BonnerSprings.com

Edwardsville — The first of several projects that comprise the $50 million Raintree Apartment project was awarded to the low bidder Monday at the Edwardsville City Council meeting.

The Council awarded Miles Excavating of Basehor a contract for $151,020 to do the grading for a detention basin in the area of the 500-unit apartment project south of 94th and Metropolitan Drive.

As part of its agreement with the city, Raintree I, LLC, the developer, has agreed to build several infrastructure improvements in the area, worth about $5 million. In addition to the detention basin, which will be constructed on a tributary of Bett’s Creek and will collect runoff from the apartments in addition to that from upstream, the improvements include:

• Sanitary sewers to serve the apartment complex and to connect with the existing Edwardsville sewer network.

• Improvements to 94th Street from Kansas Avenue to Swartz Road.

• Improvements to 94th Street from Kansas Highway 32 to Metropolitan.

In addition to the excavation, the Council also acted on several other items related to the Raintree development:

• A $12,082 contract to Cook, Flatt & Strobel Engineers for construction and inspection services associated with the detention basin.

• A $119,742 contract, also with Cook, Flatt & Strobel, for engineering services for a new Frontage Road between Swartz Road and Kansas Avenue.

The measures all passed with 4-0 margins. Council member Pat Isenhour was ill, other Council members said.

And Isenhour wasn’t the only absentee. City Clerk Phyllis Freeman fell recently and broke a wrist. Tammie Burgoon sat in for her.

The Council approved a police vehicle lease-purchase plan suggested by Police Chief Mark Mathies. As part of Mathies’ plan, the city will begin retiring aging vehicles out of its police fleet before they depreciate to the extent that they are worth little. To start, the city will acquire a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria from Government Capital Corp. on a 36-month lease-purchase from Shawnee Mission Ford for $21,804. The city will save some money by installing some surplus city equipment not over two years old will be installed. 36-month lease-purchase.

Mathies explained that the police department has reduced its fleet – it now has four front-line patrol vehicles. Although this is a replacement vehicle, it will add one more to the front-line patrol vehicles.

Mathies gave the following inventory: four patrol cars — two 2007 models and two from 2005; one 2005 model; a detective’s car that is a 2000; a 2004 Chevrolet Blazer; the chief’s car, also a 2004 Blazer; and a 1992 Chevrolet pickup used by the animal control officere.

Although some of the patrol vehicles seem fairly new they age rapidly, Mathies said. Patrol cars average 70 miles per shift, and are used two shifts per day. Thus, in just one year such a vehicle would travel 51,100 miles.

Mathies also got Council approval of a new police records management system. The current system is outmoded, all manual. The Council approved the purchase of an automated system from Custom Micro Inc. for $16,000. The chief will save some money by installing the system himself and training employees in its use.

The Council also approved:

• The second plat of Canaan Landing, a 2.75-acre parcel south of Fed Ex Freight in the industrial area near Interstate 435 and Woodend Road. The Council previously approved issuance of $1.8 million in industrial revenue bonds for the owner, J. Coleman Enterprises, to build office condominums.

• Added Michelle Bounds, city treasurer, as an approved signer for KPERS, the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

• Amusement licenses (13) for Mac’s Bar & Grill.

• Amusement licenses (7) for Lee’s Arcade at Swift Transportation.

• Payment of bills totaling $264,072.

In addition, acting City Adminstrator Mike Webb gave his report:

• Webb has been in discussion with three companies to serve as right-of-way agents on sewer and road projects.

• On Woodend Road, the city is moving forward on its portion, and has have sent letters to property owners. Response has been good, Webb said. The city is not usually asking for much, often just for drainage.

• Webb and Treasurer Michelle Bounds will meet with the auditor this week to get the audit started.

• In February the Council will see IRBs for the Coleman project and one other project.

• Sands Casino people have been in. They plan on having some public meetings. Webb expects zoning application by Jan.16, but nothing so far. “We will treat it like any other application,” Webb said. Sands made an initial contact in December and asked about getting a recommendation from the city. In a meeting with Webb and the mayor, they were told it wasn’t possible by the end of the year, because the next time to apply for a zoning change was Jan. 16.

• Webb suggested to the Council that they set aside some time on Feb. 9, a Saturday, for a workshop to talk about governance and other issues. He would like to follow that up on Feb. 23 with a vision/goal-setting meeting.

During the public comment part of the meeting, Fred Brant told Council members that he believed the road that was being cut in for the detention pond was too close to his house. He repeated his offer to buy part of the land there for a buffer. Webb told Council members they should be able to work with contractor to move away from the property line. Rodgers asked staff to check into situation and give the council a report next meeting.

John Broman spoke with the Council about quiet zones for passing trains. Crossing gates have to be modified so that people cannot drive around the gates when a train is approaching. That should be easy to do at Ninth Street and 98th Street, Broman said. Fourth Street would be more difficult, but still could be done, he said. He suggested that the Council find the funds by adding 25 percent to a future bond issue for public improvements. Such funds could also be used for a skateboard park or other improvements, he said.

Mayor Heinz Rodgers announced that a work session was planned for 6 p.m. at the next meeting, Jan. 28. Brent Miles, Wyandotte Development Inc., will have a presentation about their goals.

Council member Craig Crider asked whether the city made any promises to the Sands group and was told no. He also said he got a phone call from a real estate broker who wanted to buy property in redevelopment district and was told the city didn’t want any more development there. Webb said he never has told anyone he wasn’t interested in developing the area.

Council member Doug Danner asked Mathies for an update on community policing.

“In a lot of ways in a small department, you have to do community policing every day,” Mathies said.

Part of community policing is in police officers’ situational awareness, he said – officers know their community well enough to know who the probable violators might be when a crime occurs.

One possible addition in the future might be a D.A.R.E. program, he said. D.A.R.E. (Drug Avoidance and Resistance Education) is an anti-drug program given to elementary school children. Bonner Springs current has the program, he said.

Rodgers publicly thanked staff, especially Tammie Burgoon and Kathy Hernandez, for their extra efforts when other staff members were out.

He also encourage council to attend Chamber annual meeting Jan. 29.

The meeting concluded with an executive session of about 30 minutes, called at the request of Adams. After the session, the meeting was adjourned.

Comments

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1. 18 January 2008 at 4:22 p.m.

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   freebird (Anonymous) says…

   so sad

2. 20 January 2008 at 4:23 p.m.

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   travelinman (Anonymous) says…

   Care to specify just a touch FB ? What do you find so sad, the meeting, the apartments, the reporting or just life in general ?

3. 22 January 2008 at 10:15 p.m.

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   freebird (Anonymous) says…

   the apartments and John Bromans statement about the trains. He barked up that tree a few years ago and wanted to spend several hundred thousand dollars. He knew that trains ran through this city when he moved here. Get over it.

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