After renting office space for several years to see patients in Salina, Dr. V. Esther Rettig, M.D., P.A., has purchased a permanent Salina location.
Dr. Rettig is a Mayo Certified Ophthalmologist/Surgeon offering medical eye care, surgical eye care, and cosmetic care. She began practice in May 1998 in McPherson. This practice continues. Rettig has also seen patients in Salina since 2014, but at a space she rented from ophthalmologist Dr. Weiner one day per month. Dr. Rettig routinely partners with optometrists in North Central Kansas to assist their patients with various eye surgeries.
Dr. Esther Rettig, M.D., P.A. expanded to a new permanent location in Salina at 2525 S. Ohio Street in November 2018.
Dr. Rettig’s new Salina location at 2525 S. Ohio Street has 11,800 square foot and was formerly home to Brown Mackie College. In addition to the space utilized by the practice, office space is occupied by Pickel & Bruckner CPA and another 3,000 square feet is available to rent.
The project to purchase the Salina office location was made possible with investment by the owner as well as funding from First Bank Kansas, NCKCN-Four Rivers Business Down Payment Assistance Program, and the NCRPC-Revolving Loan Fund. It is anticipated that four full-time jobs will be created within the next year.
For more information about the financing programs used, contact NCRPC Business Finance Director Debra Peters at 785-738-2218 or visit www.ncrpc.org/services/business. To contact Dr. V. Esther Rettig, M.D., P.A. at its Salina location, call 785-371-2425 or find the business on Facebook.
This article appeared in the May 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
A multi-year strategic planning process that included collaboration among partners and stakeholders has resulted in the completion of the most recent strategic plan for the region.
The plan is formally known as the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS for short. A CEDS is updated every five years and is also a prerequisite for Federal designation as an Economic Development District. The NCRPC Economic Development District includes 12 counties in North Central Kansas and 83 member cities.
A 2018 CEDS survey of individuals who live or work in the region indicate there are many positive and unique attributes in North Central Kansas on which to build. The “word cloud” image below represents responses to the following question: What makes North Central Kansas unique? More survey results are included in the 2019 CEDS.
This word cloud visually represents November 2018 survey responses to the following questions: What makes North Central Kansas unique? How can we capitalize on that?
Through the planning process, NCRPC identified five main visions critical to the success of North Central Kansas:
Regional Collaboration
Economic Prosperity through Innovation
Superior Physical Assets
Passionate Leadership from Empowered Citizens
Exceptional Quality of Place
The NCRPC appreciates the many partners — cities, counties, nonprofit organizations, banks, businesses, educators, current and past board members, and all leaders and citizens — who participated in this process to plan and strategize for a stronger North Central Kansas.
Two high school seniors in North Central Kansas are being recognized with the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award for submitting the top entries in the 2018-2019 Rural Voices Youth Contest.
Students had the option to submit an original essay or video reflective of the contest theme — “Rural Kansas…My Community.” McKenzie Shippy, a senior at Herington High School, was awarded first place in the video category. Kara Eilert, a senior at St. John’s Catholic High School, Beloit, was awarded first place in the written category. Both students will receive a cash award of $850.
The awards are named in honor of John Cyr who served for 22 years as the NCRPC Executive Director. High school seniors in the 12-county NCRPC service area were eligible to participate. NCRPC has sponsored the contest annually since 2006 and has awarded more than $22,000 to seniors from across the region.
“The contest theme this year allowed high school seniors to reflect on their community and the value it has in their lives,” NCRPC Executive Director Doug McKinney said. “Community culture, whether it is a specific place or an overall feeling in a broader area, is important. Knowing how a community works and its strengths and opportunities is also important.”
Both students say they enjoyed participating in the Rural Voices contest.
“I loved the opportunity to be creative showing Kansas how my community has shaped me into who I am,” Shippy said. “This video was my way of giving back to Herington and Woodbine for all the support they have given me.”
“To me, rural Kansas is home, so I was very excited about the opportunity to write about what rural Kansas means to me and share my thoughts on how we can strive to keep our communities sought after places for individuals to call home,” Eilert said.
