Capitol Federal and Evergy both will donate $2.5 million toward the construction of a downtown plaza, the two companies announced Monday morning.
The $5 million is more than half of the funds needed to build the plaza, which is expected to cost between $8 million and $9 million, said Vince Frye, president and CEO of Downtown Topeka Inc.
Capitol Federal sits on the southeast corner of 7th Street and Kansas Avenue, across from where the plaza is expected to open in March 2020 on the north side. CEO John Dicus said Monday his company is proud to be part of revitalizing an area of Topeka it has called home for 125 years.
“You can do so much more when there’s a group of you than you can by yourself,” he said of his partnership with Evergy and Greater Topeka Partnership. “We still need others, so hopefully this will be something that kickstarts that and gets other people to be involved. The new plaza will not only be the heart of a vibrant downtown district but the cornerstone of the entire Topeka community.”
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)