Staff writer
It’s one of those instances where the City of Lehigh was wanting new picnic tables and benches and city clerk Rose Funk received a flyer in the mail about a grant program that could help.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment, bureau of waste management, recently awarded nearly $700,000 in waste tire recycling grants to municipalities and school districts throughout the state — and some of that money came to Lehigh.
The city received $1,496, which will be used toward the purchase of benches and tables.
“We’re trying to spruce up our park,” Funk said, and continued that a new pavilion was built and needed picnic tables.
“It’s also nice to have benches around the city building and a memorial area in the park,” she said.
The grant provides funds for 50 percent of the project with the city contributing the other 50 percent.
Funk said, prior to completing the grant application, she did some checking regarding the costs of the tables and benches, and found the city could afford to help purchase four tables and benches.
The city clerk said she will order the furniture in the coming weeks with delivery anticipated in the next 30 to 60 days.
Grant funds will be use to purchase products that provide safe surfacing of playgrounds and for picnic tables and benches made from waste tires.
This is the second year for the grant program following several years of grants to Kansas tire processors to purchase equipment to process tires into usable raw material.
The grants are funded from a 25-cent tax paid on the purchase of new tires.