Lyon County Commissioners have approved the purchase of land slated to house two important facilities.
As part of their regular action meeting Thursday morning, commissioners approved purchasing what was listed as “Kretsinger property,” a 19-acre tract of land at West South Avenue. This is not the same property set to house the Kretsinger home development on Soden’s Road.
The purchase cost is just over $206,000, which will be paid for through the remaining COVID-19 relief dollars. The site will also be constructed with a new law enforcement training facility and gun range. The training facility will include a new targeting system, paid for with a portion of Federal dollars allocated through a grant from US Senator Jerry Moran to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office back in December.
Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope says this was a two-year grant that was essentially cut down to 16 months due to actions at the Federal level and is contingent on the range being operational by May of 2026. If that deadline is not met, the county would have to repay the entirety of the grant back to the Federal government.
When asked if he was confident the range would be operational by that time, Cope stated that he is adding that the range will benefit more than just the Sheriff’s Office, saying it would be made available to other local and state agencies.
Cope also says they have reached out to agencies beyond the local community who may utilize the facility, bringing outside dollars into the community.
While the targeting system was paid for with the Federal grant, the infrastructure to house it will be paid for through county sales tax dollars. It will not be the only facility constructed on the land. Plans are also to construct a new facility to house the county’s 911 dispatch department, which is currently located in the Emporia Police Department headquarters inside White Auditorium.
The new facility, according to comments from commissioners, local law enforcement and Lyon County Emergency Communications Center Director Roxanne Van Gundy, will mean more space for telecommunicators to work and train, which will likely lead to increased efficiency in operations. Van Gundy was not immediately available for comment following the meeting, however, she will join KVOE’s Newsmaker 2 segment at 8:20 Monday to further discuss the project and National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week.
Like the training facility, the new 911 building would be paid for out of county sales tax dollars with no ad valorem taxes being used for the project. Exact estimates are currently pending, however, Cope says the total price tag for the project could be around $2 million by the time all is said and done.
Commissioners approved the land purchase unanimously, however, Commissioner Chris Bartel noted he was “on the fence” about the matter until Thursday. When asked what led to his decision to support the item, Bartel says he did a great deal of research and had several conversations with the various entities involved and came to the conclusion that the “value of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
Following the action to approve the purchase of the property, commissioners also discussed current leases on said property.
In other business commissioners:
*Approved the 2025 weed spray chemical bid from Van Diest Supply Company for more than $207,000 for the county Noxious Weed Department.
*Approved Lyon County Zoning and Floodplain Manager Sam Seeley’s request for out-of-state travel to attend the 2025 Association of State Floodplain Managers conference in New Orleans, LA,
*Reviewed an access easement for Randall Ikerd on property off Road P.
*Received an overview of KCAMP services.
The Lyon County Commission will reconvene for its weekly action meeting at 9 am next Thursday inside of the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers.
