Larned City Council meeting at a glance
Here is a brief look at what the Larned City Council did Monday night:
• Held a public hearing on completion of the Community Development Block Grant utilized for installation of approximately 50 blocks of waterline within the city limits.
• Administered the oath of office to Councilman Gary Rainbolt.
• The consent agenda included: Approval of a letter of engagement with the accounting firm of Vonfeldt, Bauer and Vonfeldt for the 2022 audit for the City of Larned; the mayoral appointment of Steve Ehrlich to the city’s Tree Board; and closure of unneeded bank accounts for petty cash and YMCA account for Junior City Council.
• Approved Appropriations Ordinance No. 1 in the amount of $1,174,683 plus transfers.
• During public comments, heard a presentation from Landon Erway, giving information from his weekly “Downtown Larned” podcast.
• Heard a presentation from Bryan Falk, a Salina architect, on a revitalization concept for the Larned downtown business district.
In new business the council:
• Reviewed and discussed a proposal from Heather Helvie, presenting for current owners of the property formerly the Larned Opera House at the 400 block of Broadway. The proposal would be to construct an open-air stage with green space and outdoor bar.
The project would be cost-shared between the owners and the city. The council voted 7-1 to approve the project with the provision that the project be completed within three years with demonstrable progress at the end of each year.
• Authorized the recommended purchase of a new truck for the Larned Street Department from Morris Smith Ford of Larned.
• Heard a staff presentation from Monica Steiner, city finance director.
LARNED — The city’s downtown business district received the lion’s share of discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Larned City Council. Beginning with public perception of the pros and cons of the drive down Larned’s Broadway street, discussion in the three-hour session segued into ideas of what it could look like and what it would take to get there.
It ended with a proposal to develop a downtown blight into a business and greenspace dedicated to improving the business corridor’s southern entrance.
Public perceptions
Larned business owner Landon Erway kickstarted the discussion with a presentation of takeaways gleaned from his weekly on-line forum, “The Downtown Larned Podcast.”
As a lifetime resident of Larned and owner of the State Farm Agency downtown, Erway and partner Jerred Smith have been taking the pulse of the community with the downtown business district as the project’s heart.
“As you know, downtown Larned has seen many new and ongoing financial investments this year,” Erway said. “The city’s decision to tear down several vacant downtown buildings has cultivated an energy and interest Larned has not seen in decades.
“I truly feel that we are at an unprecedented tipping point for our downtown and for the community as a whole,” Erway said.
“I’ve lived the entirety of my life listening to older generations telling stories of what downtown Larned once was. They reminisce for several minutes before the conversation turns toward our current, less-admirable state. This past year marks the first time that I’ve heard those conversations end on a positive note.
“We ask that this council give our entrepreneurs a taste of opportunity,” Erway noted. “Let’s make it a little less crazy for an investor to invest in our town. Let’s make the thought of moving back to Larned a little more appetizing for our youth. Let’s make an area we are once again proud of and what better place to start than in the heart of our community.”
An architect’s view
Bryan Falk, whose company engineered the return of state-of-the-art decorative lighting to the city’s water tower, offered renderings and sketches depicting various parts of downtown that could be effected with a minimal cost. Falk appeared at the meeting via Zoom. Falk has been working on grant applications with city staff involving downtown development.
The addition of historically-aesthetic pole lighting with sidewalk amenities would also improve the overall look, he said.
“The downtown has good historic bones to it,” Falk said. He noted that there were also state and federal funding opportunities that would result in tax credits for investors.
After the Opera House
Exacerbated by the high wind storm of December 2021, the buildings at 400-410 Broadway comprising the Larned Opera House were found to be unsafe and dangerous and statutorily demolished by the city in 2022. During the demolition process, it was learned that the buildings’ separate owners were either unavailable or unable to meet the demolition cost assessment.
The total assessment cost was determined to be $163,471. The city voted to purchase an additional building at the end of the block after incurring engineering consultant fees, for an approximate total of $36,730.
Since the demolition was completed, the properties from 400-410 Broadway have acquired new owners who are desirous of developing the space.
City Manager Brad Eilts noted that the owners’ group is proposing that in exchange for a city waiver of the remaining assessment cost of about $126,471, they would develop the property spending the same amount into a public open theater along with a private business addition that would encourage foot traffic downtown.
Heather Helvie, speaking on behalf of the owners, presented concept renderings and sketches of what the owners were wanting to do. “None of these ideas are fixed in stone,” she said.
“We’ve been calling the space ‘the Ruins,’” she said. “We were able to salvage a lot of the materials from the old Opera House. The windows had really pretty concrete surrounds that we kept.” She also said that the elevator had been saved as well as wood treatments and brick.
“It’s really exciting,” she said. “We wanted to include a stage so there would be outdoor entertainment opportunities. There would be paths, trees, a green space.
“It’s the gateway to our town as you come in from the south,” she said. “We have a lot of really exciting ideas. The problem is that this is a really significant investment and there’s a limited amount of dollars available. If all that money has to go to the city, then this isn’t happening.”
Councilman Josh Riedl moved that the city accept the proposal, with the stipulations that a third of the assessment amount be spent in renovations per year until the project is done.
The motion passed 7-1, with Councilman Jacques Molleker opposed.
