Pushing ahead with the continued effort to improve Great Bend’s streets, the City Council authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign a $2,001,000 contract with local contractor Venture Corporation for an ambitious street repair project this year.

“This is the most we have recommended for one season,” City Administrator Howard Partington said. There are 151 blocks of streets, and 24 of those blocks are four lanes wide. The list also includes the Eighth Street improvement at the airport in conjunction with the transload project.

It is anticipated the mill and overlay work should begin in mid September and be done by year’s end.  

“Street work has always been a high priority of Mayor Allison and the entire City Council,” Partington said. The Public Works Department, Street Division, identified streets that need attention in 2017.

Using this list and a list prepared by engineering technician Carl Otter and a street condition map, a final list was prepared. This was given to Venture for an estimate. 

“If this work is done this year, and the quarter-cent city sales tax is renewed, the city would have a great future for street work as no new bond issue would be needed like we needed to do in 2008 just to try to catch up,” Partington said. “It has taken 10 years to catch up, but now we are getting closer.”

In 2008 the city approved a $5 million bond issue for street repairs. This was a huge step, but the streets were in dire condition, Partington said.

So, to help pay for that, the quarter-cent tax was implemented and earmarked for street improvements. In 2016, the tax netted $920,000 and it is estimated to bring in $900,000 this year and next, before the bond issue is retired.

That quarter-cent tax sunsets April 1, 2018, meaning it would have to be on the ballot in November of this year so Great Bend residents could vote on it.

The city also has a half-cent sales tax that expires in 2025, 45 percent of which goes to infrastructure including streets. In addition, the city has a street fund and a special street fund that pay for salaries and other related expenses.  

“It will never go away,” Councilwoman Allene Owen said of street repair needs. With the sales tax, everyone who uses the streets, not just local residents, pay for the work.

Partington said the city has had a long working relationship with Venture, which gave the city a good negotiated bid. The contractor waived the mobilization fee and material prices were lower than last year.

The city didn’t asked for bids because, in the past, it hasn’t gotten much interest from other vendors, Partington said. And, Venture is a local company that is willing to work with the city and correct problems as the arise.

2017 mill and overlay street projects

In town:

• Sandpiper Lane - from McKinley Street to cul-de-sac

• Cherry Lane - from Broadway Avenue to south dead end

• Eisenhower Avenue - from Cherry Lane to West Goldenview

• Eisenhower Court - from Churchill Lane to Cherry Lane

• Ridgeway Drive - from Eisenhower to Warner Road

• Warner Road - from Eisenhower to MacArthur 

• Eighth Street - from McKinley to Coolidge

• Taft - from Eighth Street to south dead end

• Wilson - from Eighth Street to south dead end

• Coolidge - from 200 feet south of Farmers Bank to south dead end

• 17th Street - from Polk to Van Buren

• Tyler - from 19th to Broadway

• Apollo - from Telstar to 17th Street Terrace

• Meadowlark Lane - from Jefferson to Harrison

• 22nd Street - from Adams to Jackson Street 

• 16th Street - from Washington to Adams

• 16th Street - from Harrison to Madison

• Hemlock - from Mulberry to west end

• Aspen - from Mulberry to west end

• Birchwood - from Mulberry to west end

• Van Buren - from 16th to 18th

• San Domingo - from 21st to 23rd

• 22nd Street - from Jackson to Adams

• Van Buren- from 21st to 23rd

• Monroe - from 21st to 23rd

• Madison - from 16th to 17th

• Adams - from 21st to 20th

• Adams - from 16th to 17th

• Lakin - from Harrison to Odell

• Jackson - from lOth to Forest

• Monroe - from Ninth to south dead end

• Adams - from Eighth to Ninth

• Eighth - from East Williams to Stone

• Eighth - from Morphy to Odell

• Williams - from Ninth to south of tracks

• Lakin - from Odell to Washington

• Odell - from 16th to Forest

• 19th Street - from Main to Morton

• Morphy - from Broadway to 16th

• Odell - from Forest to 16th

• Gano - 29th to north end

• Gano - 24th to 26th

• Morton - from 31st to 32nd 

• 32nd Place - 32nd Street to Cavanaugh Fields

• 24th Street - from By Pass to Frey

• Park - from Frey to By Pass

• Baker - from lOth to 12th

• Heizer - from Seventh to Eighth

• Hubbard - from Ninth to Eighth

• Baker - from Seventh to Eighth

• 3rd Street - from Baker to Hubbard

• 3rd Street - from Fruit to Frey

• 4th Street - from Plum to Dogwood

• Lakin - Baker to Frey

• Elm - Ninth to 10th

At the Great Bend Municipal Airport:

• C Street - Sixth to south of tracks

• Eighth Street - Airport Road to Watco (the transload facility)