Lyon County Commissioners have approved a previously budgeted allocation to Flint Hills Technical College, however, it was not a unanimous decision.
During their regular action meeting Thursday morning, Commission Chair Ken Duft and District Two Commissioner Doug Peck voted to approve the $230,000 appropriation, which will go towards improvements to the college’s Computerized Machine Tool Engineering program, while District Three Commissioner Chris Bartel voted in opposition. Bartel clarified his decision was not personal noting his appreciation for the tech college.
Bartel says his decision was rooted in the fact that he was not involved in last year’s budgeting process when commissioners approved the appropriation and also followed correspondence with various constituents who expressed concerns about the dollar amount.
As mentioned, the appropriation was previously approved during the previous budgeting cycle and is not a revolving annual allocation which seemed to cause some confusion for local residents according to Chairman Duft.
Commissioner Peck echoed Duft’s statement and added that if anyone ever has questions or concerns regarding the budget there is always an abundance of opportunity for them to gain clarification.
Following the split vote, KVOE News spoke with FHTC President Dr. Caron Daugherty and asked her thoughts on the discussion that preceded the decision. Daugherty expressed her gratitude to the commission and the feedback from local voters saying she does not see this as an affront to the college, but an opportunity for improvement.
In other business Thursday, commissioners approved a series of resolutions to submit an application to the Kansas Department of Commerce for a Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation Community Development Block Grant on behalf of Fork and Spoon LLC. Fork and Spoon LLC., operated by Lucas and Amy Moody, is the company that oversaw the renovation and development of business spaces such as Trox Gallery and Gifts and Gravel City Roasters and are looking to do the same with a property at 713 Commercial Street in the near future.
Lucas Moody, who was in attendance for Thursday’s meeting, says the space they are looking to renovate will be similar to the Trox and Gravel City space, however, he could not say what businesses may go into the property once renovations are completed. That said, Moody told local media the space will continue Fork and Spoon’s mission of fostering collaborative partnerships that help to build the local downtown business community.
Due to state statutes, CDBG funds are only available to governing bodies, such as the county commission, and as such the county will be acting as a passthrough for the grant dollars, if awarded, on Fork and Spoon’s behalf. The county could be awarded a maximum of $300,000 through the program which could make a sizeable dent in the renovation costs as Moody estimates the total price tag for the renovation process could come to about $400,000.
While acting as a passthrough for the dollars, the county will not take on any additional debt or financial liability. Details on when the county may hear back on the grant status are currently pending.
Separately Thursday, commissioners also approved a $12,000 allocation to the Wall That Heals which is a mobile replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. set to pass through Emporia in August. The Lyon County Commission will reconvene for its regular action meeting next Thursday at 9 am inside of the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers.
