Manhattan city commissioners are looking at setting aside funds to cover unexpected costs for construction projects. The commission on Tuesday discussed adding a 5% contingency to all construction contracts to allow more efficiency in project management. The issue centers around change orders, which are amendments to the base contract between the city and an outside construction company. Currently, the city doesn’t have a set policy for how to address change orders, but the city commission typically has approved them if the total project cost exceeds $50,000. However, city engineer Brian Johnson said that process typically takes 4-6 weeks and can cause construction delays. The contingency commissioners discussed would reserve funds to direct toward changes to the construction contract and allow city administrators the flexibility to address changes as they arise in the field. Commissioners generally favored a 5% contingency but won’t vote officially on a policy change until incoming city manager Danielle Dulin can provide input. “I would like to charge Danielle to see if she couldn’t expedite the 4-6-week process because I hear a lot of people say that the city takes enough time as it is, “ said commissioner Karen McCulloh. Commissioner John Matta supported the change as long as the commission continues to receive reports on construction projects. “I’m probably fine with the 5% contingency as long as we have a way to review what’s happening,” said Matta. “As long as the numbers come in, fine. I don’t think there’s a problem.” City staffers will use the commission’s input as they craft a full policy manual resolution, which could take six months or longer to return to commissioners. The engineering department will continue working on drafting a formal change order and present it to commissioners later. Johnson added that the city is facing a significant shortage of engineers, inspectors and project managers, which is impacting project delivery. To address this, the city has hired more consultants, but that is more expensive than having dedicated staff. Evaluating and updating procedures related to change orders is one part of the city administration’s overall project management improvement efforts. The last policy manual resolution passed in 2020.
Source: themercury.com

Manhattan is a “safe community,” Riley County Police director Brian Peete said in a town hall addressing concerns about some recent events. Peete on Saturday spoke with members of the community to answer questions about a pair of incidents, including one that occurred Sept. 3 in which a woman said she was attacked near Aggieville as well as reports of a man walking around with firearms strapped to himself. “We want to make sure everyone takes care of each other,” Peete said. “This is a safe community, and I would walk anywhere in this county at any time of day. “With that being said, we fully understand that crime is a very personal issue with folks.” Peete then addressed online rumors, particularly about the Sept. 3 incident near Aggieville in which a K-State student, Kenna Hibbs, sustained severe head injuries. The police have not made arrests in that case and have not confirmed it was an attack. “All we’re asking the community at this time is to let us do our jobs and our conclusions,” he said. Peete also addressed concerns about the two incidents being connected. “These two incidents do not correlate with one another,” he said. Peete said the police can’t do anything about someone carrying weapons in public because that is legal. “We need to respect the right he has to defend himself,” he said. “But also, at the same time, we need to be providing protection for ourselves but not doing things that may lead to him causing an issue in the community that could get people hurt.” He also further emphasized that there is no crime wave currently ongoing in the community. The town hall lasted about an hour, with Peete taking questions for citizens in attendance.
Source: themercury.com

The Riley County jail has had high population numbers in recent months, and officials who previously anticipated a decrease in incarcerations now say that hasn’t happened. Jail captain Mark French on Monday told Riley County commissioners there are 124 inmates in the jail. There are 29 female inmates in Riley County custody, but some have gone elsewhere because the jail facility is set up for a maximum of 18 female inmates. “We are not seeing the downturn that we were anticipating,” French said. French said the Washington County jail has taken on some of the incarcerated women in Riley County custody. “The female population, I thought would drop, I honestly did,” French said. “There is no reason for this high of a spike. Nationwide, it’s 10%, and we’re over almost 100% from a couple years ago.” French told commissioners that county jails are not designed to hold inmates for long-term stays, and that on average, inmates are in jail for about four months before release. However, because many of the women in Riley County custody are there for more severe crimes, French said they’re having a longer incarceration rate because of longer court proceedings and fewer plea deals. “The reality is long-term, we’re going to evaluate cost-effectiveness,” French said. “We’re housing so many inmates outside our facility now because the facility is not set up to deal with them.”
Source: themercury.com