By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The 10-39 Café in Ellinwood is the first business to make use of the third round of the Façade Improvement Grant program through Barton County. Barton County Commissioners approved the application from 10-39 at Tuesday’s meeting to improve their building at 104 West 1st Street in Ellinwood.
Co-owner Brittney Bailey said the café is in the process of constructing a “park shelter” that will provide overflow seating outside for the restaurant, but also provide a space for community events.
"We would like to start something called 'Market Mondays,'" said Bailey. "This would allow people to come in and set up, kind of like a farmer's market, right there at the corner of 1st and Main. People could bring vegetables or sourdough, things like that, and sell it to the community. That would be a free event. People could also use it during After Harvest Festival and different parties."
10-39 Café was awarded a $20,000 grant to help with the project. The 10-39 Café will shell out 25% of the project, a $6,805 match.
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson said this grant is the first approval in cooperation with a city. The City of Ellinwood will contribute half of the grant with the county paying the other half.
"The City of Ellinwood is doing half of it, and we're doing half of it," said Hutchinson. "Together, with the city and county partnership, we hope to see Ellinwood grow and the business grow right there on Main Street."
Bailey said the hope is to have the project completed in time for Ellinwood’s After Harvest Festival that begins July 17, but if ordering materials delays the project it is expected to be finished by the end of the summer.
Between 2021, when the facade program was initiated, and 2023, the commission allocated $880,000 toward the effort. Barton County has pledged another $120,000 for the program in 2025 with the participating cities of Claflin, Ellinwood and Hoisington each pitching in matching grants.
So far, 10 applications from nine businesses have been received for this round. To date, $862,705.07 has been paid out, with Sauer Chiropractic anticipated for payment within the month.