By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

House #8 built by students at NCK Tech in Hays was celebrated Thursday morning with a ribbon cutting by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

House #1 was built 35 years ago and overseen by Doug Marrs, an instructor in the Carpentry/Cabinetmaking program who is now department chairman. The house building project was discontinued and then resurrected seven years ago. Marrs has been involved the entire time.

NCK Tech President Eric Burks pointed out during remarks at Thursday’s ceremony the latest house is smaller than usual, although it has an attached garage.

(Video and photos by C.D. DeSalvo, Hays Post)

“We only had six carpentry students this year and this was a big undertaking for them to do,” Burks said. “They’ve really been humping it over the last few weeks to get the house into shape.”

Many other students participated in the project and all were under the supervision of licensed faculty. The Electrical Technology students did all the wiring and lighting in the house under the direction of instructors Keith Bunger and Allan Hill. Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning students worked with program instructor Skip Cox.

“It really is a culmination from efforts from a lot of students,” said Burks, “and we really appreciate all the efforts they do.”

In 2016, NCK Tech changed how their houses are sold. Previously the new homes were sold in a public auction.

“It was a stressful time for all of us because you never know what you’re going to get,” Burks explained. “We’ve had houses that have sold for over $200,000 and we’ve had houses sell for barely over $100,000…it’s ranged that much and that’s difficult to budget around.”

Last year NCK Tech partnered with Northwest Kansas Housing Inc., Norton, establishing a multi-year relationship to provide housing in rural Kansas communities.

“They said we’ve got a purpose for these houses and we can stabilize (the NCK Tech costs). NCK Tech said we can supply houses which NWK Housing has had a hard time finding contractors for. I think it’s been a mutually good partnership,” Burks said.

Randy Hrabe, executive director of NWK Housing, agreed.

“NWK Housing started about 17 years ago with the idea that we knew there are rural areas that needed housing,” Hrabe told the crowd.

“We’ve already built 110 houses throughout northwest Kansas and we have a hard time getting contractors. When I talked to Eric a year ago, we made an agreement to buy each of the houses constructed in Hays and at the Beloit campus for the next five years.”

Hrabe, who is also executive director of the Northwest Kansas Planning and Development Commission, hopes to expand the NWK Housing/NCK Tech partnership beyond the house projects.

“We do approximately $10 million worth of business loans a year. I’d like to work in NCK Tech students and talk to them about what it takes to start your own business in our rural communities and keep them here and be productive citizens within our own communities,” Hrabe said. “That’s our goal.”

NWK Housing also has a house construction agreement with Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland.

“That’s a little different out there. The city of Goodland gave us an entire city block. The students are building one house each year on that site. We don’t have to move them,” Hrabe explained.

House #7 purchased last year by NWK Housing from NCK Tech in Hays was moved to WaKeeney. It sits just west of the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery on one of several lots owned by NWK Housing.

“Hopefully, in about two weeks the flooring will all be done in the basement. It’s going to be a wonderful home. It’s probably going to be as nice a house as any house in WaKeeney,” Hrabe said with pride. He plans to invite the NCK Tech students to the open house ceremony.

The WaKeeney house now features a walk-out basement and a 10-by-30-foot deck.

“Everybody is just impressed with the cabinets the students here make. It’s going to be a super nice house for somebody,” he added.

The NWK Housing partnership agreements with NCK Tech in Hays and Beloit along with NWK Technical College in Goodland caught the attention of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

“Last year, we did receive the Kansas Ad Astra Award for Housing Development because this is something different that nobody else has really tried,” Hrabe said.

“I think this is a wonderful partnership that we can work regionally to get housing for northwest Kansas.”