To view the top entries or to learn more about the contest, visit www.ncrpc.org/ruralvoices. Details for the 2019-2020 contest will be announced in the fall.
This article appeared in the March 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
Several NCRPC member cities were recently awarded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to help complete a variety of community improvement projects. The CDBG program is administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The City of Assaria was awarded $433,840 to make water distribution improvements. The city will provide $433,840 in matching funds it secured from the Kansas Department of Health & Environment.
The City of Beloit was awarded $300,000 for housing rehabilitation and demolition. A local match of $41,000 is being provided.
The City of Frankfort was awarded $265,656 to complete a street project. USDA Rural Development will contribute $265,657 in matching funds.
The City of Greenleaf was awarded $300,000 for housing rehabilitation and demolition. A local match of $10,750 is being provided.
The City of Tipton was awarded $101,665 to complete a storm drainage project. A local match of $101,665 is being provided.
The City of Washington was awarded $600,000 to make water distribution improvements. The city will provide $7,668,350 in matching funds through loan and grant funding it secured through USDA Rural Development.
To be awarded CDBG funds for a project, local government units must meet at least one of three program objectives: benefit low and moderate-income persons; prevent or eliminate slums and blight; or resolve an urgent need where local resources are not available to do so.
For more information, visit www.kansascommerce.com/cdbg or contact the NCRPC office to discuss project needs.
This article appeared in the March 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program requires that each CDBG funded activity must either benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) persons (at least 51% LMI), prevent or eliminate slums or blight, or resolve an urgent need where local resources are not available to do so.
Many CDBG projects benefit LMI persons. If a community does not automatically qualify at 51% LMI based on Census data, it must survey to determine if the service area of a proposed activity meets the LMI criteria.
In February, HUD released new LMI percentages. The effective date for the new data is April 1. That release has created changes for some cities in the region.
“More than a dozen cities now qualify LMI from the Census numbers, which means they no longer would have to survey to apply for CDBG funding,” NCRPC Assistant Director Emily Benedick said.
Any cities that have completed a LMI survey since 2012 can use those surveys until the 2020 Census numbers are released, which may be 2022. For communities considering a project that could involve CDBG funds, Benedick has advice.
**UPDATE April 2019: At the FY2020 CDBG application workshop, it was learned that this funding cycle is the last chance to use LMI surveys completed prior to the new Census numbers taking effect on April 1, 2019. Any surveys completed using the 2010 Census numbers are no longer eligible to be used after the FY2020 CDBG funding round (this Fall).
“The first step is to call our office to discuss if their project would be CDBG eligible,” Benedick said. “Then we can help them determine if they need to complete an LMI survey and help in that process.”
This article appeared in the March 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
Helping make home ownership more affordable was one goal of the NCK Home Ownership Pilot Program that assisted home buyers this past year in Cloud and Mitchell counties.
The program officially launched in April 2018. It assisted home buyers with down payment and closing cost assistance in the purchase of 26 homes — 16 in Mitchell County and 10 in Cloud County. The total value was $3.2 million, with $260,900 coming from the pilot program.
Primary objectives of the pilot program were to help make home ownership more affordable, be a catalyst for first time home buyers, benefit employers in recruiting and retaining employees, reduce employee time spent commuting to work, and market the program to alumni considering a move to live closer to friends and family.
An award from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation of Logan, Kansas, assisted in the creation of the loan and grant pool. NCRPC provided program administration led by Debra Peters, NCRPC Program Manager. Of the home buyers who used the NCK Home Ownership Pilot Program, 39% bought their first home, 31% took a new job in the last year, and 25% moved from outside of the NCRPC 12-county service area. Nearly 60% of the home buyers reported graduating from a high school located in the NCRPC region. In addition, 25 children were either new to the local schools or will be entering school within the next five years.
“One goal of the pilot project was to test whether the use of a housing incentive would be a catalyst for people to stake roots in our region and we were pleased with the results,” Peters said. “The two biggest impacts we saw were with employment and schools.”
