Country Club Heights to get new streets
Staff reporter
Marion City Council approved an asphalt overlay for streets in Country Club Heights Addition but isn't quite sure how it will be financed.
During Monday's meeting, the council heard from Kevin Fruechting, who represented property owners in the subdivision. It was clear the owners wanted a hard-surfaced street.
Property owner Doug Sharp had contacted Shilling Construction Co. Inc. for a price quote which did not include engineering, nor was it a part of the city's street improvement schedule.
The construction company gave a bid of $86,336 for 3,200 square yards of six-inch asphalt on 24-foot wide streets with two-foot rock shoulders on both sides.
Fruechting reminded the council that a month ago, he had withdrawn a petition from residents asking for curb and gutter with a street overlay. Cost estimates made the project prohibitive, Fruechting said.
A new petition was filed with the city for the overlay without curb and gutter.
Fruechting asked the city and was told the project could be paid with bonds but there were concerns about issuing a small bond.
City administrator David Mayfield asked Fruechting if property owners could pay "up front" for the improvements instead of a special assessment during a 10-year period. Fruechting said he wasn't sure but when residents signed the petition, they understood it would be handled like other street improvements as a special assessment with the opportunity to pay over time.
Mayfield said he wasn't sure if petitioned streets could be included in the revolving loan fund offered by Kansas Department of Transportation, which the city was using for Eisenhower Road and Cedar Street.
A total of $300,000 of city funds was available for city projects and officials weren't sure if there would be an additional $87,000 to pay for the County Club Heights project.
Fruechting asked if the project could be added with other petitioned street projects, to which the response was "yes."
Councilman Stacey Collett said he was concerned about violating a city ordinance that required new streets to have curb and gutter. Fruechting pointed out that the streets in Country Club Heights are not new streets but established streets being improved.
Collett said his other concern was the city's responsibility of maintaining the asphalt streets.
With that, the council approved the street project, 4-1, with Collett voting against.
