City addresses traffic concerns near high school
Traffic concerns along 10th Street near Holton High School have spurred a group of Holton citizens to seek more traffic control in that area.
On Monday, the Holton City Commission instructed Holton Street Superintendent Greg Tanking to put a stop sign at the intersection of 10th and Pennsylvania Avenue for northbound traffic to try and allay those citizens’ concerns. Commissioners also noted that police patrols would be augmented in that area.
But Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee noted that in spite of putting up a stop sign, there’s only so much the city can do at any of the city’s intersections.
“I’ve seen people running the stop sign all the time” at Fifth Street and Pennsylvania near Holton City Hall, McKee said. Commissioners and others noted that many motorists ignore stop signs in other parts of the city as well.
In the case of Holton residents in the area along 10th between New York and Ohio avenues, Commissioner Dan Brenner noted at the commission’s Sept. 6 meeting that he had been approached by those residents with a petition stating their concerns about motorists at the intersection of 10th and Pennsylvania.
The petition, signed by 12 Holton residents representing seven city addresses, cited “the increasing and often alarming speed at which the vehicles are frequently traveling, and the apparent total disregard by the drivers for the fact that this is both a residential neighborhood and a school zone.”
Such drivers, the residents said, are “a mixture of all age groups and vehicle types,” including school buses. They requested that the city turn the intersections of 10th at New York and Pennsylvania avenues into three-way stops, speed limit and “children playing” signs and increased police enforcement.
McKee acknowledged the citizens’ concerns but noted that in the last three years, there have not been any traffic accidents reported in that area. He also noted that in many cases, the city requires engineering studies to be conducted to determine whether new signage may be placed at any intersection in any particular area.
Furthermore, the “children playing” signs are “unenforceable,” and putting up traffic control signs “on every street” would not be financially feasible for the city, McKee said.
Tanking said that of the three intersections mentioned, only Pennsylvania does not have a stop sign in place for northbound traffic approaching 10th and suggested one be placed there. Commissioners agreed and encouraged police officers to step up law enforcement in that area as well.
In other business on Monday, commissioners approved the purchase of a new 2017 model Ford F-650 two-ton dump truck chassis for $48,997 from Midway Ford Truck Center in Kansas City, Mo., after commissioners noted a request from Tanking to purchase a truck to replace one of two aging dump trucks in his department’s employ.
During the Sept. 6 meeting, commissioners noted that one of the two trucks could be replaced using capital outlay funds from two different city budget years. The truck chassis, they noted, could be purchased using capital outlay funds from the 2016 budget, while necessary implements for the truck, such as a dump bed and a snow plow, could be purchased with 2017 funds.
McKee stated that the two dump trucks the street department has on hand were purchased new in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and both of them have gasoline engines, as opposed to diesel engines.
Tanking had spoken with Foster Ford and Clark Chevrolet about getting bids on a two-ton truck to replace one of the city’s trucks, but neither dealership was selling that kind of truck, McKee said. Foster Ford then directed Tanking to contact Midway, which offered three options on Ford two-ton F-650 trucks.
In addition to the truck eventually purchased, Midway placed bids on two 2017 model diesel-engine trucks, including a $56,648 bid for a truck with hydraulic brakes and a $58,701 bids for a truck with air brakes.
The city also received three bids for International 4300 diesel engine trucks from Summit Truck Group of Kansas City, Mo., including $58,520 for a new, 2015 model truck with air brakes, $60,780 for a 2017 model with hydraulic brakes and $60,854 for a 2017 model with air brakes.
Tanking estimated that it would cost the city about $30,000 to outfit the new truck with a dump bed and about $13,000 to install a new snow plow. He also said that the dump bed and the snow plow on the truck that was being replaced could not be transferred to the new truck because of issues with compatibility and age.
“The equipment’s getting worn out,” Tanking said. “We just need a dependable truck.”
Commissioners also:
* Noted the absence of Commissioner Tim Morris. Commissioners present included Mayor Robert Dieckmann, Brenner, Mike Meerpohl and Twila White.
* Approved minutes from the commission’s Sept. 6 meeting and budget appropriations made since that meeting.
* Noted the city’s wastewater treatment plant had received the Class 3 Wastewater Treatment Plant Award from the Kansas Wastewater Environment Association. McKee noted the award was the fifth such honor received from KWEA.
* Welcomed Ethan Kebert, 12, and Jakob Kebert, 11, members of Holton Boy Scout Pack 64, who were attending the meeting to meet a merit badge requirement.
* Noted that the Holton Elementary School open house originally set for Sunday, Sept. 18 had been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 23.
* Noted that the spillway tube at Elkhorn Lake had been opened to allow the lake to drain properly.
* Heard a report from Brenner about a city resident’s inquiry into whether there was a city ordinance allowing property owners to bury pets in their backyard. McKee said he was unaware of a city ordinance that either allows or prohibits such burial.
* Adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
