City officials would do well to properly thank the Kansas University Endowment Association for providing land for a new fire station.

Lawrence city commissioners have given informal approval for a new fire station to be built at the southeast corner of 19th and Iowa streets. Original architectural drawings indicate it will be an attractive, well-designed facility that will house the department’s administrative offices and provide a sizable room that will be available to the public for community and neighborhood meetings.

Fire department officials note the need for this additional facility to provide adequate fire protection for the ever-growing Lawrence community.

The land on which this station will be built is owned by the Kansas University Endowment Association and is being provided to the city at a lease rate of $1 per year.

It is interesting that city officials haven’t emphasized the generosity of the KUEA considering that acquiring a building site in such a prime location for the station would have added considerably to the cost of the project.

At a time when some city officials are talking about better cooperation between the city and the university, the so-called town-gown relationship, it would have been both thoughtful and wise for city officials to publicly thank the KUEA for this generous gift. Cooperation is a two-way street.