Released Sept. 19, 2007
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - For some Kansas communities, a can-do attitude might seem to make size irrelevant . . .
Ten relatively small towns, ranging in size from Alton (pop. 111) to Stockton (pop. 1,477), will be honored with a Kansas PRIDE STAR Award during Kansas PRIDE Day 2007 in Junction City, Kan., Sept. 29.
The awards signify an exemplary community development project, said Dan Kahl, Kansas State University Research and Extension coordinator of the Kansas PRIDE program.
Award winning efforts vary and, while projects like a new community swimming pool, help in rebuilding a town´s one-and-only hardware store after a fire, and establishing a library, might seem to have little in common, each is the result of a successful PRIDE community engagement process, Kahl said.
"The fact that the projects are so different reflects the essence of the grassroots community development effort that has been helping Kansas communities for 37 years," he said.
The statewide program is co-administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, with a shared goal of helping communities identify needs, potential resources and can-do strategies to make local improvements.
Not all projects can be completed in a year, said Kahl, who noted that PRIDE volunteers and others in Rossville worked on the city´s pool project over several years. The same is true for Lucas, which earned a previous award for renovating a local theatre in 1998. Volunteers recently invested 18 months to complete phase II of the project, an addition to the popular gathering place.
Communities earning a 2007 Kansas PRIDE STAR award and their projects are:
- Alton, population 111, volunteers pulled together to clean up after a local hardware store/ landmark building was destroyed by fire, then raised money to help finance re-building.
- In Beattie, pop. 271, volunteers remodeled a downtown building (purchased by the city) to serve as a City Hall and library with reading programs and mobile book service.
- In Glasco, pop. 509, an intergenerational group of volunteers researched Civil War veterans buried in the town´s cemetery, then wrote and published the veterans´ biographies.
- In Grinnell, pop. 314, volunteers organized a city-wide cleanup (clean-out, fix-up, and paint-up) to beautify their community, offering also to haul off over-sized and unused items to the local landfill. Working with the Kansas Forest Service area forester to replace trees damaged by an ice storm also was part of the project.
- In Lenora, pop. 300, volunteers implemented a Kansas Dept. of Commerce KAN-STEP Community Development Block Grant to help volunteers build a new community center and library. After completing the building, community volunteers hosted bake sales and soup suppers to purchase furnishings.
- In Lucas, pop. 416, volunteers who earned a 1998 PRIDE STAR Award for renovating a community theatre, have earned a second award for investing 18 months building an addition to expand the stage and dressing rooms for use of the building as a multi-purpose facility.
- In Melvern, pop. 426, PRIDE volunteers organized a community Thanksgiving dinner. After serving 750 plated meals, leftovers provided food for a holiday meal to 24 families.
- In Onaga, pop. 687, volunteers joined forces with volunteers from nearby Havensville and Wheaton to raise $100,000 to build a safe, entertaining and handicapped accessible community playground.
- In Spearville, pop. 843, volunteers raised money to replace a rundown wooden fort in the city park. Volunteers then were able to install new, safety-engineered playground equipment.
- In Stockton, pop. 1,477, volunteers applied for - and received - a $16,800 "Tennis in the Park" grant from the U.S. Tennis Association and National Recreation and Parks Association to aid in the construction of a tennis court complex in the city park.
Each of the Kansas PRIDE STAR Award winning communities earned a commemorative plaque and a cash award to help fund future community development projects, Kahl said.
"The way these communities are pulling together for community improvement is impressive - and inspiring to others," he said.
More information on the Kansas PRIDE Program is available at county and district Extension offices, on the PRIDE Web site, http://www.kansasprideprogram.ksu.edu, or by calling PRIDE representatives at K-State Research and Extension (785-532-5840) and the Kansas Department of Commerce (785- 296-3487).
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/2007/towns_earn091997.htm
Contacts: Kansas Department of Commerce PRIDE contacts, Jeanne Stinson and JR Robl, (785) 296-3487
Nancy Peterson, nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
