Kansas Highway Patrol seeks phased work to consolidate Salina campus, asks legislature for $51.7 million

At a meeting of the Joint Committee on State Building Construction, the Kansas Highway Patrol presented a consultant-built needs assessment for its Salina campus and recommended a partial consolidation onto a new campus; the agency asked the legislature for $51.7 million to begin initial phases.

The assessment, completed under the direction of House Bill 2551 (2024), was presented by Rick Wise, principal analyst with Clark Enersen Design, and Jonathan Tallman, principal with Dewberry. Merle Bridal, executive officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told the committee the agency concurs with the report’s recommendation of option 2 — a partial reconfiguration onto a new campus — but called the total estimate of roughly $416.6 million “probably insurmountable” and asked for funding for early phases.

The consultants told the committee the campus is functionally spread across four locations with about 188,000 square feet of existing space that does not meet a 25-year program need projected at roughly 375,000 square feet and would require between 60 and 187 acres depending on the scenario. Jonathan Tallman summarized condition and program findings, saying facility needs include more and modernized training classrooms, updated technology in classrooms, modernized dormitories that meet current ADA standards, greater storage across troops, and a new dispatch center: "Dormitories need to be, definitely modernized. They're outdated. They they don't meet any of the ADA requirements," Tallman said.

Consultants identified a major safety and mission concern with the current dispatch center, which they described as located in a building not designed for dispatch work, undersized and exposed to life-safety vulnerabilities in severe weather. The existing driving course is roughly 1 mile long; the team recommended a minimum 3-mile course to support high-speed driver training. The report also flagged intermittent parking shortages on graduation and training days and inefficient operations caused by assets being split across multiple sites in Salina.

The study presented four planning options with estimated first costs and trade-offs: - Option 1: Full reconfiguration to a new consolidated campus (consultant estimate described as about $443–444 million). Pros: consolidates all functions and allows sale of existing Marymount College campus; con: highest upfront cost. - Option 2 (consultants' recommendation and the agency’s preferred path): Partial reconfiguration to a new campus that consolidates most functions but retains the firearms range and central evidence at current sites; estimated at about $416.6 million. This option allows sale of the Marymount campus and would require land purchase for a new site. - Option 3: Rebuild primarily on the current Marymount campus footprint (no additional land acquisition; lower first cost than options 1–2 but keeps operations split and requires phased construction). - Option 4: “Fix what you have” — major renovation of existing facilities without meeting the 25-year program need (estimated at about $116.4 million), lowest first cost but does not meet long-term requirements.

The consultants evaluated eight candidate sites around Salina. Three highest-scoring sites were KSU Salina (K-State Salina), a Kansas National Guard parcel and a privately owned “water well” site (referred to as Site D). The water well site is large enough to accommodate all program elements and the full driving course, but the presenters noted portions of that private land already show new development activity and that a drainage channel crosses the site that would require civil work if selected.

The consultant-proposed phasing on the water well site showed priority cost breakdowns the team used to illustrate how the program could be staged: a new dispatch center ($24.9 million) as the highest priority, Phase 2 (Troop C headquarters and Troop S training/storage, about $26.8 million), Phase 3 (relocating the training academy, roughly $258 million) and the driving course (~$106.4 million). Those phases total the roughly $416.6 million consultants’ estimate.

Acknowledging the total project cost, the Kansas Highway Patrol asked the committee for up to $51.7 million in State General Fund to pursue initial phases (dispatch center and Troop C facilities) and said it would return for later funding for the larger training and driving-course elements. Merle Bridal noted procedural next steps the agency would take if funding were approved: negotiate land-use and shared-resources agreements with potential state partners (KSU Salina, Kansas National Guard, KDOT), obtain appraisals for the Marymount College campus sale to offset cost, and pursue federal grant opportunities for eligible equipment components. "The statute requires that when conducting an appraisal on these properties that at least 3 appraisals be conducted," Bridal told the committee.

Committee members asked about site specifics, including the feasibility of using airport property or existing state parcels adjacent to the Salina airport, access and ramping to I‑70, and the cost and land needs for a 3‑mile driving course. Presenters said K‑state Salina and the Kansas National Guard parcels are state property and therefore would not require land purchase, while the water well site and airport parcels would require purchase or lease. Presenters also noted the airport and K‑state/Guard parcels sit near existing state assets on Salina’s west side and may offer shared-utility opportunities.

Next steps described by the agency included negotiations over land use and shared services with state partners, preparing appraisals to support sale of the Marymount campus, and returning to the legislature for funding of later phases. The agency cautioned the driving-course element is large, both in land and cost, and may be among the last phases pursued.

Votes at this hearing: none recorded. The committee heard the presentation and engaged in questioning; no formal appropriations vote occurred during this session.

Ending: The agency and consultants said they would continue planning and pursue the limited initial funding request while further refining estimates and site negotiations; the committee took no final action during the meeting.