ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Liberal City Commission will have a small but varied list of projects up for approval at its next meeting this evening starting at 5:30. This evening’s meeting will be in the commission chambers at the Liberal Recreation Center at 950 S. Grant Ave.
After hearing a proposal for the comprehensive insurance renewal from Iron Insurance Partners, the commission will then be discussing the Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan.
“Activation and redevelopment of Downtown Liberal through investments in public spaces and infrastructure was identified as a key goal in the Launch Liberal 2035 Comprehensive Plan,” the agenda information noted. “Working with experts in city planning, engineering, and design to create a redevelopment plan which considers a holistic approach to both the form and function of built public spaces will help provide us with a cost-effective, phased approach to creating a thriving Downtown district. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued in December to identify firms interested in conducting research and public engagement activities to draft a Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan which assesses current economic and market data; identifies market opportunities for additional retail, office, civic, and residential uses; and provides visual descriptions for transportation systems, infrastructure, streetscape, and public spaces to support connectivity and placemaking goals. During a special meeting Feb. 20, the commission reviewed submitted profiles and recommended Confluence and RICK Engineering as finalists for the project. Staff were directed to obtain service quotes. The service quote maximums received were from Confluence for $94,750 and RICK Engineering for $93,810. After reviewing proposals in detail and contacting professional references, staff are recommending Confluence due to their more robust public engagement plan, 3D modeling/visualization production, and the high quality plan examples provided in their portfolio. Staff recommends approval to negotiate a contract agreement with Confluence for the purpose of creating a Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan in an amount not to exceed $95,000 to be funded through the Economic Development portion of the 1-cent Sales Tax.”
Also seeking approval will be the Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport for the purchase of security cameras.
“The Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport respectfully requests authorization to install a comprehensive security camera system. This system will cover the terminal building, parking areas, and all entry points, directly addressing the critical need to significantly enhance the safety and security of all airport users,” the agenda information noted. “The airport has already allocated $30,000 from its capital equipment budget for this essential project. We have received a detailed and comprehensive quote from INAalert for the security camera system installation, totaling $46,506.51. To ensure the successful implementation of this vital security enhancement, we propose covering the remaining balance of $16,506.51 through the strategic utilization of funds from other currently under-budget line items throughout the fiscal year. This approach allows us to proceed with the installation without compromising the financial stability of other important airport operations. Staff recommends the commission authorize the Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport to move forward with the security camera installation, contracted with INAalert. Specifically, the staff proposes that the initial $30,000 expenditure be allocated from the airport's capital equipment budget, while the remaining balance of $16,506.51 be sourced from currently under-budgeted line items within the existing fiscal year's allocation.”
Concluding the meeting’s new business will be discussion of an ATLAS server hardware project.
“At the March 10 special meeting, the Liberal City Commission, by consensus, authorized movement forward for the procurement of the necessary hardware for the implementation of ATLAS, a centralized Analytics, Telemetry & Learning for Administration & Services platform,” the agenda information noted. “This system will incorporate cutting-edge technologies to help all departments better serve the community. Some of the new tools will be Financial Analytics, budget planning and modeling, along with several new tools and modules for all departmental benefit. In addition to the new modules, analytics and budget planning, several departments will now have better inventory monitoring, along with specialized service request tracking. The quote requests were submitted to two vendors: CDWG and SHI. We have consistently utilized these two vendors throughout the years. The pricing of this project was very competitive as reflected in the quote difference. City staff request consideration to approve the quote from SHI for the ATLAS Server Hardware Project, with funding being split as follows: $50,000 from General Fund Contingency, $50,000 from 1% Sales Tax Crime Prevention, $50,000 from Water, and $97,233.18 from the 1-cent sales tax Streets, Drainage & Capital Improvements.”
