By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Progress continues on nine new homes in Stafford County. Last Wednesday, Stafford County Economic Development broke ground on the first of the Prairie Vista Housing Project homes at 743 W. Broadway in Stafford. Eco Devo Director Ryan Russell said the homes will be great for attracting families.
"The first houses we're building right now, one is in Stafford and one is in St. John, they're both one design and they're 3-bedroom, 2-bath," he said. "There's not going to be a garage or a basement. The next seven, we'll do the same design but there will be a combination. Some might have a basement, some will have a one-car or two-car garage."
Various Stafford County officials, representatives from the offices of Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, Kansas Housing Resources Corp., Housing Opportunities, and SJN Bank of Kansas attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Russell said it's been a community effort to bring families to Stafford County, and the new homes will give them a place to start.
"We're really focused on trying to get families into our communities," he said. "People really like it to have two bathrooms. If they have a small family, it's easier. We have a master bedroom with a bathroom connected to that, and we have the other two bedrooms with a bathroom between them. It's kind of a setup families like."
The design also includes a wide-open living room and kitchen layout. Russell hopes to have an Open House once construction of the first home is completed, and prices for the homes will be listed as they are completed.