GAS — Gas council members took another step, albeit a small one, toward refitting the old Gas School as a community center Tuesday evening.
After reviewing an upgrade proposal they agreed to pay Shoeb Uddin of Sunflower Design, Topeka, $2,000 to develop more specific plans.
Uddin told council members a preliminary budget of $252,100 could change as more exacting plans were drawn, and when bids were opened.
They looked at financing through a Community Development Block Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, represented at the meeting by Barbara Anderson. If that were to occur in full, Gas would be responsible for half, or $125,050, with part perhaps retired through in-kind labor.
The major improvement would be a new roof, estimated at $56,000 to $71,000, depending on material and whether decoration were a part; a wheelchair lift, $30,000; upgrades to a restroom so it complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, $15,000; replacement of a sidewalk along the west side, $10,000, and roof draining and grading, $16,000.
Another $16,000 would be set aside for miscellaneous items, which Uddin said popped up with each inspection.
The total grew with addition of $50,100 for engineering, architectural design, construction management and grant administration, as well as $30,000 for contingencies.
Attracting a grant isn’t a given, and some council members weren’t ready to sign off anytime soon on a $125,100 obligation.
Mayor Darrell Catron noted the council had made a conscious effort to keep the city’s property tax levy as low as possible, building reserves over the years.
“We’ve about spent down our reserves with the new storm shelter,” near the school, he said. It cost $57,000.
Alternatives were mentioned.
Uddin said a loan, with an interest rate of 4 to 4½ percent, might be available from through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program to meet the city’s grant match.
Also, Anderson noted that a state effort, Kansas Small Town Environment Program (KANSTEP), might be a better financing route. Under it volunteer labor may be used to match 40 percent of an improvement grant. The downside might be that a large number of volunteers, not three or four, would need to be enlisted and willing to work for a prolonged time.
Ultimately, Catron and council members, notably Mark Henry, liked what they saw but had reservations about how the city would meet the CDBG match without increasing the property tax property by a significant amount or obligating itself to long-term debt with USDA.
More discussion will unfold when Uddin returns with more specific information.
