Strick and Company and McAfee Henderson Solutions, also provided project bids.
* E-45 — Commissioners unanimously approved the certification of a right-of-way clearance for the E-45 bridge replacement project. The county will send its certification about the real property acquisition procedures and utility arrangements to KDOT.
On Friday, the checks for payment for easement acquisition on the E-45 bridge replacement project were sent to the clerk of the district court.
* CULVERTS — Commissioners unanimously approved the lowest bid for two large aluminized culverts for County bridges R-19 and R-80. Welborn Sales received the lowest bid at $12,182. Records indicate that public works has $40,643 in its current bridge line item for culverts.
* TRAVEL — Commissioners voted 2-0, with Commissioner J.C. Tellefson absent, to approve a travel request for the county treasurer to attend a Kansas County Officials Association conference in Wichita. The travel request totals $453, but the county treasurer might share rooming with the county clerk and split the costs.
* SAMPLER — At 11 a.m., Tellefson attended the Kansas Sampler Foundation final interview with other county and cities’ officials in the Leavenworth County Courthouse basement conference room.
Tellefson also attended the site visit at Ray Miller Park on Tuesday afternoon.
The commission will next meet at 9 a.m. Thursday at the county courthouse, 300 Walnut St.
Leavenworth, Kan. —
