In a project months in the making, Great Bend Economic Development Inc. announced this week it has purchased the one-time Highland Hotel property at 3017 10th St. with plans to develop a new hotel on the site.

“This project (dubbed Project Change) started in January 2022 as a roundtable discussion about the greatest needs of our community,” said GBED President Sara Hayden. When conversation ensued on 3017 10th Street, it ended with a decision to “go for it.”

“There’s only so long we can say, ‘someone should do something about that,’ That someone is Great Bend Economic Development.

“After much negotiation we were able to settle on a fair price for the property.” The price is not being disclosed and was not a matter of public record, and the facility was purchased from Retreat at Great Bend LLC. of Canada.

“Thinking things were smooth sailing from there we started planning and dreaming about the future of this property and its place in our community landscape,” Hayden said. “Little did we know seven months of back and forth were to follow before, finally, in August of 2022 we secured ownership of 3017 10th Street.”

A long walk

However, she said there is no timeline for the future development.

“Ultimately, we have goals to see this property as a hotel for Great Bend again,” she said. “Before we get to that point we have some legal processes we need to go through to make sure everything is in place to allow us to make the best possible use of it.”

While they would like this project to move at a sprint, they have to be content with a walk for the time being, “keeping in mind that forward motion is a success,” she said.

Now, there is a lot they have to do before any substantial changes can be made. 

“We are committed to cleaning and securing it to make it safe for our community,” she said. “It’s not a mystery that this building is housing some unsafe activity. We want to ensure that, to the best of our ability, we keep these unsafe acts from happening.”

Over the next month, the landscaping will be cleaned up, the front roof will be secured, and the windows and doors covered. 

“These measures, plus some other security measures, will help to keep our community safer,” she said. 

The future

“Once we have completed the legal tasks required to move ahead responsibly, we will start the tear-down process,” Hayden said. This is 60,000-plus square foot primarily concrete building, and the demolition will not be easy or inexpensive. 

“We will seek multiple bids for this project to ensure we are being good stewards of our funds, but without question, we will gather partners to help accomplish this goal,” she said. “We still have a long road ahead of us cost-wise.” 

Their primary goal is to see this property once again house a hotel. “While we have many wonderful hotels in our area that we know will continue to be successful, we have a hotel study showing how many overnight stays we’re missing due to a lack of rooms, among other things,” she said. 

“We plan to enter into conversations with developers and prominent hotel chains to secure the right opportunity to take our community to the next level,” she said. 

The past

The old hotel sits on a five-acre tract. In the latest report, the building is valued at $27,720 and the land at $489,360, according to the Barton County Appraiser’s Office ORKA site.

Opening in 1964, the Holiday Inn became a Great Bend landmark and local showcase. With the addition of the convention center and office complex in the 1980s, it was an anchor on 10th Street, the venue for meetings, banquets and important civic events.

However, it changed hands several times over the years as such facilities lost relevance. The Holiday Inn became the Highland Mannor Inn, the Parkside Hotel and finally the Great Bend Hotel and Convention Center which closed in 2016.

The next owners, Retreat at Great Bend LLC. of Canada, hoped to develop it into a time-share resort. 

There were times when the taxes were not paid on the property and the City of Great Bend had to abate it. There were also reports of criminal activity.

Ultimately, the resort never happened and the property was sold to GBED.

In June 2011, the City Council approved utilizing $500,000 donated by an anonymous group of local residents to purchase the convention center separately from the hotel. This portion has been remodeled and developed into the city’s Events Center.

Visit www.gbedinc.com/projectchange?fbclid=IwAR1-kinTgqBAeadINHLcyhb5zzodMVUwxH0dv0tqOa5yn1_kaXU2FZpibrY for a video and more information on the GBED effort.