The results of this project will be used to launch an updated version of the pilot program in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties, pending funding. Future plans include the development of a regional home ownership program.
This article appeared in the March 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
Congratulations to the 2018-2019 Rural Voices winners!
First Place Video Entry:McKenzie Shippy, Herington High School
First Place Written Entry: Kara Eilert, St. John’s Catholic High School
View the winning video and read the winning essay below.
Rural Kansas…My Community By Kara Eilert
When I hear the word community, a definite image appears in my head. I think of main street. Every town has one, yet they are all different and unique in their own way. Some are large and long, some abandoned, and some thriving, but each hold a vital piece that is essential to the identity of the community.
Rural Kansas is often described as a place “where everything always stays the same.” Some ask me why I like it here. I have to think, then I respond. It is all I have ever known. Living in a small town, my life has a basic routine: Friday night athletic games, church on Sunday, with school, work on the farm, and time spent with friends and family in between. It’s a comfort to know no matter where I go in life or what challenges I might face, I will always have a strong support system from my local community.
The rolling hills, fields stretching for miles in the distance, and vibrant sunsets all echo the same truth; we are not alone. A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson helps capture the meaning of living in an area surrounded by the constant allure of nature, “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” When living in a rural community, all it takes is a five minute drive out of town on the highway to exit our busy lives and find the beauty and simplicity of our world in nature.
Many features set my community, Beloit, apart from other rural communities and make it unique, however, I would like to focus on four areas: education, health care, industry, and recreation. Each of these sectors help Beloit thrive and makes rural Kansas a sought after place to call home.
In Beloit, we enjoy excellent educational opportunities for all ages, from early childhood learning all the way through post-secondary education. Mitchell County Early Learning Center provides developmental opportunities for children starting as young as two weeks old through twelve years of age. When it is time for parents to enroll their children into school, Beloit offers two quality school options, a public school and a private Catholic school. Beloit Elementary and Jr./Sr. High School won the 2018 National School of Character Award and strives to implement innovative teaching programs. St. John’s Catholic Schools, with classes Pre-K through 12th grade, was awarded the Kansas Newman School of Excellence award in 2015 and provides small classes with a family atmosphere focusing on the development of the entire person: mind, body and soul. For students deciding to further their careers, NCK Technical College, established in 1965, provides multiple options for students pursuing post-secondary educational opportunities. They pride themselves on being nationally ranked in job placement and graduation rates. Education has been shown to increase economic growth and stability, two critical components of a progressive community. Beloit is fortunate to have these educational institutions providing valuable human assets to its community.
An important component of any community is access to quality health care. Beloit is home to Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems, a level four trauma center. The Beloit Medical Center, with eight doctors, is available for routine appointments and health concerns. If additional services are necessary, several doctors come to Beloit for specialty services. Hilltop Lodge Retirement Community provides options for skilled nursing and rehab to assisted living units to on-call assistance independent apartments. With exceptional health care easily accessible, residents of Beloit have strong, consistent relationships with their physicians and seek treatment when necessary to enjoy a happy, healthy, productive life.
To thrive, individuals must have access to strong employment opportunities. Several renowned industry options exist within Beloit. Although the economy revolves around the agriculture industry, which is supported by AGCO, Carrico Implement and Central Valley Ag, other vital industries in the area provide quality employment opportunities including health care and education. Possibilities exist for people with degrees in engineering, education, health care and business, only to name a few.
When the day is done or the weekend is here, residents of Beloit have multiple entertainment options. Chautauqua Park is home to Chautauqua Pool, a family aquatic park, a frisbee golf course, picnic shelters and playground equipment. If fishing or boating is part of your weekend plans, Waconda Lake is a short fifteen minute drive outside of Beloit. With abundant farm ground and pasture land, hunting is a popular hobby for many residents. And for an overall family night out, the Solomon Valley Cinema provides current movies for everyone to enjoy.
