[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6342846,"mediaKeyId","2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae","parentId",2253177,"title","Commission debates sidewalk, alley and street repairs; roundabout at McFarland draws public opposition","audioSeconds",2736,"startMs",1948845,"endMs",4684915,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae&start=1948&end=4684","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae/thumbnail_1948845.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6342846/Junction-City/Geary-County/Kansas/Commission-debates-sidewalk-alley-and-street-repairs-roundabout-at-McFarland-draws-public-opposition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342846-d18ed4b706144b96cdfb7048bc5ca782/orig.mp4?Expires=1776205901&Signature=kI6FRWQgkPK6Jdx4WxG4HChMkNkqB0DoGhy44dAPblvw4rDh5PD4yIfkSJd3vO637CqLIiJdlCJH8bCFHHJX3Jf3ZB90Ikxd0AmD-30dAPVN3hFBktQy70pXN7LtX7FCm3vh3hWRS2l0oohPpo7c-zu8YAtNK~hFQ874CTbox3llKtYj-igCTl7KSzN5y1pTl0nj7OwzgiO04HjRJKvgvCHvfYkICwWltoluIypdcrm3h9RhrzOSwZfC~HLVjqaRGogvey8U3j0c2gR5mc-GOuF5Ois7l1KftbwdAskn3bTRd24TQHTn8iaAj~btLbwS4K~ZOucpKRX~r56dIO6iPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Junction , KS","date","2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","article","Samantha Noriega and other residents urged the commission to reprioritize planned capital spending, arguing a proposed roundabout at Eisenhower and McFarland and a sidewalk loop near Fifth Street were lower priorities than deteriorating arterials and residential streets.

\"That roundabout, it doesn't matter about KDOT and the grant...We still already paid for it,\" Noriega said during public comment, urging the city to direct funds to Grand Avenue and other roads she described as in \"crisis\" and to update traffic studies that date from 2017.

Commissioner comments showed division over prioritization. Commissioner Piner (spoke in the meeting as Commissioner Panier/Piner) said he circulated a memo listing 46 locations he considered priorities and asked the commission to be more active in setting front-end priorities instead of accepting staff proposals by default.

City staff presented the 2025 sidewalk and alley-repair bid package and explained the sanitation-department transfer that funded the work. Staff said the sidewalk/alley package plus proposed additional street projects would bring 2025 street-related spending toward $1.7 million if approved. Specific projects discussed included a Fifth Street sidewalk park loop, Webster by Dylan's (drainage concerns), and alley repairs behind the Opera House.

Separately, staff proposed adding two streets to the 2025 street-maintenance program: James Smothers from Eleventh to Twelfth Street and Westwood Boulevard from Custer Road to Seventeenth Street. Staff said fully resurfacing Westwood Boulevard could cost roughly $1.3 million; the proposed addition would put the street fund over budget by approximately $205,168.

Commissioners and staff agreed more detailed cost scenarios and priority alignment were needed. One commissioner asked to table the sidewalk/park-loop item and asked staff to return with a revised plan showing alternative allocations, including shifting funds to additional blocks of Westwood Boulevard or to other high-need streets.

The commission did not approve the proposed additions at this meeting; staff were directed to return with a more detailed plan and worst-case cost scenarios and to consider options such as completing one side of Westwood Boulevard or reallocating funds from park projects to streets.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return with reviewed options and prioritized lists to guide spending; item 5a (sidewalk/park loop) and the proposed additions to the 2025 street program were not approved at the meeting and were to be revisited.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Junction City Commission Meeting - February 04, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Residents urged the commission to redirect planned spending for a roundabout and park-side sidewalk work toward failing roads, and commissioners asked staff for a revised, prioritized plan for 2025 street and sidewalk projects.","taxTitle","Junction City, Geary County, Kansas","taxId",63543,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6342851,"Residents press commission on snow removal; officials say after-action review underway",381,895110,1276370,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae&start=895&end=1276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae/thumbnail_895110.jpg","/articles/6342851/Junction-City/Geary-County/Kansas/Residents-press-commission-on-snow-removal-officials-say-after-action-review-underway","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342851-930292939c7f6f121138fdb78d16654e/orig.mp4?Expires=1776205901&Signature=KKdGo2COQRGC~3dLgU-GgLeabAwJmcW0LV9rCw-mt2Cj1zL~M2H4LD4DeiViRMWo66aCDa522LTnIYcnvwxBclZlRUSdoMN8Vs-69biYE8FMp4ursQSlkhvmMRvdYCWoHQVUmgYmdW7Yhn82mYbKUicHZFYI0ry8EDliFPDpc~ATN3hNj82fyQF77ydhxuObNmCm1nNhu~Bzd99USFW5BFXwChfWuOcTwoC~-YPUA3geeq-CUTFvP9Mlwj~NhXpzointrUrKvoJtUp1fEjpE3N9zGAdaoJKjNbsxjFj3BIcK8Sls2U5BlN3ygWCSntDSUtfwjGOCoRrNgxtK03Mn4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Scott Kellogg, a Junction City resident, told the commission the city's handling of a recent heavy snowstorm left residential streets impassable for days and raised public-safety and quality-of-life concerns. \"We had people stuck in their residential neighborhoods for a week,\" Kellogg said. \"This is not just public convenience. This is public safety.\"

