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New crossing coming to country intersection
railroad crossing aerial pic
Pictured is an aerial photo of the railroad crossing at NW 30 Avenue just north of K-96 where a new crossing will be installed. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO

Barton County Commission meeting at a glance

Here is a quick look at what the Barton County Commission Council did Monday morning:

• Approved the a labor charge for the installation of a new law enforcement domain server system from Nex-Tech at a cost of $1,320. In February, the commission approved the purchase of the HP ProLiant DL360 server system from Nex-Tech. No labor was included in the bid. 

As was planned, county staff installed the server system on-site and Nex-Tech staff was used for 8.25 hours of support and additional labor, said Information Technology Director John Debes.

• Approved the purchase of ArcGIS desktop mapping software. This provides the tools and environment for map creation and interactive visualization. It was suggested that the County Engineer’s Office share a subscription with the Register of Deeds Office. The cost of a shared license is $3,150 which will be split between both departments, Debes said.

• Approved the purchase of 800mHz radio consolettes for 911 and first responders.

• Approved the installation of an improved railroad crossing on NW 30 Avenue just north of K-96. This is a joint Kansas Department of Transportation/county project at the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad Company’s tracks.

 Fuzzy Brewer Corner will get a new railroad crossing after action by the Barton County Commission Monday morning.

Commissioners approved a three-party agreement paving the way for the installation of an improved railroad crossing on NW 30 Avenue just north of K-96. This is a joint Kansas Department of Transportation/county project at the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad Company’s tracks.

“This will be a nice upgrade for this railroad crossing,” said County Engineer Barry McManaman.

The Kansas Department of Transportation submitted an agreement for Barton County for the project, McManaman said. This involves the construction of a new railroad crossing surface, signals and gates at the site.

The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad and its subcontractors will perform the work and KDOT will pay for 100 percent of the cost with federal money, McManaman said. Since the project is located on a county road, the commission is asked to sign a contract. 

McManaman said the county will be responsible for the installation and maintenance of advance warning signs and pavement markings on both county and township roads. However, these are already in place.

“There is no cost to the county,” McManaman said. It will have to make sure the signage is up to date.