MANHATTAN (KSNT) - Kansas State University and the Kansas Forest Service (KFS) are building a new $5 million facility in Manhattan to help train the state's firefighters. Pat Melgares with K-State announced in a publication on Tuesday, March 18 the new facility is expected to help provide trainin g and equipment for the state's firefighters. Workers are slated to start putting the Kansas Rural Fire and Workforce Development Center together this year. The new facility will feature a modernized shop to house fire equipment, a teaching lab for courses related to emergency response and other topics and a multi-purpose classroom for workforce training and development. It will be shared by both the KFS and K-State's Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. "This new facility will allow us to support our key stakeholders in the state by providing high-demand education, professional development and resources," said Jason Ellis, head of K-State's Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. What is your favorite Kansas park? Ariel Whitely-Noll with the KFS said the new 13,200-square-foot facility will be located on the same grounds occupied by the agency's state office at 2610 Claflin Road in Manhattan. The construction of the new facility is partially funded by a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf ...read more read less