City of Girard Year in Review
City of Girard analyzes 2022 with “Year in Review”
BY PHILIP STEVENS
HOMETOWN GIRARD
Last week, City of Girard administration publicly released their “Year in Review,” which was a broad look at performance from the perspective of the City. The full transcript can be found on the City’s social media pages, as well as online at https://hometowngirard.com/category/news/.
The release is primarily focused on the City’s progress of its Comprehensive Plan 2020-2030, which it adopted in 2018, stating “we are still on track to complete every project.” The full plan can be found on the City’s website at https://www.girardkansas.gov/.
The year in review release touts higher cash balances, higher reserve fund balances, and a debt reduction, comparing year 2021 with 2017. Notably, the debt balance was reduced $2,296,694 Million, primarily a result of refinancing the debt at a lower interest rate, and definitely a win for Girard.
GN-Bank was thanked for their generous donation of $150,000 to Girard Main Street LLC this year for its campaign to revitalize the square. The bank’s donation, along with a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile is enabling grant opportunities for much-needed structural and aesthetic improvements to businesses around the square.
The City is thankful for numerous grant opportunities from Federal, State and County agencies as well as local foundations, which were directed at infrastructure and recreation:
$509,000 from County ARPA for booster station and/or line project and lift stations
$600,000 CDBG for lift stations and lagoon headworks
$404,000 from ARPA for lift stations, premium pay
$388,686 from KDOT CLINK for Hwy 7
$2,330 from GACF for PickleBall nets
$75,000 from Pathways for design engineering of sidewalk project
$4,500 from SEK Comm Foundation for disc golf course
$4,000 from Girard Area Comm Foundation for disc golf course
$10,000 from Girard Area Community Foundation for splash pad
$10,000 from the Pritchett Trust for splash pad
$18,000 from local foundations for skate park resurfacing
Turning the page to next year, the City is looking at another housing project, a slide for the city pool, and working with KMEA to develop a solar project within the city limits which the City says “will help us keep electric rates at current levels and to be prepared for the release of grant funds for rural green generation through the federal government’s Inflation Reduction Act which was signed into law this year.”
The review thanks helpful entities for their help. “As always thank you to our wonderful employees, elected officials, Land Bank board volunteers, Golf Course Committee volunteers, Industrial and Business Development Board members, Fire Department volunteers, our auto aid partners District 4 Fire and the community who have supported this community throughout the year. With your help and support we will continue to make the much needed and critical infrastructure upgrades.”
The following attachment is the full and original text from the City of Girard’s Year in Review as was mentioned in our 12-29-22 Edition of Hometown Girard.