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2001 - Winter 1- A report from your city government ATheSalina Citizen Winter 200 I Dear Salina Citizens: The City of Salina IS pleased to present to you the Winter 2001 edition of The Sa- lina Citizen. We hope this issue not only helps inform you in regard to City projects, but stimulates your interest and par- ticipation in local government. The City Commission and members of the City staff en- courage you to ask questions and to make your views known. This is an exciting and chal- lenging time for our community. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to meet the challenges ahead. Sincerely, Salina City Commission = Major Roadways cooooo Overpus f1imin&ted X Tr&eb ~ ,/ 'sting Pacific Avo NORTH OHIO OVERPASS WILL HAPPEN, EVENTUALLY On October 18, 2000, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced a grant award to the City of Salina in the amount of $12.3 million for the construction of the North Ohio Street Railroad Over- pass Project. The project, with a to- tal estimated cost of $18.3 million, will be one of the largest single in- frastructure projects in the history of Salina. Certainly, the grant from KDOT is the largest state funded award for any single transportation project in Salina. On November 27, 2000, the Salina City Commission concurred in the grant award from KDOT and tentatively authorized the $6 million local match share fOF.the project. The funding for the local- share of the project will come from the City's 5-year Capital Program and Union Pacific Railroad. The south end of the overpass will begin at York A venueN an Home A venue. The north end of the overpass will be located approxi- mately 650 feet north of Pacific A ve- nue/Old U.S. Highway 40. The proj- ect includes the following features: . A 570-foot bridge over six (6) railroad tracks, eliminating exist- ing railroad crossings on North Ohio Street. . Removal of nineteen (19) rail- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Inside: 2 N. Ohio Street Overpass (Continued) 5 City of Salina Organizational Chart & Job Opportunities 7 Overview of the City's Capitallm- provement Program & Project Up- date. THE SALINA CITIZEN Page 2 SALINA FIRE DEPARTMENT CHANGES WITH THE TIMES (: Fighting a fire can be very danger- ous and complex, but fire fighters will tell you it basically comes down to put- ting the wet sluff on the red stuff. The concept has not changed through the ages, but the art of getting it done has. The Salina Fire Department has been busy keeping up with these changes. It starts with the vehicles that fire fighters utilize. This past year marked the end of that era for Salina when two new fire engines were purchased and the last tailboard designed engine (a 1966 Dodge reserve unit) was traded off. The two engines that were purchased both have an enclosed cab for all the fire fighters. These engines are capa- ble of pumping 1,500 gallons of water per minute. One of the new engines is CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 called a "quint" because of its five features: water pump, water tank, fire hose, aerial ladder and ground ladders. The new quint gives Salina a first-in aerial ladder for the north Salina station, while a second quint is housed in the east fire station, and the south station houses the City's 100' platform aerial ladder. New vehicles, tools and meth- ods of taking care of fires such as thermal imaging cameras and foam concentrates certainly help, but the two most important ways to address fires are PREVENTION and EARL Y DETECTION. The Salina Fire Department concentrates its preyention efforts on both commer- cial and residential fire prevention. NORTH OHIO STREET OVERPASS Fire Truck located at Station 2 Fire prevention officers and com- pany crews visit commercial busi- nesses once a year for a fire pre- vention survey. The survey may reveal something quite simple that could save a business from the dev- astation of a fire. The department's Public Educator teaches fire safety in all of Salina's grade schools. Continued on Page 3 road crossings, including four (4) on North Ohio Street. . Elimination of a majority of the daily blockage of railroad crossings in downtown Salina including North Street, Elm Street, Ash Street, Iron Avenue, Walnut Street, Mulberry Street, South Street, Prescott . A venue and Crawford Street. . Relocation of approximately 4,000 feet of Old U.S. Highway 40/ Pacific Avenue to accommodate the new railroad overpass. . Elimination of 