No department's work scope and versatility matches the responsibilities of Public Works. From electricity, water, streets, and more, the Public Works staff's impact on day-to-day life in Lindsborg is vast. Now that the new year is in full swing, now is the perfect time to take a look at some of the department's projects and provide a statue update.

AMI upgrade water

Water endpoints did not arrive until late 2022. Installation began in the spring of 2023, but the process has been slow because of several other water projects and upgrades to the billing software at City Hall. At the end of 2023, 40% of the endpoints had been installed. Installation continues and as of the end of June 2024, 65% of the installation is complete. As of the end of November 2024, 80% of the endpoints have been installed. The remaining endpoints will include the replacement of the water meter of which most of them are residential and the remaining will be 1.5” or larger meters.

Substation transformer project

• Work took place all of 2023 preparing for the additional transformer—construction of a new base and containment pit for the new transformer, moving around old breakers and preparing for new breaker installation, new wiring pulled in, and new relays and controls added.
• The new transformer arrived in August and was tested for service.
• The new breakers arrived in December 2023. KMEA Mid-States and the Electric staff worked on the final high-side connections to have the new transformer operational by mid-spring 2024.
• Work continued through the early part of the year to finish various parts of the control system and bus bar connections.
• The final checks were made in the first part of May and on May 7, 2024 the loads were split. The west and central circuits went onto the new transformer and the east circuit along with MKC remained on the old transformer.
• Sunbelt Solomon was on site the week of October 21 and did the maintenance and testing of the old transformer. KMEA crews did the work on the LTC controls and finished the change out of the new primary feed to the old transformer.

Cow Creek sedimentation removal

• Phase One finished in late summer of 2023. Some conversations have taken place with Phase Two holdouts and have been productive.
• Additional conversations have taken place with the first property owner on the north side of town. Wilson & Co. completed a basic project plan for what needs to be done on that property. Staff met with the property owners and discussed plans and the work that needs to be done.

Crack and Mastic sealing work on Streets

• The Street Department sealed cracks using the normal crack sealing machine. They follow up on previous years' sealing as well as expand each year onto other streets working to stay ahead of small problems before they become larger issues.
• For the second straight year they also utilized a Mastic Crack sealant which helps seal larger cracks and helps to improve ride quality on streets with larger cracks.

Chip sealing

Crews from APAC were in Lindsborg during July to complete 39,024 sq/yds of chip seal.