Riley County officials pushing for health services building

Jun. 15—Riley County health leaders on Monday pushed for a new building to house the offices of the health department, emergency medical services and Pawnee Mental Health.

County commissioners made no decisions but agreed the next step would be a space-needs study.

Riley County Health Department director Julie Gibbs told commissioners during a luncheon it was "very exciting" to think about the potential for county public health, mental health and EMS to come together under one roof.

Gibbs, along with executive director of Pawnee Mental Health Services Robbin Cole and Riley County EMS director David Adams, agreed there is a need for updated facilities for all health entities in the county.

Currently, the health department is at 2030 Tecumseh Road, Pawnee is at 2001 Claflin Road and EMS headquarters is at 2011 Claflin Road.

Gibbs said she is asking supervisors in the health department to compile lists of their departmental needs to steer future discussion. She said the biggest issue with the health department building is the air-conditioning, which sometimes does not work in the clinic. She said that building and the Family and Child Resource Center need more storage, and according to people who work in the FCRC building a ghost inhabits the hallways.

"They swear there's a ghost named Henry in that building," Gibbs said. "It was named Henry well before my time."

Gibbs said benefits to bringing all three services together include smoother referral processes between agencies, enhanced communication and the ability to share training supplies and equipment if necessary.

Adams said his department needs the ability to house its vehicles and backup equipment in a single location. Right now, a backup ambulance, disaster trailer and two event vehicles are in a temporary location outdoors at the EMS building or at the Riley County Shops facility north of town.

Adams also mentioned how Riley County does not have a dedicated emergency operations center, which he said "was unheard of."

"Emergency management needs its own offices and storage spaces as well," Adams said. "A centrally located facility would be ideal and would have the ability to allow for future expansion if needed."

Last month, Adams told commissioners that EMS needed an updated facility because the needs of the department outgrow the space available. Adams said the building has remained largely unchanged since he joined the department in 1991.

"When the facility was built, we averaged around 1,500 emergency calls a year," Adams said. "Now we're at 4,500 calls a year."

Commissioner Greg McKinley agreed that EMS probably needs a facility more than the other two entities.

Commission chairman John Ford said the window of opportunity to "potentially accomplish something" relating to new health facilities is "right now."

Commissioner Kathryn Focke asked about how much room each department would need in a combined building.

Commissioners took no vote but agreed the first step would be to hire a consulting firm to carry out a space needs study and site analysis before any construction plans or funding mechanisms would be drafted.

Cole said Pawnee Mental Health Services would continue to operate as it has; the agency is a private nonprofit licensed community mental health center and substance use treatment facility that serves 10 counties in north central Kansas.

"If ever there was a time to position Riley County to meet the mental health needs of its citizens, I would suggest that time is now," Cole said.

Dust control

In other business, commissioners during their regular meeting approved the application of magnesium chloride along portions of Crooked Creek Road north of Riley to control dust. A KDOT culvert replacement project on US Highway 24 that started in April has led to drivers using the road as an unofficial detour.

Public works director John Ellermann said the dust causes poor visibility and concerns from people who live in the area. KDOT is agreeing to a one-time application of the magnesium chloride, which is a chemical compound that absorbs moisture from humid air to keep the road surface damp and hold down dust particles.

KDOT will reimburse Riley County up to $30,000 for applying the dust control chemical. County workers will spray the road with set up a later time to apply the magnesium chloride.