Shawn Linenberger

The Tonganoxie City Council approved a bid for $3.29 million water tower at the Tonganoxie Business Park.

The city received four bids for the 750,000-gallon water tower, with the low bid coming from Gerard Tank and Steel at $2.616 million. However, as Brian Kingsley with BG Consultants explained, the bidder did not meet all qualifications, specifically that the company hadn’t constructed a similar tank previously.

The bid instead went to the next lowest bid of Caldwell Tanks for $3.299 million. City officials also learned late last week that the U.S. Economic Development Administration had awarded the city a $1.5 million federal grant for the project.

In other business, the Council:

• Approved a special event permit application for property at the Tonganoxie Public Library for a recurring farmer’s market. The market will run 4-8 p.m. Thursdays from May 12 to Oct. 13 in the library parking lot. This is the second year for the market.

• Approved $7,500 in funding toward the 2022 Tonganoxie Days festival. It’s the same amount as was approved last year. Tonganoxie Recreation Commission Board Member John Bretthauer also spoke about TRC offering a fireworks display the night before the festival, potentially at Kane’s Family Farm just south of Tonganoxie or at the TRC ball fields at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds. The festival now is in September.