The Eighth Street project will hopefully be completed by next week if the weather cooperates, according to Jon Halbgewachs with Kirkham Michael and Associates.

While giving an update of projects Kirkham Michael is working on, Halbgewachs shared the good news Monday with the Ellsworth City Council at its regular meeting.

The intersection of Elizabeth Street and Eighth Street was reopened Monday after work was completed. Charles at Eighth will be closed so the contractor can continue work from Elizabeth to Charles. The east side of Stelling Street and Eighth has been completed with the west side of Stelling to be completed after Charles is done. Since Stelling only has one entrance, that area of the project had to be completed in two parts to allow traffic in and out of the street.

Halbgewachs said the project was part of a Cost Share Project with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and KDOT is wanting to promote projects that have been completed under that program. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion.

Halbgewachs was questioned by the council about a sink hole that has appeared at the northeast corner of Eighth St. and Kansas Highway 156. He said the ground has settled there and Karlton Place with the KDOT in Ellsworth told him they will take care of it.

In other business:

• City attorney Patrick Hoffman said the Kansas Attorney General has not replied back yet regarding the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request by former city administrator Scott Moore’s attorney.

• Like residents, the city will experience higher than normal utility bills from the harsh cold weather that occurred in February In the city’s case, the amount Western Cooperative Electric has estimated the city will owe is $35,148.33. The city has not yet received any notice of what the Kansas Gas Service additional amount may be.

The city can pay either the full amount due or a monthly payment of $1,464.51 for 24 months starting July 1. City administrator, Rusty Varnado recommended the city pay the monthly amount until final confirmation is received by KS Gas for their bill. He said the city can absorb making the lump payment to Western Cooperative, however, if a similar bill is received from KS Gas, it would be difficult to make that payment in a lump sum. No interest charges or service fees will be added.

The council approved making a monthly payment for 2021 and then budgeting the remaining amount in the 2022 budget.

• Dr. Lindsey Voeltz with Oak Creek Chiropractic said she plans to hold the Ninja Warrior obstacle course event Saturday, July 17, on the east side of Preisker Park for children ages 3-13. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. with the event starting at 10 a.m. The event was not held in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

Waivers will be signed by guardians releasing the city and the clinic from any liability. Council agreed by consensus the Splash Pad would not be turned on that day until around 3 p.m. so it isn’t a distraction to the children. Since the event wasn’t held last year and people are anxious to get out and back to normal, she is expecting around 200-250 kids.

• Resident Sharon Haverkamp asked the council for help with a high water bill for the apartments she owns at 401 E. 1st. The severe cold weather caused the pipes to freeze. When the pipes began to thaw, ice moved from apartment to apartment breaking multiple pipes and allowing water to gush out the doors. A usage of 37,000 gallons resulted in more than a $400 bill from the city. Haverkamp stressed that while it wasn’t the city’s fault this happened, anything the city could do to lessen the blow of the high bill would be appreciated. It is anticipated the next bill the Haverkamp’s receive will be high as well.

Mayor Mark Kennedy said the city needs to be consistent on how it handles this situation and how it has been handled in the past. After discussion among the council, it was decided to credit the sewer charge of $51.07 from this bill and then reevaluate when the next bill is received.

• Council member Jessica Kootz recognized Ellsworth police chief Emil Halfhill for having six members of the police force attend the Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training (ASIST) the prior week.

• Council member Tyler Renard asked the city to consider adding more benches around the playground at Krizek Park. Currently there is only one there which doesn’t leave room for many parents to sit while watching their kids play. He recommended the city look at pouring a sidewalk around the playground so parents can walk and still keep an eye on their kids.

• A checklist for property demolition was approved. The checklist will need to be completed by anyone demolishing property in the city.

• On the 2021 budget, Varnado said the first quarter numbers look really good. Revenue is 1 percent ahead of last year while 29.43 percent of the general fund has been spent to date. In comparison, in 2020, 35.48 percent had been spent, and in 2019, 32.1 percent had been spent by this point.

Varnado also gave an update on the construction at the old Armory building. The building should be completed by the Ellsworth County 4-H Fair in July

• No action was taken after a 10-minute executive session to discuss the acquisition of real estate with the council, Varnado and Hoffman in attendance.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth City Council is at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 26 at city hall.