Kansas Department of Health and Environment will determine how extensively the preferred site for a new Allen County Hospital is contaminated by smelter residue from a century ago. Tailings from the smelters contain carcinogens and heavy metals, including lead.
Allen County commissioners received confirmation of the assessment during their weekly meeting Tuesday morning.
Testing will be done “in the near future,” on the site at the east edge of Iola, near Hwy. 169. Three legal parcels totaling about seven acres lie between Citizens Bank, 1206 East St., and The Family Physicians clinic, 1408 East St. The land has yet to be appraised.
A referendum at Tuesday’s general election will decide whether a countywide quarter-cent sales tax will help finance construction of a new hospital.
COMMISSIONER Dick Works said county officials statewide were concerned about the volatility of farm land valuation. The discussion arose at a regional meeting he attended.
He noted that segment of Allen County valuation was $11.669 million in 2004 and had dropped to $7.065 million this year.
Farm land valuation is determined by a use-value formula that takes into consideration productivity and commodity prices.
The decrease can be blamed on low grain prices in recent years, he said, and noted valuation should increase after this year’s prices are factored in. Corn today is fetching about $5 a bushel and soybeans are well over $11, he said. Since farm land is assessed at 30 percent of valuation, market value according to the formula would have been about $39 million in 2004 and $23.5 million this year.
