Ellis County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes says “Keep your fingers crossed,” as county and business leaders wait to find out if Dane G. Hansen Foundation will fund a $2.2 million grant request from Ellis County.
The grant, if approved, would transform busy 230th Avenue north of Hays from a dangerously steep and narrow hilly rock road, bustling with semi-tractor trailer rigs, to a well-engineered two-lane paved route with shoulders, referred to as the Northwest Business Corridor.
Ellis County submitted its grant application in March.
“Typically they have a 30-day turnaround when they make their decisions, so we’re hoping to hear something this month,” said Smith-Hanes.
Rep. Barb Wasinger, who represents Ellis County’s 111th District in the state House of Representatives, announced Thursday that the Kansas Department of Transportation has pledged to match $1 million in funding for the corridor, contingent on approval of the Hansen Foundation grant.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)