LARNED — The City of Larned has received a $25,000 grant toward a quality-of-life improvement of its community garden, state officials announced Dec. 24.

David Toland, Lt. Governor and Kansas Secretary of Commerce, announced last Wednesday that the Office of Rural Prosperity at the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $337,833 in Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) grants to 15 quality-of-life community projects across the state. The awards leveraged more than $744,186 in local contributions, bringing the total investment available for the projects to almost $1.1 million.

“Our small towns in Kansas are the heart of this state — they have character, history and most importantly, they have passion for growth,” Toland stated. “Investing in these projects provides opportunities for smaller, rural communities to make themselves more appealing to their current and future residents as well as attract potential new businesses.”

Awardees of the grant represent communities with a population of 5,000 or less. They also commit to a minimum 10% match and to provide a completed project proposal within 12 months. The projects must be focused on economic development and revitalization efforts through one of the following quality-of-life categories: Childcare and Senior Programming, Community Vibrancy, Food Retail or Libraries.

The Larned award is slated toward construction of a greenhouse for the community garden, to be constructed by Larned High School students in instructor Adam Hewson’s industrial arts class. The garden is supported by the Larned Civic PRIDE organization and community donations, as well as funding allocations from the city and county.

The Civic PRIDE organization came together in 2009. Members then partnered with K-State Research and Extension with the community garden as their initial project and a mission to improve existing features or add new ventures in the Larned community. The group then expanded in 2014, merging with the Larned Kiwanis Club.

Most recently, a ribbon-cutting was held June 27 on the garden’s produce stand building, also constructed by LHS industrial arts students. 

The 15 state awards announced Wednesday also included the city of City of Alden in Rice County, which received $22,420 to install two limestone monument entrance signs that read “Alden Welcomes You – Est. 1872.”