Dickinson County officials learned on Wednesday, April 13 that a joint grant application to improve the northwest corridor of Abilene was not funded. In February, county and City of Abilene leaders applied for a BASE (Building A Stronger Economy) grant, seeking funds to improve the Northwest 14th corridor on the edge of Abilene. Some of the area is located in the city of Abilene, while other portions are in Dickinson County jurisdiction. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly set aside $100 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for BASE (Building A Stronger Economy) grant funding to help support infrastructure development and advance economic development opportunities in Kansas. County Administrator Brad Homman said 14 projects were awarded and all 14 were in the metropolitan areas of Kansas. “We didn’t pull enough political weight to be able to participate in that,” Homman said. However, as he has said before, applying for the grants lets decision makers in Topeka know Dickinson County has a need.
