By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The short answer is the Great Bend City Council needs more money to do more. Monday evening, the body approved funding for the 2025 Asphalt Resurfacing Project. With a price tag of just over $1 million, Councilman Gary Parr was hoping for a larger scope of work.
"Is this like phase one, because there are a lot more streets besides these that are in dire need of repair," Parr said. "So is this just the beginning of what we are going to start doing?"
Councilmen Alan Moeder and Cory Urban explained that the project is funded through the quarter-cent sales tax, and there is a cap on the amount of work that can be done with that amount of money.
Assistant City Engineer Hitha Kadiyala said the 2025 project will include a 2-inch mill and overlay, pavement markings, and manhole adjustments. A base bid included repairs on Broadway Ave. from Patton Road to K-96 Highway; on 24th Street from Harrison to Washington Ave., on 19th Street from Washington Ave. to Morton Street; and on Morton from 19th to 21st Streets.
"The intent for this resurfacing project is to get a high-volume street like 24th Street done, as well as prioritizing the residential streets like Broadway and 19th Street," she said. " Since the base bid already has 24th and Harrison and Washington in the limits, since they're a block away, I think it's a good time to go ahead and do the 24th and McKinley intersection as well. It's in bad shape."
The council approved an alternate bid to include work at the 24th and McKinley intersection. Venture Corporation was the lone bid for the work. Work is expected to begin later this week and be completed before the start of the school year. The total price tag is $1,017,213.