By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

Hillsboro City Council approved street repairs Tuesday with a combined cost of $201,882.

Street superintendent Dale Dalke presented a list of proposed projects to the council.

In 2010, the council had postponed chip sealing roads in the sports complex and Memorial Park; Washington Street from D Street to the dead end past F Street; Washington, Lincoln, and Madison streets between Second and Third streets; Jefferson Street between First and Third streets; and Second Street between Washington and Ash streets.

The project was postponed because it was too late in the season before the contractor was available to do the work. The total cost to chip seal those streets is $63,103.

Additionally, the following streets were scheduled for chip sealing in 2011: streets in the Carriage Hills addition, Park Avenue in the Park Village addition, Prairie Pointe from D Street to the cul-de-sac past C Street, C Street from Eisenhower Street to the dead end, Adams and Wilson streets between D and F streets, F Street between Adams and Wilson streets, and Third Street between Adams and Main streets. The cost of those projects is $71,657.

Dalke also proposed asphalt skin patching on all of the above streets for $12,322, and adding crowns in Third Street between Adams and Main streets and in Adams Street from A Street to Grand Avenue, for a combined $54,800. Water runs down the middle of those streets instead of the gutters because there isn’t enough crown in the street.

“A lot of these streets are in need of attention,” Dalke said.

The city has about $110,000 in its special highway fund and will receive approximately $80,000 from Kansas Department of Transportation this year, City Administrator Larry Paine said. Capital improvement funds could be used to add the crowns to Third and Adams streets, he added.

Council member Byron McCarty said he wanted to move forward with the project because the city has the money and the need for the repairs. The council approved the proposal unanimously.

Policy on renewable energy being developed

Kansas statute allows cities to develop policies on net metering for renewable energy. Net metering is when electrical customers with wind, solar, or other renewable energy generators are credited for electricity they produce in excess of their use, which is put into the power grid.

“The legislature wrote this so it’s customer friendly, not utility friendly,” Paine said.

There are Hillsboro residents who have spoken with him about net metering, so he is preparing a policy proposal to present to the council later this year.

In other business:

• An invoice from Frederick Waterproofing and Roofing for work re-shingling the William F. Schaeffler House Museum in the amount of $21,284 was approved for payment.
• The council approved providing a list of utility customers to United Service Partners, which would offer insurance on sewer and water lines in the city, contingent on hearing from other participating cities that the company is reliable.
• Bidding is beginning on several sewer-related projects, including installation of cured-in-place pipe, ozone injection systems, and lift stations.
• Mayor Delores Dalke plans to make annual board appointments at the next scheduled meeting, 4 p.m. June 7.