By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The City of Great Bend has approximately $800,000 in 2024 year-end transfers that they are looking to attach to a project. At last week’s work session, the Great Bend City Council heard suggestions from City Administrator Logan Burns.
With the approval of a rebuild design for the SRCA Dragstrip, Mayor Cody Schmidt was in favor of keeping money set aside for the rebuild and to redo the parking lot at the Great Bend Events Center.
"I would make a recommendation to the council to split the money," said Schmidt. "We could put half towards the dragstrip and half to the parking lot. As I look at that parking lot, the longer you wait the worse it's going to get."
City officials estimate resurfacing the Events Center parking lot could cost up to $1 million. No estimates have been calculated for the reconstruction of the dragstrip, but the city should receive bids by late spring or early summer.
"With the parking lot at the Events Center, you welcome people to your community...to me we're just a fall and a lawsuit waiting to happen," added Schmidt."
The council decided to keep the $800,000 in the general fund until bids come back for both the parking lot and dragstrip.