Kellogg urged the city to adopt a transportation safety matrix tying response levels to snowfall and anticipated freeze days. \"Please rectify this,\" he said, adding that residential areas have been treated as an afterthought under current policy.

Commissioners and city staff acknowledged gaps and said they are preparing an after-action report. A speaker identified in the transcript as Kim Zimmerman (city staff) said staff reached out to Riley County and Fort Riley to request equipment assistance and that the city deployed multiple private contractors and existing municipal vehicles during the event. \"We drove over 4,000 miles and used a heck of a lot of sand and snow trying to clear the street,\" Zimmerman said, and added the city spent roughly $130,000 in the first 48 hours on snow response.

City officials said they had limited equipment (four plow trucks and several smaller vehicles, two of which experienced mechanical failures) and were also understaffed. Commissioner comments agreed the policy needs review and noted additional budget consideration for next year to improve residential response and equipment readiness.

Why it matters: Residents described medical and safety concerns from slow or uneven residential clearing and urged the commission to change policy and budget priorities. City staff said they followed existing policy and are assembling an after-action report that staff and the commission will use to consider policy or budget changes, including increased equipment, temporary use of private haulers, and mutual-aid arrangements.

Discussion vs. decision: The meeting record shows public comment and staff discussion; commissioners acknowledged the need for changes and directed staff to produce an after-action report. No formal policy change or budget appropriation was approved at the meeting.

Ending: Officials said an after-action report should be available within weeks and that the commission will consider it and budgetary adjustments in the coming fiscal cycle.","Multiple residents criticized the city's residential snow response after a recent storm; city staff and commissioners said an after-action report is being prepared and that they are seeking county and military assistance options for future storms.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6342855,"Resident asks commissioners to locate approval letter for regional trail grant",511,30450,541775,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae&start=30&end=541","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae/thumbnail_30450.jpg","/articles/6342855/Junction-City/Geary-County/Kansas/Resident-asks-commissioners-to-locate-approval-letter-for-regional-trail-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342855-1913e063944f10e5452a05756e0b4a78/orig.mp4?Expires=1776205901&Signature=XxQI807y9rcrt4SqQFP5NtXAw0p1CyT99xaLfsui4uUyiGIakHv4KwEQIrMNDfr9EzUU7-nLwrnT7ETx8xeMtaqMOMET~QFlzFco5UgpgmrS7KyvyGy2bYKp2q58EojjQ884KqKb-HUNiwTotoZRZ4xoeHTo6GxMvG4rQlKTGjuhz0wvQES-Lx4IMX650UQdVrluk0Kb-XJAGmLop6ZUJ81K-A7k-YbCIFfYBMnd1YynqF6rlMFKMJWhsKaFgYkR9H2jYzi1wI~1~fasulm8HyRfZkBu23HkPmRs8i6TuOzjwLjxicFLvCxvoM1xuPna3NhVUcNfaDqQIgUIZdgbyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Desiree Petra, a Junction City resident, told the commission during public comment that she could not find documentation showing how the city approved support for an ATIIP grant linked to proposed trails along the Kansas River. Petra said she had attended Flint Hills Regional Council and MPO meetings for more than a year seeking information and only recently obtained a timeline showing the city's June 12 letter of support, signed by Mayor Pat Landis.

\"June twelfth, receive a formal letter of support from the City of Junction City, signed by Mayor Pat Landis,\" Petra said, adding that she had repeatedly asked Flint Hills Regional Council and other officials for the approval letter and got no clear answers. She said she worries that involvement by the National Park Service or federal agencies through regional planning could affect local river and water rights.

Petra said she first raised the issue at a city meeting and that a participant, identified in the transcript as Mr. Dinkel, had commented that the ATIIP grant concerned Washington and Grant avenues. Petra said the meeting was later closed and she could not find a public record of the discussion. \"So what This is a violation,\" she said, urging the city clerk to review archived meeting video.

