
At last, putting the finishing touches on St. John’s Gray Photo Studio
Business Showcase, Grants, News, Program, Tourism
By Beccy Tanner
For 124 years, the Gray Photo Studio has overseen developments in downtown St. John.
Named after William R. Gray, the photographer who took photos in Stafford County for more than three-quarters of a century, the building…

Focus on Stafford County February 2024 Radio Show
Capacity Building, Childcare, Grants, Housing, NewsThis is the audio from our monthly radio show: Focus on Stafford County. The show aired in February, 2024. Topics include an upcoming Lunch & Learn book discussion of "Thirteen Ways to Kill your Community;" updates on Stafford County's commercial kitchen, childcare; Gray Photo Studio grant, art auction and renovation; EPIC grant projects in Stafford County and the Sttafford train depot.

Jams may have come about through necessity; but creativity flavorfully fuels the business
Business Showcase, News
By Beccy Tanner
Four years ago, Glora Batten started her journey into canning.
A friend asked her to come over to their house and help can pickles.
“We got started and made a batch of pickles and I just thought it was very fun,”…

Stafford county youth entrepreneurs advance to state final
Business Showcase, Capacity Building, Community Event, Grants, News, Program
By Beccy Tanner
Two teams and four St. John High School students are the county winners in this year’s Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Ryer Ward, placed first in the contest, which was held Feb. 7 at the Stafford County Annex.
He…

New director’s vision brings additional partnerships and programs to St. John library
News, Program
By Beccy Tanner
After being involved in education for nearly 30 years as both a teacher and principal, Jo McFadden decided to take a new direction in her life.
“I retired and this is my retirement gig,” McFadden said. “I was looking…

Focus on Stafford County – January 204
Business Showcase, Childcare, Grants, Housing, NewsThis is the audio from our monthly radio show: Focus on Stafford County. This show aired live Thursday, Jan. 25. Topics included a $50,000 HEAL grant that was awarded to the W.R. Gray Studio in St. John and a $50,000 loan from SJN Bank for the studio's renovation. Other subjects included the Stafford County Port Authority, updates on the upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge; the county's commercial kitchen, childcare, the Community Fair Building and new housing construction.

Gray Photo Studio Receives HEAL Grant to Complete Renovations
Grants, News, Program
By: Ryan Russell
Gray Photo Studio (GPS) is soon to be renovated and will soon after open it’s art studio after receiving a $50,000 matching grant from Kansas Commerce Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) program. SJN Bank of…

Stafford County awarded $45,000 state arts grant
Grants, News, Tourism
By Beccy Tanner
There may be a new/old look coming soon to the northwest corner of St. John’s Square.
A $45,000 matching grant awarded by the Kansas Creative Arts/Industries Commission – a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce—will…

Focus on Stafford County Radio Show
Business Showcase, Community Event, Giving Tuesday, Grants, HousingThis is the audio from our monthly radio show Focus on Stafford County. This show aired in December. It includes discussion on Giving Tuesday, Stafford County's commercial kitchen, the partnership between Stafford County Economic Development and the Ida Long Goodman Memorial Library's Lunch and Learns, a new gazebo for the St. John Square and some upcoming grant writing workshops.
Stafford Historical District Survey Gets Underway With Public Meeting Set for February 3rd
press release, ProgramPublic Meeting Notice – Feb. 3rd, 2025
A public meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m., February 3rd at the Stafford City Hall. The agenda for the meeting will be to discuss a historical district survey that will be conducted in February and March in the downtown area. Anyone with questions about the project or are the owners of buildings in the survey area are encouraged to attend.
THE SURVEY PROJECT
Stafford County Economic Development, in partnership with the City of Stafford and the Stafford County Museum, have applied for an won a $15,000 historic survey grant from Heritage Preservation Fund (HPF). The survey project will include the completion of a comprehensive survey of an estimated 40 historic parcels, including buildings, structures, sites, and objects in downtown Stafford. The majority of the buildings within the Project area is owned by the city of Stafford or the County Museum. The objectives of the survey include the identification of potentially significant properties that appear to retain both historical significance and integrity. The Project area will be evaluated for eligibility for the National Registry of Historic Places, and recommendations will be made for designation as a potential historic district. The survey shall adhere to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, which include the Standards for Evaluation, Identification, and Registration. The Project will be prepared in accordance with (a) National Register Bulletin: Guidelines for Local Surveys; (b) State Historical Preservation Office’s HPF Grant-Funded Survey Requirements (2018) and (c) instructions for KHRI web-based GIS database.
SURVEY AREA
The area includes both sides of Main Street between Stafford Street to Camden Street. It includes both sides of E Stafford Street from Main to N. Prairie Ave. It includes N. Union Ave between Broadway and Stafford. It includes W Broadway on the north side of the street between Main and Union.
SURVEYOR
EOCENE Environmental Group Inc. will be providing the historical survey. Architectural Historian and Surveyor for this project Miranda Black, will conduct the on ground research starting on February 7th. The surveyor will be in Stafford for a few days taking pictures of buildings, doing research, and interviewing people. People with ownership of buildings in the survey area are asked to grant access to the surveyor.
Ms. Black received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a minor in Religion and a focus in Cherokee Archaeology in 2018. Upon graduation, she was offered a grant-funded position with Western Carolina University to work on an internship project as the Archaeology Laboratory’s Assistant Curator. As she continued her studies, she received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Public History with a focus in Historic Preservation in 2019. Ms. Black went on to work as Assistant Museum Manager and Facilities Coordinator for the Shelton House Museum in Waynesville, North Carolina, where she expanded upon her interests in community-based preservation, artifact management, and physical material restoration. Ms. Black furthered her studies by pursuing a Masters of Historic Preservation at the University of Georgia in 2020, participating in multiple service-learning projects and contributing to NRHP nominations. During her time as a student, Ms. Black held various student internships as well as a role as an architectural field surveyor. Post-Master’s coursework, Ms. Black moved to Oklahoma and continued her professional training in cultural resource management as an Architectural Historian.
Oral and written comments will be recorded and become a part of Stafford Economic Development Inc.’s Citizen Participation Plan. Reasonable accommodation will be made available to people with disabilities. Requests should be submitted to Ryan Russell, Executive Director or Stafford County Economic Development, at 620-314-5561 by 5:00 p.m. on January 31st, 2025.