I am fortunate to live and grow in a very progressive community. In the last thirty to forty years, many forward thinking individuals have set the stage for all of us here today. They took chances, I am sure a few ended in failure, but many succeeded. However, we cannot be complacent and expect our community to continue to thrive based on these past successes. New opportunities are waiting to be explored and implemented. It is vital to encourage college graduates and young families to return to small communities, yet this can be challenging. Injecting new ideas and fresh thoughts into existing industries is crucial as well as generating new companies and services to keep us on the leading edge.
I feel one area the community of Beloit needs to continually evaluate is their position in reference to technology. We must have an up-to-date technology infrastructure. In today’s world, we operate within a global community. Everyone is connected via technology. We must have structures in place for individuals to complete their work timely and efficiently from anywhere they might be. Cell phone towers and high speed networks must be readily accessible, reliable and affordable. Beloit may not physically be home to Fortune 500 companies, but with technology advances, individuals can work for these companies while still living in Beloit.
Another area which must continually be evaluated is quality, affordable housing options. If we want people to live and work here, we must provide attractive living alternatives. We need to provide options ranging from apartments and duplexes, to family homes to retirement living. Beloit was established in the late 1800’s, so over the years, many houses have been built. Some of the older homes are small and require needed improvements. Construction of new homes require a large financial investment, which may not be affordable. Beloit must maintain an inventory of homes with various price points to attract residents to establish roots in our community.
All throughout the state people talk about the “Kansas winds.” A recent push by the State of Kansas has been to turn these vibrant Kansas winds into a viable, renewable energy source. Kansas is squarely placed in the center of America’s wind tunnel, a corridor stretching from North Dakota south into the Texas panhandle. With our abundant open prairie fields, Beloit needs to capitalize on this developing technology and industry. Many jobs and sources of income are available to those who embrace this new forward thinking. With available jobs and an increasing economy, our population would benefit with the establishment of wind farms in our community.
Community, from the dictionary, is defined as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. Does this definition hold true in all communities? Probably not, so ask yourself what you are doing or can do to improve the outlook people have on your town. As the younger generation starts to take ownership of what we want our community to be, we must strive to stay on the path of innovation, prosperity, and resilience. This will then in turn lead our rural communities to continue to thrive for years to come, even after our part in it is complete.
About the Contest: The Rural Voices Youth Contest is sponsored each year by the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) to engage high school seniors in North Central Kansas in thoughtful reflection on rural Kansas and to promote a discussion among citizens based on their insights.
The next contest deadline will be December 2, 2019. Check back for more information for the 2019-2020 Rural Voices Youth Contest in late August.
Helping communities deal with nuisance properties, enforcement and ordinances was the main goal behind NCRPC offering a pilot Nuisance Abatement Program in 2018.
Dilapidated structures are one of the issues the Nuisance Abatement Program seeks to address.
NCRPC Housing Director Carol Torkelson says there have been many positive results from the first year of the program in the City of Belleville.
“The visual impact is huge in the area where the ordinance was enforced and property owner pride is very apparent,” Torkelson said. “Another great success was neighbors helping neighbors — working together to remedy issues that needed taken care of.”
The Nuisance Abatement Program offers third party assessment and oversight from an outside perspective to enforce an ordinance the city adopts. The comprehensive Nuisance Abatement Ordinance applies to all properties including commercial, residential, vacant or occupied. NCRPC developed the program based on similar initiatives with peer organizations in Nebraska.
“We all get used to seeing things as they are and that becomes normal,” Torkelson said. “The program helps nudge residents to be aware of their surroundings.”
The pilot program was designed to be completed by the end of 2018. All properties have cleared except those the City of Belleville is monitoring and will complete with its demolition program. According to Belleville Mayor Kim Lapo, in recent years the city has demolished approximately 10 homes per year that have been deemed uninhabitable. Some of these properties have absentee owners.
“Everyone in our community wins when our properties are taken care of,” Lapo said. “It positively impacts tourism and economic development, which is crucial for small towns like us to stand out.”
While there were challenges to work through like many first-year programs, Torkelson credits the City of Belleville and its staff for staying the course and successfully completing the project.
