By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Due to limited space inside the courthouse and other county departments
needing more room, Barton County terminated a lease with the Kansas Department
of Revenue to operate the driver’s license office at the courthouse. The lease
was set to expire at the end of March but was extended two months for KDOR to
locate a new location in Great Bend.
The driver’s license office has been temporarily operating at a Barton
Community College facility on Main Street since May 31 until arrangements
are finalized for a new Great Bend office.
Barton Community College Vice President of Administration Mark Dean said the
college is not charging the state rent while they make use of the facility
at 1025 Main.
"The state already rents part of the facility from us, as well as grant programs," said Dean. "Realistically, all we had to do was move some of our meetings out of the space. We got great PR (public relations) from them and we figured that was good."
According to Dean, KDOR anticipates construction and renovations to the new driver’s license
office to be completed sometime in July.
The building is partly used as Barton’s Center for Adult Education. KANSASWORKS operates out of the facility as well.