Mayor Pat Landis responded during public comment after Petra said she found his name on the approval letter, saying, \"I'm not criticizing it at all, and I mean, I signed it there, that's my signature, I signed a lot of things off after the meeting, and I don't recall everything that I signed.\" Landis also noted he signs many routine items and said he does not recall signing every document.

Why it matters: Petra framed her concern as a civic-records and transparency issue and linked it to questions about local control if federal partners became involved in trail planning. Commissioners did not make a formal motion at the meeting to pursue the matter, but Petra asked the city clerk to review video records for past meetings where the grant or related discussions might have appeared.

Petra said she traced the trail proposals to materials from the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Flint Hills Regional Council, and that she traced the sequence of dates showing grant information was sent to the city on May 16, reviewed by the regional council on May 17, and followed by a letter of support dated June 12.

The commission did not vote or issue direction on the record during the public-comment period to open an investigation or to request a formal staff report; Petra explicitly requested that the city clerk review past meeting video and that the commission clarify how the approval occurred.

Ending: The concern remains a public comment request for staff review. Petra said she will continue seeking records and asked the city clerk to review archived video now that she found a dated letter she believes bears the mayor's signature.","At a public-comment period, Junction City resident Desiree Petra said she could not find a record of the city's approval letter for an ATIIP trail grant and urged the commission to review meeting videos; Mayor Pat Landis acknowledged his signature appears on a June 12 letter but said he does not recall the specific document.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6342841,"Votes at a glance: appointments, vehicle bid authorization and consent items approved",83,3691090,3774750,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae&start=3691&end=3774","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253177-58dbf267a91ed0831b30313f3b8d19ae/thumbnail_3691090.jpg","/articles/6342841/Junction-City/Geary-County/Kansas/Votes-at-a-glance-appointments-vehicle-bid-authorization-and-consent-items-approved","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342841-dcab49da5349d2d7bb7c18188eb6d726/orig.mp4?Expires=1776205901&Signature=MgC5SM6ncn-40b4W7wZOOGdXEz-P5BZEhP7NzPl4~a4leMpwvjZNz5uWw5a1dIVSxehG3IA48wjXXX6QnkGKKA7hOE73Oh2rg79Z-w5fM8kg6G1CJy6ygJqyL1BKsYMC-XRJG3pWc3uIBoOdaePf3p6ItbnnKh1NdU61McbOTY0OOvytVRtAYEylkIKnjsIOm6-uo2rJikmkQv9Xz9uUXXd78fPv5hzUhs~ltDMh-TblHO29W5pB8fskZxRNtNwddHXQPHGEMtLA3-~y8aZ3rUOzY33pMahJDuzEIvIDRXkl65x-Q~g-vqIkZ6X7xZ4CxM7qXRhzl0NeJhkfkpOS4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The commission approved several routine and personnel items and authorized a procurement step for a command vehicle during the meeting.

Key outcomes

- Consent agenda: Commissioners approved consent agenda items a and b and moved item c to a future meeting. Motion to approve items a and b carried by voice vote.

- Appointments to 9-1-1 board: The commission appointed Fire Chief Jason Lankes and Assistant Police Chief Corey O'Dell as the City of Junction City representatives to the 9-1-1 board for one-year terms. The motion passed by voice vote.

- Northeast Kansas Homeland Security Council: Fire Chief Jason Lankes was appointed to the Northeast Kansas Homeland Security Council for a two-year term. Motion passed by voice vote.

- Command vehicle procurement: Commissioners authorized staff to issue a bid to purchase a city command vehicle (replacement for an older command vehicle) with a not-to-exceed amount of $75,000, consistent with the 2025 budget. The motion to go out to bid carried by voice vote.

- Sidewalk/alley repairs and street additions: Staff presented a 2025 sidewalk and alley repair bid and proposed adding James Smothers and part of Westwood Boulevard to the 2025 street-maintenance program. Commissioners asked for revised project priorities and detailed cost scenarios; the sidewalk park-loop item and the proposed additions were tabled for further review.

Votes and procedural notes: Most approvals were voice votes with the chair calling for \"aye\" and \"all opposed, same sign.\" Where mover and seconder names were not recorded in the transcript, the record shows motions were made and seconded and carried by majority voice vote.

Ending: Approved appointments and the bid authorization will proceed as directed; major street-priority items were delayed for additional analysis and will return to the commission for decision.","The Junction City Commission approved a set of consent items, appointed city officials to regional boards, and authorized staff to go to bid on a command vehicle; two street-related items were tabled for additional review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission debates sidewalk, alley and street repairs; roundabout at McFarland draws public opposition

Residents press commission on snow removal; officials say after-action review underway

Resident asks commissioners to locate approval letter for regional trail grant

Votes at a glance: appointments, vehicle bid authorization and consent items approved