Augusta KS

10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5 AUGUSTA , KANSAS On a slightly different note, the city recently redeveloped an old district school into a community center called the Robinson Wellness Center. Before the housing crash of 2008, the school district developed new schools within the area alongside new residential homes. But the financial crisis meant no one bought the houses. In turn, residents who live in the area now don’t want to move, and the schools have a poor attendance rate. So, rather than allowing for the oldest school to be knocked down, the school district partnered with several local non-profits that required space and created the Augusta Community Caring Center, which forms a part of the Robinson Wellness Center. While the city wasn’t involved, it is pleased by the story’s outcome, which might otherwise have had a sad ending. Another positive story surrounding the Robinson Wellness Center is when the YMCA from the neighboring city of Andover was destroyed by a tornado, which also housed a daycare center; the community of Augusta was able to offer space until the Andover facilities were rebuilt. “We have great buildings that can be redeveloped and utilized for many other purposes. Our community can quickly shift to a plan B, C, or D regarding redeveloped spaces. We don’t rest on our laurels. We redevelop, reuse, and innovate these spaces,” says Shaw. A partnership that the city is proud of is the Go Augusta. This is a combination of Augusta Main Street and Augusta Downtown organizations, and in what is believed to be a first, has taken over the Chamber of Commerce. Go Augusta is looking to apply the four-point strategy of the downtown area across the city. Described as an experiment, the results have spoken for themselves, with the organization getting even more volunteer participation than before. Getting this input,