Estimates sought for three city projects

In recent discussions on how to spend the city’s capital improvement funds, the Holton City Commission has included repairing the Prairie Lake spillway and making improvements at the city’s water treatment plant in those discussions.

Now that repairing the rain-damaged spillway at Elkhorn Lake has become a priority for the city, the commission has decided to seek an engineer’s estimate for all three projects.

During the commission’s meeting on Tuesday — held a day later than normal due to the Independence Day holiday — commissioners approved a bid of $16,500 from the Evans-Bierly-Hutchinson and Associates (EBH) engineering firm of Great Bend to get cost estimates on all three projects.

The estimate from EBH — which Water and Sewer Superintendent Dennis Ashcraft said has been working with the city on its sewer point repair project — was one of two estimates received from engineering firms. The other was from BG Consultants of Emporia, which submitted an estimate of $12,850 for the work; Acting City Manager Kerwin McKee said seven engineering firms were contacted for proposals.

EBH’s proposal included engineering estimates of $7,500 for assessment of the water treatment plant, $6,000 for the Prairie Lake spillway and $3,000 for the Elkhorn Lake spillway. BG Consultants’ proposal included estimates of $9,850 for the water treatment plant and $1,500 for each spillway at the two lakes.

Commissioner Tim Morris said that while the proposal from BG Consultants had a lower cost, he would prefer to work with EBH based on the city’s familiarity with the firm, as well as the work EBH has done with Public Wholesale Water Supply 18.

“I don’t think you can make a bad choice here,” Morris said. “But I tend to lean toward the one the city has worked with on previous water projects… Familiarity’s the only reason that I’m leaning this way.”

Ashcraft reminded commissioners that when engineering firms were contacted for estimates on the city’s projects, the requests only involved the water treatment plant and the Prairie Lake spillway. But with the heavy rains the city received near the end of May, he said, estimates for repair of the Elkhorn Lake spillway was added to the requests.

The city closed the road across the Elkhorn spillway in early June, with city officials noting that runoff from rain into the lake had caused a “potential safety issue” at the spillway. Both roads leading to the spillway — Forrest Avenue and Oak Avenue — remain open to residences along the lake, and Oak remains open for access to the Elkhorn water pump station.

Commissioner Dan Brenner said the situation has not improved at the Elkhorn spillway, adding that the “pilings” at the spillway would need to be built back up before the road on the north side of the lake could be opened to traffic again.

McKee also asked commissioners to consider inviting representatives from both EBH and BG Consultants to the commission’s Monday, Aug. 1 meeting to make presentations on their engineering proposals. But Morris, noting that the representatives “are going to say the same thing,” suggested the city go ahead and accept the proposal from EBH.

“You’ve got to go with who you’re comfortable with,” Morris said.

In other business on Tuesday, commissioners:

* Approved minutes from their June 20 meeting and budget appropriations made since that meeting.

* Approved the appointment of Nadine Fisher to the Beck-Bookman Library board of directors, replacing Sean Kelly.

* Approved the appointment of Amy Haussler to the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board, replacing Vicki Vossler.

* Heard a report from Commissioner Mike Meerpohl on demolition work on a residential structure at the John Zibell property at 1003 Kansas Ave., which is “coming along well.” The city declared the structure a public nuisance earlier this year and gave Zibell an Aug. 16 deadline for demolition of the structure.

* Noted that the city’s new street sweeper has been received and is in service.

* Heard a comment from Meerpohl about water shut-off valves sticking up through the street on Comanche Drive.

* Heard a request from Brenner to have signs placed at the tennis courts at Linscott Park stating that “nothing with wheels” is allowed on the courts.

* Heard a comment from Brenner that the Kansas Department of Transportation has received the joint letter from the city, Jackson County and Holton Community Hospital leaders requesting safety modifications along U.S. Highway 75 near the entrance to HCH north of Holton.

* Met in executive session for 15 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel matters with McKee and Riley present.

* Adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:45 p.m. All commissioners were present.