The Great Bend City Council will consider a proposal to add an air burner firebox for the compost site. These and other topics are on the agenda for the next council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, at City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed on the City Council Facebook page, httsp://www.facebook.com/gbcitycouncil/.

Public Works Director Jason Cauley will report on the proposal for the compost site. The recommendation calls for the purchase of an air burner firebox from Air Burners Inc. for $163,107 and for Hammeke Electric to install an electric box at the compost site for $2,259.

Agenda materials explain the recommendation. Since the inception of the compost site, the City has burned tree debris in a berm area. Employees watch and pay attention to wind conditions, wind direction and moisture conditions before burning and get approval from the Fire Department. Depending on the wind, the city can become inundated with the smell of smoke. In addition, the street crew must watch the fire 24 hours while the fire is burning. According to Kansas Department of Health and Environment statutes, if it is smoking it is still burning.

By adding the recommended system, staff anticipates the City can burn more frequently, so they won’t need to stockpile as much tree debris. The system would burn approximately 3 to 4 tons of material an hour.

The system is an enclosed steel box with an air curtain that traps smoke and increases the interior temperature to approximately 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it is up to temperature, there is no smoke. Employees can burn during the day and within two hours of the end of the day begin the process of snuffing the fire. Under normal conditions, this will eliminate the need for staff to stand by.

This system is endorsed by the EPA and U.S. Forest Service, and the City can use funds from its FEMA reimbursement for debris removal for the purchase.

Other agenda items

In other business Monday, the council will discuss the City’s alcohol ordinance for Vets Park and will be asked to approve a three-year agreement for the annual July 3 firework show. It will consider a change to the mini-pitch surfacing at Heizer Park. The Council will also be asked to approve two agreements with JEO Consulting Group; one is for the 2025 Water System Preliminary Engineering Report and the other is for the 2025 Wastewater Treatment Facility Preliminary Engineering Report.