As the Great Bend City Council approved the inspection services from Kirkham Michael for the 8th Street paving construction, they received a glimpse of the expense of not having an in-house engineer.
The project cost of the street construction will hit the City of Great Bend but the price tag will be reimbursed by the benefit district, those around 8th Street.
The inspection cost of $38,225 was accounted for, but councilmember Cory Urban noted that just one project is nearly half an annual salary of a city engineer.
Cory Urban Audio
The City has historically utilized its engineering tech to perform construction inspection jobs. However, Karl Otter subsequently resigned his position. City Administrator Kendal Francis says the City has interviewed applicants to fill the position.
Kendal Francis Audio
Great Bend does have a contract with Professional Engineering Consultants out of Wichita to serve as their on-call engineer. PEC did not have personnel available for the duration of the project, forcing Great Bend to solicit bids from qualified firms.