First, Lincolnville must demolish old city building
Members of the steering committee for a new community building met Monday with Lincolnville city council. They were Brian Owens, Anita Svoboda, Glenn Carlson, and Gail Makovec. City clerk Jane Pigorsch and council members David Schneider and John Chizek also are members of the committee.
After a lengthy discussion about whether or not to auction the old building for salvage, the city followed the recommendation of the committee and passed a motion to begin demolition immediately using local volunteers. Attempts will be made to salvage some of the material, to be sold at an auction scheduled for Aug. 13.
Demolition is expected to begin sometime this week depending on when volunteers will be available. Privately-owned trucks will be used to haul the material to a dumpsite at Chapman.
The decision to go ahead with immediate demolition was taken largely because of time constraints. The building committee was concerned about meeting the timeline set by project officials, which calls for a new building to be erected and enclosed before winter. The auctioning process would have required at least three weeks to complete the demolition.
The council also voted to purchase a "job trailer" for $2,650. The large, steel cargo box will be used to store and secure materials during construction.
A contract with Kansas Rural Water Association (KRWA) was approved. KRWA personnel will help Kansas Department of Commerce provide technical knowledge and resources necessary to train and assist volunteers. A KRWA representative will be on-site to supervise the project.
KRWA will receive compensation equal to 75 percent of the architectural fee. The total payment will not exceed $13,646. All fees are included in the Kan-Step grant awarded to the city for the new building.
The auction will begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 in the northwest corner of the city park. Bob Kiekhaefer of Herington has volunteered his services as auctioneer. Tambra Owens will be clerk, Jane Pigorsch, cashier, and Glenn Carlson will assist the auctioneer. Items to be sold include community building items, with proceeds going toward the new community building, and city items no longer needed, with proceeds going into the general fund.
The public is invited to attend a meeting to be held Aug. 12 at the St. John's Lutheran Church basement to officially kick off the project. The grant coordinator, architect, and administrator will be on hand, as well as the KRWA representative. They will explain their parts in the construction process and will answer questions. County officials also have been invited.
Refreshments will be served by Lincolnville Senior Citizens after a brief ground-breaking ceremony in the park.
