Westmoreland Fire Station

Westmoreland receives KAN STEP award for fire station

The City of Westmoreland has been awarded a $399,850 KAN STEP grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce to construct a new fire station. Westmoreland is located in Pottawatomie County in northeast Kansas.

The KAN STEP grant will pay for a new 6,600 square foot facility. The project has an estimated retail cost of $675,937. This includes volunteer labor valued at $276,087 and the KAN STEP grant of $399,850.

The overall dimensions of the Westmoreland Fire Station project are 60 feet x 110 feet. The building includes 6 bay doors with one being a pull-through bay. The truck bay area also has a trough drain, lockers and storage above the additional rooms. The fire station also has additional rooms including a training center with an open kitchen, restrooms, storage room, office and a library nook.

Dan Hall with BG Consultants, Manhattan, is the architect. Grant administration will be provided by Donna Crawford of Governmental Assistance Services, Lawrence. The volunteer "sparkplug" for the project is Leah Smith. Kansas Rural Water Association will provide inspection services and technical assistance to the volunteers.

KAN STEP is a self-help program that enables small communities to make major infrastructure improvements. Local people volunteer labor and services or "sweat equity," while the Kansas Department of Commerce provides funding for materials and technical services. An acronym for Kansas Small Towns Environment Program, KAN STEP 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.