NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of County Commissioners approved reallocation of federal funds to better accomplish the goals of getting EMS into updated facilities in Hutchinson and Arlington at their meeting on Wednesday.
"In 2022, the county commission at that time allocated different ARPA funds to different projects," said Reno County Administrator Randy Partington. "The current EMS building downtown is in the same building as the Health Department. When an opportunity to buy property on 5th Ave. happened, the county commission authorized ARPA funds to buy the building and move EMS to that building, with renovations that are needed for that building. As we got through the process, to follow state law with bidding and design, bid, build, or construction management at risk, whichever process we followed, we found it was going to take longer than we have with ARPA."
In other words, they can't use ARPA money on the renovations on 5th because they won't be done in time, but they can use it to help with the Arlington EMS process, because that will be allocated by the end of the year.
The full amount needed for the renovation of the 5th Avenue EMS station would then come from the CIP reserve fund.
Arlington EMS station has an estimated cost between $600,000 and $900,000. The commission has set a requested maximum amount of $610,000 with $260,000 of the total cost coming from ARPA funds before the changes Wednesday, now it's a lot closer to the full amount. Dave Johnston with Reno County EMS explained that they are still early in that Arlington process.
"We've done visits to Pretty Prairie," Johnston said. "Actually, we've entered into an agreement with Landmark Architecture for that. We've had preliminary meetings for drawings. They have scheduled plat surveys and geo surveys of the site we're intending on building it at. That's all moving forward. They are supposed to come back with us with estimates and costs for us to approve some things. By our next transparency meetings here in November, I should have some preliminary drawings and preliminary costs."
The county has not technically bought the land where the new station would be in Arlington until those preliminary surveys show that it is a suitable building site.