Photo courtesy of the City Commission's strategic plan
Pilla Park is set to receive renovations, but what exactly will be done is not yet official as the city waits to hear details on funding.
The options for Pilla Park renovations were discussed by commissioners Monday night.
The city has applied for a Community Development Block Grant to help fund the project and is still waiting to hear back if funds will be awarded. In the meantime, the city has to have a public hearing as part of the grant requirements.
City Manager Zack Daniel presented three options for scope and cost.
–Option 1: $621,000. This would include new north-facing signage as well as parking lot improvements. The city would pay 25% of that, or $155,250, with grant funding the rest.
–Option 2: $789,750. This would include the same north-facing signage and parking lot improvements, as well as new lighting and more play structures. The city would pay $197,400.
–Option 3: $1,329,750. Another scenario was discussed, but not recommended by city staff due to the large cost it would come to the city. It would include a spray park. Although the city is still wanting to place a spray park somewhere in town, the Parks and Rec master plan may give a better idea of those needs, Daniel said.
The city’s recommendation was for the second option because it would get the most out of the grant funding while still falling under the original budgeted cost.
If the city does not receive the grant, a new scope will be presented to fit into the budget.
At this time, the city only approved a resolution to set a public hearing for July 8 to further discuss this project.
In other business, a draft of the fire department’s strategic plan was approved by commissioners.
The plan lays out goals for growth, facilities and equipment, workforce development and community outreach. Representatives from the Public Policy Management Center of Wichita State University presented their findings to the commission.
Their interviews for the plan included city leadership, the Douglas County Chiefs Association, high school students, other fire departments, school district officials and city commissioners.
Among all the groups interviewed, Isabel Ebersole said the greatest priority was staffing and making a transition to a paid department.
“Stakeholders recognize their significant costs in transitioning and maintaining the paid fire department, but they also know that there’s great value in doing that for the community,” she said.
Concerns about risk associated with a volunteer department were also discussed, she said.
The department identified communication and accountability needs as a result of the current staffing model. Internally, Ebersole said she heard firefighters want more support whether in the form of compensation, facility maintenance and more involvement with the department.
“The city’s role – we heard from both internal and external stakeholders – there’s a perception that the city doesn’t recognize the department as a key part of infrastructure,” Ebersole said.
Tom Jenkins also said the city should start weighing incremental but aggressive career staffing models immediately.
A careful balance for volunteers to not feel overburdened is important for retention, he said. Creating the right combination of paid and volunteer firefighters may also help with the standard of coverage that is necessary for the city. Figuring out when volunteers are available and when they aren’t will help supplement those needs, too.
Jenkins also noted the use of SAFER grants could be helpful for the community.
As part of growth planning, the station hopes to create a standard of coverage that uses national standards while improving inter-agency coordination, Ebersole said.
This includes formalizing mutual and automatic aid agreements with partners.
To also help with the growth planning goal, Ebersole said the department will develop and implement a communication plan to highlight the department’s value. This will come in the form of monthly communication with the commission and promoting transparency to the community by giving updates from the department.
Indicators of success in this area will include a decrease in no availability at the station, and an increase in effective incident response.
As the department also continues to have an aging fleet, it will be important to identify the type and quantity of response apparatuses while collaborating with the city to seek more funding opportunities like general fund, taxation, grants and other alternative funding, the plan says.
The department hopes to continue workforce development by implementing a training officer who can devote time to recruitment, training and retention for volunteers with the potential for that role to be full time.
The plan also details the department’s hopes to build relationships with local businesses to weigh the possibility of allowing employees to be a volunteer firefighter and able to leave for calls during the workday, Ebersole said.
Jenkins provided a technical assessment of the station, noting that it isn’t always included in a strategic plan but was important due to the nature of Eudora’s department.
“You have a department that – as somebody who spends an inordinate amount of time in fire stations – I can tell you that it seems to have great pride and takes ownership of the investments that you make within it,” Jenkins said. “So I think from an outsider, it’s important to share that with you.”
Jenkins said that while the station has two full-time employees, it will likely continue to be volunteer-oriented for the next few years – meaning retention and recruitment for volunteers needs to stay an important part of the plan.
