Andover Council approves wastewater power upgrades, PUD amendments, bond assessments and contracts

Andover — The Andover City Council on June 11, 2025 approved a set of infrastructure, zoning and contracting measures, including authorization for a redundant electrical feed and upgraded transformers at the wastewater treatment plant, ordinances amending three planned unit developments, a special-assessment ordinance tied to multiple subdivision improvements, and a lowest-qualified-bid award of $448,784.20 for arterial crack repairs.

Why it matters: The measures affect near-term construction and maintenance work across several Andover neighborhoods, change allowable uses and parcel lines in three PUDs, and shift costs to property owners and outside utilities in some cases. The wastewater power decision and related engineering contracts carry the largest immediate fiscal and schedule implications.

Wastewater plant: redundant feed and new transformers

The council authorized installing a redundant electrical feed and upgraded transformers at the wastewater treatment plant and approved a related cost estimate of $442,276. City staff told the council the upgrades are intended to provide a backup feed so the plant can continue operating if a primary feed fails; the project will add two pad-mounted transformers sized to carry the plant load and a separate feed from Butler Rural Electric Co-op.

Council discussion focused on costs, ownership and alternative options. Staff said an on-site generator had been estimated at roughly $1.2 million in an engineering study and that Butler Rural Electric could provide a second utility feed without the same upfront capital cost to the city. Doug Veach of Butler Rural Electric Co-op said line-extension and equipment costs are billed to the party requesting the extension and that the co-op owns and maintains the equipment afterward: "That is covering the cost only. There's no markup on that whatsoever," he said. Veach also told the council transformer lead times are long — roughly 54–62 weeks — and that the planned transformers are large, pad-mounted units requiring crane set‑down.

The council voted 6–0 to authorize the electrical upgrades.

Design and construction administration: supplemental agreement

The council also approved supplemental agreement No. 3 with Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) for additional inspection and construction-administration services on the wastewater project. Staff explained the construction sequence is complex and contractors asked for additional contract days; the supplemental agreement increases the inspection allowance and sets a not-to-exceed construction-administration amount of about $1,294,000. City staff said the combined design and construction-administration fee represents roughly 9.22% of the project costs, which staff characterized as reasonable for a project of this scale. The council approved the supplemental agreement by voice vote.

Zoning and PUD actions — Heritage, Lafayette and Tuscany

The council approved three amendments affecting planned-unit developments:

- Heritage mixed-use (case ZPUD25-0007). Council accepted the Planning Commission recommendation to amend Parcel 7 by splitting it into Parcels 7, 7A and 7B and by adjusting lot-coverage, maximum floors and floor-area-ratio provisions for an "indoor-only self-service storage facility" if that use is built. City staff and the applicant said the text changes apply only if the parcel is used for that storage use. Brian Lindaback of MKEC Engineering, speaking for the applicant, said, "That existing land use is in the PUD presently. So we're not adding that land use. We're just tailoring it to the type of unit that could go there." Motion carried 5–0 (one council member recorded absent for that vote).

- Lafayette addition (case ZPUD25-0008). The council approved an amendment to allow underlying zoning to change so the new owner can develop duplexes on lots originally platted for single-family houses. Staff said the PUD amendment defines lot-width requirements so duplexes can be accommodated; the measure passed 6–0.

- Tuscany (case ZPUD25-0006) and related final-planned-unit-development and petitions. Council approved amendments to allow narrower lot widths and add six lots in an unbuilt phase, accepted the final PUD for the Tuscany phase (26 lots), approved revised petitions and an amended developer's agreement to spread improvement costs across the increased lot count, and adopted the ordinance authorizing construction of internal improvements for the subdivision. Those motions carried 6–0.

Council members raised design and neighborhood-fit concerns during the Heritage discussion, including whether a storage facility would be an "eyesore" on a parcel the council has referred to as part of the city’s downtown. Staff and the applicant said architecture and site plan review, plus the developer's covenants, will control exterior appearance.

General obligation bond and special assessments

The council held and closed a public hearing on a general obligation bond (Series A, 2025) tied to special assessments for improvements in five subdivisions: Heritage Way paving, Summerlin edition, Heritage edition, Cottages at Cornerstone, and Prairie Pointe at Cornerstone. Finance staff said all affected property owners were notified and recommended adoption of an assessment ordinance to levy those assessments. The council adopted an ordinance levying special assessments and authorized staff to send notice to the affected property owners; the ordinance gives property owners until Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at noon to pay the special assessments in full without incurring costs related to the debt financing. The motion carried 6–0.

Public events and contracts

- Fireworks: The council approved the Terradyne Country Club professional fireworks display for July 3, 2025, after Fire Chief Chad Russell told the council the shooter is licensed and insured and the fire marshal has approved the request. The motion carried 6–0.

- Street repairs: The council awarded the arterial "large crack" repair contract to Barclay Construction of Wichita in a not-to-exceed amount of $448,784.20. Staff described the work as targeted repairs to large thermal and reflective cracks ahead of a future surface overlay. A staff member noted addendum No. 1 changed a repair patch width from 2 feet to 4 feet to allow use of a roller for compaction; the council approved the contract 6–0.

Utilities and provider selection

The council adopted a resolution selecting Butler Rural Electric Co-op as the electrical provider for a roughly one-acre piece annexed as part of the Southern Hills final plat (ordinance no. 1954). Staff said the parcel sits within Butler Rural Electric's service territory and is likely to remain a reserve parcel; the resolution passed 6–0.

Procedural notes and appeals

Council and staff reminded the public that zoning decisions approved by the council may be appealed to District Court within 30 days of the council’s action. Several items were approved on the consent agenda earlier in the meeting (items 8.1–8.7), also by recorded voice vote of 6–0.

What’s next

Staff gave schedule and implementation details for several items: transformer lead times are long (reported at roughly 54–62 weeks) and PEC will bill construction-administration hours as incurred. The council and staff also discussed ongoing street-maintenance priorities and grant opportunities through the Wichita-area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO).