'Antiquing hub' growing rapidly

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, May 11, 2001 by Capital-Journal

Riley: One-time agricultural center has become a popular bedroom community

This "storybook" house is being completed by Trix Fasse, owner of the Calico Inn restaurant in downtown Riley. Fasse redesigned it to resemble Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale dwellings.

Jerry Kaufholz worked on woodworking projects outside his garage in Riley. Kaufholz specializes in yard wood furniture, such as octagon-shape wood flower baskets built of landscape timbers, wood rose arbors and benches.

The pride of Riley County Unified School District 378 these days is the new 1,250-seat Riley High School stadium and eight lane, all- weather track, shown above. The stadium is handicapped accessible. The high school with grades nine through 12 is located two miles north of Riley. The preschool through eighth-grade school is in town.

Vines cover an old jail that stands behind the Riley City Hall. It still is used occasionally to hold someone for the Riley County Police Department, which provides law enforcement for the town.

Riley Centre is the name of the Riley community center. Its name is a play on words because an early name for the town was Riley Center. The original town, incorporated in 1870, was called Union. In 1887, it became Riley Center, and in 1895 acquired its current name of Riley.

Riley Mayor Jerry Baer and city clerk Kim Leupold showed off the historic old alarm bell in front of Riley City Hall. The bell formerly stood on a metal tower and was rung as an alarm during emergencies.

See RILEY, page 2

Riley: Bedroom community experiencing new growth

See RILEY, page 9

Riley: Bedroom community experiencing new growth

See RILEY, page 10

Riley: Bedroom town growing

Riley facts

- First incorporated as Union in 1870, it was named Riley Center in 1887 and finally Riley in 1895.

- The first settlers came to Riley in 1854-55. It became a thriving farm trade center along the Rock Island Railroad. With the expansion of Fort Riley military reservation and shrinking of the trade area, many businesses closed and Riley became more and more a bedroom community whose workers commuted to Manhattan and Fort Riley. By the 1970s, antique shops had replaced many other businesses and the town became "The antiquing hub of Mid America."

- The population is more than 900, up from 708 from the last previous census 10 years ago.

- Riley is a third-class city with mayor and five-member city council

- Officials are: Mayor Jerry Baer, and council members Pete Jackson, Jim Goff, Alan Brown, Patricia Bloomdahl and Mike Pachta.

- City employees include: three full-time, three part-time and seasonal employees at the municipal swimming pool; city clerk and Riley Housing Authority director Kim Leupold; city superintendent for utilities and infrastructure Doug Fasse; and Leupold's assistant, Zach Baer, who also is the chief of the volunteer fire department.

- Assessed valuation is $2,619,146.

- The tax levy is 14.684.

Story and photos by

JOHN E. CHAMBERS

Special to The Capital-Journal

RILEY --- It doesn't take the frequent explosions from the big guns on Fort Riley's firing ranges nearby to remind Riley residents of the military reservation's presence.

Another reminder is the shrinking of the town's trade area caused by expansions of the military reservation through the years. That, together with a greater mobility of the population, has changed the character of the town from a farm and business center in the early years to a bedroom community whose residents do much of their serious shopping out of town.

But if the nature of the town has shifted, the efforts of the town's leaders have risen to meet the challenge. The emphasis in community development has become making the town attractive to families, especially young families, through a strong school system and improved parks and recreation facilities.

The efforts have produced growth. Riley's population has increased over the past 10 years to more than 900 from 708. There is an area of new housing, Madison Addition, with five new houses built and a sixth under construction on Riley's west side.

Also, there is new housing growing outside the city limits.

Symbolizing the shift in the life of Riley that was to come was the changes in the name of the community in its early years. Born as the city of Union in 1870, the town became Riley Center in 1887 and finally Riley in 1895.

The first settlers came in 1854-55. Area farms and the coming of the Rock Island Railroad made Riley a thriving farm trade center. However, as farms later became larger, farmers became fewer, and personal transportation became more available, the nature of the town shifted from agricultural center to bedroom community.

That trend was aggravated by the expansions of Fort Riley that gobbled up farms and sent many farmers packing. Riley, in north- central Riley County on US-24 and US-77 highways, came more and more to be the place where people liked to live, but from which they drove to Manhattan and Fort Riley to work and to Manhattan and Topeka to do most of their shopping.