KANOPOLIS — Slechta Enterprises Inc. of Ellsworth was selected by the Kanopolis City Council Oct. 9 to provide trash collection service to Kanopolis for the next five years, contingent upon review of the contract by Kanopolis City Attorney Patrick Hoffman.

Curtis Kaiser of Kaiser Trash Service of Claflin also bid on the contract.

Tony Lamia of Slechta Enterprises said collection will be twice a week, year round, at a $13.30 monthly rate for residential customers, $17.70 per month for commercial customers, and $74 per month for Kanopolis Middle School.

Lamia said his company also offers heavy duty poly carts which customers can rent for $29.28 per year.

In other business:

• In a report on the progress of the city’s water line replacement project, Thaniel Monaco of BG Consultants said one — maybe two — shutdowns are needed. They are scheduled for Oct. 18 and Oct. 

21.

“Hopefully, the disturbance for the citizens will be minimal,” he said.

Monaco said the main water line is complete and he expects the 30 remaining meter pits to be completed by the end of next week.

Grass seeding will be done within the next 30 days, with reseeding if necessary.

• A payment for the water project was approved in the amount of $201,128.30.

• Monaco said APAC, the contractor for the water project, was the only one to submit a bid on the water well project. Invitations to bid were sent to more than 30 well drillers.

Monaco said the water project is $280,000 below his projected budget.

“We’ve spent some money — we’ve saved some money,” he said.

Monaco recommended the council approve an optional bid for a generator along with the water well bid. The generator is required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The APAC bid of $424,975 for the water well, including the alternate generator, was approved, contingent upon review by Hoffman, officials from the community development block grant program of the Kansas Department of Commerce, and officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.

Monaco mentioned the option of building a new water tower in Kanopolis. He said the estimated cost of the tower would be $670,000.

Mayor Anthony Hopkins questioned how much life the current water tower has. Monaco said maybe 20 years if it received scheduled maintenance, however, noted a new tower would last 80 years if properly maintained. Operational costs would be cheaper with a new tower.

“We just as well fix it right,” Gerry Gebhardt, council president, said.

Gebhardt said it would be nice to have a water tower the next generation would not have to worry about. Council member Marc Stroede agreed.

“The metal in the old tower is getting thin,” Stroede said.

“And it’s not going to get any better,’ Gebhardt added.

Information on a new water tower will be forwarded to CDBG program officials for financial consideration.

• The council decided to conduct a special meeting to look at several lots of agricultural ground within the city limits which owner, Barry Schultz, requested the council vacate.

“I want to keep it agricultural,” Schultz said.

Hopkins said the council turned down a similar request recently from another property owner in Kanopolis.

Hopkins said the council has not approved any vacating of lots while he has been mayor. He said doing so would set a precedent.

“I just don’t want to open the door for everybody,” council member Greg Tripp said.

“Let’s just leave it,” said council member Rebekah Tripp.“I don’t want to open a can of worms.”

Darrell Ploutz, a former council member, said the council has vacated property in the past.

After several council members expressed the need to see the property, Hopkins requested city clerk Debbie Kralik work with Lisa Schultz on a time and date for the special meeting to look at the property.

• Judy Gebhardt said a $13,400 grant has been received from the Smoky Hills Charitable Foundation to paint and repair a Quonset hut that is owned by the city and used for storage.

• Linnea Beebe said the Sunflower Civics Club received a $4,000 grant from the Smoky Hills Charitable Foundation to install a new speaker system in the community building. She also talked about the condition of the electrical system at the community building and raised concerns about blowing breakers if, for example, too many crock pots were plugged in at once during a function there. Beebe suggested the club could pay for repairs to the electrical system.

Hopkins said the club shouldn’t have to pay for something that is the city’s responsibility since the city owns the building.

“It’s a safety issue,” he said.

He asked Kralik to get a couple of electricians to examine the electrical system at the community building and bid on repairs.

• Kralik said she mailed out property abatement letters to property owners on Oct. 8.

• Kralik said she received a draft of the audit of the city’s financials. The audit found there was no knowledge of fraud or suspected fraud, no knowledge of noncompliance and no violation of budget laws.

• The council discussed the city crew trimming trees that are on private property but are hanging over public streets.

• Hopkins encouraged everyone to fill out and return their 2020 Census forms.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Kanopolis City Council will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday,