City approves bid for extending Banner Road

A Topeka firm’s bid for the extension of Banner Road at the southern edge of Holton into property where a new Walmart is being built was approved on Monday by the Holton City Commission, but not before commissioners questioned why the firm’s bid was the only one received — and whether the Kansas Department of Transportation would accept the bid.

Bettis Asphalt and Construction submitted a bid not to exceed $1,987,385 for construction of the Banner Road extension west across U.S. Highway 75 into where a parking lot for the new Walmart is expected to be built in the near future, commissioners noted. Holton City Manager Bret Bauer said that documents related to Bettis’ bid would need to be submitted to KDOT officials for their review and possible approval.

However, commissioners were wary over whether KDOT — which is providing funds for the Banner Road extension — would accept Bettis’ bid, since it was the only one received.

“Ultimately, the state has the final say, because that’s where the money is coming from for this project,” Commissioner Tim Morris said. “But will they be receptive and allow just one bid application?”

Bauer said Carlson Consulting, the Memphis, Tenn. firm responsible for platting the land on which the new Walmart is being built, created a Web site inviting construction companies to bid on the project. Holton Street Superintendent Rex Cameron added that it was likely more than 20 companies had been invited to bid on the project, and the city also advertised the bidding process in The Holton Recorder.

“It was out there,” Cameron said of the invitation to bid.

As to whether KDOT would accept Bettis’ bid, Bauer said KDOT’s project manager on the Banner Road extension had told him that KDOT had entered into a contract with the city to extend Banner across U.S. 75, and “they’re aware of their obligation.” Furthermore, the city was given a “checklist” by KDOT, he said, and items on that list had to be checked off before the bidding process could even begin.

Even then, if KDOT rejected Bettis’ bid, Bauer noted that it would only set the city back “another 30 days” on getting the extension built.

“Let’s say they do deny this or reject this once we’ve sent it onto them, and they very well could,” he said. “I won’t tell you that they won’t. But that would just mean we’d start the bidding process all over again… We’re just following their rules.”

However, Cameron told commissioners that because the city went through “all the proper procedures” with KDOT, including pre-bid conferences, “there’s no real reason for them to reject it.” Bauer also noted that it was unclear how long it would be before the city heard back from KDOT once the bid documents were submitted.

Commissioners noted that Bettis’ bid also included setting up a traffic signal at the intersection of Banner Road and U.S. 75, as well as placing flashing “advance warning lights” similar to the lights placed along U.S. 75 at the entrances to Mayetta at 158th and 162nd roads.

In other business on Monday, commissioners awarded another bid, this time for the purchase of a new 40-foot aerial bucket truck for the city’s electrical distribution department. The winning bid was submitted by Foster Ford of Holton, which bid $104,231 for a new truck that Electrical Distribution Superintendent Scott Frederickson said would give city linemen an extra four feet of reach.

The new truck will replace a 2001 model truck that Bauer said had begun to get costly on the maintenance side. Bauer also noted that $90,000 of the truck’s cost will come from the electrical distribution department, with the remainder to come from the city’s equipment reserve fund.

Foster Ford had submitted two bids for a new bucket truck, and Frederickson noted that the bids were for trucks from two different manufacturers. The bid for the other truck through Foster was $106,228.

Other bids received included $102,124.84 from ETI Equipment of Oklahoma City, Okla.; $104,981 from Altec of St. Joseph, Mo.; and $105,379 from Terex of Watertown, S.D.

Commissioner Erich Campbell said the purchase of the new bucket truck was justified “for safety reasons.”

“I cannot live with myself if I made our city employees go into an unsafe vehicle and get hurt,” Campbell said.

As to disposition of the 2001 bucket truck, Frederickson said he had been told that the city would get more money selling the truck on its own rather than in trade-in value. It had been suggested that the city could get between $16,000 and $20,000 selling the truck at auction or on its own, as opposed to getting between $5,000 and $8,000 on a trade-in, he said.

Mayor Robert Dieckmann suggested that if the city sells the 2001 truck at auction, a reserve price — meaning that if bids do not meet or exceed a level suggested for the truck’s sale, the sale is cancelled — be placed on the truck.

Commissioners also:

* Held a public hearing on the city’s proposed 2016 budget prior to the regular meeting, during which time no public comments were received. Later, during the regular meeting, commissioners approved the budget.

* Approved minutes from the July 20 meeting and budget appropriations made since that meeting.

* Discussed options for concrete purchases by the street department.

* Approved a resolution authorizing the service of complimentary alcoholic or cereal malt beverages in conjunction with the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s Second Saturday promotions. Bauer said the resolution covers the second Saturday of each month starting Oct. 10 and continuing through the end of 2016, in order to put future resolutions “on a calendar-year rotation.”

* Heard comment from Bauer on a general obligation bond that was issued by the city in 2004 and is “eligible for refinancing.”

* Heard comment from Commissioner Dan Brenner on the street department’s cleaning of the streets after the Jackson County Fair parade.

* Heard comment from Brenner about forming a policy to fine people who misdial 911 repeatedly. 

* Heard comment from Dieckmann about a waterskiing event for children with special needs, to be held on Sunday at Prairie Lake.

* Heard comment from Dieckmann about the need to “slow people down” as they approach the city on northbound U.S. 75, particularly through the use of police radar. 

* Heard comment from Bauer that the leak in the municipal swimming pool still has not been located yet and that city staff are waiting until after the pool closes for the season on Sunday, Aug. 16 to continue to look for the leak.

* Heard a question from Campbell about what the street department could do to spray grass that is growing in between the bricks on the city’s brick streets, some of which are starting to look “pretty furry.”

* Heard comment from Campbell about a 2015 wrap-up report from the Kansas Legislature, noting that “some of it will have a direct impact on our city,” particularly in terms of how elections will change for the city commission.

* Adjourned the meeting at 7:40 p.m.