Why several Topeka-area towns will be able to add sidewalks and improve community parks

Some streets lack sidewalks in the city of Meriden — and gaps can be seen in those that do exist — but a recently awarded federal grant will help remedy that.

Meriden was among Kansas recipients announced July 26 of nearly $7.9 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Three counties and 21 cities in Kansas were awarded money to help finance community development projects.

Beneficiaries included four cities within 50 miles of Topeka. They are Meriden, Auburn, Burlingame and Alta Vista.

How much is Meriden getting to build sidewalks?

Brett Waggoner, a grant-writing specialist with Lawrence-based Government Assistance Services, wrote the application that helped bring the city of Meriden a grant totaling $98,242 to be used to build sidewalks.

In return, the city agreed to provide matching funds totaling $98,242 to be used for that same purpose.

Meriden has a population of about 740 and is located about 11 miles northeast of Topeka, in southwest Jefferson County.

Where will the sidewalks be built in Meriden?

The sidewalks will be built along Owen, Palmberg and Wyandotte streets in Meriden, Waggoner said.

The city's government identified sidewalks in that area as being "pretty important for kids walking to school," he said.

While the sidewalks won't be sufficient to cover the entire length of all those streets, the progress made will be significant, he said.

City of Auburn to use grant money to improve Fitness Park

The Department of Commerce awarded $106,481 in CDBG money for parks purposes to the city of Auburn, which agreed to provide $45,592 to match that.

Waggoner wrote the application the city of Auburn submitted for the funding it received.

Auburn has a population of about 1,273 and is located 12 miles southwest of Topeka, in southwest Shawnee County.

The grant funding will be used to build a restroom and sidewalks in the city's Fitness Park, which has no sidewalks, said Auburn Mayor Mark Brown.

The sidewalks will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.

Funds will go to Auburn's outdoor Fitness Park

The city of Auburn in 2019 created the outdoor Fitness Park, where exercise equipment is made available to the public just southeast of Auburn Civic Center, 1020 N. Washington St.

Residents coming in the morning sometimes bring towels to wipe the dew off the equipment.

But the wireless company T-Mobile last March awarded the city of Auburn $43,500 in grant funding to build a lighted pavilion, which will cover the fitness equipment. That will be constructed this coming fall, Brown said.

The Fitness Park also offers a small playground featuring a large sandpile, Brown said.

"If you've got a park and a lot of small children, you need to have a restroom," he said.

The park improvements come at a time when Auburn-area residents have been trying to convince the Kansas Turnpike Authority to build an interchange near their city.

"Auburn's on the move," Brown said. "We're going to keep progressing that way."

Brown noted that an additional $252,359.25 in grant funding announced last fall from the Kansas Department of Transportation will enable Auburn to make improvements regarding sidewalks and lighted crosswalks.

Grant money will rehabilitate Burlingame pool

The Department of Commerce also awarded $500,000 in CDBG money to the city of Burlingame to be used to rehabilitate its swimming pool, which Waggoner said was built in the 1970s.

Burlingame has a population of about 971 and is located 22 miles south/southwest of Topeka in northwest Osage County.

Waggoner also wrote the application the city of Burlingame submitted for the funding it received, he said.

The city of Burlingame agreed to provide $500,000 in matching funding for the project, and will do that using a separate $500,000 grant it received from the Emporia-based Jones Foundation, he said.

Did any other cities in the Topeka area get grants?

The Department of Commerce announced it also awarded $71,250 in CDBG funding for parks purposes to the city of Alta Vista, which agreed to provide matching funds totaling $23,750.

Alta Vista is about 45 miles west/southwest of Topeka in southwest Wabaunsee County.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Federal grants awarded to Meriden, Auburn, Burlingame and Alta Vista