28 vehicle hours per day of traffic delay on North Ohio Street, which is the estimated accu- mulative time people spend waiting on trains per day. The. new Ohio Street Overpass will be built parallel to, but west of, the ex- isting Ohio Street between York Street and Pacific A venue. This will affect most of the existing properties and buildings along the west side of Ohio Street. The existing Ohio Street will remain open to traffic throughout the majority of the con- struction of the overpa~s. After con- struction, properties along the east side of Ohio Street will gain access to their properties from an "Ohio Street frontage road." A project of this magnitude takes several years to plan as shown by the following timeline. It is impor- tant to note that actual construction on the overpass is not scheduled to begin until 2005. Leading up to the actual construction, the City will be working with KDOT, Union Pacific Railroad and the affected property owners to ensure that the project is successful. January - March 2001 Hire design engineering consultant. Negotiate agreement with Union Pa- cific Railroad Company. Meet with affected property owners. 2001 - 2004 Project design, land acquisition and utility/railroad relocation. January 2005 Project bid letting. March 2005 - November 2006 Project construction. November 20, 2006 Project complete and open to traf- fic. We are excited by all the bene- fits that a project such as this can bring to a community. We are looking forward to working with all the involved parties and chang- ing the landscape of North Ohio Street in a manner that is positive for everyone. For additional in- formation regarding this project, please contact the Engineering Department at 826-7290. WINTER 200 I Page 3 RENOVATING LOCOMOTIVE 477 Visitors to the City's Kenwood Park this spring will find a new look to the once fenced and par- tially deteriorated locomotive num- ber 477. The locomotive,was origi- nally donated by the Union Pacific Railroad and moved to the Ken- wood Park site in July 1955. This particular engine, a series 1600 en- gine model, was probably utilized in the Rocky Mountains in Utah and Wyoming. Around 1915, the engine was rebuilt and transferred to the plains states and renumbered 477. During this period, the engine was primarily utilized for short runs in central and western Kansas up to its retirement in 1955. The renovation of the locomo- tive will be completed early this spring. Following asbestos removal in 1999, the entire engine and coal tender were sandblasted and re- painted; new wood was installed inside the engineer's cab and new lettering and emblems added. City Parks and Recreation crews have installed a 65 foot handicapped ac- Locomotive 477 located in Kenwood Park cess ramp, which will allow all citi- zens the opportunity to experience the massiveness of the train engine. Once completed, the chain link fence surrounding the locomotive will be removed and replaced with landscaping and wood chips. The costs of renovating the lo- comotive have been provided by a joint private/public venture between the City (asbestos removal and SALINA FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 painting), the Union Pacific Employ- ees Club (new emblems and materi- als for the informational sign) and the Red Baron Ambucs (materials for the accessible ramp). We are excited about the completion of the project and believe the renovated locomotive will be a nice enhancement to Ken- wood Park that can be shared by eve- ryone. However, there is a group of chil- dren that is difficult for the Salina Fire Department to educate. This is the group of children that are too young for the school system, but are very capable of starting a seri- ous structure fire. In addition, it is likely that these children do not fully understand the severe conse- quences of a fire. For this age group, parents, guardians, big brothers and big sisters must be the teachers of fire prevention. When prevention efforts fail, the most important thing for both the occupant and the Fire Depart- ment is early detection. The chances of escaping a fire and the ability for fire fighters to extinguish a fire are greatly enhanced by early fire detection. The smoke detector is the key to this part of fire protection. If you need advice on smoke detectors or if you need a smoke detector and cannot afford one, please call the Salina Fire Department at 826-7340. The mission of the Salina Fire Department is "Excellence in the prevention and mitigation of