By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Ellis County Historical Society board members classify their request for $78,000 in seed money for a new building as a win-win situation.

Board president Ed Howell and member Tom Drees told Ellis County commissioners if they granted the historical society's request for funding for a museum-quality building, expansion in the county's 601 Main building finally could take place.

"The bottom line is we're looking at moving out, putting up our own building the size of the 2,500 square feet that we originally had from the county," Drees said. The building would be constructed on the historical society's existing property on Seventh Street.

But in order to do that, the historical society is hoping for about a quarter of the funding to come from Ellis County, which already funds other aspects of the historical society.

The building is expected to cost nearly $250,000, and the historical society would raise the rest of the funds needed. Commissioners did not act on the request Monday night, but Commission Chairman Vernon Berens said it's something for commissioners to consider for the 2011 budget, which Howell and Drees agreed with.

"It's probably going to take that length of time anyway to raise the money," Drees said of a possible county allocation in January.

The historical society is prepared to move its storage from the 601 Main building in the next few months if commissioners approve the funding request. Artifacts would be moved to temporary storage until the building could be constructed next year.

In other business:

* Commissioners approved a three-year contract with Nex-Tech for local and long-distance telephone services for $17,988.84.

* Commissioners approved removing a load restriction on a bridge just east of Catharine. The bridge previously had been posted with a 3-ton weight limit.

* Ellis County's new five-year plan for Kansas Department of Transportation funding is due to the state later this month. Commissioners agreed Monday to include three projects in the plan: a bridge 1.2 miles southwest of Ellis, a bridge 3.5 miles north of Ellis on the Ellis blacktop and a 6.2-mile stretch of Old U.S. Highway 40 from Victoria to 280th Avenue.

* Commissioners approved the purchase of three dump truck tarp systems from Hays Truck Equipment for $1,050 each. The county expects to be reimbursed for $2,000 from KCAMP, the county's insurer.

* Commissioners had a preliminary discussion about county vehicle maintenance. Commissioner Glenn Diehl requested the information as a way to find efficiencies in the county.

"We're paying outside vendors to service county vehicles when we have mechanics employed by the county," Diehl said.

Currently, the public works department does routine maintenance on its own equipment and the appraiser's vehicles, as well as maintenance as needed on other county vehicles. Commissioners expect to have more discussion on the issue in coming weeks.

* Commissioners agreed to assist the city of Ellis with the reclaiming of Monroe Street from Second to Third Street.

* Commissioners approved the sale of a lot at 418 W. 11th to Glen Teel for $1,211.

* Commissioners approved the distribution of the Ellis County alcohol tax fund to the United Way's CARE Council, as well as the following appointments to the council: Christine Lang, Kathryn McGonigal, Dustin Schlaefli and Matt Stuchlik.

* Commissioners approved a clinical education agreement with Fort Hays State University for Ellis County EMS to provide a field internship program for FHSU students.

* Commissioners approved Iberdrola's selection of CH2M Hill Inc. to complete a decommissioning study for Hays Wind LLC's proposed wind project southwest of Hays.