The station itself is in good condition and relatively new but is limited in the potential for growth, Jenkins said. He gave an example of one bay of the station being dedicated to law enforcement but is unsure if that is still necessary or could be given to the department.
As for the department’s apparatus quantity, Jenkins said it was lean. He said it is important to implement a replacement plan.
Interviews also found a need for more communication, training and putting the strategic plan to use. Space for training, as well as more training equipment and props were noted. There is also a need for medical equipment like cardiac monitors.
From a community perspective, Ebersole said it was clear the overall impression is that the department is well-respected and involved in the community.
People want to see them more involved with the schools and continuing to use social media.
Following the presentation, Chief Mindy Andrasevits thanked the team for its work, saying it was a rigorous and amazing process.
City Manager Kevyn Gero said after all the time spent on making this plan it was exciting to see it presented.
Mayor Tim Reazin said he appreciates the goal of reporting back to the commission more often.
“We talked before fire was here [in a prior work session] about everything that’s coming down with water, electrical, sewer, fire, police, streets, infrastructure, that all these things are going to be part of that plan. So it’s great to see that we’ve got a goal to work towards, and we’re going to have a way to measure so I appreciate that,” Reazin said.
Commissioners had no further questions or comments on the plan. The draft was approved.
In other business, the city is weighing options for next steps as electricity infrastructure needs loom in the future.
City staff are working with the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency for input as the area continues to experience growth – leading to a need for more electric wattage. Representatives from the agency attended a work session with commissioners and city staff to discuss options before the regular meeting Monday night.
The substation currently used by the city needs updates as the load on the transformers continues to get higher. There are two options – either the city chooses to fund the additional transformer and rely on itself for these services, or pay Evergy a higher price as they upgrade the existing infrastructure.
Either way, price increases are coming, but if the city relies on Evergy for the upgrades, the city will have to pay any additional increases in the future, Public Works Director Branden Boyd said. If the city were to make these upgrades themselves, they would finance a purchase of an additional transformer but would be more in control of utility costs. The third transformer would go next to the existing two.
Commissioner Alex Curnes asked if the city should continue to be in the electric business.
Since utilities are a significant revenue for the city, usually it is recommended to stay in the game – and most that get out usually regret it shortly after, Gerry Bieker of the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency said.
Reazin said he is likely in favor of the city building its own additions rather than receiving more increases from Evergy. It is also important to weigh costs for these needs against other city departments and utility infrastructure needs like those for wastewater and water treatment plants.
More details on what this would mean for resident utility rates will be discussed at a future work session. These decisions don’t need to be made immediately, but getting a new transformer can take a couple of years, Boyd said.
The City Commission also approved its own strategic plan for 2025-2030. The plan will be used to help determine budgetary priorities, Gero said.
There will be quarterly updates to discuss what from the plan has been executed.
Goals include safe, welcoming neighborhoods, strong and diverse economy, parks and rec for all, fiscally responsible stewardship, strong community relationships, fiscally sustainable infrastructure and service levels aligned with community needs.
Specific priorities include increasing the types of housing in the city, increasing accessibility of the parks, developing new park land and programming, increasing trail connectivity, updating city facilities and ensuring public safety aligns with growth.
In other business, the city received a 2024 budget forecast from Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel.
Projections put the general fund balance for the end of the year at about $1.9 million, which is up from the estimated $1.6 million.
Many revenue streams are coming in well this year, especially parks and rec, municipal court and building permits due to the construction of Mid America Bank, Daniel said.
As the city moves forward with planning the 2025 budget, the sales tax revenues are estimated to increase about 3.5% from last year, as well.
During public comment, Karter Gonzales expressed concerns about the water pressure at his home and the neighborhood around him.
After having repeated issues, Gonzales was told recently by city employees that the issue was plumbing in his home. He said he compared his plumbing to that all over the area and found there was nothing different about his.
He is recently at 40 pounds of pressure when the average is 60 pounds, he said.
“I don’t feel like if I’m going to pay taxes, that it’s not fair that I have 20 pounds less pressure and not adequate to use two showers in my house at one time or I can’t wash clothes and take a shower at the same time without having to go shut the washing machine off or I can’t run a sink faucet and take a shower,” he said.
Reazin said he would discuss the matter further with him.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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