City awarded $600,000 to purchase new fire truck

Replacing the Holton Fire Department’s primary fire engine has been identified by Holton city officials as a priority in recent years, although the projected cost of a new fire engine has been the main obstacle for the city to overcome.

On Thursday, Feb. 11, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that Holton will receive $600,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Community Development Division to help the city purchase a new fire truck.

“We are truly appreciative to have been selected for CDBG funds,” Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee said of the governor’s announcement. “I don’t know how we could have paid cash for a new fire truck any other way.”

Holton is one of 32 Kansas communities that will divvy up a total of $13,864,149 in CDBG funds for various projects that will benefit low- and moderate-income persons, prevent or eliminate slums and blight or resolve an urgent need where local resources are not available to do so, it was reported.

Gov. Kelly called the CDBG program “a powerful tool” for improving Kansas communities, revitalizing essential infrastructure and maximizing economic opportunities.

“I am glad to see Holton being recognized,” the governor said. “Over the past several months, the (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened the challenges our rural communities face when it comes to community development — making assistance like this more important than ever.”

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