City votes to buy land north of town

The Dodge City Commission decided Monday to purchase 312 acres of land just north of town and continue exploring the possibility of building a wastewater reclamation plant at that site.
    But the commission also pledged to look at other possible locations for the plant.
    The commission voted 3-2 Monday to approve a contract to buy the land on North 14th Avenue from property owners Marilyn Rebein, Ford County Commission Chairman Kim Goodnight and Elizabeth Goodnight. The city will pay $1.55 million for the land, which includes 280 acre feet of available water rights.
    The Rebein property is about a mile north of the city limits.
    Mayor Kent Smoll, Vice Mayor Rick Sowers and Commissioner Jim Sherer voted in favor of the purchase, while Commissioners Monte Broeckelman and Brian Weber voted against it.
    The commission also directed city staffers to study the pros and cons of building a wastewater reclamation plant on the Rebein property and continue looking at other possible sites.
    Sowers said city officials haven't decided yet whether to build the wastewater reclamation plant on the Rebein property, but acquiring the land would at least be a starting point.
    "This is the chip in the game," he said. "This gets us started."
    Weber suggested buying an option to acquire the land at a later date, which would give the city time to study other possible locations for the plant.
    "The proper way to have our chips in the game — the proper way to proceed — would be to purchase an option on this land," he said. "To have that still available to us while we pursue and seek out and identify other sites."
    City officials have said the water reclamation plant must be built north of U.S. Highway 50 because all development in that part of town drains toward the north. In addition, they expect the city to continue growing in that direction.
    Assistant City Manager Cherise Tieben told the commissioners that the Rebein property comes with several advantages, including the available water rights. For instance, she said, a water reclamation plant at that location would serve either location for Dodge City's casino.
    She added that a plant on that property would make it easier for the city to use the reclaimed water to irrigate several properties in the northern part of town, including Legends Park and the youth soccer complex.
    But several people in the audience objected to the prospect of having a water reclamation plant so close to town. They urged the commissioners to either delay their decision on acquiring the property or look for another site for the plant.
    The Rev. Kirk Larson, pastor of Grace Community Church at 500 Ross Blvd., said he was not opposed to the plant as such, but he did object to its proposed location on the Rebein property — or at least the idea of building the plant close to his church.
    "Look for more opportunities, and be better equipped to make a better land purchase when we know exactly where that wastewater treatment plant will be," he said.
    CarolAnn Sewell, who lives at 2901 Westview Ave., said she worried about the possibility that a wastewater reclamation plant in the area would drive property values down.
    "It's a real concern because personally, I just don't want to be next to a sewer plant — or a sewer whatever this is — regardless of all the new things that are coming about," she said. "If there's going to be one, I would much prefer that it was further away from our city."
   
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.