State PRIDE team to visit Burns next week
Burns will be in the state spotlight again next week when PRIDE officials arrive in the community on Monday to evaluate the Burns PRIDE program.
One of four community development teams will make the evaluation. The teams will visit 22 Kansas communities during the first week of June.
Communities that have met or exceeded their goal on planned improvements will be eligible for a 2003 award, including a cash prize of $500 for future improvement projects according to Dan Kahl, Kansas State University Research and Extension coordinator for the PRIDE program. The awards will be presented during the annual PRIDE Day workshop and banquet Sept. 27 in Great Bend.
Burns Mayor Mary Glenn is chairman of the Burns PRIDE committee. "During the PRIDE team visit, we plan to showcase our new community center," she said.
"We invite and encourage members of the community to gather at the Burns Community Center at 3 p.m. to meet and visit with PRIDE representatives," she said. "This will be an opportunity to learn more about the community development process, project tips, and techniques we can use while working together to improve our community."
According to Kahl, one of the real pluses of the personal visits is the opportunity for experienced community development professionals to meet with local officials and residents. Spending time in a community can help the evaluation team develop a better sense of a community's assets and liabilities and allow the team to offer suggestions and how-tos for future improvements.
Burns residents with questions about the PRIDE program or the upcoming evaluation team visit can contact Glenn at 726-5878.
