Miltonvale Emergency Services Building

KAN STEP Grant to fund new Emergency Services Building in Miltonvale

The Kansas Department of Commerce recently announced funding in the amount of $293,440 to help the residents in and around the City of Miltonvale to construct a new Emergency Services Building. Local volunteers will contribute $385,884; the total retail cost is estimated at $681,324.

Miltonvale is located in southeastern Cloud County, west of Clay Center. The population of the city is approximately 550 people. The new emergency services building will measure 64 feet wide and 100 feet long. The facility will include a training room with a kitchenette, restrooms, an office, two ambulance bays, and a six-bay fire department.

Salih Doughramaji, Program Manager with Kansas Commerce, conducted a "post award meeting" on Thursday, August 14, 2008.

Project representatives at Miltonvale are Jim DeMars and Daren Sanders. The project architect is Dan Hall, BG Consultants, Manhattan. Kansas Rural Water Association will provide inspection services and technical assistance. North Central Kansas Planning, Beloit, will provide Grant Administration.

Twin Valley Telephone donates site for the project . . .

The site for the new Fire Station has been a project of transformation and reclamation. Until not long ago, the site was home to the former Begnoche Oil -- a local service station, like many others in small towns across Kansas and the nation, was idle for years, eventually falling into a state of disrepair. Local businessman John Gisselbeck led a group of others who purchased the property. After the purchase was finalized, the group hired Dion Lyne Dozer Service to demolish the building and level the site. With the building removed, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Bureau of Remediation brought in a contractor to clean up any ground contamination. Then, because the group of local businessmen did not want to own the building site, they deeded it to Twin Valley Telephone.

Daren Sanders approached John Gisselbeck and Mike Foster, President of Twin Valley Telephone which is based in Miltonvale, about the possible donation of the land to the City as a site for a new Fire/EMS Station. John and Mike attended the first City Council meeting to pledge their support for the project. The City of Miltonvale feels very fortunate to be home to Twin Valley Telephone as the City accepted the property.

Check out the project photos to see Miltonvale Volunteers work on their new Fire Station / EMS facility.

KAN STEP is a self-help program that is funded by the Kansas Department of Commerce through the federally funded Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Under KAN STEP, local people volunteer labor and services or "sweat equity," while the KAN STEP Grant provides funding for materials and technical services. KAN STEP is an acronym for Kansas Small Towns Environment Program.