emer- gencies." If both the Salina Fire De- Quint Fire Truck located at Station I partment and the citizens continue to do their parts, we can reduce both the number and severity of fires in the City of Salina. THE SALINA CITIZEN Page 4 The 2001 Annual Budget Setting Public Priorities through the Budget Process In August, the City Corrunis- sion established the 2001 budget. The budget is comprised of three distinct parts: an operating budget to account for general operations; a capital budget to fund public im- provements and construction; and a debt service budget to fund major capital projects iri which municipal bonds are utilized. The annual budgetary process provides Com- missioners with an opportunity to evaluate existing programs and services. From this, they can better establish future priorities for serv- ice and program levels based on community needs. Once the scope of services is determined and costs estimated, revenues are evaluated to deter- mine availability from each source (Le., taxes, fees or other govern- mental funding types). If revenue availability does not support the proposed expenditures, the City Corrunission must make the diffi- cult choice of either increasing revenues or reducing service levels. Salina begins the budgetary process by reviewing the current year's services. They look at service quality and efficiency to determine if service levels should increase, de- crease, remain the same or be discon- tinued. These budget discussions with City staff begin in April. Indi- vidual Departmental requests are pre- sented in mid-May and the next six weeks involve in-depth review of pri- orities and service alternatives. In early July, the City Manager presents a proposed working budget to the City Corrunission. The City Corrunission- ers then publicly meet several times to discuss and form the budget for the new year. This entails examination of various service alternatives and a de- cision regarding the City's direction for the upcoming year. Formal public hearings are held in August, with a final decision made at that time. All meetings and corrununications with the City Corrunission are always open to the public. Total expenditures for 2001 are budgeted to be approximately $51 million. This includes $39 million for general operations, $5.9 million for capital projects and $6.1 million for debt retirement. Once again, the City Corrunission has set a goal of holding down the property tax mill levy. In fact, Salina continues to have one of the lowest property tax rates of any first class city in Kan- sas. The overall goal of the City budget is clear: maintain a high quality of operating services, protect the public, improve our streets and utilities, enhance the quality of com~ munity services and respond atten- tively to citizen concerns. Clearly, the establishment of the budget is one of the most important items on any Corrunissioner's agenda. As a result, citizens are always invited and encouraged to participate in the process. This is also a reason the City annually prepares the Budget- In-Brief - a short, easy to under- stand overview of the City budget. Please contact the City Manager's Office at 826-7250 if you should have any questions or would like additional information. Mn.rt Pen:a1l Arm.r1 Peroert User Fees: $ 11,84O,<XXl 24% IfoJfjg $ 6,:m,<XXl 13% $ 6,810.249 14% lI'IfB.f!N'f&fK $ 4,B50.<XXl 10'k $ 2,OO7,a:x> 4% Sa1talia1 $ 1,7OO,<XXl 3% $ !m,1H7 2% Sjid W;Be $ 2,<XXl,<XXl 4% $ B50.<XXl 2% BiCa'tfK $ 810,CXX> 2% $ 128,<XXl 0% WI Quse $ 8B3;!X> 2% $ Z2, 7m,646 46"!c A:aealioo $ 415,CXX> 1% MWam $ 575,CXX> 1% Qher Uler Fees $ 1ffi,125 0'/0 ToIaI User Fees $ 17,Em,325 3&"/0 atw RlMn.Ies: Irterg;MllTlTlrtal $ 3.585,512 7% Rnes $ 1,<XXl,CXX> 2% ~a1.'\ssessl11Sl1s $ 1,:!X>,CXX> 2% Irteresl $ 1,196,131 2% Ms::eIIa1ecu; Oher $ 1,728,001 4% ToIaI atw RIMnes: $ 8,710.:m 18% TdaI $49,112,274 100'10 AEM!rues: For further information on City fl- 11 nances, please contact the City Man- ;: ager's office at 826-7250 and request a AqJerty copy of the 2001 Budget-In-Brief Frardlse M:m Vehicle Trmsient GJesl OlIirquent Taxes ToIaI Taxes 2001 City Revenues User Fees Fines / Interest - Taxes Intergovernmental WINTER 2001 Page 5 CITY ORGANIZATION & BUILDING UNDERGOES CHANGES The City of Salina organizational chart underwent some changes in 2000 with the establishment of the Department of Building Services. Along with the organizational chart changes came the physical building remodeling of the Engineering De- partment, Planning & Community