Tampa residents make case for road

After meeting with five representatives of the Tampa community Monday, the Marion County commissioners said they will look into a state transportation revolving loan, probably over a 10- to 20-year term, for a 6-inch asphalt layover for four miles of 330th Road west from Tampa to Kansas Highway 15.

David Mueller, chairman of the board for Agri-Producers Inc. at Tampa, who presented the idea of the loan, said the program is a self-funding line-of-credit that is not subject to state budget cuts.

?As money comes into it, it comes out,? he said. ?You draw it as you need it.?

Stan Utting, chairman of the cooperative, observed that even if the county gets the loan, ?you?re probably a year out from doing anything.?

During that year, the Tampa group said it will be dealing with about 5,000 trucks annually coming in on gravel to support the town?s industries.

Tampa and Ramona are the only towns in Marion County not served by state highway, they said, but Ramona is nearly all residential. Those trucks serve industries that are major to the county, they said.

In addition to these concerns, Tampa Mayor Jim Clemmer said Santa Fe Trail markers are going in for Independence Day celebration of the Trail with a tourist influx expected.

Chris Costello, president of Tampa State Bank, said lobby traffic at the bank in Tampa has dropped noticeably with many of the bank?s customers preferring to travel to its branch in Marion.

Utting said the five or six big trucks that came into API that morning will grow to 50 to 60 trucks daily by wheat harvest in June.

Commissioner Randy Dallke said he has heard rumors that there is a major development possible on 300 acres along 330th that would help justify them in building a 6- to 8-inch overlay.

Utting replied that Tampa has had ?some feelers on the property,? interested because the town also had railroad service.

?We?ll keep that ground available,? he said. ?There?s nothing concrete. If the property was on Highway 15, it would be easier.?

County Road and Bridge Director John Summerville said his crew did finish graveling and packing the fourth mile of 330th from K-15 last Friday, and expects to move on east of Tampa this week.

Those present agreed the graveling and packing is making a better road bed for eventual resurfacing, especially as evidenced by the reconstruction of the former hard-surface road south of town undergoing the process.

Commissioner Bob Hein said reconstruction of the south road has significantly aided drainage of water from it which will help in the future.

Mueller said Tampa pays its own way with two businesses there that are ?critical to the county,? API and Cardie Oil Inc., together paying more than $200,000 in property taxes.

Craig Settle, manager of Cardie Oil at Tampa, said the company is a major supplier for propane and fuels in the county, and most of it comes in over 330th with a major portion also going out that way.

?Cardie has a major impact on the county?we support other businesses,? Settle said. ?You can?t base that impact on the population of Tampa. We have a $2 million annual payroll.

?We compete out-of-county, too, taking business from Emporia, Salina, Newton…. If we have to slow down on those four miles, it means we can?t haul as many loads a day (with drivers limited on hours by the state). A good road helps us continue to grow.?

Mueller said API has a $2.1 million payroll with 45 employees, and generates $53 million annually in sales.

Dallke said with all the talk of economic development, the commissioners want to take care of businesses already located are here.

?We want to take care of what we?ve got,? he said. ?We don?t want to lose them. Sometimes we get excited by recruiting something new, and the existing businesses feel left out. That?s always bothered me.?

Commission Chairman Dan Holub said, ?We need to give Tampa good access, especially with truck cargoes coming in that could be hazardous. We can?t have commercial traffic like that coming down a gravel road or a chip-and-seal road that will tear up.?

Hein said even a 6-inch asphalt road probably won?t last more than 10 to 12 years.

The commissioners agreed that even with a loan, they will want to seek grants to help with maintaining the road.

Dallke said too much road work has been done on a get-by basis, and this time he want to make sure the commissioners ?do it right.?

They agreed they will get recommendations and price estimates from an engineering firm.

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