ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
A step in the process of getting a second overpass officially moved forward thanks so action by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting Tuesday evening.
“As you all know, the City of Liberal issued a request for proposals with service cost bids for technical assessments, public engagement, and project planning services required for the successful execution of our Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant project for a secondary railroad overpass. Two profiles and bids were received as a result of the competitive bid process to complete the following tasks: Task 1 – Technical Assessments; Task 2 – Community Engagement; Task 3 – Preferred Alternative Analysis; and Task 4 – Project Planning Package,” Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said. “The budgeted cost for these consulting services under our grant agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration is $416,320. The Railroad Crossing Elimination grant will reimburse 80 percent of costs up to $333,056, with additional funding match from the State of Kansas’ Build Kansas providing up to $62,500 in additional reimbursements. Service cost bids were received from the following consulting companies: Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) for $400,000; and JEO Consulting Group, Inc. for $470,400. We are recommending going with PEC not just because they’re the lower bid, but also because they’re extremely familiar with our project and have a lot of professional experience with this type of work. They’ve also been with us basically since the very beginning – they came up with initial concept plans, referred us to grant opportunities and helped us with those application processes, which we are very grateful for. With all of that in mind, we’re asking for the mayor and city manager to negotiate and enter into contract terms, pending legal counsel review, with Professional Engineering Consultants for the completion of RCE Project Planning tasks in an amount not to exceed $410,000. Project funding will come from the Capital Improvements portion of the 1-Cent Sales Tax with matching reimbursement grant funds from the Federal Railroad Administration and State of Kansas. The civic engagement is going to take the longest amount of time, and with the package we’re proposing, we look to have all of that wrapped up later this year, probably around September or so.”
Alexis Starr and Robert Hartman from PEC then spoke to the commission.
“We’re excited to continue this partnership with the City of Liberal,” Hartman said. “I know there’s still a lot of work to be done, and I know this is a project that has been in the works for a long time, and I’m really excited to be working with the city leadership.”
After some more discussion, the commission ultimately approved entering into an agreement with PEC.
Earlier in the meeting, after briefly revisiting discussion of changes to the city’s fireworks ordinance, the commission then revisited a potential partnership with Air Products.
“The City of Liberal has been working with the Air Products Helium Team for two years regarding the purchase of land in our Airport Industrial Park,” City Manager Scarlette Diseker said. “In July 2025, we presented a Letter of Intent for a parcel near the air museum and airport taxiway. Upon confirmation from the FAA this specific piece of land could not be sold, both parties reviewed the available lots and identified a space of 3.77 acres as viable location for their tank storage needs. At this time, both the survey and appraisal have been completed. This request has been submitted to the FAA, and we are waiting for final approval from them. Air Products is aware the FAA prefers long-term leasing agreements over land sales, so it is possible we may have to move in this direction first. As a formality, Air Products has drafted a Letter of Intent to present to the commission as a show of interest and commitment to the property. This letter is basically a formality to secure that space and make sure we don’t sell it to anyone else.”
After some more brief discussion, the commission approved the letter 4-0, with Commissioner Matt Landry absent.
The commission also approved a proposal from Municipal H2O to update the city’s ERP (Emergency Response Plan) and RRA (Risk and Resilience Assessment) in an amount not to exceed $15,500 and a quote from HECO in the amount of $13,000 for the replacement and removal of Existing HVAC unit at the Municipal Court building.
In other new business, the commission approved a change order for the Doll Addition project and a Memorandum of Understanding with GVW Ruddell Management, LLC to begin planning for future industrial properties and opportunities in Liberal. Also approved were project purchases for the City of Liberal IT Department and the appointment of Steve Merz, Nick Schwindt and Edgar Ortuño to the Planning & Zoning Commission.
To conclude the meeting, the commission briefly discussed the Seward County Development Corporation (SCDC).
“The City of Liberal has been in talks with Seward County over the past several months to consider the transfer of the SCDC employees from one entity to the other. They are currently county employees, with the City of Liberal providing an annual appropriation of $330,000 to reimburse salaries and benefits and transfer the remainder directly to SCDC’s operating budget. The county’s annual commitment is $200,000,” Diseker said. “The Seward County Commission met Feb. 19, where multiple aspects were discussed and approved. In terms of appropriation, the city is agreeable to housing SCDC employees on our side with the county paying an annual appropriation of $200,000 directly to us. In terms of accounting, the city will credit the county’s appropriation to the 1-Cent Sales Tax and pay salaries and benefits from this fund. The city’s 2026 appropriation of $330,000 is typically paid in August, so we will hold this and pro-rate the county for the difference of accrued expenses versus the financial commitment to the department. The city will then write a check directly to SCDC for up to $130,000 for operational expenses. With benefits and PTO, the city is agreeable with converting the three current employees’ existing PTO into city vacation and sick leave. With insurance, in order to avoid financial hardship for employees who have already met their annual deductibles, the city is agreeable to allowing these individuals to remain on the county’s insurance through the end of their year and join the city’s plan in May 2026.”
