Barton County may be able to receive additional funding for the $4.2 million courthouse renovation, Chairman Shawn Hutchinson announced Thursday when the Barton County Commission hosted a Great Bend Chamber of Commerce coffee.
“There’s a potential we could get $1.2 million back in tax credits,” he said. That is possible due to Great Bend Economic Development Inc.’s efforts to have the downtown area declared a historic district.
Hutchinson described the major undertaking as the fiscally conservative option.
“What were our choices?” Hutchinson said. The county could put up a metal building or preserve the historic courthouse.
“We’re not bonding, we’re not borrowing, and we’re not robbing Peter to pay Paul to do this,” he said.
The money spent on leasing two commercial buildings for more than a year will pay off in the long run, he added, describing the expense as a way of “investing some of our assets back in the community.”
The former JC Penney building is in the process of getting a new roof, “not on us,” he said. The county is chipping in part, but not all, of the cost for new carpeting in the building, but the end result will be a commercial property with increased valuation.
“Any improvements to that building will help put that building back on the tax rolls at a higher rate.”
The same goes for the property at 1709 Main that will house the Barton County Attorney’s Office and district courtrooms. Any improvements that the county does will ultimately result in the “increased valuation of property (that) pays us all back.”
Commissioner Barb Esfeld thanked others who offered to lease five or six smaller offices, each around 2,000 square feet.
“We really did a lot of research,” she said. “It made sense to keep everybody together.” The exception will be the courtrooms, but the commissioners said the Main Street property is best suited for that.
Local businessman Mark Mingenback joked that the commissioners were showing their age when they called the property at 1709 the “old Sears building.” The last Sears Hometown Store in Great Bend was located on 10th Street, but years ago a Sears store filled the block, from 1701-1709 Main. Today, 1701 Main houses Bin Shop’n and Goodwill Industries is at 1705 Main. The portion of the property at 1709 and the parking lot to the north will be used by the county.
