Staff writer
Hillsboro City Council approved a contract Tuesday with engineering firm Evans, Bierly, Hutchison & Associates, P.A., Consulting Engineers to design and inspect road construction on three city streets.
The city will pay the firm $86,000 to design construction on Adams, First, and A streets, and up to $160,000 for construction inspection on those streets, dependent on how much time is spent on inspections.
The engineers estimate the three projects will have a combined construction cost of $1.72 million. Funds for the project would be raised by issuing bonds. The city completed payment on an earlier series of road construction bonds in 2010.
Street Supervisor Dale Dalke is certified to do construction inspection. If he does some of the inspection work, it could reduce the amount paid to the engineering firm, City Administrator Larry Paine said. There is some inspection work that the city doesn’t have the resources to do, though.
The A Street project is small enough that the city may be able to do it without hiring a contractor, which could save the city additional money.
At Paine’s recommendation, the council struck work on Industrial Road from the contract. Design and inspection would have totaled about $25,000 on a $200,000 project. Paine doesn’t anticipate that the city will have enough money for that project.
In other business:
- The council met in closed session for 35 minutes to discuss matters protected by attorney-client privilege over the phone with bond counsel J.T. Klaus. No action was taken on return to open session.
- Ranson Financial Consultants, LLC, will be the grant administrator for a Community Development Block Grant for additional street projects. City staff recommended selecting the firm after vetting proposals from Ranson Financial Consultants and South Central Kansas Economic Development District, Inc.
- The city received a $38,000 grant for a $40,000 airport master plan that will evaluate what should be done at Hillsboro Municipal Airport.
- Sewer cleaning and scoping began Tuesday. Paine said the cleaning uses a high-pressure jet of water, which could cause problems for improperly installed sewer systems.
The next council meeting will be 4 p.m. Tuesday for the annual budget hearing.