By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Despite some progress on the EMS/Rural Fire Build and 718 Main Administrative Building projects Monday night, frustrations continue to mount as progress has been slow.

At Monday’s Ellis County Commission meeting, commissioners came to agreement on the remaining details before sending the projects to their respective architects to begin the redesign process. Both projects came in well over budget during the initial bid process.

The commission agreed on three changes to the EMS/Rural Fire Building. The first is to eliminate six garage doors on the EMS portion of the building, leaving one door on the east side allowing one bay to be used as a drive-through. The estimated savings are about $30,000. The commission also approved moving the transformer and the generator closer to the building and, instead of purchasing a new generator, using the one from the Law Enforcement Center. The architect estimates not purchasing a new generator would save between $110,000 and $115,000.

As of Jan. 16, the EMS/Rural Fire building was estimated to cost $3.2 million, down from $3.9 million after the first round of bids.

During the discussion on the number of garage doors needed and what parts of the building are essential in the event of a power outage, frustration boiled with Commission Chairwoman Barbra Wasinger imploring department heads to “tell me what to cut” — going so far as asking three department heads to huddle in the hall to come up with a way to fit building upgrades into the budget.

“We’re not trying to take things out just to be capricious. We’re trying to figure out how to build this building as well as take care of 718 Main within the amount of dollars we have,” Wasinger said.

During the discussion, different hypothetical situations were brought up ranging from a tornado hitting the area and an ice storm knocking out power. As the discussion continued, it became clear that the departments do not have an emergency plan.

Commissioner Swede Holmgren asked the question: “What are the essential services that this county needs to keep in place?”

Wasinger said a disaster plan needs to be put in place by the department heads.

“The best part of this discussion is making us realize where we are most vulnerable, not knowing what we are going to do if the courthouse shuts down tomorrow,” she said.

Other business at Monday night’s meeting:

• After a brief executive session to discuss matters of attorney-client privilege and non-elected personnel, commissioners voted to give County Administrator Greg Sund the 3 percent cost-of-living increase the rest of the county employees received at the beginning of the year.
• The commission also approved extending the appointment of County Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek for four more years.