Shawnee council approves 5,000 tons of rock salt purchase, awards Johnson Drive design contract

Shawnee City Council on Monday, June 23, 2025, unanimously approved the purchase of 5,000 tons of rock salt at a cost of $249,500 and voted 8-0 to award an engineering design contract to BHC for changes to the Johnson Drive curve at Barker Road near the Mid America Sports Complex.

City communications director Doug Donahue reported the salt purchase during a wrap-up of the meeting, saying public works crews used roughly 5,000 tons of rock salt treating Shawnee streets over the winter and that it is time to replenish supplies. The council approved the purchase as presented.

The council also approved awarding an engineering design contract to BHC for a project to change the geometry of the curve where Johnson Drive meets Barker Road. The design work will include installing a high-friction road surface and updated signage intended to improve safety on the route leading to the Mid America Sports Complex. The council voted 8-0 to award the contract.

Why it matters: replenishing winter road materials supports public safety and operations through the next season, and the Johnson Drive design work aims to address a safety concern at a curve that serves traffic to a major recreational facility.

The council received a presentation for a proposed "Americana and Ales" event planned for Saturday, June 20, 2026, to be held in the City Hall parking lot and surrounding streets. The presentation included a description of a beer festival and a concert of roughly 13 Americana and bluegrass acts timed around a World Cup match; the council did not decide on city funding at the meeting and will consider funding at a future session. Exact event details were described as still in development.

Public works director Kevin Manning told the council two major projects scheduled for December 2025 will be postponed to 2026. Work to replace a reinforced concrete box beneath Monticello Road, near Mill Valley High School, is being pushed to June 2026 because of a delivery delay for the concrete box; crews will be prepared to perform emergency maintenance during the school year if necessary. The Mackinany Drive street-improvement project also will move to 2026 after residents raised stormwater concerns; the city plans additional stormwater infrastructure work in that neighborhood.

The meeting included the final round of department budget presentations for the 2026 budget. Donahue said the Shawnee Police Department requested no new staffing or programs for 2026. The Shawnee Fire Department reported increasing calls for service and is monitoring those trends while working on staffing and succession plans ahead of upcoming retirements. Donahue said the police and fire budgets together account for nearly half of the city’s total budget.

Administrative items and notices: city offices will be closed Friday, July 4, for Independence Day; both aquatic centers will operate holiday hours and the city’s Freedom Fling event will take place that day. The Shawnee City Council will reconvene at 6 p.m. Monday, July 14, in Council Chambers. Agendas and archived minutes are posted at cityofshawnee.org.

Votes at a glance: the council approved (1) purchase of 5,000 tons of rock salt for $249,500 — outcome: approved (unanimous; tally not individually named in the record) and (2) award of the Johnson Drive engineering design contract to BHC — outcome: approved, 8-0.