Staff writer
Faced with a cost that would drain the city’s entire street and sidewalk funds for the year, city councilors tabled a construction project on the premises of HRK Variety store at the corner of Main and Roosevelt Sts.
An assessment performed by EBH Engineering estimated the cost of the repair to the east entrance at $7,035. Additional repairs to the sidewalk, the curb, and the west entrance would add approximately $8,000 to the cost of the project.
Not all $15,000 in repairs would be required to be completed at the same time, but councilors agreed it would be best to repair the it all at once.
Economic Development Director Terry Jones said the city’s funds for curb and ramp repairs are $5,000, and $3,000 for sidewalks. That money would be used with additional funds to cover the rest of the cost.
“The money’s there,” Mayor Todd Heitschmidt said. “We’d just have to take it from something else.”
The lot entrances no longer comply with Kansas Department of Transportation regulations, City Administrator Roger Holter said. The east and west entrances are improperly angled toward the street. If the city were to do any repair work, KDOT requires the angled entrances be replaced with curbs, and an entrance be placed perpendicular to Main St.
Bernice Beach, owner of HRK, has withdrawn her request from the city for help with the project, and enlisted a private contractor to provide a quote for a repair, Holter said.
A motion to table the discussion was passed 5-0.
In other business:
- Clerk Tiffany Jeffrey was appointed as the city’s Freedom of Information officer.
- Council approved a $1,500 software purchase for Summit Dashboard Financial Transparency software.
- A new “return to work” policy was adopted as part of the city’s worker’s compensation plan. Employees available to return to work in any capacity can be put to work by the city in a productive manner. Previously, employees could only return to work when cleared to fulfill their allotted positions.