ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — The Allen County Commission has been asked to provide funding assistance for the Recovery House, which accommodates up to five men in recovery from substance abuse. April Jackson from Thrive Allen County said at Tuesday’s Commission meeting since a grant ended that helped establish it, they have been supported by other fundraising.
The largest part of the $19,000 she’s seeking would cover six months of salary for a part time person they hired in January. Jackson said having this person allows her to focus more on fundraising and have time to work on plans for moving forward.
The remainder would be used to cover transportation services, particularly after hours. Jackson said she expects grant opportunities will be opening in the very near future, which is why she’s just asking for six months of funding.
Commissioners said they want to see if the other counties it serves in the 31st Judicial District would be willing to provide some support, though it was indicated the probability of Neosho County contributing is not very likely based on past practices.
Commissioners agreed to provide letters of support for two grant applications. One of them is to support a workforce center at Allen Community College that would house a CDL training program slated to start in the fall and for a diesel technology program.
Director of Workforce Development Kelly Baker and Grant Administrator Sonia Gugnani presented the request. Baker said they were looking for a commitment from the county to help document workforce demand, industry engagement and support partnerships helpful to student training.
Grant Administrator Sonia Gugnani said this would address two key workforce needs in the community, and noted they are interconnected in that in a number of instances the diesel technology training would be helpful for drivers in operation and maintenance.
Commissioners also agreed to provide a letter of support for Thrive Allen County connected with a “Paving the Way” Grant from the Sunflower Foundation that would be used in support of local trails and the soon to open Lehigh Portland State Park, including marketing, business support, and certification of Iola as a “Trail Town”.
Commissioner David Lee and Road and Bridge Supervisor Jeremy Hopkins discussed concerns that had been brought to Lee about a bridge project slated to begin next week on K-3 in Bourbon County. Lee said residents along West Virginia and Wisconsin Roads east of Mildred contacted him about expected increase in traffic along those roads, which go into Bourbon County and connect with K-3 just east of the county line.
Those roads were recently resurfaced, and Hopkins said they will probably place signs restricting heavy through traffic in that area. The official KDOT detour follows K-31, US 59 and US 54.
