LARNED, Kan. — The Larned City Council Monday accepted a just over $120,000 bid from H&H Roofing for an assortment of roof and other repairs resulting from the second of two major hailstorms to hit Larned in 2024. This covers damage at the Fire Station, Train building, Scout House, Street Shop, Line and Water Sheds, the Chamber of Commerce building, Service Garage, Utility Building, Generator, four water well buildings, the Gazebo, Animal Shelter, and HVAC work at five locations which was sublet to Ike Shaver Plumbing.
There is still work to be bid out on Jordaan Park and Moffett Stadium ball field lights, to be done by Haynes Electric, and work on police vehicles which is being handled by local body shops as available.
A 25-year extension of the city of Larned’s contract to purchase electric power from Grand River Dam Authority was taken off the Larned City Council’s agenda for Monday by Mayor William Nusser. City Manager Brad Elits told Ad Astra News this contract will likely be taken up at a special meeting later this month. GRDA has a contract with Kansas Municipal Energy Agency through which power is purchased on behalf of some two dozen Kansas communities for their electric systems.
Also taken off the agenda was a request involving a couple of projects being looked at for the Pawnee County Fairgrounds, this at the request of the Fair Board.
The Council approved an updated water conservation plan for the city. The city last month contracted with Rose Mary Saunders with Ransom Financial to revise the document covering long term water conservation plans and short-term water emergency plans. The water emergency plans among other things cover drought response, and are divided into three stages, watch, warning and emergency, with each stage having a set of goals, triggers, management actions and regulatory actions.
The Larned Police Department is seeking to include in their 2026 budget replacement of the Axon tasers it currently uses. The present Tasers, which have been in service since 2013, are starting to experience operations issues for which Axon is no longer providing support for, as they are also nearing end of service life.
Sergeant TJ Hearn told the Larned City Council Monday they are proposing to switch to the TASER 10, which will provide an extended range and an increase in darts per unit from the present two to ten along with improved accuracy The cost for nine tasers is estimated at around $34,000, a price which can be spread over five years with no interest. The Council received the presentation and will discuss this at budget time this summer.
The Council approved the sale of two very small pieces of property. Small as in six hundredths of an acre each to the Kansas Department of Transportation in connection with an upcoming bridge replacement project on US 56 over the Pawnee River. One of the tracts is part of a more or less triangular property the city owns west of US 54 and south of the river, with the other tract on the other side of the river. Purchase price including right of way adjustment comes to $500 for each tract.
The Council also approved the grant agreement with KDOT for the Safe Routes to Schools grant for sidewalks and related improvements extending from Fort Larned Elementary School.
Members of the Christmas Decoration Committee reported they have raised $85,000 for new Christmas lights in Larned, exceeding their goal by $10,000.
City Manager Brad Elits was reappointed to a two-year term on the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency’s Board of Directors. Larned has two representatives on the KMEA board along with an alternate.
The Council also approved the appointment of Dennis Wilson to the Planning Commission to serve the remainder of the term from which Noel Speed recently resigned from after many years of service. Wilson’s position is up for reappointment in 2027.
