Lecompton ? Lecompton is seeking federal and state grants to help pay for a water tower to replace one that is at least 30 years old.

A new tower will be the last step in a series of improvements the city is making to its water system, Mayor Roy Paslay said.

“The town will have good fire protection and water pressure,” he said. “The old (tower) needs a lot of work.”

Applications have been filed requesting two grants, each amounting to $378,250. One would be from the Kansas Department of Commerce and the second from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The city wants to have a tank that would have a 250,000-gallon storage capacity. The existing tower holds 50,000 gallons, Paslay said.

The old tower, in the 300 block of Clark Street, will be torn down.

A public hearing to discuss the water tower project will be at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 15, in City Hall, 327 Elmore.

The city should know by the middle of January whether it is getting the grants, Paslay said. If the applications are not accepted, then the city can reapply, he said. If all goes as planned, the tower would be in place in 2009.

Earlier this year, Lecompton received a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant to help pay for a water plant. The city is financing over a 40-year period an additional $790,000 to pay for the plant. The new plant is in the design stage, and construction will start in about 45 days, Paslay said.

The new plant will improve the city’s drinking water, Paslay said. The plant and a new tower should spur growth, he said.

“When we get all that done, that should give us room to do some building out here,” Paslay said.