By DAVID COLBURN

News editor

Main St., the airport, and several other locations will be resurfaced this summer as a result of action taken Tuesday by city council.

Darin Neufeld of EBH Engineering reviewed bids for street projects and the airport, walking council through three alternatives presented to prospective contractors.

Circle C Construction of Goddard received the $108,250 street project, then council members immediately approved a change order increasing the approved cost by $8,250.

The reason for the increase was a change in the way streets included in the project will be sealed, Neufeld said. Rather than use a single-application traditional seal, Circle C will apply two coats of AXYS mastic surface treatment, which should increase the life of the repairs.

“You’re putting down more money to begin with, but it’s buying you double life,” Neufeld said. “The Sedgwick County Zoo was shot with this product almost five years ago. We were worried about the wear and tear, but if that parking lot can handle it, our Main St. can.”

Main St., from Third to E Sts., and single blocks of Grand St. east and west of Main will get two coats of the sealant. Other streets that will be chip sealed and then coated with the sealant will be Adams St. between D and B Sts., Wilson St. from A to D Sts., Willow Glen St., the pool parking lot, and the road leading from the pool into the sports complex.

Neufeld $5,000 to $7,000 of the additional cost could be offset by not using extra materials that were built into the contractors’ bids.

All asphalt surfaces at the airport, including the runway and taxiways, will receive seal coats. A $104,400 Kansas Department of Transportation aviation grant will cover 90 percent of the cost, City Administrator Larry Paine said.

Dilapidated properties

City Attorney Joshua Boehm reported no progress has been made to remedy the dilapidated condition of the former Prime Time convenience store.

“As of the last time I talked to (building inspector Ben Steketee), there had not been a building permit pulled,” Boehm said. “They had done some of the initial work, they kind of did a walkthrough and inspections, and we never got anything from them after that.”

Boehm said two other properties the council took condemnation actions against are still within the six-month repair windows granted to the owners.

Letters have been sent to owners of additional properties where concerns have been identified, Boehm said, but the tax status of some makes additional action uncertain.

“Several of the properties we’re dealing with are on the county’s tax sale list, and there hasn’t been a date set for that yet,” he said. “The last time I checked, none of those had been redeemed.”

Paine asked if actions taken by the council against a property would carry over to a new owner, to which Boehm replied that they would.

In other business:

The Safe Schools sidewalk construction project will begin June 1, Paine said. The project to build turn lanes at the US-56 and Adams St. intersection also could begin this summer.

Council delayed action on a proposal to end recycling operations with McPherson Area Solid Waste utility and purchase Dumpsters to collect recycled materials. The proposal will be reconsidered after receipt of a report analyzing the success of the city’s trial recycling week.

Also delayed was a proposal to move the composting site to city-owned land adjacent to the city shop. Council members requested additional information about road modifications necessary to make the plot accessible.