After settlement of the lawsuit over the SRCA dragstrip, the City of Great Bend is ready to move forward with designing the rebuild of the track. The Great Bend City Council will be asked to approve contracts for that purpose at Monday’s meeting.
The Jan. 20 meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Council Chambers in City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed for the public to view on the city council Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/gbcitycouncil/.
According to agenda materials, Bartlett & West (B&W) was an expert for the rebuild as part of the lawsuit and the City has been in conversation with them to provide the design for the rebuild. The council will consider a contract for a lump sum design fee of $40,000 to develop a schematic concept design, coordinating with the City, Sunflower Rod & Custom Association, NHRA, and the engineers who were experts in the lawsuit (Larry Mott and Ernie Schrader) to consult during this development. Also included in the recommendation is a $15,000 contract for pre-construction services that run the gamut from developing budgets, scheduling, and developing bid packages. The two contracts come to $55,000.
B&W hopes to complete 60% of the conceptual drawings and anticipates all work can be completed in time for racing before the season in spring of 2026.
Other agenda items
Other items on Monday’s agenda include:
• An application from Fuller Industries for a 10-year tax exemption. Fuller was granted a 10-year exemption in 2013 but it was terminated in 2021 after the property was sold to new owners. The new owners filed for another 10-year property tax exemption in 2024 that was denied by the City Council. Now the applicant seeks the property tax exemption to be retroactive back to 2021 as there are outstanding taxes on the property. The City’s Administrative Review Committee met on Jan. 6 to discuss the request and recommends denying the application for the property tax exemption.
• Industrial Revenue Bonds issued by the City in 2011 to the construction of Golden Belt Cinema 6 reached their final maturity on Dec. 31, 2023. The tenant now has the option to purchase the property from the City. Great Bend City Administrator Logan Burns will report and recommends authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute a special warranty deed, bill of sale and release of the lease.
• The Great Bend Police Department wishes to replace one of the vehicles assigned to the School Resource Officer/DARE. The old vehicle will be assigned as a detective unit. The recommendation is to approve the low bid for the vehicle from Marmie Ford for $55,000, plus up to $12,000 to have the vehicle customized by Superior Emergency Response Vehicles (SERV), based in Andover.
