Project of the Month, February 2008

City of Enterprise KAN STEP Project

The City of Enterprise had a ribbon cutting in December 2007 to celebrate completion of its combination library/fire station in the downtown area. The city received a KAN STEP grant award of $253,500 from the Kansas Department of Commerce Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in the summer of 2005.

While grant funds were used to purchase the building materials, community volunteers provided sweat equity to construct the 6,600 square foot facility. The previous library, constructed in 1873, was demolished to make room for the new structure. Several factors combined to encourage community leaders and stakeholders to pursue this project. The previous library had efficiency, accessibility, structural and roof concerns that were beyond the financial means of the community to remedy, even with the city’s ongoing maintenance efforts.

The new facility provides a long-term solution for the community. The new space enables fire fighters to be better trained, to respond promptly to emergencies and to store equipment in a manner that can be readily accessed. The fully accessible lower level community room is used for large community gatherings. Currently the senior citizen organization meets there regularly and other community functions occur there on a periodic basis. In addition, the new library will for the first time be fully accessible to the public, which will provide more opportunities for education of all persons regardless of age or ability. The end result is a sense of pride and a hope for the City of Enterprise and nearby rural residents.

For more information about the project, contact Doug McKinney at the NCRPC. More information about the KAN STEP program is available at the Kansas Department of Commerce website.