The Hays city commission will reorganize Thursday evening following the swearing-in of the three newly elected commissioners — Michael Berges, incumbent Ron Mellick and Mason Ruder.
The other commissioners are Sandy Jacobs and Shaun Musil, who will first recognize outgoing commissioners Eber Phelps and Henry Schwaller.
The newly organized commission will then consider a resolution to set a public hearing for establishment of a requested TIF (tax increment financing) District for D&J Land Development LLC. The hearing is being proposed for Feb. 13.
The $16.8 million incentive package proposed by D&J Land Development includes a Community Improvement District (CID, assignment of a grant made by the Kansas Department of Transportation to Ellis County, and the conveyance to the developer of a 4.611-acre tract currently owned by the city at no cost to the developer.
The $1 million KDOT grant was presented to Ellis County in a special county commission meeting Dec. 27 during a check presentation ceremony for the federal BUILD grant funding of the Northwest Business Corridor.
D&J Land Development proposes to build a travel plaza north of Interstate 70 Exit 157 in Hays within the planned Northwest Business Corridor.
"Just seeing the changes in Hays and Ellis County the last 20-30 years, I can vouch for the value of this very important [corridor] project," Kevin Zimmer, KDOT District 3 Hays area engineer, told the crowd.
Also participating in the presentation was former Hays resident U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., with the $6.5 million BUILD grant check.
"This is our money, a taxpayer check that I think is worthy of the project," Moran said.
The Kansas Department of Commerce awarded $300,000 to Hess Services, one of the major existing businesses that will be served by the corridor's improved roads. That check was passed on to Ellis County as part of the larger project.
"We're proud of the partnerships from Sen. Moran, a lot of folks coming together at the state level, as well as Ellis County and Hays," said David Toland, Kansas Secretary of Commerce.
Others speaking at the ceremony were state Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, and state Reps. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, Appropriations Committee. Also attending were Kent Thompson, R-Iola, Transportation Committee, along with Hays city commissioners Jacobs, Musil and Mellick and former Ellis County Commissioner Marcy McClelland. Wasinger previously served as a county and city commissioner.
Without the collaboration, the project would not have happened, according to Zimmer.
"We've been talking about this job for 8-10 years, a long time," Zimmer said. "So now I can finally say I can move the concept papers off my desk and get down to the nitty-gritty of the plans and construction, which is what we do."
Design of the Northwest Business Corridor — improving 230th Avenue, Feedlot Road and 55th Street — is underway by Hays engineer Buck Driggs of Driggs Design Group PA. Construction is likely to begin in the late summer of 2021 and will be expected to be a year-long process.
Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring is looking forward to the work.
Going west from Feedlot Road, a mile-long road with a 2% grade will curve south to 230th Ave. Ring said it will not require guard rails and will allow traffic to drive 55 mph until the speed limit is lowered approaching the travel plaza on 55th Street.
"There'll be no stopping," Ring said. "When you get off Highway 183 at Feedlot, you'll be able to travel nonstop all the way (west) around Hays, a little over 9 miles to the four-way stop at the south end of town."
Large truck traffic has increased on Vine Street/183 Highway in Hays, according to Ring.
"With the (city's) redesign of Vine Street, through this joint collaboration, we'll be able to move that truck traffic off of Vine unless it's needed for making local deliveries."
Ring specifically mentioned superloads — 200 feet long weighing 567,000 pounds — such as wind tower blade trucks, will be able to bypass the heart of Hays when the Northwest Business Corridor is complete.
