ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Monday, Seward County commissioners approved grant funding from a local foundation for some needed equipment and lease payments for other needed equipment and heard updates on the county’s roads.

The first equipment was protective bulletproof vests for the Seward County Sheriff’s office, and commissioners voted 4-0, with Commissioner Clay Louderback absent, to approve the funding from the Cooper Clark Foundation in the amount of $23,704.60.

In a press release Tuesday, Sheriff Gene Ward said Undersheriff Ryan Roehr presented a request to approve the application for a grant from the foundation in May.

Ward said June 2, the sheriff’s office received notification the grant had been awarded.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Cooper Clark Foundation for its steadfast commitment to the safety of our deputies,” he said. “This generous support will help ensure our personnel have the protective equipment they need to serve and protect our community safely.”

Next, commissioners voted 4-0 to make payments to Bank of Beaver City for June and July invoices for lease payments on two fire trucks.

Administrator April Warden said with transition taking place in the Seward County Fire Department recently, the lease payments were not made.

“I’m asking the commissioners to approve a special check from the county clerk’s office in the amount of $10,403.14 to make the June and July fire truck payments,” she said. “With the lease payments, the last one will be in 2027.”

The county also recently received notification it would receive overdue funding for repairs to the Massoni Bridge near Kismet. Steve Linehan from Kirkham Michael & Associates, the county’s road consultant firm, said plans to upgrade the bridge started a few years ago were put on hold, but he said they are ready to go once funding is allocated, plans are submitted to the Kansas Department of Transportation and reviews are completed.

“Then we’d talk with the project manager with our firm about how long it would be,” he said. “We don’t really know, but hopefully, ideally, it’ll be within the next 18 to 24 months before we could get to a point where all the reviews are done, and we’re ready to let the project for construction. Hopefully in the next few years, we’ll have a new bridge to replace the Massoni Bridge.”

Warden said when plans were originally submitted to Union Pacific two years ago, the cost of the project was estimated at $2.9 million.

“That’s what we wrote the appropriation for, knowing Seward County had a match of roughly $540,000 in that,” she said. “At the time, we were going to use Build Kansas funds. I did get a phone call from KDOT. I’m going to work with someone to see if there’s funding options for Seward County’s portion.”

A press release from Warden last week said U.S. Senator Jerry Moran had secured $2.376 million for the project through the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill.

Lastly, Linehan reviewed a request from commissioners for assistance from Kirkham Michael regarding a road use and maintenance agreement for the proposed Thresher Wind Project.

“Those services associated with this project will be provided until the agreement has been fully executed,” Commission Chairman Steve Helm said. “The recommendation is to approve the Kirkham Michael services agreement, authorize the chairman to sign said agreement and provide the notice to proceed with the work as identified in the agreement to Kirkham Michael.”

While he had no problem with the agreement, Commission Vice Chairman Todd Stanton said approval for the wind farm should come before the agreement is approved.

“Why are we signing this?” he said. “And if the wind farm isn’t approved, who is covering the costs that are going to be incurred until a decision is actually made on this.”

Linehan said this is typically how things move forward with his firm.

“It’s a chicken and egg type of thing,” he said. “We’ve done hundreds of these projects, and typically, in order to get the funds reimbursed for our fees from the developer, we’ve got to be able to develop an agreement. That would be through the road use agreement to reimburse us for the fees to the point they do the road use agreement, and then all the services going forward from that would be also laid out in the road use agreement. You guys have all had a chance to look at the draft road use agreement, and in there, Invenergy has actually presented something similar to where they do reimbursing the county for our services.”

Helm called for a motion to approve the agreement, and with none being made, the item died from a lack of a motion.