Development Department, Utilities Administration Department and the City of Salina Organization Chart January 2001 City Commission Alan Jilka, Mayor Don Heath Larry Matthews Kristin Seaton Monte Shadwick Department of Building Services, all of which are located on the south side of the second floor in the City- County Building. This internal re- modeling was completed in mid- October and included re-designed office spaces, new carpet, desks and new filing systems. We appreciate the patience we received from our customers during the remodeling. Fire Suppression EMS Codes/Inspection Public Education. Engineering Design/Inspect. Traffic General Services Streets Flood Works Traffic Control Sanitation Central Garage Human Relations Water & Wastewater Water Treatment Wastewater Coli. & Treatment Solid Waste (Landfill) Patrol Investigations Communications Internal Affairs Planning Neighborhood Services Operations Food & Beverage Ticket Office City Clerk Accounting Utility Accounting Treasurer Museum Arts Education Arts Services River Festival Horizons Program Swimming Pool Golf Course Parks Recreation Forestry Cemetery Building Maint. City staff feels these changes will greatly improve our internal processes and lines of communica- tion. As a result, service delivery to the citizenry will be more efficient, thereby providing an even higher quality of servic.es. Job Opportunities City of Salina job vacancies are adver- tised in the Sunday edition of the Salina Journal and can be seen daily on the Govern- ment Infonnation Channel (20). Depending on the nature of the position, the City may advertise in other publications. A City of Salina employment application must be completed for each position and a resume may be attached to the application. The City generally establishes application deadlines for all advertised positions. The length of the deadline is usually a minimum often (10) days. Following the closing date, applications are screened by the supervisors from the de- partment that has the vacancy. Candidates are selected for interview and/or testing based on the infonnation provided. After interviews and reference checks are con- ducted, and approval from the City Manager is received, candidates are provided a condi- tional employment offer. As a condition of employment, the candidates must pass a physical examination to ensure that they can perfonn the essential functions of the job. All new employees must pass a drug test as a condition of employment. All other remain- ing candidates are notified by mail of their status. For more infonnation on City of Salina employment opportunities, please call the Human Resources Department at 826-7400 or (TDD) at 826-7333. The Human Re- sources Department is located in Room 200, City-County Building, 300 West Ash. THE SALINA CITIZEN PAGE 6 HOME BUYING TIPS The purchase of a home is often the most significant expense that a per- son, couple or family will make. Pro- spective home buyers are encouraged to become informed consumers before making such a purchase to best protect their investment and to avoid unneces- sary surprises and frustrations. Over the years, there have been several in- stances where homeowners were un- aware of the current zoning, special assessments, covenants, future land use designation or future road designa- tion of the land that abuts their homes or neighborhood. In hindsight, if the homeowners had done more research, they may have chosen to reexamine their purchase all together, modify their purchase price offer or re- evaluate any outdoor planned improve- ments such as landscaping, a swim- The first step to begin your home improvement project is to decide what questions should be asked of the con- tractor. When you are making a list of questions, keep in mind that you are buying a service, not just a product. The contractor's ability to provide the service is just as important as your new home or addition. The following are some suggested actions that the City recommends when selecting a contractor: (1) First, contact the City's Build- ing Services Department to determine the licenses and permits required for your proposed project, then ask the contractor the same question. If the City's answers differ from those of the contractor's, the discrepancies will need to be clarified early on in the pro- cess. Also, the contractor must be reg- istered with the City. (2) Have the contractor submit a written proposal, which describes the work to be done, the cost of the work, and a completion date. Good