Starlite Family Community Education Minutes

August 2026

The August meeting of Starlite FCE was held at the Presbyterian Village meeting room. President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order; Vice President Leanna Taylor led the club in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. Eleven members were in attendance. The members reported that they had volunteered 168 hours and had recycled 945 pounds.

Terri Williams read the minutes of the previous meeting and a Thank you card from Helena Smilie. Glenda Miller read a Thank you card from the Hill family. Karen Peery presented the Treasurer’s report and announced that the bake sale at the Fair had raised $313.

Glenda announced that we had won the Scarecrow contest and received second place on our hay bale at the Fair. She thanks everyone for their help at the Fair.

New Business consisted of voting to donate $25 towards Bourbon County’s gift basket for the State meeting. Karen Peery moved we donate $25, Joyce Allen seconded the motion, motion carried. It was also announced that Karen would be taking her display board on “A Journey Through Kansas” to the state meeting along with literature to hand out. It was suggested that each county bring school supplies and books to the State meeting which will be divided and sent back to the counties. Glenda Miller has donated $50 to go towards books for the State meeting.

Other New Business was taking cookies to the First Responders in September. Angela Carpenter moved we take cookies to the first responders, Letha Johnson seconded the motion, motion carried. Angela, Joyce, Deb, Karen, Letha, Leanna and Terri volunteered to provide the cookies.

Next month is time to renew membership which will be $42.50 for over 80 and $46 for the rest.

Deb Lust presented a report on the Fair. She reported that there were 151 exhibitors in the open class with 25 new exhibitors and that there were over 1,000 entries in open class.

Deb Lust moved the meeting be adjourned, Betty Johnson seconded the motion, motion carried, meeting adjourned.

After the meeting members enjoyed cake, nuts, mints and water provided by Leanna Taylor and Glenda Miller.

Glenda Miller presented the program on “Early Literacy: Building the Foundation for Lifelong Learning.”

Prepared by Terri Williams

Making Street and Road Funds Go Four Times Further, or Four Miles for the Price of One

Executing a road project via Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) and a double chip seal will cost the county approximately $51,380.67, compared to $246,189.33 for a traditional 3″ mill and overlay. Utilizing internal county personnel, equipment, and county-produced aggregate yields a massive direct savings of $194,808.66 per mile.

The total roadway surface area for 1 mile (5,280 feet) by 22 feet wide is 12,906.67 square yards.

Required Materials & Cost Breakdown (FDR & Double Chip Seal)

By performing a 9-inch FDR blend (3″ new AB-3 rock, 4″ existing rock, and 2″ underlying clay subgrade), you create a mechanical subgrade stabilization matrix. The material quantities and county-internal operating costs are calculated below:

AB-3 Base Rock (New Subgrade Addition)
Quantity Required: 1,559.56 tons (calculated at 3 inches deep over 12,906.67 sq. yd. at a standard compacted density of 1.45 tons per cubic yard).
Cost: $7,018.00 (estimated internal county quarry production rate of $4.50/ton for blasting, crushing, and fuel).

Emulsion (Bitumen for Double Chip Seal)
Quantity Required: 9,034.67 gallons (calculated using standard KDOT application rates of 0.40 gal/sq. yd. for the first lift and 0.30 gal/sq. yd. for the second lift, totaling 0.70 gal/sq. yd.).
Cost: $27,104.00 (estimated out-of-pocket material purchase cost of $3.00/gallon).

Chipseal Cover Aggregates (County Chips)
Quantity Required: 322.67 tons (calculated using standard application rates of 30 lbs/sq. yd. for the first layer and 20 lbs/sq. yd. for the second layer, totaling 50 lbs/sq. yd.).
Cost: $2,258.67 (estimated internal county quarry production rate of $7.00/ton).

Internal Personnel & Equipment Operating Cost
Cost: $15,000.00 (covers internal fuel consumption, grader blades, reclaimer teeth, and equipment wear for standard county machinery; fixed staff salaries are already accounted for in baseline county overhead).

Total FDR & Double Chip Seal Cost: $51,380.67

Financial Comparison: FDR vs. 3″ Mill & Overlay

Traditional 3″ mill and overlay requires importing Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and contracted milling services, which vastly escalates the cost structure:

Benefits of Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) in This Scenario

Elimination of Subgrade Reflective Cracking: Bourbon County clay soils expand and contract severely with changing moisture levels. Laying a 3″ HMA overlay directly on top of an un-stabilized base will cause the underlying cracks to mirror up into the new asphalt within 1–3 years. FDR blends the components into a monolithic, homogenous 9-inch thick base slab that absorbs subgrade shifts seamlessly.

Mechanical Stabilization of Bourbon County Clay: By blending 2 inches of raw clay into 4 inches of old rock and 3 inches of new sharp-graded AB-3 aggregate, you alter the plastic index of the soil. The clay effectively acts as a natural binder filler inside the void structures of the crushed stone, yielding a highly compacted, rigid foundation layer.

100% On-Site Material Recycling: FDR transforms 100% of the road’s existing, deteriorating crushed aggregate into structural assets. It completely removes the need to haul away old road materials, saving thousands of dollars in trucking costs, commercial disposal fees, and fuel consumption.

Renewable and Cost-Effective Riding Surface: The double chip seal cap is highly flexible, weather-resistant, and entirely renewable. Instead of paying massive commercial premiums for hot asphalt down the line, the county can re-seal this exact surface every 5 to 7 years using its own chips and crews for a nominal cost.

Note: Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) is a cost-effective, long-lasting, greener alternative to deep rehabilitation or removal and replacement techniques. It is an engineered rehabilitation technique in which the full thickness of the asphalt pavement and a predetermined portion of the underlying materials (base, subbase and/or subgrade) is uniformly pulverized and blended to provide an upgraded, homogeneous material. The reclaimed materials may be improved and strengthened by using mechanical, chemical, or bituminous stabilization. FDR isn’t only for roads in poor condition — it is also a viable design process for increasing the structural capacity of a pavement in good condition.

— Pete Allen