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(Feb. 10, 2009) Wamego, KS — The City of Wamego has been awarded a $100,000 Kansas Small Community Improvement Program Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, Division of Rural Development. The grant will help subsidize the Wamego City Park Train Enhancement Project, a fund with the Wamego Community Foundation.
“This is fantastic news,” said Julie Roller, development associate with the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation and project committee member. “I worked with the employees at the City of Wamego, project committee members, community volunteers, and the Community Foundation to write and submit the grant application, which when completed was more than 100 pages long.”
Roller said she wanted to thank everyone who wrote letters of support for the grant application, “especially the local grade school children. Their letters and drawings showed how excited they are that they will soon have a new train in the park to ride. I can’t wait for the construction to begin; this is an absolutely wonderful quality of life project for the residents of Wamego.”
In September of last year, Eric Artzer and Cliff Baughman of AMI Plumbing began building a new electric train to replace the existing 60 year-old train in the City Park. It soon became apparent to the men that the Wamego City Park also needed updated restrooms and a new shelter house. Soon, Artzer, Baughman, and local community members gathered to brainstorm ideas on to how to incorporate all of these needs into one project; thus, the Wamego City Park Train Enhancement Project was created and a committee was formed.
“The entire project will also include laying brand-new train tracks and expanding the route so children can enjoy a longer and safer ride,” Artzer said, “building a new shelter house that will resemble a train depot and will include handicap-accessible restrooms as well as an area to house the new train, and preserving and permanently displaying the original train.”
According to René Eichem, community foundation executive director, part of the SCIP grant qualifications included the provision that at least 40 percent of the total cost of the project would come from volunteer or in-kind labor or materials. More than $65,000 in private donations and pledges have been raised for the project to date, and many individuals and businesses have committed their support through in-kind donations of labor and materials.
“The entire Train Enhancement Project will cost approximately $229,000,” she said. “The support from the community has been phenomenal; however, we can always use more help with funding as well as in-kind labor and materials.
“All funds raised in excess of the final project cost will be placed in a perpetual endowment fund,” Eichem said. “We want to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the train and shelter house for many, many years to come.”
According to Eichem, the state had $500,000 in SCIP grant money available; 18 communities applied for grants, and seven received funding.
Breakdown of Project
SCIP Grant: $100,000.00
Donations/pledges to date: 65,000.00
Remaining (donations/in-kind labor/materials): 64,000.00
Total cost: $229,000.00
For more information about the Train Enhancement Project, visit the Wamego Community Foundation website at www.thewcf.org or contact René Eichem, foundation executive director, at wcf@wamego.net or 456-8444.
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