Onaga Senior Center

The City of Onaga, located in Pottawatomie County in northeastern Kansas, has been awarded a KAN STEP grant through the Kansas Department of Commerce to construct a new Senior Center. Construction will begin in the summer of 2004.

Onaga's project has an estimated retail value of $384,658. The city will receive a KAN STEP grant not to exceed $230,800, which leaves a local contribution of $153,857. KANSTEP is an acronym Kansas Small Town Environment Program. KANSTEP has successfully used "sweat equity" to help communities reduce cost of water systems and now community centers and fire stations.

The project representative at Onaga is Owen Duer. Grant administration will be by Virginia Dienstbier of the Rural Development Association of Northeast Kansas, based at Sabetha. Darryl Hawkins with Rosemann & Associates, PC, Overland Park, KS is architect. Kansas Rural Water Association will provide inspection services and technical assistance.

Construction of the Onaga Senior Center is scheduled to begin by early August. The site is just north of the railroad tracks on the east Side of Main Street. The ground-breaking ceremony will be July 16th and weather pending, construction may begin as early as late July. The Senior Center will have 4,000 square feet of floor space. It will include conference room, commons area, restrooms, kitchen and pantry, mechanical room, storage, exercise/shelter room and a games area. The Senior Center will also have a 392 square foot porch along with a 784 square foot drive through shelter otherwise known as a portico, or in French -- a Porte-cochere. The parking lot is planned to have concrete curb and gutter along with asphalt paving. Some value engineering may need to take place due to bids on the project being over-budget.