The Junction City Commission this week approved an agreement with KDOT for a new roundabout at K-18 Highway and Karns Road. This will support the new Junction City High School project.
The City must fund the construction of the roundabout, but will be reimbursed by a $1.25 million grant from KDOT. At issue is an estimated $200,000 in soft costs for the project, such as engineering fees or minor land acquisition. USD 475 has proposed payment of 70% of those costs with the City picking up the remaining 30%. But Mayor Pat Landes is opposed to that idea.
Landes stated in the Commission meeting that he thought the City had done the hard part for the school district. “I don’t think the City ought to be paying a dime, any of the soft costs at all on this roundabout. If they didn’t put the high school out there we wouldn’t have to have this. This is their project, we did the work of getting this grant for them. And we have the carrying cost of those dollars waiting to get a check back. So I think we’re doing plenty for this roundabout. I don’t think we need to do anything else.”
(Read more: Junction City Post)