Humboldt to extend water lines to sports area

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October 16, 2012 - 12:00 AM

HUMBOLDT — Humboldt council members voted their intent Monday night to extend two six-inch water lines to the east edge of town to support construction of a new USD 258 sports complex. Sewer service already is available.
The district will build baseball, softball and football fields, as well as a track, on a nearly 52-acre tract given by Joe and Jane Works.
City Administrator Larry Tucker said the project would cost about $42,000, with the lines running along Central and New York streets. The city has $10,000 available for such work in its 2013 budget.
Tucker said Community National Bank agreed to provide money for the project through a loan, which City Attorney Fred Works said was “the cleaner way to do it.” The district also offered to pay interest on a three-year loan, or loan money to the city interest-free. Works said he was uncertain about the legality of one tax-supported entity (USD 258) loaning money to another (the city).
The details of financing can wait, Tucker said. The council’s first duty was to give the school district the go-ahead, “so they can proceed with their plans,” Tuckers said.
The water line extensions will attach to an eight-inch main the district will include in its project and will provide a side benefit to the city, Tucker noted. The loop created by the two main extensions will provide a loop between the city’s two water towers. That would assure service for all of the town if one of the storage towers were out of service. Also, USD 258 will ask for the sports complex site to be annexed to the city once work there is completed.
Tucker said the project was being designed to “meet city of Humboldt zoning codes and regulations.”

COUNCIL members laid to rest, for the time being at least, any efforts to build a new fire station.
Tucker said he had been sitting on a proposal to have an engineering firm determine the condition of the current station to see whether it meets standards, including ability to withstand a tornado.
“We don’t need to spend $750 (cost of the lesser of two proposed studies) to tell us it wouldn’t stand up to a tornado,” said Councilman Dan Gulick.
Vada Aikins, a member of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, said that although the building was acceptable through it being “grandfathered in” — built before regulations were updated — she thought it was appropriate to find out what it would cost to bring it up to snuff, “so our fire equipment would be safe.”
Tucker said the overriding plan discussed earlier was to move the ambulance station, which he deemed inadequate for 24-hour-a-day service, to the fire station and build a new structure to house fire-fighting equipment.
Mark Slater brought discussion to an end with a motion to table discussion, saying he didn’t think “we’re ready for a new (fire) station.”
Having countywide ambulance service still a discussion point by a review committee, as well as Allen County commissioners, also put a shadow of uncertainty on any plans to improve public safety facilities in Humboldt.

THE COUNCIL’S November meeting was moved to Nov. 13 to avoid a conflict with Veterans Day on Nov. 12.
Council members tabled discussion on a new contract with the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility, which called for Humboldt to pay $80 for each dog taken to the LaHarpe kennels.
Works said he had not had opportunity to review the contract, first presented to him and council members Monday night.
Provisions for Humboldt to take sick animals to a veterinarian before transporting them to ACARF gave Works pause, as did other things “I’m seeing for the first time,” he said.
Tucker said a meeting to consider how to improve Humboldt’s housing stock would be at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at Humboldt High.
Also, he said the storm siren in Cannon Park, in the north part of town, would be moved to a higher pole. The initial pole was 50 feet tall and didn’t have the siren high enough to cover all of the town. Trees and the park being “in something of a valley” affected its coverage, Tucker said. A new 100-foot-tall pole was purchased from Chanute for $1,000, which Tucker described as a bargain.
Aikins and Councilman Otis Crawford attended a League of Kansas Municipalities conference last week.
Aikins said during a session on codes it was noted that to be effective, cities should adopt codes that were enforceable and then enforce them.
Crawford pointed out that Aikins was elected president of the league’s council and commission members, “quite an honor for her and Humboldt.”

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