Mitchell County Fire Station in Asherville

Mitchell County Receives KAN STEP grant for new Fire Building

Rural Fire District No. 1 in Mitchell County is receiving $148,684 in KAN STEP funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce for construction of a new fire building which is located in Asherville, Kansas. Total cost of construction is $247,528 with the balance of $98,844 as the community's contribution.

Project plans call for a 3,600 square foot building designed to accommodate a recently purchased fire truck as well as provide training rooms for volunteer firefighters. The existing fire building has limited space for equipment storage and lacks space for meetings and training, plus is located in a 100-year flood plain which flooded as recently as September of 2003.

The project architect is Donnie Marrs of DMA Architects, Salina, KS. Grant administration will be provided by Doug McKinney, North Central Regional Planning Commission. The sparkplug for the project is Larry Heidrick. Kansas Rural Water Association will provide inspection services and technical assistance.

KAN STEP is a self-help program that enables small communities to make major infrastructure improvements. Local people volunteer labor and services for "sweat equity," while and Kansas Department of Commerce provides funding for materials and technical services. KAN STEP is an acronym for Kansas Small Towns Environment Program. It gives small Kansas communities an opportunity to do projects they couldn't otherwise afford. The funding is provided through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.