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College seeks federal and private grants for downtown renovation and construction training
Summary
Northwest Kansas technical college representatives updated the commission on a $1.75M CDS request for 1008 Main and a $3M state/private grant opportunity to fund passive-house home construction training and annual home builds; the college requested a letter of support if the grant application moves forward.
Ben Sheer briefed the commission on two development initiatives involving the college and its workforce programs. First, the college seeks roughly $1,750,000 in congressionally directed spending to renovate and outfit 1008 Main; the request has passed earlier Senate appropriations steps and awaits the final confirmation process between the House and Senate.
Second, the college has a rapid-turnaround opportunity to apply for a roughly $3,000,000 pool for select technical colleges to expand construction programming. The proposal would fund multi-year construction of smaller passive-house dwellings (two-bedroom, 750–900 sq ft as prototypes), with sales of the completed homes used to seed subsequent builds and create a self-sustaining program. Sheer said the construction program currently enrolls about 16–17 students total and that the college also has a base operating grant of about $1.5 million per year available for equipment and curriculum development.
Commissioners asked about program size, construction method (standard stick construction rather than panelized "zip" homes), lot availability, and whether the commission would provide a letter of support for grant applications. Several commissioners expressed support and staff said they would prepare an MOU if the grant succeeds.
Why it matters: the project could create annual hands-on training and add housing stock while leveraging grant funds and local partnerships between the college, city and SCCD.