“City staff was great to work with,” Torkelson said. “They offered suggestions such as an extra clean up day to help residents and use of their time and equipment for the actual abatement.”
According to Lapo, the city encountered pushback at the early stages of the program’s implementation — mostly due to questions about the purpose and cost. “The council and city staff worked diligently to be as transparent as possible and answer the questions that the community had in regards to this program,” Lapo said.
After a year of the program, Lapo reflected that there have been noticeable successes, including the visible difference where the nuisance abatement ordinance was enforced. “Trash has been removed from properties, vegetation has been cut down, repairs have been made to homes and structures, and vehicles have been tagged or removed from properties,” Lapo said. “A sense of community pride has been fostered since this program’s implementation.”
NCRPC is currently developing a modified version of the program that will be available to smaller communities that cannot afford the cost of the full program.
“We see the need in many of the communities we work with but also understand this is hard for communities to take on,” Torkelson said. “It is a lot of work and it impacts people on a personal level.”
For more information about the program, contact the NCRPC Housing Department.
This article appeared in the January 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
Viewpoint Column by Doug McKinney, NCRPC Executive Director
Since the Civil War, Fort Riley Army Base has been a key component for national defense training. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Kansas has been at the forefront of aviation exploration. After all Kansans Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman and Amelia Earhart were some of the greatest aviators and quite innovative in their day. Today, Kansas is taking the lead in unmanned aerial system (UAS) research and development. Fort Riley, Kansas State University Polytechnic and the Smoky Hill Weapons Range are a large part in that.
North Central Regional Planning Commission is working with Flint Hills Regional Council to complete a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) that will support the UAS home station training. The research project is funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are six unmanned systems at Fort Riley. The U.S. Army is looking for and needs to find safe and realistic training areas beyond the tight confines of the base. The Route Phoenix corridor links Fort Riley with the Smoky Hill Range in western Saline County. This is the first such training sector in the nation.
The JLUS research will examine this corridor and potential impacts vertically from the narrow high elevation flight path to the ground below. This effort will help identify potential new regulatory and non-regulatory measures to encourage compatible land uses within the study area. Recommendations will be offered for both military and civilian partners. Options such as noise attenuation standards, air space height standards, land exchanges, land acquisition, development incentive programs, conservation easements, transferable development rights program (TDRs), performance standards, special overlay zones, and special procedures for reviewing developments with potentially substantial impact within the study area may be explored.
The work is necessary to gain Federal Aviation Administration support for Fort Riley aviation training programs. It will greatly enhance maneuverability and increase readiness. North Central Kansas committee members represent each county of the corridor. Stantec Consulting has been engaged to provide JLUS expertise. Public meetings will also take place allowing for additional input from local citizens. The results should prove beneficial to Kansas and the nation by late 2019 and beyond.
This column appeared in the January 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
K-State Research and Extension offers a free educational webinar every first Friday of the month with topics relevant to business and community development.
Nancy Daniels, Community Vitality Specialist with K-State Research and Extension, coordinates the First Friday webinars.
“The next two presenters have direct impact on community development,” Daniels said. Deb Brown from SaveYour.Town will be the featured presenter on February 1 and will discuss marketing your small town. Ben Winchester, Extension Educator with University of Minnesota, will discuss rewriting the rural narrative on March 1.
Previous webinars — including a wide range of topics such as cyber security, agritourism, e-commerce and more — are recorded and available online at www.ksre.k-state.edu/community/business/entrepreneurship/. To be added to the list to participate in upcoming calls, email nkdaniels@ksu.edu.
This article appeared in the January 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.
Two high school seniors in North Central Kansas are being recognized with the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award for submitting the top entries in the 2018-2019 Rural Voices Youth Contest.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program requires that each CDBG funded activity must either benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) persons (at least 51% LMI), prevent or eliminate slums or blight, or resolve an urgent need where local resources are not available to do so.
Helping make home ownership more affordable was one goal of the NCK Home Ownership Pilot Program that assisted home buyers this past year in Cloud and Mitchell counties.
