ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Seward County officials have until Dec. 31 to earmark money the county received from funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and it appears that decision will come at the county commissioner’s final meeting of 2024 on Dec. 16.
Following Monday’s regular meeting in a special meeting, Administrator April Warden presented commissioners with numbers regarding the money the county has spent from the funding, money obligated and remaining balanced on projects targeted for funding.
Warden reminded commissioners have until New Year’s Eve to sign any binding documents with decisions regarding funding, and any projects funded by ARPA money has to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
Warden said she spoke with officials from the consulting firm, iParametrics, and one of the projects she brought up in that conversation was the remodeling of the county’s courthouse.
“I let them know that remodel would be going on, and that project was not to be completed until April of 2025,” she said. “I let them know we’re dealing with a 1940s building, and as you get into projects like that, sometimes, there are change orders that are necessary because you uncover things you weren’t aware of. They did tell me commissioners can do what they can do as far as an addendum to the contract with a not to exceed amount.”
Warden said she asked the iParametrics team what would happen should the project not be done by April 2025 with the ARPA funding plan due this month.
“They did tell me there is some flexibility the treasurer is allowing, but it’s specific,” she said. “He said you could go back and look at staffing needs with that money again. That is an option. He was going to look into some of the other flexibility of items we could use that on.”
Seward County EMS recently received a $200,000 grant for the purchase of a new ambulance, with about $70,000 remaining to complete that purchase. Warden said that balance could be paid from ARPA funds.
Even though construction work on the Massoni Bridge would not be built by the Dec. 31, 2026, date, Warden said money had been paid to the county’s consulting firm Kirkham Michael & Associates for contractual obligations for engineering work.
“Now with the geological studies on that, because those are contractual agreements we are already into, we can use ARPA funds for that,” she said. “We could reimburse our Special Highway Fund with that money if that’s something you wanted to do. That is an option.”
Warden said Kirkham Michael had also been paid for projects at Restlawn Cemetery and bleachers at the rodeo arena at the fairgrounds.
“In total, we’ve paid Kirkham Michael $222,358 since that includes 2023 and 2024 expenses,” she said.
Warden talked about other projects at the fairgrounds as well, including concrete and roofing work over the grandstands.
“We also need to do some parking lot improvements to the Ag Building area and to the Event Center area,” she said. “I don’t know if we have time to bid out and tackle the whole Livestock Barn. I don’t think you would be able to do that in time. Something else you approved at budget time was in the EMS building. You would approve for carpet, painting and some furniture. I think that totaled $27,000 you were going to take out of CIP for those projects.”
Warden said these were estimates put into the county’s capital improvement plan.
“I also did ask about the recent lease purchase you did for the fire department for the breathing apparatuses,” she said. “It does specifically state you can’t use it to pay off debt, but iParametrics did feel under the contract, if there’s no penalty to pay off, we could possibly make that happen as well.”
Much work has been done on the bleacher project, and Warden said commissioners have asked for more to be done as well.
“At the strategic planning session, you said if we could jack up the bleachers, and they could trench and do the concrete footers, you would have them do that,” she said. “The contractor has said he really feels the bleachers would need to be moved for them to trench properly and do the concrete footers, but they are saying they could level them out, jack them up and put them on railroad ties, which they felt would last.”
Warden said contractors were asked to price out that project, and as of Monday, she was still waiting on those numbers.
“You still have currently $48,657.85 left of what you had allocated for the bleacher project,” she said. “I’m sure that’s going to probably cover that anyway, but I am still waiting on that change order.”
Paperwork provided by Warden showed $1 million was obligated for the courthouse remodel. The numbers showed a remaining balance of just less than $950,000, with bid totals coming in at just more than $880,000, for a difference of just more than $117,500 for those projects.
Commission Chairman Scott Carr asked if that amount would be sufficient for any potential change orders on the project.
“I know we’re going to run into an issue already with the water drainage up in the front,” he said.
The courthouse remodel is scheduled to be complete in April 2025, and Carr said what is taking place right now is just the beginning.
“I don’t want to be short,” she said. “If you come up long, there’s a parking lot out there you can put it into that needs work. There’s plenty of other things you could use it on. What do you think about paying off the ambulance, the breathing apparatuses? I’m behind putting the Kirkham Michael money back to Special Highway.”
Commissioner Steve Helm said he would like to see more than carpet put into remodeling the EMS building.
“I’m not talking about a major remodel,” he said.
Warden said the $27,000 earmarked for that remodel would be used for not only carpet, but also paint, new shelving and resurfacing on bay floors. She added all of Kirkham Michael’s engineering fees had been paid out of the Special Highway Fund.
Warden said officials with GMCN Architects estimated about $170,000 was needed to reroof the grandstands. Commission Vice Chair Tammy Sutherland-Abbott said this would be a good long-term investment.
“I know when GMCN looked at it and gave us their estimate on it to reroof, the grandstand was approximately $170,000,” she said.
Helm said he would also like to see thermostats in all county buildings be upgraded to energy efficient.
“The Activity Center could literally have the heat on in one part of the building and the air conditioning on in the other part of the building,” he said.
Sutherland-Abbott said funding should start with what benefits the community most, primarily EMS and the fire department.
“Take care of the ambulance, make the EMS better with the painting and the carpet and what they’ve requested and get the breathing apparatuses,” she said. “Get an estimate on the concrete and roof for the fairgrounds and then get your thermostats. Then make a final decision.”
Warden is expected to present commissioners with a proposed final list of projects for approval at the Dec. 16 meeting.
