City moving forward with Memorial Hall, Riverfront Park projects

The Memorial Hall roof will be reconstructed soon following the selection of a contractor at Tuesday's Fort Scott City Commission meeting. This is relation to damage from the hail storm that pummeled the city on April 7.

"The Memorial roof is 100 percent loss...we have to strip the roof down to the concrete floor," said Todd Farrell, one of the three city employees assigned the task of selecting the best contractor.

Twelve bids were received, and Farrell, Brent Crays and Kenny Howard were given the task of finding the best bid for the city with the amount the insurance company gave for the project, $229,000. Farrell is the city's parks supervisor; Crays is the community and project development manager and codes manager and Howard is the airport manager.

Pyramid Roofing, Grandview, Mo., won the bid to repair Memorial Hall's roof with a bid of $188,159. The selection process was extensive. After a selection process, the committee narrowed the 12 bidders down to six, then interviewed them. The bidders were narrowed down further to three and then the team selected Pyramid Roofing.

"They are motivated. They can get in here with a week's timeline to get started on this job and be done in seven to 10 days, weather permitting," Farrell told the commission.

"We tried to be exactly even, across the board. We analyzed the minute details...to make it as fair as possible.

We stand behind our recommendation...it's the best company, price and time," said Crays.

In an unrelated matter, Maggie Weiser, with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, spoke about the 2013 Brownfields Coalition Grant that the Fort Scott-Bourbon County Riverfront Authority was awarded.

"For the Riverfront Authority, the grant is long awaited and overdue," Weiser told the commission.

Three entities, the City of Chanute, the City of Ottawa and the Riverfront Authority combined efforts to secure this grant of $600,000. The benefits to the recipients are financial support and technical assistance, assessing environmental conditions, strengthening the economic marketplace, sustaining reuse of underutilized properties, protecting health and environment and additionally, promoting partnerships.

"We can start Oct. 1...then I can solicit bids and proposals and start awarding the works. By mid-October you'll start seeing people out there...as part of Phase I of the environmental assessment," Weiser said.

"Each community identified target priority properties. We'll address them first. Then as more applications come in, we'll evaluate them," Weiser said in a later interview.

In other business the commission:

* Recognized local resident Kenny Davis for his "years of hard work and a heart for Fort Scott," City Manager Dave Martin said.

* Approved appropriation ordinances totaling $552,623.23.

* Proclaimed Sept. 27-29 as Pioneer Harvest Fiesta weekend in Fort Scott.

* Approved a parade permit for the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta parade, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26. The event will begin at Sixth and Main streets and end at Sixth Street and National Ave.

* Approved the request for a street light replacement from a citizen at 902 Isador.

* Repealed the city's Charter Ordinance No.25, relating to increasing the levy of a Transient Guest Tax within the city.

* Approved a Kansas Department of Transportation supplemental agreement for two intersection improvement and construction projects. There will be surfacing at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and 23rd Street and overlay with minimum construction at the intersection of U.S.-69 and 18th Street. Additionally, there will widening of U.S.-69 for two-way left turn lanes from South National to 23rd Street and construction of reverse frontage access roads from 19th Street to Huntington.

* Approved purchasing and financing new financial software from Tyler Technologies, Lubbock, Texas for $172,615. The software will be financed through City State Bank for 2.38 percent interest for 60 months.

* Approved purchasing two Jeep Liberty Sport Utility vehicles for the police department, at a price not to exceed $15,000 per vehicle. One of the old vehicles that is being replaced will go to the codes department.

* Approved an ordinance dealing with the sale of methamphetamine, precursor drugs, ephedrine or pseudoephedrine drugs in the City of Fort Scott.

* Approved replacement of a 12-year-old street sweeper from Red Municipal Equipment, K.C., Mo. for $168,000.

* Approved the bid from JCL&S of Fort Scott for $38,920.37 for additions to the Ellis Park walking trail.

* Martin announced the upcoming Tri-Yak-A-Thon at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Gunn Park.

This is a 3.5 mile timber trail run, followed by rowing 1.5 miles in a kayak, or canoe on the Marmaton River and concludes with a 3.5 mile mountain bike sprint. Participants can go solo or be part of a relay team, and must provide their own kayak, life jacket and mountain bike. Riders must wear a helmet. Registration is to Frank Halsey, and is $25 per person.

* Learned from the recent U.S.-69 Corridor meeting that there are no plans for a bypass around Fort Scott until 2040, and even then a study would have to be facilitated.

* Heard that Fire Chief Paul Ballou and Bourbon County Deputy Emergency Manager Shane Walker are seeking funding for informer boxes for area schools that will alert the administrators when an emergency situation occurs in the vicinity.