What it would cost to demolish, fix or keep boys ranch property

Sedgwick County is figuring out what to do with the shuttered Judge Riddel Boys Ranch near Goddard.

All three options – demolishing it, fixing it or keeping it – cost money.

Under a current proposal, Sedgwick County would pay a contractor to tear down the former youth residential center for troubled boys. That could cost anywhere from $128,500 to $550,000, depending on which bid the county accepts.

The county has backed away from efforts to find a new operator for the building, which could have meant costs to renovate the ranch so it would meet current regulations. It could also continue to provide upkeep at the facility, which has been closed since 2014.

County commissioners who will decide the property’s fate appear divided about what to do next.

Commission Chairman Dave Unruh says it’s time for the county to demolish the facility and move on. New Commissioners David Dennis and Michael O’Donnell also think demolition could be the county’s best option.

But Commissioners Richard Ranzau and Jim Howell, who opposed shutting down the ranch and campaigned in 2014 on re-opening it, say the facility can still find a second life through a nonprofit.

Demolition costs

Last month, the county asked for bids to demolish the buildings and recreational features on the property.

The winning contractor would remove all electric, gas, sewer, water and cable lines before demolishing the main building, gymnasium, sheds, animal corrals, shop building, swimming pool and other structures.

Demolition would run in the low to mid-six figures, based on which company does the job. The bids:

▪ H. Excavating: $128,500 for complete demolition in four months

▪ G&G Dozer: $218,000 for complete demolition in a month and a half

▪ Pearson Construction: $232,805 for complete demolition in two months

▪ H.D. Mills & Sons: $477,900 for complete demolition in five months

▪ Dondlinger & Sons Construction: $550,000 for complete demolition in five months

Those figures are based on the county’s opening of the bids it received last week.

All but Pearson Construction would dispose of the debris in the Brooks Landfill, near K-96 and West Street. Pearson would work with Wichita construction company Cornejo & Sons.

EMA, Vogts Construction Company and Inca-Sol Environment responded to the request but did not submit bids.

ADA, code compliance issues

The county did an assessment of what structures would need to be brought up to building and trade codes if they were to be used again. Those codes regulate everything from the building’s plumbing to its electrical wiring.

“It works, very quickly, into the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Assistant County Manager Tom Stolz. “It’s a pretty tall order.”

A 2015 report provided by the county lists $49,703 of start-up costs for immediate facility needs, like repairs and preventative maintenance to the boiler, fire alarms, waste lines, hot water system and other structures.

That report also lists up to $2.3 million in other long-term costs such as updating the fire sprinklers, expanding an access road for the fire department and replacing the sewer and heating, ventilation and air condition, or HVAC, systems.

Stolz said if the ranch re-opened for its old purpose, the new operator would not have to bring it up to existing code.

“If a building is vacant and someone wants to go in and use it for exactly the same occupancy … they would be allowed to do so and not necessarily be required to bring it up to code,” said Stolz, who handles public safety, code enforcement and emergency management county functions.

But if the purpose were changed, then the work would be needed to get the building in line with code.

And if that work affects more than half of the building’s appraised value, the whole facility would have to be brought up to existing code. The facility’s appraised value was $665,660 on Jan. 1.

“After you touch the building so much ... then you have to bring the entire building up to code,” Stolz said.

That would include accessibility regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The county would be responsible for those costs if it had leased the property, which it wanted to do in multiple requests for proposals. If it had been sold, the costs would have been passed on to the new owner.

Ongoing costs

The Judge Riddel Boys Ranch has sat vacant for more than two years, except for the occasional tour by county staff members, interested nonprofits and news reporters.

In the meantime, the county still performs regular upkeep on the facility.

County public information officer Kate Flavin said there’s about $923 per month for upkeep and utilities in the budget.

The county’s open budget application also lists $1,218 for contractual payments in 2017 for leased data lines and telephone services.

Those contractual services cost $6,824 in 2015 and $8,418 in 2016.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 7:12 PM with the headline "What it would cost to demolish, fix or keep boys ranch property."