By BECKY KISER and NICK BUDD
Hays Post

Although there are a couple of places in Ellis that can be used for community meetings, they’re somewhat small and can’t hold that many people.

The Ellis High School Alumni Association is pursuing the idea of a large community center in the vacant bowling alley at the north end of town. It would be used by many different groups, including class reunions organized by EHSAA.

“We’ve had to hold our all-school reunion in the Schenk Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds,” said EHSAA Secretary Goldie Dinkel. “It’s nice there but people had to drive (to and from Ellis) and didn’t like it.”

EHSAA group will host a public forum tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Ellis High School Auditorium to gather input from Ellis residents.

Dinkel said the project has already been presented to the Ellis City Council. Committee members, project contractors, project service providers and economic development professional will be at tonight’s meeting.

“What we need is the helping hands,” Dinkel said.

“We have a lot of professional contractors who’ve already committed their time and their labor to help get this together, and that’s what we need is the time and labor from the community of Ellis.

“We’ve already heard a lot of support for this–people saying we need a community center–but they’re saying they can’t afford to give any money. That’s not it. What we need is people to paint, people to sweep, people to hammer.

“Once you tell them that, they’re saying, ‘Yeah–I could donate hours.'”

“That’s what we’re trying to get across to everybody. We’re not just asking for money. We’re really asking for help,” Dinkel explained.

EHSAA has submitted a KAN-STEP application for Community Development Block Grant funds to help build the community center. The KAN-STEP grant requires volunteer labor as matching funds for the grant dollars.

Dinkel said there is a February 15 deadline for deciding whether there is enough community support to move ahead with the project.

The old bowling alley building has been gutted and is “structurally sound,” according to Dinkel.

“There’s plenty of room in there and we have blueprints, we have plans. We’re ready to go,” she said.