Drywood Township shelter completed

After nearly three years of trying and three attempts at securing funding, the Drywood Township's community building and storm shelter in Garland is now fully operational.

A formal open house was held Saturday to present the $230,000 shelter to the world. The 1,800-square-foot facility consists of a storm shelter, which will fit about 35 people as well as men's and women's restrooms, complete with handicap accessible showers.

The restrooms can also be used to hold more people during a storm if needed. In addition to the shelter, the facility includes a full kitchen and community room, which will seat about 70 people.

"I'm proud of this building, I really am," Drywood Township Trustee Darrell Bloomfield said. "I'm proud that we got this for the community."

The money for the facility came on the township's third attempt at requesting funding from a Community Block Development Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce in July 2009. In addition to the grant, an additional $70,000 was awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The bid to construct the facility was awarded to Home Center Construction of Pittsburg in November 2009. Bloomfield said that it was a pleasure to work with HCC owner Bill Warlop, noting he was always available to answer any questions that came up during the construction.

"I always appreciate a contractor like that," Bloomfield said.

Construction on the building began in March and was completed in August. Bloomfield said the shelter walls are made of 8-inch concrete walls that were constructed using Styrofoam forms and metal reinforcements. Observing the contractor pump the concrete from the top of the walls was something Bloomfield had never seen.

"I was over here as a sidewalk superintendent," he said. "It was something I had not seen before."

Bloomfield said there has been a tremendous amount of help and support from the area. He said he received help from Republican Kansas State Sen. Bob Marshall's office, Democratic Kansas State Reps. Shirley Palmer and Bob Grant, former Bourbon County Commissioner Bill Brittain and many other local leaders. He added that by the time the process was over, he was on a first-name basis with the office manager for U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins' office.

"We've had a lot of support, which I am very thankful for," he said.

With about 375 people in Drywood Township, including about 60 in Garland, Bloomfield said the facility's completion was a "team effort." Local churches were more than willing to provide meeting places during the planning and construction process, as well as offer a location to be used in case of emergency.

"This is not only for Garland, but the whole Drywood Township," he said. "All in all, I think it will be something the community can really enjoy."

Bloomfield said that there will be no time wasted in getting the community inside the new facility. He said the first monthly community club meeting has already been organized and is set to be held at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 12. He added it has been between five and 10 years since the has been a community club in the Garland and Drywood Township area and that he just wants to see the community get together and enjoy some food and get better acquainted with each other.

"You never know when you're going to need your friends and neighbors," he said.