A lot is happening above and below ground around the City of Great Bend with the work on the new Eighth Street between Grant and McKinley, the planned improvements to the 10th and Grant intersection and the on-going waterline replacement effort.
“There really is a lot going on,” City Administrator Kendal Francis said. “It’s never boring.”
He rattled through the list of current projects, noting most are on track to be completed on schedule. However, recent rains and snows have caused some delays.
Eighth Street between Grant and McKinley
Venture Corporation of Great Bend, the contractor on the street project, should be done by the end of December, Francis said. On Aug. 21, Venture was awarded the bid to pave the new stretch of street with asphalt at a cost of $426,343.50.
But, there is more to this than the street, Francis said. There are also the water line and sanitary sewers beneath it.
The total cost of the water works improvements is estimated to be $201,900 for the water lines and $124,000 for the sanitary sewer. That project was awarded to APAC of Hutchinson, the same contractor handling the other water line replacement work in the city.
Francis said the sewer is done and the water line should be finished by the end of January 2019 to accommodate the development of the new Tractor Supply store.
Earlier this fall, the Great Bend City Council has authorized the sale of general obligation temporary notes to pay for the street, sewer and water improvements to the three-block stretch.
The total being funded is $1,149,421, and that includes street, water line and sewer improvements. The notes will be held by Farmers Bank and Trust.
The street expansion is a petition project, meaning it is paid for by a benefit district made up of businesses and property owners along the stretch of street. Special assessments charged to these owners will cover the cost of the work, and the resolution passed includes covenants and agreements to provide for the payment and security.
Eighth Street is key to the planned improvements to 10th and Grant intersection since it would act as a bypass to help ease traffic during that endeavor.
10th and Grant
As for 10th and Grant, that is a Kansas Department of Transportation project, Francis said. On Nov. 5, the council authorized KDOT award the bid for the project at what the state calls the US-56/156/K96 and Grant Street intersection to the low bidder Morgan Brothers Construction Inc. of LaCrosse for $688,473.
Francis said the early start date is March of next year and it take a matter of months to complete. Although 10th Street will remain open, it will be narrowed, thus limiting traffic. This makes the current expansion of Eighth Street between Grant and McKinley crucial.
This project is funded through a KDOT Geometric Improvement Grant which requires 10 percent City matching funds. By signing the authorization to award, the city committed matching funds in the amount of $214,000.
Waterlines
Water main construction is on track for completion by end of this year, Francis sai,d with the project near 90 percent done. There will be service line reconnections through first part of 2019.
The contractor for the $6.5 million project is APAC out of Hutch. The work involves the replacement of 40,000 linear feet of waterlines that are four-to-six-inch cast iron pipes dating back about 60 years.
Most of this is in the downtown or central part of the city. But due to costs being lower than estimated, three change orders have been approved adding more lines to the list.
The most recent involved additional waterline replacement along Park Avenue from Holland Street to Frey Street. This includes replacement of an existing cast iron line that is in poor condition for a total length of approximately 1,460 feet.
The remaining budget available to date for additional improvements totals $773,053.60.
