Beautify Downtown Canton
Status:
Active
Town:
Canton
Mastermind McPherson County Priority:
Placemaking
Contact:
Kim Witt
Organization Name:
Canton 2030
Start Date:
January 1, 2024
End Date:
April 30, 2024
Grants Awarded:
$9,700
Proposal Summary
The availability of the Mastermind Grant is timely for Canton. Our downtown has recently been drastically altered by the removal of many of the mature, overgrown, trees that lined Main Street. The trees were the unifying theme for the image of downtown and now only a few remain. Canton Downtown is in need of a new beautification theme that will unify its’ looks, make it more inviting to visitors, and give a sense of place for its’ citizens. The dream is to place a concrete planter every 25 feet on both sides of Main Street. These will be planted with colorful plants during the growing season and decorated for the winter holidays. Two of these planters have been placed in front of the Senior Center and represent a perfect example of how we can expect it to look. The grant funds will be spent to purchase the planters, potting soil, and the first year’s plants for the spring od 2024. Volunteers will install and maintain the planters.
Community Impact & Accomplishments To-Date
We can definitely measure the amount of community involvement in making this project come true. The number of involved citizens is expected to grow as more projects take shape for our community. We can measure numbers of County Fair goers and compare this number with previous years. We can measure the number of other improvements that are made to businesses and the outlying area.
Why do you think this project is necessary?
Canton has recently become involved in the Reimagine Canton Project offered by K-State Extension. There is real interest and momentum in the community to prioritize its’ many needs and pursue the meeting of those needs with purposeful strategies. This new energy is very welcome and has the potential to permeate the community! This project will not only beautify the downtown area, it will also bring change for the better to the public eye. This early change will increase momentum toward community involvement in the Reimagine Canton Project.
Collaborative Partners
Two committees from the Reimagine Canton Program have agreed to support this project, the Parks and Recreation Committee and the Community Engagement Committee. These committees have only met once and have yet to declare specific officers or committee positioins. Their anticipated role will be to recruit help to place the planters and install the plants. They will also develop a system for watering and maintaining the planters. The City Administrators will endorse the project.
People Working On The Project
No Member is attached to this project
WE NEED HELP WITH
Contact Organizer
Kim Witt