Topeka leaders reallocate Elevation Parkway money to fleet maintenance, sign off on resolution
TOPEKA (KSNT) - The City of Topeka is moving forward with plans to replace its fleet maintenance building, but it comes at the cost of another major project.
At Tuesday's Topeka City Council meeting, Public Works Director Braxton Copley asked the governing body to sign off on a resolution to move forward with plans for a new fleet building. This comes as the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is set to demolish the city's current facility at Fourth and Monroe streets in downtown Topeka for its Polk Quincy Viaduct project.
Copley said the city has a high-level cost estimate of $5.5 million to build a same-sized garage to replace the current one. He said KDOT has so far approved $2.4 million for the project and is currently considering adding an additional $748,000. The question of how the city will make up the remaining cost has not officially been determined.
The city must also find a temporary home for its fleet maintenance operations as soon as possible. Copley said the first first quarter of 2025, fleet maintenance must vacate its current location. That's when the building is set to be demolished. Copley said he has reached out to multiple local property owners about potential temporary homes for the facility.
Copley warned the council this process to complete this project will be a long one. He said one of the first steps the city must take are to hire a design build team and a consultant to work on site selection. That consultant would help determine whether it would be best to build a new facility or if there's an existing building that could potentially be rehabilitated.
Councilman Neil Dobler, a member of the city's Infrastructure Committee, spoke on the proposed resolution. He said the committee has been studying this issue for issue for years, and they have come to the conclusion they must move forward with this plan because there are no other options.
Dobler then offered a substitute motion regarding funding for the project.
"I know we've had a lot of discussion about Elevation Parkway," Dobler said. "In the last year, I have heard no interest from developers, property owners in that area. I think it's time to move away from that project until the owners of that that property come forward and say, 'we're willing to invest in the infrastructure,' instead of the city doing all of it."
The city council voted unanimously to approved Dobler's motion and move the $3 million previously earmarked in the 2024 CIP budget for Elevation Parkway and reassign it to the fleet maintenance building project.
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