propos- als list clearly what is to be done as well as what is not included. A well written proposal reduces the potential for misunderstanding and conflict. (3) The written proposal should in- clude an estimate for payment. If the proposal does not include an estimate, ask the contractor to submit a prelimi- "Have the contractor submit a list of past clients (name, address and tele- phone number). " nary payment summary. Some proj- ects require money before the job starts, especially if an item has to be special ordered before the project be- gins. However, "up-front" payments are not a good practice and should be avoided if possible. If you cannot avoid "up-front" payments, an agree- ment where the material is paid for upon delivery can provide some pro- tection to the consumer. (4) Have the contractor submit a list business '.' ~ hours. - .. I (2) Re- 0 .. view the- real estate records at the Saline County Register of Deeds Office and the Saline County Ap- praiser's Office to determine the existence of recorded deed restric- tions and covenants, notices of current or future tax assessments and other matters which might af- fect the house, other structures, or the land that you are considering purchasing. (3) Request a free copy of the information-packed brochure, "Building or Buying a New Home, Tips for Avoiding Sur- prises," from the Department of Building Services at 826-7270. of past clients (name, address and telephone number). Many profes- sionals recommend requesting as many as twenty references. The key is not to be content with just a few. Most companies can give you a few customers that they know are happy. If a prior client will let you view the contractors work, it would be well worth your time to do so. (5) Have the contractor submit a list of all subcontractors and sup- pliers. Before final payment is made, be sure that they have satis- fied all debts relating to your proj- ect. Each remodeling or building project presents its owns difficul- ties and inconveniences. How- ever, a person that performs a little homework early on can save them- selves a lot of problems. If you need any additional information contact the Department of Build- ing Services at 826-7270. WINTER 200 I . Page 7 THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Each year the City Commission prioritizes major projects for the next five years. This is an impor- tant part of local government be- cause it outlines many of the larg- est expenditures made by our community. Although elected officials ulti- mately make the decision on the capital improvements program (CIP), citizen input is a vital part of the process. Commissioners welcome constructive suggestions and recommendations in prioritiz- ing potential projects because it gives them an understanding of what improvements the commu- nity wants to see. Each year in the spring, City staff reviews the fmancial and PROJECT UPDATES physical feasibility of proposed proj- ects. Reports are provided to the City Commission detailing potential projects. The City Commission spends a significant amount of time in study sessions reviewing the projects. During a regularly scheduled meet- ing, they vote on the annual update of the 5-year plan. At the time of the vote, Commissioners have taken citi- zen input into consideration among numerous other factors. The Capital Improvement Program is an integral part of local government. For 2001, the budget for capital improvements is $12,258,000. The majority of these projects are construction proj- ects such as the Water Plant Expan- sion, South Marymount Road Recon- struction and MuniCipal Court Ex- pansion. Other capital expenditures are annual or recurrent programs in- cluding: contracted street repairs, stormwater projects and planning, vehicle and equipment replacement and computers and technology. SOUTH OHIO STREET PROJECT COMPLETED On November 20, 2000 the City of Salina completed one of the largest street and drainage pro- jects in our history. The project involved major street and flood control improvements on South Ohio Street from Belmont Boule- vard to Magnolia Road and on Magnolia Road from Ohio Street to Belmont Boulevard. The proj- ect will provide benefits in the way of alleviating flooding prob- lems and drainage inadequacies along Magnolia Road, South Ohio,. and Belmont Boulevard. Furthermore, the project will im- prove traffic flow and safety for the South Ohio Street/Belmont Blvd.lWayne Ave. intersection and at South Ohio Street and Magnolia Road. Realignment, dedicated