Commissioners weigh higher-than-expected bids for transfer station and whether to commit ARPA funds

Chad McCullough, an engineer with Kaw Valley Engineering, recommended awarding the Linn County transfer-station contract to Cone Construction Services after the county opened bids for a planned transfer station. The low bid came in at $1,765,595.58, above the county—————————'s June estimate of about $1.63 million, McCullough said.

The recommendation came as county staff and commissioners worked through a broader set of landfill projects that include a new tipping floor and a separate cell expansion. McCullough and county staff stressed that construction inspection and materials testing would be needed if the project moves forward: Randy had a construction inspection and materials-testing price of $91,250 to provide daily on-site oversight and compaction/concrete testing, Kaw Valley said.

"He recommends that the Commission go ahead and award a contract to Cone Construction Services LLC," McCullough told the board, citing reference checks and the bidder's engagement during the process.

Commissioners pressed staff about the gap between the engineer—————————'s original estimate and the actual bids, possible ways to remove or split bid items, and whether local contractors could be engaged as subcontractors for tasks such as gravel surfacing and fencing. Kaw Valley advised that some items can be pulled from the contract and handled by the county later, but the low bidder would need to agree.

Staff and engineers also outlined additional costs not in the contractor bids: equipment for the new facility (tractors, compactors, trailers), a program of special machinery purchases and a possible lagoon clean-out and testing. Sean West, public works administrator, said the county is expected to pay separately for special equipment and that the equipment reserve has about $393,000 earmarked for solid waste; contingency in the capital budget could cover additional shortfalls.

A related technical item is a long-running Terracon 30-year groundwater monitoring report and follow-up testing. The county—————————'s environmental consultant submitted extra material at no charge, and staff said they will work with the state contact to close out monitoring obligations; the county also needs further testing of a small lagoon at the transfer station to determine whether its materials can be used on-site as cover or must be disposed of off-site.

The county—————————'s request for federal ARPA funding adds urgency. Chastity, county administrative staff coordinating ARPA, told the board she spoke with Carrie Spoon of the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission, who said ARPA obligations must be committed by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2025. Chastity gave the most recent ARPA figure as about "$812,000 and some odd cents," and commissioners were told that if funds are not obligated by the deadline they must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.

Commissioners asked staff to return next week with updated total cost estimates that would combine construction, on-site testing/inspection, equipment purchases and lagoon testing so the board could decide whether to commit ARPA funds by the end of the month. "Can we come in prepared next week with exact totals on where we can pull the rest of the money beyond the... $812,000?" one commissioner asked.

The board did not vote to award the contract at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to gather the numbers for a final decision and to present alternatives if ARPA funding cannot be committed.

Ending: County staff will return with itemized cost estimates for the tipping floor, construction inspection, equipment purchases and landfill cell expansion, and with options for obligating ARPA funds before the Dec. 31 deadline.