City approves project programming request

The Concordia city commission approved authorizing Mayor Mark Matthew to sign the project programming request with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for pavement replacement to the southbound lanes on U.S. Highway 81 from the south city limits to north of College Drive.
KDOT has allocated $1 million for preliminary engineering, construction engineering and the construction for the project.
The city of Concordia is required to contribute a minimum of 10 percent plus anything over the amount of $1 million.
Preliminary cost estimates for the project are $787,888.40.
It states on the project programming request that the outside southbound lane on U.S. Highway 81 has broken and settled in many places, creating a very rough driving service. The concrete pavement needs to be replaced and any underlying drainage or subbase issues corrected and new concrete pavement placed.
Concordia was selected to receive $1 million in funding from KDOT's City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP).
CCLIP funds improvements to state highways that extend through cities.
KDOT awarded approximately $18 million in 23 communities through CCLIP.
Concordia is among the cities receiving funding for 2021 for pavement restoration, which typically involves full-depth pavement replacement without changes to the overall geometric characteristics and may also address drainage issues.
In other action taken during the meeting, the board approved a bid of $63,000 from Osage Ambulances, Jefferson City, Mo., to remount the box of the city's Medic 5 onto a 2020 Ford E450 chassis to replace Medic 1 which was damaged in a rollover accident in Harvey County in April.
Concordia Fire Chief Eric Voss reported to the commission that the ambulance was totaled by the insurance company, and the city received $42,973.12, which will be put toward the cost of having the box remounted. The remainder of the cost will come from the equipment reserve fund.
“We have good luck with remounting a box, and that is Medic 2 that we bought from Osage,” Voss said.
The city received cost estimates to have the box remounted from Osage Ambulances and Arrow.
Osage Ambulances had the low bid by $69,918.
“They (Osage) are a month longer than Arrow, but we have bought other ambulances through them and the customer service is good, so we feel that month is worth the customer service and continuing to work with someone, plus they were the lowest bid,” Voss said.
Osage Ambulances will take care of transporting Medic 5, remount the box, and the Fire Department will pick it up when the work is completed.
The commission met in two separate executive sessions, totaling 20 minutes, with city manager Amy Lange and city attorney Justin Ferrell for the purpose of preliminary discussion of acquisition of real estate. No action was taken.
Lange, during her city manger's report, informed the commissioners that the city and Cloud County Health Center had the property closing on Tuesday for Lot 5, Block A of College Park Drive.
The commission approved a development agreement with Cloud County Health Center (CCHC) for the purpose of building a new $40.35 million, 74,000 square-foot, 14 bed hospital on the property in College Park Drive.
CCHC qualified for free land under the College Park Land Pricing Policy.
If the land remains undeveloped for 18 months, the city has the right to reacquire it for the same price of $0.
CCHC is currently working on securing financing for the project through the United States Department of Agriculture, and has stated it plans to break ground early in 2021.