By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Health Department will soon call a new location home.
At Monday’s meeting, the Ellis County Commission approved the purchase of the Post Rock Building at 2507 Canterbury Drive from Hays Medical Center for $250,000.
Currently, the Health Department is housed, along with the Ellis County K-State Extension District, at 601 Main Street but after the merger of the leadership of the Health Department and Emergency Medical Services and the Barton and Ellis County Extension Districts merging, money saved for renovations will not be enough to cover the renovation costs.
According to County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, the county has about $265,000 remaining in the Public Building Commission bond to pay for renovations at 601 Main. Among the needed upgrades is an upgrade to the parking lot because of drainage issues when it rains. Smith-Hanes said the drainage issue and remodeling for both departments would exceed the $265,000.
“It does make financial and operation sense for the county Health Department to be located in a new facility,” Smith-Hanes said.
With the purchase of the building at 2507 Canterbury, the county can scale back renovations at 618 Main, which will only house the new Cottonwood Extension District and the Health Department will be housed in an area of the city better suited for health services, something County Commissioner Marcy McClelland applauded.
“I’m excited to see that you’re going to keep it in that end of town,” McClelland said. “It looks like it was kind of made for us.”
The county will have to make some renovations to the Post Rock Building, and Smith-Hanes said the Health Department could be moved into the new space by the end of the year.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger recused herself from the matter because her office is the escrow agent for the property.
As part of the purchase of the property, the commission also approved a budget transfer and authorized the county administrator to issue a request for proposals for architectural services for renovations for both properties.
In other business, the commission heard funding requests from 14 outside agencies totaling $1.1 million. The commission will take up the requests at the first of two budget meetings Thursday.
The commission also:
• Reappointed Lisa Ree to the appraiser position.
• Appointed Nathan Leiker, Brett Schmidt and Rob Soneson to the Planning and Zoning Board.
• Officially signed the resolution to allow the discharge of fireworks in unincorporated Ellis County.
• Approved the purchase of two new cardiac monitors through a Kansas Board of EMS grant. Of the $68,159.96 cost, the county will pay $29,308.78.