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John “Jack” Helin
(Articles are in reverse chronological order)
TAB 5
The Chieftain (Bonner Springs, KS)
September 28, 2009
Council Partners with Water District No.1; Street to Receive Cost-Effective Makeover
Author: Melissa Treolo
Prior to Monday night’s City Council meeting, the council came to a consensus that will turn a
damaged stretch of road into a resurfaced one for a lot less money than might be expected.
Kevin Bruemmer, director of the Public Works Department, and city manager John “Jack”
Helin gave a short presentation during a work session Monday night outlining the extent of
damage done to parts of 121st Street, starting at Riverview Avenue and extending to south of the
Camp Naish entrance. The damage is a result of a 60-inch water line installed by Water District
No. 1 of Johnson County, which extends from the Missouri River and goes through the city of
Bonner Springs.
Damage to the road includes that done to both the surface and the base of the road, and
Bruemmer said Water District No. 1 was willing to fix the damage it was responsible for. But
only parts of the road are damaged, Helin said. “What that leaves us with is a hodge podge of
repairs, with sections in between that aren’t damaged,” he said.
Instead of just fixing the damaged parts, Helin said, Water District No. 1 was willing to do chip
sealing of the entire stretch of road, including the undamaged parts, if the city would kick in
$5,000. Chip sealing is a surface application that would work as a protective sealant for the road.
Bruemmer said the typical cost of such work for that length of road would be about $43,000. He
emphasized that the road damage in question wasn’t due to any neglect on the city’s part,
however.
“(Water District No. 1 has) a lot of responsibility with the road itself, which they are fully aware
of and they’re doing it,” he said, noting that it was a good idea to partner with the water district
now so that the entire road could see some restorative benefits. “Had we not worked with Water
1, they would have repaired those areas only for which they would be responsible.”
The consensus among the council was that getting $43,000-worth of work for $5,000 was an
agreeable situation for the city to find itself in. All the members – excluding Tom Stephens and
George Cooper, who were both absent from the meeting – gave a thumbs-up sign at the end of
the discussion, indicating their agreement with the upcoming street work.
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