Council Work Session

The Edgerton City Council will conduct a Work Session on July 16th beginning at 7:00 pm at City Hall located at 404 E. Nelson Street in downtown Edgerton. The Council will discuss the City's Water and Sewer funds. As always, the public is invited to attend the Council's work sessions.

BNSF Intermodal 404 Permit

The US Army Corps of Engineers recently made public the draft environmental assessment under the authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC 1344). The draft EA discloses the environmental impacts associated with the proposed BNSF Intermodal project. The Draft EA may be downloaded at: http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/regulatory/BNSF/Draft_EA.pdf.

The Corps has made a preliminary determination that the proposed intermodal facility would not have a significant adverse effect on the quality of the human environment. In addition, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the project is in compliance with the Section 404(b)(1)guidelines. The preliminary 404(b)(1) evaluation may be downloaded at: http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/regulatory/BNSF/Preliminary_404b1.pdf.

Additional information pertaining to the Draft EA or other documents produced by the USACE should be directed to Mr. Joshua Marx, Regulatory Project Manager, at the US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City Regulatory Office, 402 Federal Building, 601 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106-2896, by telephone at 816-389-3658 or via email at Joshua.a.marx@usace.army.mil.

Council Update

The City Council conducted a regular business meeting on July 9th. The following items were discussed by the Council:

Council directed staff to move forward with an agreement for services with Kutak Rock, LLP for legal counsel for the BNSF Intermodal project.

Discussed building permit requirements for fences and directed staff to prepare an ordinance requiring a building permit for fences.

Discussed the removal of the stop sign on W. 8th Street and directed staff to proceed with a review by the City Engineer and prepare an ordinance for consideration.

Discussed an overnight work session scheduled for July 30th and 31st for the Mayor and City Council to tour the BNSF Intermodal Facility near Dallas, Texas and other adjacent development. If anyone from the public would like to attend this tour, please contact David Dillner at (913) 893-6231 by Friday, July 17th. The City will not cover the costs of transportation, air fare, overnight accommodations, or food for members of the general public.

Discussed the 2010 General Fund Budget.

The Council approved the following items:

Ordinance No. 857 amending Chapter XII of the City Code to include specific provisions pertaining to the use and maintenance of public alleys.

Motioned to approve an agreement with Springsted, Inc. to conduct a financial analysis on the BNSF Intermodal project at a price not to exceed $14,000 provided that BNSF and the Allen Group commit to half of the cost of these services.

City Procurement

Interested in bidding on City of Edgerton projects? Want to be considered for professional services? The City of Edgerton has developed a new procurement database for contractors, consultants, and others providing products and services. The database will allow users to easily register with the City to be considered for future bids. Users may also receive notifications when the City is moving forward with a project or request.

The City has received lots of interest from contractors and others to get on the City's bid list. If you're interested in doing so, visit the Procurement Form to register with the City of Edgerton's Procurement Database. The City will use the bid list when bidding for projects or services.

Council Agenda

The Edgerton City Council July 9th agenda has been posted for download at the City's website at www.edgertonks.org/agendas. The Council will meet at 7:00 pm on July 9th for regular business. The meeting will take place at Edgerton City Hall located at 404 E. Nelson Street in downtown Edgerton. The public is invited to attend the meeting.

CDBG Sidewalk Program, Phase I

The City will host a public meeting for citizens affected by or interested in the upcoming CDBG Sidewalk Project beginning later this year. The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at City Hall.

The City and the Project Engineer will have representatives at the meeting to review the project plans with citizens. The main purpose of the meeting is to present the plans to the public to answer any questions and to address any concerns.

Streets affected by this project include:

W. 7th Street

W. Hulett Street

E. 3rd Street

W. Martin Street

W. 4th Street

W. McDonald Street

Edgewood Drive

If you would like to review the plans but will not be able to attend the meeting, please contact the City at (913) 893-6231 to schedule a time that is convenient for you to view the plans.

Citizen Question: Intermodal Location

I recently had a citizen ask me the following question through the comments section of a blog entry.

Where is the Edgerton location for the intermodal? What major roads will be affected?

The intermodal location will not change between its proposed location within the City of Gardner. As it stands right now, the intermodal site is located within the City of Gardner. However, the City Council has decided to rescind their agreements with BNSF and the Allen Group and to proceed with de-annexation. Once the property is de-annexed, the City of Edgerton will be able to annex the site. The intermodal site is generally a triangle that sits inside US-56 between 191st Street and Waverly Road. There is more property than what is described above, but this provides at least an approximately description for the purposes of this blog.

The roads that will be affected include the same roads that were going to be affected with the Gardner location. Major improvements include:

191st Street from Four Corners to Gardner Road interchange via 188th Street

Waverly Road from US-56 to I-35

183rd Street

Center Street bridge widening (in Gardner)

Gardner Road interchange improvements

Construction of new interchange at undetermined location on I-35

The financing and phasing of these projects have yet to be determined. Some of the projects have already been committed to by the Kansas Department of Transportation, namely improvements to Gardner Road interchange and the construction of a new interchange on I-35. Johnson County has also committed $14 million for the construction of 191st Street contingent upon the construction of the BNSF intermodal facility. Internal roads and infrastructure will also have to be constructed, although the financing and phasing of this is also going to be negotiated.

Council Work Session

The Edgerton City Council will conduct a Work Session on Tuesday, July 7th beginning at 7:00 pm at City Hall located at 404 E. Nelson Street in downtown Edgerton. The Council will discuss several items including an overview of the logistics and distribution industry, the 2010 General Fund budget, and sidewalks. The agenda for the meeting may be downloaded at www.edgertonks.org/agendas.

Water Bills

The City of Edgerton will allow water customers to pay their water bills until July 20th without receiving a penalty. City management has decided to allow two extra days for payment because water bills were sent out later than normal. The City apologizes for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused. The City will schedule shut-offs for non-payment on July 29th.