turn lanes and traffic signals will improve efficiency and safety of the intersection. By improving existing corridors and making accommodations for future corridor improvements, this project will minimize the impacts of future development in southeast Salina. OTHER COMPLETED PROJECTS Schillin!! Road Brid!!e: Reconstruction of the Schilling Road Bridge over the Dry Creek Channel, located west of 1-135, was completed in November 2000. The project involved replacement of the existing concrete span bridge with a box culvert bridge. This project not only included bridge reconstruction, but a widening of Schilling Road to four lanes over the bridge, construc- tion of a sidewalk on the north side of Schilling Road and the addition of a left-turn lane on the west leg of th.e Schilling/V irginia intersection. Centennial Road Improvement: Construction of the Centennial Road Improvement Project was com- pleted in September 2000. This proj- ect involved pavement reconstruction from Crawford Street to Schilling Road. The project included drainage improvements, pavement widening and installation of traffic signal sys- tems at the intersections of Centen- nial Road/Magnolia Road and Cen- tennial Road/Schilling Road. 2000 Utility Improvements: The 2000 Utility Improvements Proj- ect included water and sanitary sewer system upgrades at four locations in Salina. These improvements in- cluded water system upgrades to im- prove flow and fire protection at three school locations, which are un- dergoing major site improvements this year. The water system improve- ments serve Oakdale Elementary School, Coronado Elementary School and the new Lakewood Middle School. THE SALINA CITIZEN CITY PARTICIPATES IN UNDOING RACISM INITIATIVE In alignment with the National ~eague of Cities' Initiative to "Undo Racism," Mayor Alan Jilka de- clared September 20, 2000 as "Undoing Ra- cism Day" for the City of Salina. A proclama- tion was read at the City Commission meeting and signed by Mayor Jilka. The na- tion-wide effort led by National League of Cit- ies President and Wichita Mayor Bob Knight, focuses on the causes of ra- cism and what steps each individual community needs to take in dealing with the negative impacts of racism. The initiative, facilitated by the Human Relations Department, spon- sored a city-wide poster and essay contest. Also, the City Commission and several City personnel viewed the video documentary the "Color Of Fear." The theme of the Poster Con- test was "Our Colorful Community". The City received nearly 200 entries. The prizes for the Mayor's Poster Mayor Jilka awarding one of the winners. Contest (for kids 6 to 8 and 9 to 12)'and Mayor's Essay Contest (for kids 13 to 16) were given at the Week Without Violence Lunch- eon. Winners were as follows: Essay Contest - 1 st Kimberly Lamer; 2nd Lauren Shafer. Poster 6-8: pt Nicole Palen, 2nd Caitlyn Berry; 9-12: 1st Lisa Pahls, 2nd Ha- ley Brown. For additional infor- mation on the Undoing Racism Ini- tiative, contact the Hum,an Rela- tions Department at 826-7330. Page 8 Policy of N_-Diserimi>>atloR OR the Basil of Disability The City of S~Jiua does 1I0t dis- ~OA tile basis of disability in the adlnissioA or access to, or treaim.ent or ernplo;yment in, its programs or activities. Jason Gage, ~istant City Man- ager, has beeJl desipated to Goordi- nate compliance with nondiscrimi- . nation requirements GOntaiJled in section 3S-I07 of tile ~attmellt of JustiGe regulations. InfonnatioA cOllCernmg the pro\Tlsions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the rights provided thereunder, .are available from the ADA coordi- nator. ~ 'For information, contact: ADA Coordinator Jason Gage Assistant City Manager City of Salina 300 W. Ash SaUna, Kansas 61401 Phone: 826-7250 (TOD) 826.7333 Articles were written by City Staff. with design by Rocky Bumgarner and LaDonna Bennett. Questions/Comments? Call the City Manager's Office at 826-7250 ~ PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 400 SALINA, KS Residential Patron Salina, KS 67401 @ Printed on Recycled Paper City Commissioners want to hear from you Members of the Salina City _ Commis- sion are always interested in your comments and suggestions on city services and poli- cies. Each Commissioner welcomes letters and telephone calls. Write them at P.O. Box 736, Salina, KS 67402-0736. The Commissioners phone numbers are listed below: Alan E. Jilka Kristin M. Seaton Monte Shadwick Don Heath Larry L. Mathews , ~ '- 827-0002 825-7926 827-6761 827-8142 823-8228