Sedalia Council Approves Seven Items Under Public Works

The Public Works Committee has been very busy, as evidenced by seven items brought up before the Sedalia City Council Tuesday night.

The first item involved updating water mains.

The area in question generally covers Broadway to Third, from Lamine to Engineer, as well as Engineer north to Saline.

The two lowest bidders were recommend by staff to complete separate sections within the project area.

Blue Nile Contractors, Inc., will work on Section A at a cost of $1,578,810.68, while M&M Landscaping and Construction, LLC, will work on Section B at a cost of $1,284,557.50.

Blue Nile will also work on the additional alternate section at a cost of $270,389.42, pending successful negotiation with Union Pacific Railroad to grant access to go under the railroad with the water mains.

The second items involved sewer operations.

A six-month extension of a contract with Alliance Water Resources was approved by Council to provide oversight and management of the City's sewer operations by certified and licenses individuals. The contract also allows for two options for one-year additional extensions.

The third item involved Sedalia Regional Airport.

A contract with H.W. Lochner for design services for a 65-by-65-foot hangar at the airport was approved.

The design needs to be coordinated with MoDOT for approval in order to utilize federal grant money, which can be used to pay for design work.

As noted in the Council's packet, a hangar such as the one proposed will give the City more flexibility in providing storage space for larger aircraft than the current hangars can handle. Annual inspections can also take place in the bigger hangar.

The project consultant cost is $85,700, while the total grant amount is $580,000.

The fourth item involved the CARES Act.
Grant money is available through MoDOT for airports, up to $30,000 in Sedalia's case, according to the Council packet. The grant is designed to offset COVID-19 pandemic costs. It is hoped that the $30,000 can be used as matching funds to help pay for the proposed hangar construction at the Sedalia Regional Airport.

The fifth item involved the City's sewer system.

A service agreement with a company that provides software for a camera system utilized in the sewers to inspect and look for potential problems was renewed.

The sixth item involved the Nucor Rail Spur project.

Council approved spending $24,071.66 for Evergy to place electrical lines that pass over the rail spur and raise them to at least 27 feet above the top of the rail. The cost is recoverable from grant funds for the project and are within the current budgeted amount, according to the Council packet.

The seventh item involved the purchase of a UTV for the airport.

Crown Power and Equipment is selling the utility vehicle to the City for $20,203.90, which is just above the $20,000 budgeted for a UTV. One use for the UTV is snow removal around the hangars and terminal, where larger snow plows are less efficient and cumbersome. The UTV, equipped with a diesel engine with a low-gear ratio hydrostatic transmission, can also be outfitted with a tow bar to move aircraft around the airport, according to Airport Director Derrick Dodson. He also said the UTV can be used to move personnel and maintenance material around the airport.

First Ward Councilman and Vice Chairman of the Public Works Committee Tom Oldham vocalized the details of each item up for a vote before the Council. All items passed with seven yes votes and one absent (Jeff Leeman).