By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – On Monday, April 6, the Linn County Commissioners continued to stress ditches over other issues in the county. Whether it was bridges or equipment, two commissioners always brought the discussion back to ditches.
Public Works Director Shaun West told the commissioners that the Mound City compactor building took some flooding during the storm. West said that he is having the county maintenance crew take out insulation to make sure that there is no damp or moldy insulation left in the building. Also, the exterior will probably need to be replaced.
West said another concern for the Mound City site is the three-phase electrical components and control panels that were underwater during the flooding.
“The site has been operational but I still would like to have someone come in and look at that equipment and make sure that equipment is not only safe to operate but tear itself apart later on at a later date. There’s not some maintenance issue that was created by the water that I am not aware of."
Commissioner Danny McCullough brought up the legal documents that the commissioners had the county counselor draft six months ago for agreements with the cities about their compactor sites.
West said that former county counselor Gary Thompson had been drawing up memorandums of agreement (MOA) with each city about the care of the compactor sites in each city.
McCullough said that he did not feel like it was the county’s responsibility to repair the site at Mound City.
West said he had been talking with county counselor Mark Hagen about that and the engineering that the county was doing at the landfill and the overall solid waste program. West said that Hagen will try to find those documents among those that have been transferred from Thompson.
West told the commissioners that these items are boiler plates, and when the commissioners receive them they will need to tell Haden as well as him what they want for cities and for lake communities.
“We’ve already done that, have we not?” asked McCullough. “We’ve talked about this multiple times.”
“We’ve talked about what we put into those,” West said. “But you need to look at those agreements as they have been written and make sure that they are what you want.”
“So let’s get going, what are we waiting on?” asked McCullough. “It’s not going to impact the landfill.”
West said that if the commissioners had the agreements that were originally sent out to them, then reviewing them and making any changes before they are signed is the only thing.
County Clerk David Lamb said he would send the drafts by written by Thompson to the commissioners and Haden.
Did the Pleasanton site flood too or just the way to get to it? asked McCullough.
West said he was not aware that the Pleasanton site took water in the building. He said if it did, it was not reported to him.
Commission Chair Jason Hightower reminded everyone that it was not just the city residents that used the compactors but all residents of Linn County and that is where the county gets into issues transferring all of the expenses to the cities.
Lamb reminded the commissioners that these would be agreements between the county and the cities, and cities were going to have to agree to it.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved a fixed rate with Bettis Asphalt to do the overlay on Wall Street Road. West updated the commissioners on the fixed price option for asphalt on 5.5 miles on Wall Street by Bettis. The fixed price option cost was just over $629,400 compared to the indexed option price of nearly $607,700 they voted on last week. The indexed option is not a guarantee and could increase to well over $680,000. The other company that bid was $689,000.
• Approved an application for dump fee assistance for Dan Bailey at 7657 Kansas Highway 7, Mound City. Planning and Zoning Director Darin Wilson told the commissioners that Bailey was tearing down a dilapidated building.
• Postponed deciding on accepting the grant for the Hell’s Bend Bridge until more information is received from the on-call engineering firm next week.
• Heard an update on the Linn County Park lagoon project from West. He met with Kansas Rural Water Association and everything on the project seems to be under regulation and no more permits will need to be applied for.
• Learned from West that he had received quotes to install the dock system that was donated to the Linn County Park by Evergy. West recommended the bid for about $11,200. He told the commissioners that county workers could remove the old dock systems, or it would cost just over $6,000 to hire someone to do it.
West recommended using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to get this project completed.
McCullough said that when the voted on this he thought it was just going to be floated over and put into place and wasn’t going to cost the county.
Johnson said that was what he thought.
“I think we’re spending a lot of money up there,” said Johnson.
McCullough expressed his concern that county workers were going to be taken away from the roads to work on the lagoon and the dock at the park.
No action was taken on the dock project.
• Learned from Public Works Director Shaun West that the projected date for dust control will be May 20.
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