Construction of a new traffic light at U.S. Highway 24-40 and Stone Creek Drive/South Park could start in the coming months.

The City Council approved accepting bids for construction of the lights at the city’s easternmost intersection.

The bid deadline is June 30.

Plans for the traffic signal at the intersection came after a long debate of where to place the light.

Kansas Department of Transportation officials preferred the light being installed at Laming Road and U.S. 24-40, which is the next intersection to the west.

However, after several discussions at council meetings and a town hall meeting, the council opted to pursue the light at Stone Creek Drive/South Park, and KDOT eventually agreed.

The city’s cost is estimated at $100,000, with KDOT covering the rest. The total price tag is about $370,500 for the project.

The project is expected to take about a month to complete.

Police department extends lease

The Tonganoxie Police Department will remain on the northwest corner of Fourth and Bury at least for another year.

The Tonganoxie City Council approved a new lease with Calvin Quisenberry, who owns the building that the department is leasing.

The new lease is for one year, with the current lease expiring Aug. 31.

Terms of the initial lease were one year with the option to renew another year. The new agreement has an initial term of one year with automatic renewal in following years provided that the department nor Quisenberry exercises the option to terminate the lease.

The lease is $1,300 per month, the same rate as the current lease.

In other business, the council:

• Approved an interlocal agreement with Leavenworth County for fire department radios. In 2011, firefighters in Leavenworth County learned that newly purchased 800 megahertz radios were unable to withstand excessive heat and water during a fire suppression event. Leavenworth County renegotiated in fall 2012 for replacement of the radios for all fire departments in the county. The renegotiation raised the purchase price, which increased Tonganoxie’s share by about $2,600 for a total of nearly $15,150 annually.
• Approved unanimously biennial bridge inspection for Tonganoxie bridges. BG Consultants, the city’s engineering firm, will be conducting the inspections for $3,550, an increase of $200 from the 2012 inspections. To qualify for state and federal participation in bridge construction and repairs, cities must conduct inspections of their bridges, said Nathan McCommon, Tonganoxie city administrator.
• Approved unanimously a cereal malt beverage application for Brothers Market.
• Approved firework permits unanimously for Shann Trieb at 105 E. Fifth St. and 813 E. First St., Rockstar Fireworks at 325 W. U.S. Highway 24-40 and Anthony Miller/Sacred Heart Youth Group at 1100 West St.

Council member Chris Donnelly abstained from voting on the location on the highway because it is on land he owns.