Douglas County approves environmental impact study work; contractor HNTB begins fieldwork

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners on June 24 approved consent item 1.7, moving forward with an environmental impact study the county says is already under way.

Commissioner Dorsey asked staff for the status of environmental work, and staff member Chad said the county has a signed contract with HNTB and that the firm has been "doing quite a bit of work." Chad told the commission HNTB has held regular check-in meetings, has coordinated with representatives of the Osage Nation for review, and scheduled field crews to begin onsite data collection and test holes. "They're scheduled actually this week and next week for several employees of HNTB to be on the site to start collecting some data and digging holes and really getting into it," Chad said.

Chad said county surveyors had re-staked the center line and that Parks and Rec in Lawrence had been asked to mow portions of the site to allow access for the consultant. The county said the schedule for the study corresponds with the timeline included in the meeting packet.

The commission moved and seconded approval of item 1.7 and the board recorded the motion as passing unanimously.

The vote clears the way for HNTB to complete initial field work and data collection. The county did not provide a new completion date at the meeting beyond the timeline already circulated in the agenda packet.

Next steps: staff will continue coordination with the consultant and with stakeholders identified for review; the commission did not set additional public hearings for the study during the meeting.