State and local money will unite in the coming year to improve a number of streets in the community, Great Bend City Council members decided Monday night.
They accepted the 2011 KLINK Resurfacing Bid as presented by City Engineer Robert Winiecke.
The only bid received for the work was from Venture Corp, at $495,584.75. Of that amount, $200,000 will come from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The city’s share comes from a fund that was established when the city initiated its one cent sales tax, setting aside part for street improvements.
The KLINK Resurfacing Program — KLINK stands for “connecting links” and involves city streets that also carry a state highway designation — will include a previously awarded project to do a 5/8-inch NovaChip surface treatment on 10th Street (U.S. 56, K-156) from McKinley to Kennedy; on Main Street (U.S. 281) from Railroad Avenue to 10th Street and from 19th to 24th; and K-96 from 12th Street to the north city limits.
Winiecke suggested the bid received was under his department’s earlier engineer estimate, which was $498,000.
The city engineer told the council that several venues were used to get word out about the project, but this was the only bid received.
Councilman Randy Myers suggested that in the future an out-of-town firm that has done asphalt work at the Great Bend Municipal Airport should be individually contacted.
Winiecke reported previously that it is common for out-of-town asphalt firms not to bid on this size of project, due to the extreme costs that are involved in moving an asphalt plant to another location.