By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

At Monday’s meeting, the Ellis County Commission will discuss a proposal for a new building for the public works shop.

The county commission will meet at 5 p.m. at the Ellis County Administrative Center.

The current public works shop at 1195 280th Ave. was constructed in the 1960s and has not had any significant upgrades since.

During the 2018 commission retreat, commissioners identified upgraded facilities for public works as a high priority for future capital planning, according to the report in the commissioners’ agenda packet.

The county initially considered building a new metal building at the 280th Avenue location. A revised price for that project is estimated at $1.4 million. That includes converting the existing shop into cold storage.

However, the county has recently leased to purchase land adjacent to the landfill. All of the land that county plans to purchase is not needed to expand the landfill. Staff is proposing relocating the Public Works Department to 240th Avenue adjacent to the landfill. This would allow the Solid Waste and Public Works departments to work more closely.

The county could sell the existing public works property instead of subdividing the property it is purchasing adjacent to the landfill.

The county administrator is seeking the commissioners’ opinions as to whether they approve of the new direction for the public works project.

The county will also consider a transfer of funds to the Capital Equipment Reserve Fund.