New lights coming to Vet’s ballfields
BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com
The 50-year-old lights that illuminate the ballfields at Veterans Memorial Park are a hazard and can’t be repaired.
That was the take away from a discussion about the lighting system at Monday night’s Great Bend City Council meeting. So, the council authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign the engineering services agreement with PEC of Wichita for the engineering and technical services to design and bid out the replacement lights at the two main softball fields and the baseball field in the amount of $11,500.
The existing light poles are past their useful life and have been deemed dangerous, City Administrator Howard Partington said.
Because of this, city crews have done what they can to stabilize them and there is a policy in place where by a game can be canceled if high winds are causing the poles to sway too much. In fact, one of the poles did blow down in a storm this year (the field was not in use at the time) and had to be re-installed.
The 60- to 90-foot towers are heavily corroded and rusted. Testing revealed the pole walls had lost about a quarter of their original thickness and are beyond fixing.
The new lights, the potential cost of which was not discussed Monday night, would come with a 25-year warranty and it is hoped they would be in place by next spring.
In other business Monday night, the council:
• Authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign the Agreement for Engineering Services with Kirkham Michael for the routine biennial bridge inspection of the city’s four bridges for a total of $1,000. They have provided this service in the past and it is recommended that they continue to service in this manner.
• Adopted a resolution establishing a conditional use permit for a day care facility at 3124 23rd St., owned by Christy Nemnich. This is not an in-home facility.
• Set Nov. 7 as a public hearing date for the unsafe and dangerous structure at 2545 Seventh St. Code Enforcement Officer Stuart Baker said a complaint had been filed against the property. Apparently, there are five surviving owners of the property which is now unoccupied. Some trash and debris has been hauled away.
• Authorized the issuance of the general obligation refunding and improvement bonds. Roger Edgar of George K. Baum and Company was present to discuss the results of the sale of the bonds and also discuss the bond rating.
This involved the refinancing of existing bonds and loans by wrapping them up in the new bonds earmarked for sewer improvements. Interest rates are at historic lows, so by doing this, the city saves several thousands of dollars per year on interest payments, Edgar said.
• Approved abatements at: 1013 Jefferson, accumulation of refuse, owned by James and Joyce Anschutz; 422 Walnut, accumulation of refuse, owned by Aurora Perez; 805 Morton, motor vehicle nuisance, owned by Jennifer Trevino; 2525 16th, motor vehicle nuisance, owned by Joseph Peschka, Jr.; and 1111 Morphy, accumulation of refuse, owned by Lloyd and Emelia K. Johnson.
The Great Bend City Council voted Monday night to proceed with plans on how to best way to remodel the Great Bend Police Department. The nearly 90-year-old structure needs updating to accommodate current needs.
To this end, the council Monday night authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign the engineering services agreement with PEC of Wichita for the development of a Police Department Building Assessment for the current police department building in the amount of $14,100.
“We need to solve the over-all problem of not enough room,” Police Chief Cliff Couch told the council. “This will give us a good game plan.”
This vision will also give a ballpark cost estimate.
At budget time, the need arose for more efficient space for police activities, City Administrator Howard Partington said. The assessment will give a better idea of what currently exists with respect to structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical components.
The study will also examine needed repairs and renovations. It would then begin to assess what would need to be done to make better use of the facility.
Although the cost for this study caused a case of sticker shock, Couch said he would rather find out what is involved in this project before up front before hammers start swinging.
It was at the council’s goal-setting session in June that Councilwoman Allene Owen called attention to the cramped quarters at the Police Department. “I see in the future where that space isn’t going to be enough space,”
“It needs more than a coat of paint,” Couch said during the council budget work session in July.
During the council’s recent tour of city facilities and goal-setting session, it was noted that the lack of space is growing problem.
Apparently, the edifice was built in 1928 as part of the City Auditorium. At the time, the front portion that houses the Police Department also held the City Office and Fire Department.
“There have been many years and many uses,” Couch said. Over the decades, dispatchers have worked there and, in the 1980s, the Municipal Court wing was added.
“This didn’t catch us by surprise,” Couch said, adding there have been some improvements such as replacing some of the carpet and improving security. However, time is taking its toll.
There is a reoccurring sewer smell that has baffled plumbers and other plumbing issues, problems with the heating an air conditioning and outdated electrical systems. “It’s just general age,” the chief said.
Compounding this is the space itself. Years of remodeling have created a patchwork layout with wasted and unusable spaces.
Couch came up with three options: Build a new headquarters, relocate the department to a new, existing location, or extensively remodel the existing office.
Just about every chief would love a new police station, he said, but this is expensive. As an example, he cited the Fire Station No. 2 on West 10th which cost over $1 million.
As for moving, there are few options. The back office portion of the Great Bend Events Center was discussed.
However, the department would only need a portion of the area, leaving the rest hard to find a tenant for. Plus, with competing uses, parking would be at a premium.
After weighing all the options, Couch recommended remodeling the current facility.
Council members suggested moving he court to a different site, expanding over the existing garage and/or out in front, and closing the alley between the PD and the current City Office.
“You have to look at the outside walls,” Councilman Wayne Henneke said. The building probably has enough raw square footage to work, it just needs to be redone.
It was the consensus of the council to proceed with studying what it would take to make the office meet current and future needs.
