After hearing last week from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) that Crawford County could have to quickly come up with roughly $1 million to facilitate construction on the Highway 69 project in the Franklin area, the Crawford County Commission discussed the issue further at its March 26 meeting.
Commissioner Jeremy Johnson said he had talked to Rep. Monica Murnan (D-Pittsburg), the Kansas Dept. of Commerce, and the office of Lt. Governor Lynn Rogers about getting outside funding to cover the cost, but so far had heard of “no definite action” to assist the county in paying the expense. There might be a way, however, to get it partly covered retroactively “because a million dollars is a lot on short notice,” Johnson said.
Commissioner Bruce Blair said he had also reached out to some local state representatives, adding that he didn’t know if $1 million was an accurate estimate of the Highway 69 project expense, which has to do with the right of way where the highway is being constructed and a sewer district in the Franklin area that the county is responsible for.
(Read more: State News – Morning Sun)