The Manhattan Kiwanis Club is raising money to enhance ways visitors can view the east side of the Little Apple from Bluemont Hill.
Dubbed the Bluemont Hill Overlook Project, the Kiwanis Club is partnering with the City of Manhattan and its Parks and Recreation Department to construct an ADA accessible platform above the letters on the side of the hill that spell out “Manhattan.”
“The Kiwanis Club build the sign in 1927 and we’ve been maintaining it twice a year ever since then,” Manhattan Kiwanis Secretary Kitty Pursley told KMAN Tuesday. “It’s really rough. The terrain is eroding a little bit. It’s rocky. It’s not really comfortable or safe to walk around.”
A fundraiser was held Tuesday night inside the K-State Student Union for the project and it raised nearly $9,000. Pursley said the overlook platform is expected to cost $70,000. The club and city have plans for a Phase II project that includes a complete children’s playground in the area that would bring the costs to over $100,000.
Pursley said the goal is to begin construction later this summer or early fall. The property is owned by the city. She added grant funding is also being explored.
Purlsey and Manhattan Kiwanis Community Services Chairperson Kent Foster were guests for a segment of KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday to talk more about the project. That segment can be listened to below:
Wednesday’s complete In Focus can be heard here.
