his week, Great Bend City Council approved spending almost $2,000 in city funds to assist paying for the Family Crisis Center to move into its future location in the former federal building at Broadway and Main.
The council approved spending $1,800 to help fill in for moving costs, after meeting with FCC Director Laura Patzner.
Patzner explained that the local organization, which also serves 10 counties across this region, has received grant funding to move into the expanded facility, allowing it to develop an area for secured programs, including a child exchange and visitation area.
She added the changes will mean that the agency will add substantially to its staff.
Patzner said the FCC currently employs 13 staff members and through the changes that will happen in the new location, it should add five or six more positions, including security personnel.
While the grants that have been secured will cover those expansions, they did not provide for the costs involved in moving to the new location and the adjacent costs, such as adding to phone systems and other details.
It has been estimated that the cost will be around $2,400 and the city was asked to fund $1,800 of that.
While the new facility is considerably larger than that where FCC is now located, it won’t be too much space, she told the city council. “We have literally filled it,” she commented.
Support for paying for the move was not unanimous, however.
Councilman Randy Myers voted in opposition to the city paying the $1,800. He referenced the council’s decision earlier in the year to not pay for traffic signals at Broadway and Harrison. “My problem is, we couldn’t afford to put in a traffic light.”