Kimball's Civic and Community Center Financing Fund grant extended another year

Kimball City Council has another year to decide how best to use the funds received through the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund.

On Tuesday, May 16, Kimball City Council authorized Mayor Keith Prunty to sign an amendment to the contract that was granted by the State of Nebraska Department of Economic Development in 2014.

The grant is to be used for “the renovation and/or expansion to existing civic, community, and recreation centers, which may include the conversion, rehabilitation, or reuse of historic buildings. The fund may also be used for preliminary planning related to the development or rehabilitation of eligible projects.”

Originally the grant, in the amount of $250,000, was awarded for the renovation of the Kimball Event Center. The first payment, totaling $125,000, was received in December 2014.

The money is to be used specifically for major renovations at the Kimball Event Center, and according to City Administrator Dan Dean, there are currently no other plans for that money, which requires a 50 percent match of local funds.

When cost estimates came in at more than double what was expected for that renovation, Council began making cuts to make the project fit the funds.

Those measures were still not enough and an extension was filed, allowing the City additional time to reevaluate the objectives of the grant, to see if there is a way to use the money before it must be returned to the state.