L&T staff report

The City of Liberal was recently awarded a $500,000 matching grant from improvements on Kansas Ave., and with the local match coming from the 1-cent sales tax, the total project investment will be $1 million.

The terms of the grant include improving existing buildings in a way that will encourage more tenants to locate in the district as well as enhance the overall appearance and draw.

And there’s a fun catch – the project needs to be complete in about 60 days.

With that timeframe being tight, the City of Liberal, in conjunction with French Construction and other local vendors, is already starting the process of making the upgrades on the west side of Kansas Ave. between 2nd Street and 3rd Street.

Because construction will be taking place on the facades of the buildings, as well as removing  one building altogether to create outdoor space, traffic will be temporarily affected.

The two lanes on the east side of Kansas Avenue will remain open for traffic moving from south to north.

Traffic moving north to south will be narrowed down to one lane on the one block, and parking will also be removed form the west side during the construction phase.

According to a release by the City of Liberal, this is part of the improvements being made to enhance the City of Liberal overall.

“We understand construction isn’t always convenient, but it’s a positive sign of growth and improvement,” the release stated. “For your safety, please do not attempt to enter secured areas. Please note this is related to building construction, not parking, sidewalk, or roadway reconfiguration.”

Construction is expected to be complete in about 60 days, and the lane will be reopened as soon as construction allows.