The Emporia City Commission approved two applications for stimulus money from the Kansas Department of Transportation at a special meeting this morning.
Three additional applications were deferred so city staff can look at other project options and gather more accurate estimates. These will be discussed at the commission’s March 11 meeting.
All five of the projects come from the city’s Capital Improvement Projects list, to be considered by the city when money becomes available.
The two applications that were approved fall under the Transportation Enhancement Projects, for which KDOT has received $10 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The deadline for applications for these projects was today.
The city, with the help of the Multi-Use Path Planning committee, chose two projects that are “shovel-ready” and not hindered by right-of-way acquisitions and utility modifications. The applications request funding for 100 percent of the projects, with the city picking up the tab for design engineering, right-of-way acquisition and required utility relocations.
The two project applications that were approved are:
• Building a 10-foot wide concrete pedestrian path about 3,400 feet long through Peter Pan Park connecting Riverside school with West Logan Avenue. Grant request: $225,802.50; design costs to city, $30,000.
F Building a 10-foot wide asphalt pedestrian path about 6,500 feet long around the Jones Aquatic Center. Grant request, $481,717.75; design costs to city, $60,000.
“When you look at it, if we were to get these two projects, it would really put people to work,” Commissioner Jim Kessler said. “... It’s not like it’s just wasting money. People will be working. ...”
Commissioner Julie Johnson agreed. “These are things that we’ve discussed for a number of years, and I think ... they fall under the intent of the act,” she said.
Mayor Bob Agler isn’t thrilled about too much government spending, he said, “but these are projects that have been on the plate, in the planning stage, and to get about $700,000 worth of projects on a $90,000 investment just makes good business sense.”
The other three applications fall under the Surface Transportation Program Projects segment of the ARRA. KDOT is making $11 million available for District No. 1, located outside the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The projects commissioners will discuss further are:
• Building 24th Avenue west from Prairie Street to the east property line of the proposed Lowe’s development. Grant request: $1,074,972.39; cost to city for design, right of way and utility relocation, $149,000.
• Mill and overlay Graphic Arts Road between U.S. Highway 50 and Sixth Avenue. Grant request: $234,631.62; design costs to city, $7,000.
• Mill and overlay West South Avenue between Prairie and West streets. Grant request: $364,888.58; design costs to city: $11,000.
The deadline for these applications is March 13. Commissioners directed city staff to look at other possible projects that might meet KDOT’s guidelines and to gather more accurate cost estimates.
There is no guarantee Emporia will get funding for any of these projects, but commissioners are optimistic.
“We’re certainly talking with KDOT about what they’re looking at in terms of criteria besides the overall criteria,” said City Manager Matt Zimmerman. “But we also have to recognize that they’ve scheduled $11 million for the whole District One, and that’s not that much money when you start looking at all the towns in District One, so I’d like to say I’m cautiously hopeful, but we’re certainly not running around spending that money yet.”