The state has provided the city of Manchester with $1.5 million to help renovate and move city hall, the water department and its garage.
The funding will be used to purchase a former car dealership on Old U.S. 421, allowing officials to move city hall out of an aging school building on Church Street owned by Clay County Public Schools.
The city garage will move out of its building next to Rawlings & Stinson Park and into a larger space at the new location.
Manchester Water Works will also make the move, and a drive-thru bill pay lane will be added to the new building for utility customers.
Manchester Mayor Steve Collins said he thinks it’s “vital” for the city to own the land the facility is on.
“I just think it's a sign that we're starting to grow and we're starting to prosper, and I think that's a good sign for people,” Collins told WEKU.
In addition, the city also received $1.25 million to construct an old water line in the Horse Creek area. Collins said the old line leaks frequently and causes about 15% of the water loss in the system.
He described the replacement as one of his biggest priorities, part of efforts to work on the city’s infrastructure and cleanliness.
The new location would also allow for other city offices to be in the same building in the future.
“You don't get many opportunities like this, especially in Manchester, where there's not very much land available,” Collins said.
According to the 2020 Census, Manchester has a population of 1,512 people. That up just slightly from 2010, when the city was home to 1,255.
In June, the Manchester City Council approved the purchase of the dealership, and Collins expects with the state funding secured, the transaction will move forward quickly.
State Senate President Robert Stivers and Rep. Derek Lewis presented a check to the city for the funding Monday.
“We are starting renovation cause, I mean, we pretty much got guaranteed that that money will land in our account soon,” Collins said.
The building needs a new roof, a project that should start this week.
Collins said moving the garage will also open the door to expand the park.
“Unfortunately, our city garage looks horrible. It's nasty. It's old,” Collins said. “We have stuff laying everywhere because we have nowhere to store anything. The main goal to move this garage is to expand our park. The second reason we want to move cause it gives us the room that we need to function.”
Collins said the city garage needs to be able to handle garbage services, as well as have an enclosed space to store pipes. The current building is old, and Collins worries it isn’t safe enough for city employees.
“I want my guys into a safer building, where they don't have to sit there and worry about the roof falling in on it,” Collins said.
The mayor said the city has lots of needs and securing the new building is a first step.
“As far as the everyday person, if I wasn't mayor, it probably wouldn't help me,” Collins said. “In all honesty, it probably wouldn't help me as a resident, but I think they see that we're trying to do things different. We're not trying to depend on other entities to function. We're gaining our independence.”
Collins said the city garage is expected to move into the new location by about Christmas and the other departments should move in by the spring.
