Plans to separate areas for large and small dogs at the dog park inside Veterans Memorial Park will be discussed at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. on July 1 in the council chambers at City Hall. The meeting may also be viewed as a livestream on the city council Facebook page, www.facebook.com/gbcitycitycouncil/.
Through the Quality-of-Life sales tax, dog park fencing was a project slated for 2023. City planners went back and forth on what shape the project would take. According to agenda materials, there have been dogfights and altercations between humans due to the large and small dogs being together in the same area. The proposed fencing aims to solve the problem without adding square footage to the footprint.
The city has a quote from Eldridge Fencing for 384 feet of 4-foot chain link fencing for $8,900. The city would also pour another slab or sidewalk to get to the pavilion, and modify the dog-watering station to allow water on both sides. The fencing would split the pavilion to allow citizens to have shade on both the large and small dog sides, bringing the project right at the $10,000 budgeted for it.
Other business
• The council will also revisit plans to upgrade the traffic signal at 10th and McKinley, using grant money from the Kansas Department of Transportation with no local match required. At present, McKinley has left-turn lanes but no left-turn protected signal on McKinley St.; the upgrade would change that. This item has been tabled while the city gathered more information. Now the administration is recommending the council approve a resolution that will allow the project to move forward.
• The administration recommends that the council approve a bid from Circle C for $312,000 for 80,000 square yards of chip seal with a fog seal topcoat. The city has mapped out 60 blocks to be resurfaced. Circle C was the only bidder but Public Works Director Jason Cauley reports multiple sources were contacted to confirm we are getting a fair market value.
• An executive session is on the agenda to discuss economic development matters that will include confidential financial information and trade secrets of a business. The executive session will be closed to the public but will include the council, city administration, assistant city administrator, city attorney, and Economic Development President Sara Arnberger.
