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Capital Improvement Planning Workshop Offered

The North Central Regional Planning Commission will host an educational workshop about the benefits of and process of Capital Improvement Planning for Local Government. Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) act as long term guides that provide a schedule of construction or acquisition of capital improvements and provide a framework for how they will be funded.

Participation in the workshop is encouraged from anyone in our 12-county service area whether you have a plan that needs updating or have never had a capital improvement plan for your city or county. We will go over in detail an 8-Step Capital Improvement Planning Process developed by the Kansas Association of Regional Development Organizations. In addition, you will leave with valuable worksheets and educational materials to use and share with your local government. We will also review the results of our CIP survey that was sent out to all cities and counties in our region. We are confident this will be an excellent learning opportunity and encourage several members of your local government to attend! Choose the date and location most convenient for you.

Cost: $5 per Person

Time: 5:30pm – Dinner will be Provided

Date and Locations:

Wednesday, February 15
Bennington Senior Center
409 N Nelson St, Bennington, KS

Thursday, February 16
Linn City Building
104 5th St, Linn, KS

Please RSVP to Emily Benedick at ebenedick@nckcn.com or 785-738-2218.

Take the Survey!

The NCRPC is asking for your participation in a survey developed to help us gather information about the wants and needs within the cities and counties we serve. The purpose of the survey is to gather information in order to help communities begin to develop a capital improvement plan specific to each individual city/county situation. In addition, we hope this survey can lead to regional benefits by determining projects which could be accomplished on a regional level but not necessarily a local level.

The survey can be completed online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nckansascip



Certified Asbestos Inspections Available

Certified Asbestos Inspections AvailableThe NCRPC offers Certified Asbestos Inspections to governmental entities and private property owners.

“Cities need to know that by rule they should have commercial buildings inspected prior to demolition,” Carol Torkelson, NCRPC Housing Director, says. “We have an inspector on staff who is accredited to do asbestos inspections.”

In Kansas, the asbestos program is operated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Bureau of Air. Regulations are in place in Kansas to help protect the public and workers from exposure to asbestos fibers during removal, renovation and demolition of commercial and public buildings. In certain circumstances, residential properties fall under these regulations as well. If in question, contact KDHE or the NCRPC for guidance on how to proceed. As a result, prior to demolition, all commercial, industrial and some residential buildings must be inspected by a qualified asbestos inspector.

The cost of asbestos inspections vary based on the structure and how many samples must be taken.

“Each unit is unique and has different sampling requirements,” Torkelson says. “This is a service we are able to offer that is available for a city or property owner’s own protection.”

Many building products contain asbestos because of its strength, durability and resistance to heat. Its uses are widespread and could be present in just about any structure.  For demolition, a notification form must be submitted to KDHE at least 10 business days prior to the start of work — even if asbestos is not found in the inspection.

To learn more about NCRPC’s asbestos inspection services or to request a bid, contact the NCRPC Housing Department.



Celebrate the Chisholm Trail

Great festivals and celebrations took place in the north central Kansas region this month.
Lincoln, Palmer, Chapman, Clyde and of course Abilene all had grand undertakings.
Throughout the next year the Chisholm Trail will be remembered and celebrated from Abilene to Ellsworth and south to Texas. Read about it and join in on a vital part of developing central and western Kansas.



Are You Planning for the Future?

Budgeting ImageIs your local government planning for the future? A capital improvement plan (CIP) helps a local government take a critical look at itself, identify what is good, what could be improved and what opportunities for new projects exist. The CIP provides several benefits to local communities and counties. Those without a CIP may proceed with no solid priorities or direction for community development and community betterment.

The CIP process takes time, but it offers a good return on the investment and a wealth of benefits.

Join the NCRPC for a workshop presented by Beth Tatarko of Austin-Peters on Capital Improvement for Local Government on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 9 a.m. at 803 Valley Street in Concordia. The workshop is sponsored in part by the Kansas Association of Regional Development Organizations with support from USDA Rural Development.

Click here for the workshop flyer for additional details or to share with other representatives and officials from your city and county departments.

A capital improvement plan…

  1. Provides a framework for decisions about area growth and development. Planning for water, sewer, transportation, public safety and recreation are as important to those who develop residential, commercial and industrial tracts as they are to public officials who regulate land use.
  2. Helps preserve existing property values. A well-maintained infrastructure directly affects neighborhood property values and indirectly influences owners to better maintain their private property.
  3. Acts as an effective administrative tool. It can help elected and appointed officials make more productive use of their time. It provides a “window” into the future, helps prevent surprises and reduces the time necessary for crisis management. It also provides a control mechanism for judging departmental spending requests.
  4. Serves as a community education tool. Citizens who are informed about a community’s overall needs and priorities for improvement can more readily understand why particular projects are implemented and others are postponed.
  5. Enhances opportunities for outside financial assistance. The existence of a plan affords time to explore funding alternatives from state, federal and local sources. These sources and bond underwriters look more favorably on a community with a strategy for its capital investments.
  6. Promotes a more efficient government operation. Coordination of capital projects can reduce scheduling problems and conflicts among several projects, thereby saving time and money. As many of you know, working on water lines in coordination with street surfacing saves time and overall expense if done simultaneously.
  7. Helps distribute costs more equitably over a longer period of time. This avoids the need to impose a “crisis” rate and tax increases.
  8. Focuses community attention on priority goals, needs and capabilities. A project may seem very desirable when considered independently; however, when included in a comprehensive plan in which it competes with other projects for limited funding, it may appear less important.


KANSASWORKS Connects Employers, Job Seekers

Employment ImageKANSASWORKS is seeing Kansas relocation and employment interest from many sectors, both from within the state and outside of Kansas. In order to assist in the important connections between Kansas employers and job seekers, employers and community organizations alike are encouraged to place the KANSASWORKS link — www.kansasworks.com — in a visible, prominent place on their website, in addition to a mention in e-newsletters, social media and other communication avenues. The KANSASWORKS job board receives about 400,000 hits per day and it is a no-cost site for employers to post Kansas job openings (full time, part time, paid internships), as well as to review thousands of job seekers resumes by easy keyword search.



Rural Voices Contest Still Going Strong after 10 Years

Rural Voices Youth Contest LogoThe NCRPC is once again offering the Rural Voices Youth Contest for high school seniors in North Central Kansas – marking ten years since the contest began.

The contest was created to give a voice to youth in North Central Kansas and to promote thoughtful reflection on rural Kansas. Students may submit a written essay of a short video based on the year’s contest theme of “Rural Kansas…My Legacy.”

The top entry in each category will receive a cash award of $850 and will be published the EyeonKansas.org site, an affiliate of the NCRPC. More than $15,000 has been awarded to high school seniors from around the region since 2006.

The contest deadline is November 16, 2015. Click here for additional contest information and registration details.



A New Look at Entrepreneurship

ELI Workshop

ELI Workshop

Several NCRPC staffers recently spent a day learning about the Entrepreneurial Mindset. The day provided a new look at what entrepreneurship means and how important the early phase of “searching” is to business development. The curriculum, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, is being utilized at several community colleges and small business development centers in North America. Entrepreneurial thinking is a newish concept for education today in that entrepreneurs have a mindset allowing them to identify problems in their environment, to take action, to test possible solutions, and then ultimately to manifest something that will provide value for other people. To learn more, check out their website https://elimindset.com/ or read the book, “Who Owns the Ice House?” also available at the site and at many popular outlets.



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