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Council eyes future upgrades for the city
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: September 03, 2015

Street improvements. Sidewalks. A water plant. A municipal building complex. A community center.

They're all up for discussion as the Valley Center City Council began considering the city's capital improvement program for the next 10 years.

George Kolb, interim city administrator, introduced the list, which he said was a preliminary draft, to the council during its regular meeting Sept. 1.

At the same time, the council learned that a strategic planning process — giving the council as well as the public a chance to put together a plan for future improvements and priorities — was moving forward. The city is poised to hire a consultant to guide the council through the process, said Mayor Laurie Dove.

Potential projects on the capital improvement program for 2016 are the Goff Street sidewalk (which was delayed from 2015), the Emporia Avenue sidewalk, paving 93rd North from Seneca to Broadway (in conjunction with the county's paving of 93rd from Seneca to Meridian) and a project to improve the city's water wells.

For 2017, the city is considering the possibility of constructing a water treatment plant to offset its sole reliance on the City of Wichita for potable water.

Also in 2017 is the community center, which would include a library. The project was pushed back from 2016.

Other possibilities are the reconstruction of Fifth Street from the Little Ditch bridge to Broadway, Meridian from Ford to 69th and Meridian from Fifth to Main.

The council also heard Kolb present the potential need for a new City Hall that could also house the police and fire departments. Kolb said the council should consider hiring a consultant to help develop recommendations.

Kolb said the police and fire station on East Fifth is 25 years old and is "experiencing overcrowding" and "flooding issues."

"We definitely are in need of some plan to develop a city hall building," he said, adding that City Hall on South Meridian also is "at capacity."

"We are out of space for offices," Kolb said. "… We have to ask ourselves are we doing a disservice to our community."

The city council took no action on the capital improvement program list. The council plans to consider proposals to deal with crowding issues in the municipal courtroom at the Public Safety Building, which most council members agreed was a problem.

In other business Sept. 1, the council:

•Voted 7-1 to purchase a new dump truck for $125,937. Dale Kerstetter voted against the purchase.

•Voted 8-0 to approve an agreement with the city's engineering firm, PEC, to develop a master drainage plan for the city at a cost of $32,850. The city's current plan is 12 years old.

•Voted 8-0 to approve an agreement with PEC to evaluate the city's wastewater treatment facility in preparation for state-ordered improvements.

•Learned from Kolb that the list of candidates for director of community development has been narrowed to three people. Kolb said he hoped to hire someone by the end of September.

•Approved the appointment of Lou Cicirello, Dove, Kolb and Kristine Polian as voting delegates and alternates to the League of Kansas Municipalities annual conference in October.





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