New ambulance stations in Humboldt and Moran inched closer to reality Tuesday morning.
Allen County commissioners reviewed one plan submitted by Cleaver Farm and Supply of Chanute for a 40-by-80-foot metal building.
The estimate, including interior accessories, was $319,000.
Cleavers is only one of four companies contacted by Iola Fire Chief Thyer to reply.
Discussion centered more on Humboldt, in part because its city administrator, Cole Herder, attended the session.
County Counselor Alan Weber suggested commissioners take a more formal approach and request bids for proposals, to which commissioners Jerry Daniels and Jim Talkington agreed. Commissioner Tom Williams was absent.
Commissioners expect several contractors to have interest in the project.
Housing of fire trucks and associated equipment also was mentioned for Humboldt, with some combination of fire and emergency medical response quarters a possibility. Moran has a relatively new fire station.
Herder said Humboldt and rural trucks and equipment had outgrown a building that has been in use for years, but gave no suggestion of how all might be arranged into one facility, or put into adjacent structures.
If commissioners find proposals acceptable, the county has reserves that could be tapped for construction and outfitting costs, including EMS stations that could hold two ambulances each.
“We have six ambulances,” which would permit more of a presence in Moran and Humboldt, Thyer noted.
No deadline for proposals or construction were mentioned.
Current quarters in each town have glaring deficiencies, created by age and lack of space to accommodate modern emergency response vehicles and techniques.
JOB SPRINGER and Gary McIntosh, on behalf of Your Community Foundation, gave commissioners a brief tutorial of the foundation’s benefits, leading up to a request for more county participation.
In 2011, when the foundation was in its infancy, commissioners McIntosh and Rob Francis — Dick Works was gone at the time — contributed $50,000 from the general fund, with provision that its proceeds would be used for environmental projects. Any of the core amount may be granted, but only with commissioners’ accord. Grants from proceeds total $461.30, and the county’s environmental fund currently amounts to $62,439.48.
McIntosh pointed out the local foundation benefits from matching funds provided by the Kansas Health Care Foundation in Wichita at the rate of 50 percent. That is important, of the 50 percent match, half goes to the endowed purpose and half for day-to-day foundation operations.
