TUESDAY FEB 3RD BELOIT CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Beloit City Council

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

By Terry Bailey

While it may not have been the most important item on the Beloit City Council’s agenda Tuesday night, Dr. Bob Severance’s summary of the two thousand fourteen Isle of Lights activity was, by far, the most interesting.

Severance reported that this past season was the sixteenth year for the displays. He noted that just a few years back they did not have the display because of the construction work being done on the new pool. In December of 1998 a delegation from Beloit visited a light display at Winfield, Kansas. The group came home determined to build a light display for Beloit. It appears they have accomplished this goal several years ago.

The first year for the Chautauqua Isle of Lights was 1999. A total of fifty-four displays were available that year. In two thousand fourteen two hundred thirty displays were available for viewing. Visitors came from one hundred ninety-three Kansas towns this past season up from one hundred seventy-two last year.

This past season four thousand eighteen residents of Beloit toured the Isle of Lights. Six thousand one hundred fifty-six visitors from outside of Beloit came to view the Lights. All told, eleven thousand one hundred eighty-nine people visited the Chautauqua Isle of Lights. This was an eighteen percent increase from two thousand thirteen.

Severance listed the following dedicated community members as people who provided strong leadership that makes the Isle of Lights successful: Ray Conway, Ruth Bell, Charles and Barbara Axtell, Stan Whitlow, Michelle Heidrick, Glada Cooper, Ernie Endsley, Terry Nyberg, and Bob Givens. Severance declined to take credit for the display but most people know where he fits into the success of the Chautauqua Isle of Lights.

Severance noted that the Isle of Lights could not be possible without the volunteer help from the City of Beloit crews and the North Central Kansas Technical College. Dr. Severance also wanted to publically commend Steve Krier for volunteering his electrical expertise at virtually all times of the day and night when needed. Finally, Severance said that the electrical usage continues to drop each year with the new displays using L-E-D lighting and a number of the older displays being switched over to that more efficient lighting system.

Later in the meeting the City Council unanimously renewed the contract between the City of Beloit and the Chautauqua Isle of Lights to run from October twenty-second two thousand fifteen until January twenty-second two thousand sixteen.

Economic Development Specialist Heather Hartman reported to the Council that the Housing Authority has enough money to fund at least nine home rehabilitation projects and eight house demolitions. She hopes to conduct the bid letting for contracts to do the rehabs and demos in the very near future.

The Council adopted Resolution two thousand fifteen dash four which approved the offering for Sale of GO (Gee-Oh) Temporary Notes. The bids are out on these notes and are due back by February twelfth. The maximum amount for these notes is one million, nine hundred thousand dollars. The money will be used for streets and utilities at the North Campus project. The vote on this resolution was seven in favor and one opposed. Lloyd Littrell cast the dissenting vote.

Resolution two thousand fifteen dash five regarding the W-A-P-A agreement was unanimously approved.

In other formal actions the Council accepted a transformer bid for the amount of fifty thousand one hundred thirty dollars from Kriz-Davis. Additionally a trenching bid of five thousand three hundred forty dollars was approved.

The formal business meeting was adjourned and the work session was called to order.

City Administrator Glenn Rodden gave his report to the Council. He told them the Zoning Committee has a meeting on February tenth for their final revision of the Comprehensive Plan which would include the three-mile zoning authorization. They should forward the Comprehensive Plan to the City Council for final action. Rodden expects it to be March before the Council has the final document before them to act upon.

Rodden reported that he has been in contract with the representative regarding when the final repair of the railroad crossing would be accomplished. It appears that it is hard to locate the exact person who would take credit or blame for constructing a suitable railroad crossing on South Hersey Street.

The runway expansion project is moving along according to Rodden. The Federal Funding has been approved and engineers will be present at the next meeting to discuss construction details.

Offers have been made to land owners regarding property acquisition for the K-14 improvement project. No offers have been accepted at this point.

Rodden had brief update on the natural gas pipeline proposal. This would bring natural gas to the power plant from the Kansas Gas Service lines near the Highway twenty-four and Highway fourteen junction at the north edge of Beloit. Rodden had solicited a bid from Black Hills Pipeline Company hoping their bid would be lower than that of Kansas Gas Service. Instead, the bid from Black Hills was considerably and significantly higher.

At this point the Work Session was adjourned.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA