By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Plans to grow Ellinwood are still in the works. City Administrator Chris Komarek will attend Wednesday's Barton County Commission meeting to ask for assistance on a water and wastewater improvement project that will serve both the new hospital and a proposed housing development in the northwest corner of the city.
"We've been talking to the county commissioners in study sessions for the last six months, a couple of different times," Komarek said. "They're wanting to help the communities with housing and growth. In Great Bend, they assisted with funding for the daycare and stuff like that. The biggest thing we're doing, we're trying to get a development in the northwest corner of town to add some new housing. We're only asking to share in the cost of the material - the water line and sewer line to put in."
Komarek last spoke about the project at the June 8 commission meeting. The new housing development would have the potential for adding 15 large lots for housing. One concern is a 114-year-old water pipe that would need to be addressed for the new projects. Groundbreaking on the new $22 million hospital facilities was originally expected to begin as early as this fall.