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Ellis County approves road improvement contracts for 40 Eighth Street, Vineyard and Commerce corridors
Summary
Commissioners approved two purchase orders to Bettis Asphalt for road improvements on 40 Eighth Street and the Vineyard/Commerce corridor and approved a separate cold‑mix asphalt purchase to APAC for county patching; commissioners recorded 3-0 votes for both actions.
Ellis County commissioners voted unanimously to award road‑work contracts and purchase cold‑mix asphalt during the meeting.
County public‑works staff presented two projects—improvements to 40 Eighth Street and to the Vineyard/Commerce (200th and 270th) corridor—and said prior budgeting had set aside $1,150,000 for the county share of both efforts. After receiving committed contributions from the City of Hays, staff said available county funds would cover both projects with an out‑of‑pocket of just over $900,000 for county work. Staff told commissioners culvert replacement, right‑of‑way shaping and prime seal costs would be funded from the county capital fund (Fund 78) and that aggregate material and some operating costs would come from operating budgets.
Brendan McKay, county public‑works director, said the 40 Eighth Street work includes a 4‑inch mill with two 2‑inch lifts on the roadway and that the Vine/Commerce segment will be paved with a 4‑inch asphalt mat. He told commissioners crews will reshape drainage and add two‑foot unpaved shoulders on each side after paving and that core samples taken on 40 Eighth indicated a stronger base and thicker asphalt than expected.
"So we have enough funds to set aside for both projects to make good improvements to both structures of roadway," McKay said.
Commissioners moved and seconded approval of purchase orders (PO 7906 and 7907) to Bettis Asphalt for the projects; the motion passed 3-0.
Separately, staff presented the county's annual cold‑mix asphalt procurement. After reviewing four bids and excluding one that did not meet specifications, staff recommended APAC, Kansas, Inc. to supply cold‑mix asphalt for the county's patching program. Staff said mixing in a contractor yard off Ninth Street would reduce hauling and that most aggregate (about 65 percent of the mix) would come from an Ellis County producer. Commissioners approved PO 7908 to APAC, Kansas, Inc., 3-0.
Staff said the county's asphalt plan for the year covers roughly 12 miles of paving plus patching; exact roads will be published in the county capital plan and may shift if premature deterioration or higher‑priority needs arise. Commissioners asked staff to present the planned route list publicly so residents can see which roads are scheduled for work.
