Photo illustration using 2 photos of Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln, KS. The left photo shows the way the buildings looked a century ago, juxtaposed with the current building facades. Lincoln County is receiving a Historic Preservation Fund reimbursement grant through the Kansas Historical Society to hopefully gain historic status in various places in the county. (Photo illustration by Kris Heinze)
By Hailey Dixon for the Lincoln Sentinel
Lincoln County is receiving a Historic Preservation Fund reimbursement grant through the Kansas Historical Society to hopefully gain historic status in various places in the county.
“Not every community has that designation,” said Kelly Larson, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director. “It’s a marketing tool; a tourism tool.”
Larson applied for the grant. A study will be conducted in the Lincoln and Sylvan Grove downtowns to see if the areas could be eligible for any historic designations, Larson said. Lincoln City Park will also be undergoing a study to see if it could be listed as historic too, she said.
The old Lincoln High School has previously already undergone a type of study to gather information, and Larson is looking to get it listed as historic as well.
“By getting it [listed] as historic, it opens up new funding sources that are not available right now,” she said.
A consultant will be hired to help with this process, Larson said.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said, “it’s a lot of research.”
Larson said the hired consultant will start in late summer or early fall. After the studies, the next step will be to get a grant agreement, Larson said.
“There’s a whole process to get bids to do this work,” she said.
Larson hopes to have the historic listing designations done within one year.
LCEDF is taking Request for Proposals for Historic Resources in Lincoln County, Kansas through August 10, 2018
