Lincolnville gets green light for community building
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
The City of Lincolnville has obtained permission from the state of Kansas Department of Commerce to proceed with plans for a new community building. A Kan Step grant application was approved.
The message was received Monday by Jane Pigorsch and David Schneider, who traveled to Topeka to give grant facilitator Marilyn Graham a new list of 143 volunteers and a report of Thursday's town meeting to ensure community support.
At the meeting, facts and figures were presented by committee members and others to make a clear case for a new building.
Leaders of the Lincolnville Wide Awake 4-H Club were given credit for the good job they did in keeping the building maintained for almost 30 years. Many people are nostalgic about a building which holds many memories for them.
Gail Makovec, a member of the building committee, was a member of the carpenter class at Centre High School which participated in construction of the building. He said even though some things may not have been done right and there was no inspector, everyone learned a lot.
Others noted the building has served the community well.
Schneider reflected on recent inspections by the state fire marshal and an architect. He pointed out flaws that would require extensive repairs to keep the building usable in the foreseeable future.
Don Buethe pointed out the high cost of maintaining the present building and fixing it. His family was actively involved in 4-H, so he is nostalgic about it, yet realistic.
"This building served it's purpose, and now it's time to move on," he said. "You can't keep this building going without spending a lot of money, and why fix it if you can have a new building for nothing?"
Committee member Glenn Carlson agreed.
"The 4-H did a good job of keeping this building up, but it's going to take some bucks and we need to move on."
Brian Owens, another committee member, said an earlier proposal to seek a community development block grant was dropped because of residents' objections to the amount of money the town would have to contribute, raising taxes as a result.
Owens said $1 million already has been allocated by the state for Kan Step projects.
"All we need is to get the community together to do it," he said. "We have to find out what you want."
"If we don't take advantage of these funds, somebody else will," Schneider said.
David Mueller of Kansas Rural Water Association (KRWA) concurred and added that community support is just as important as having enough volunteers.
He pointed out the superiority of a Kan Step loan. There is no application deadline, he said, and no matching funds.
He said the community will have no trouble meeting its 40 percent share of the total cost, and KRWA has personnel who will provide technical assistance during the construction process.
County clerk Carol Maggard was present and assured Lincolnville residents that the project will not increase their taxes.
"Municipally-owned buildings are tax exempt," she said.
She is hoping the new building can be used as a polling site for Lincolnville and Clear Creek and Clark townships, as the present building has been used.
"We would like to keep it here to avoid long-distance travel for voters," she said. "The fact that the new building will be handicapped-accessible will be an added benefit. I offer my support because I believe it will be a great asset to your community. It's exciting to see what you can do."
County commissioner Howard Collett also was present to lend his support.
According to Pigorsch, Marilyn Graham, Kan Step facilitator, views the volunteer list as "one of the best lists I've seen."
Committee member Anita Svoboda requested suggestions from the audience as to what they would like to see included in the new building. The consensus was to keep it similar to the present building, with additions such as air conditioning, an entrance porch, and a "safe" room.
The meeting was viewed as a success by the core committee.
"People who seemed to be in opposition after the first meeting signed up this time," Svoboda said. Their names were added to the more than 90 who had previously volunteered.
The next step
Within the next 10 days, the committee will meet with Donnie Marrs of Salina, a state-approved architect. They will submit final plans for a community building.
Marrs will have 30 days to draw up plans and come back with a cost estimate including materials and labor. If he determines the community's contribution to be less than 40 percent of the total cost, the committee will make adjustments to produce the necessary savings. A report of the final plan then will be made public.
"Community unity" signs will be posted around town to remind everyone the building is a community effort.
Anyone who has ideas or suggestions regarding the new building is asked to contact Pigorsch at 620-924-5746, Schneider at 620-924-5755, or any other committee member.
