County commits to Facilities Master Plan

The Bourbon County Commissioners voted Monday to spend some money in order to determine what improvements can be made to make the courthouse and jail buildings more energy efficient.

They signed an agreement with PI Group of Lenexa to inspect the courthouse and Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Facility and review the buildings' blueprints in order to create a Facilities Master Plan. The $8,500 cost will include an examination of the buildings' mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. The company also will include a utility history, maintenance costs, investigate whether rebate programs are an option, and calculate the heat cost indices.

It was determined the money will be taken from the Courthouse General General Fund (a general fund within the general fund).

When Commission Chairman Allen Warren asked if they wanted to proceed, Second District Commissioner Barbara Albright agreed, but Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman was more reluctant.

"No. I think we need a long-range plan. Do I like spending that much money to get it?" Coleman asked. "The answer is no, but, like you (Warren) said, we're not always going to be here. It's not always going to be us three sitting here making the decisions as to what this building needs or what our energy needs are. But let's face it. We're not professionals in those areas. We can bring in engineers. Do I like spending that kind of money? The answer is no. But do I think it's a necessary evil? I'll agree with you."

Albright said she believes the expenses will "quickly be offset."

"At least we'll have something set in motion as to what are priorities are," Coleman said. "And right now we don't have the foggiest --Amen?"

Albright responded with an "amen," then made the motion to proceed with the study. Allen provided the second.

Before they voted to proceed, the commissioners discussed whether the study would include the best use of space in the buildings. Albright said she remembers asking about that aspect, but Allen could not find any reference to that type of recommendation in the information he was reading.

Commissioners met with Dana Dunn, certified building analyst business development of PI Group on Jan. 24. At that time, the commissioners suggested the jail building be included because if a new jail is ever built, the county will be utilizing the facility's space for other purposes.

Reporting road conditions

Commissioners agreed there should be better communication between the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and Public Works when it comes to reporting and responding to winter road conditions.

Sheriff Bill Martin gave a copy of a letter written by one of his employees regarding an incident that took place over the weekend. Martin said one of his deputies called dispatch twice early Sunday morning asking that Roads and Bridges Director Jim Harris be notified of the slick road conditions.

Martin said on Sunday, a vehicle with six children inside, slid off the road, struck a tree and caught fire. There were no injuries in the accident, which occurred at 9:06 a.m., according to a report from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office.

The vehicle slid on ice, left the roadway and struck a tree in a ditch on 125th Street, two miles south of Mapleton. The driver, Scott Cooke, 46, of Redfield, saw smoke coming from the hood and got all of the passengers out. The passengers included his wife, Jill, 46, and their children, ranging in ages from 4 to 15, according to the report.

Harris arrived while commissioners were in a 20-minute executive session to discuss non-elected personnel with Martin and County Attorney Terri Johnson. After the meeting was reopened, Harris and Martin discussed the issue.

Harris said he told the dispatcher the road crew would not be out before 5 a.m.

"Unless there's an emergency, we don't plan on being out," Harris said. "At that point, three o'clock in the morning, I went out myself, personally. Jayhawk, Indian Road, Jayhawk (another portion) Maple, 215th, and I couldn't find anything slick. I tried -- tried, tried, tried. So Sunday morning, I determined there was nothing for the crews to do at that time. I'm not saying there weren't some spotty spots, but the call I had from dispatch has no specifics."

He said he needs specific information about where the roads are slick. He also said he received a call at 11:30 a.m. Sunday reporting specific information about slick conditions on 125th and a truck was sent to that area.

"At that time, 80 percent of the road was dry," Harris said. "I'm not saying the shoulders weren't slick."

He told Harris they both need to communicate better and recommended deputies be more specific than, "It's slick."

Unless there is an emergency, Harris said the county's two crews work from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 to 11 p.m., with seven trucks in operation.

He said sometimes people drive too fast.

"Sometimes it's not entirely the road," Harris said.

Martin said he would pass the information on to the deputies during this week's staff meeting.

Martin said deputies contact dispatchers with road condition information because citizens often call wanting to know that information.

After Martin and Undersheriff Ben Cole left the meeting, Harris said at 3 a.m. Sunday, the dispatcher told him they had spoken with Kansas Department of Transportation, but they weren't activating a crew because there was nothing to push.

Other business

* Commissioners set a planning session for 1 p.m. today with Harris to begin planning for hard surface road maintenance projects. Warren said the planning most likely won't be completed in one session.

* Commissioners agreed not to take any steps to reopening a closed road until they hear from an individual request for the reopening. Albright said a resident approached her about what procedures need to be taken. Johnson assisted the commissioners in finding the statute, 68-102, which states a resident must petition for the reopening, a notice must be provided to all property owners adjoining the area to be reopened, and there must be a hearing. Several people signed the original petition which closed the road, according to Albright.

Clarifications

In Saturday's report on the Feb. 7 commission meeting, a statement should have read the county does not do blasting at night at the quarry.

Carry overs from the budget also were discussed. $98,000 will go into a General fund Equipment Fund and the remainder into a General Fund Capital Improvement Fund. An additional $245,000 from the Road and Bridge Fund and $63,000 will go into a Road and Bridge Equipment Fund.

Even through there is money remaining from the Landfill Fund, that money will remain to pay for improvements needed at the landfill. According to Warren, the county needs to replace the hopper or build a transfer building where the solid waste would be loaded into a semi-trailer inside the building.

"The Commissioners recently visited Anderson County's landfill to look at their transfer station, which is inside a three-sided building," Warren said. "The cost is estimated to be about the same for either option. The building would eliminate the hydraulic system required for the hopper. No decision has been made on either option."