The Bowlus Fine Arts Center board of trustees declined a proposal to accept ownership of the Flewharty house from the Iola Public Library on Monday evening, halting a potential plan to transform the property into a community center. The vote was unanimous.
The decision, discussed during an executive session with Bowlus Director Mandy Moyer and legal counsel Chase Vaughn, comes in response to a recent initiative by the library to utilize a new state grant opportunity for the development of a shared community space. However, trustees ultimately sided with the Bowlus Commission, which previously recommended against accepting the transfer.
Katrina Springer, who serves on both the library board and the Bowlus Commission, had said in an earlier conversation with the Register that the Bowlus Commission didn’t want to be involved in raising money to build a new community center.
Other members of the Bowlus Commission are Amanda Stamness, Tony Works, Stanley Grigsby, Dan Davis, Tracy Lee, David Lee, Ken McWhirter and Matt Rehder.
THE PROPOSAL was inspired by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s new Blueprint to Build initiative, which offers up to $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for towns the size of Iola to construct multi-purpose community centers. A local match is required for the grant.
Due to legal stipulations in Nancy Flewharty’s will — who bequeathed the house at 211 East St. to the library upon her death in 2009 — the property can only be used for library purposes. Otherwise, ownership must transfer to the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. With the terms of the will limiting the library’s ability to pursue the grant directly, board members saw transferring the deed to the Bowlus as a potential workaround.
Library Board member Tim Stauffer spoke candidly at Monday evening’s meeting. “It’s not sustainable for us to operate both a public library and manage that home,” he said.
Stauffer referenced a 2014 article in the Register in which former library director Roger Carswell expressed similar concerns. “I know that it was a very well-intentioned gift, but I feel like it’s not sustainable,” he added. “That said, we as library board members want to be great community players. So, if this isn’t the right fit, we’re not going to see this as the only opportunity.”
According to Stauffer, the library viewed the grant as a unique solution. “We saw it as an opportunity to throw our hat in the ring and develop a community center because we know that’s in need,” he said. “And it helps resolve our problem with the Flewharty.”
Still, he acknowledged the project might not align with the Bowlus Center’s priorities. “I don’t want it to be something where it puts you guys going against your commission or a situation where you don’t want to be,” Stauffer said.
He also clarified that the library board was committed to supporting the effort. “We are more than happy to be team players in raising funds for the project,” he said. “I certainly wouldn’t expect the USD 257 School Board, acting as Bowlus trustees, to go out and be the sole cheerleaders for the project. If I were in your shoes, I would consider that malpractice. I don’t want that to be the impression that that’s your job alone and we just walked away. That’s not our intent. We want this to be a community project and that involves having two public hearings and that all of it is done with maximum community input.”
Though school board member Jen Taylor said they’d like to continue the conversation with the library, the school board voted to deny the transfer of ownership to the Bowlus, leaving the future of the Flewharty house uncertain. The library, which is under the City of Iola’s umbrella, still has options, including either demolishing the Flewharty house or moving it. Doing so would free up the lot for more green space and create the opportunity to potentially install a pavilion that could be used for outdoor programming, including a farmer’s market.
