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Rural Voices Contest Offers High School Seniors Chance to Share Ideas, Win Cash

Rural Voices Youth contest logo and imageHigh school seniors in North Central Kansas are invited to compete for a chance to win $850 by submitting a written essay or short video in the 2019-2020 Rural Voices Youth Contest.

Entries are to be reflective of this year’s contest theme, which is “Rural Kansas…Rural by Choice.” Students submitting the top entry in each category will receive a cash award of $850 and be recognized with the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award, named in honor of Cyr who served for 22 years as NCRPC Executive Director. The winning entries will also be published on the NCRPC website.

Any senior in high school who lives in or attends a school in the 12-county NCRPC service area is eligible to enter the contest. A team option is available for the video category.

The NCRPC has awarded more than $22,000 to seniors from around the region since 2006.

The deadline to submit an entry is December 2. Additional information and registration details are available at www.ncrpc.org/ruralvoices.

This article appeared in the September 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Project Spotlight: Mankato Housing

Photo of downtown Mankato apartment

Renovation of four loft apartments in downtown Mankato was included in one of the city’s recent housing projects.

Long-time City of Mankato Mayor Don Koester credits a strategic planning meeting 16 years ago with helping the community chart a course to address its housing needs.

“We asked the community what needed to be done,” Koester said. “As a council, we took the ideas and tried to prioritize the biggest needs.”

That meeting was in his first year as mayor and he continues to serve in that role. Housing was among the list of priorities identified.

The community received a boost when it was awarded funds in 2005 through the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The funding was part of a Comprehensive Development project that included construction of a new multi-purpose community building, park and street improvements, and housing demolition and rehabilitation. The Comprehensive Development Program is no longer offered.

“The housing in that first project was targeted right around the community center,” Koester said. “It made a small area so you could see a big impact. It was very successful.”

The city has since received funding for two additional housing rehabilitation projects through the CDBG Program. In total, the projects have helped rehabilitate 28 homes and demolish 18 dilapidated units.

“Our work is not complete with housing, but it is certainly going in the right direction,” Koester said. “If you can rehabilitate a house and stop it from going downhill, you keep it a viable housing unit for your community. You can stop that cycle of decline.”

The city is now in the process of deciding next steps to address some infrastructure needs.

“Infrastructure goes together with housing,” Koester said. “We are trying to look at things at a big scale for more years knowing that we will enhance what is there (housing) by what we do next.”

NCRPC Housing Director Carol Torkelson has administered all three housing projects in Mankato and credits the community for putting in the work to address housing.

“The City of Mankato committed to saving the existing housing stock and removing dilapidated structures,” Torkelson said. “It is something they could bring to their citizens at minimal cost to the city.”

There are many great things happening in North Central Kansas. The Project Spotlight series features projects around the region to share ways communities have solved challenges. To view more Project Spotlights, visit https://www.ncrpc.org/tag/project-spotlight/.

This article appeared in the September 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Family Joins Forces to Bring Back Concordia Restaurant

Photo of Taco Grande sign

Taco Grande opened in April in Concordia at 1421 E 6th Street.

Nostalgia and a love for tacos led one family to bring back Taco Grande to Concordia.

Chad and Malinda Sallman, Brock Sallman, and Loren and Dena Miller formed SallMill, LLC last year for the purpose of re-opening a Taco Grande franchise in Concordia. The Sallman’s and Miller’s opened a new Taco Grande restaurant in April at its original location at 1421 E. 6th Street.

The owners have ties to the original Concordia restaurant that operated from 1975 until the early 2000s — including Dena who worked at the previous Taco Grande during high school.

“The response to re-opening Taco Grande has been overwhelming,” Dena Miller said. “Concordia and the surrounding communities have supported us since the buzz of re-opening occurred almost a year ago. We as owners work really hard to ensure we are running a business that will sustain itself for years to come.”

The restaurant offers a menu of fast food Mexican cuisine and prides itself on using Kansas beef. Dine in seating and drive through service is available. Future plans are to add convenience options such as online ordering through an app and local delivery. The business has 15 part-time and 4 full-time employees.

This project was made possible with investment by the owners as well as funding from The Citizens National Bank of Concordia and NCKCN-Four Rivers Business Down Payment Assistance Loan Program. Additional local funds for building improvements were awarded from the Get in the Cloud small business grant program administered by CloudCorp.

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. For more information about the business, find them on Facebook.

This article appeared in the September 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Two Housing Nonprofits Launched

Although specific challenges and opportunities for housing may vary for communities across the region, most would agree that housing is an important issue to address.

The NCRPC has launched two new housing nonprofit organizations to help play a role in meeting the housing needs of communities in the region.

NCK Housing Opportunities, Inc. serves Cloud, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, and Saline Counties. Four Rivers Housing Opportunities, Inc. serves Clay, Dickinson, Marshall, and Washington Counties. Both were formed in May 2018 and are IRS approved 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations.

The purpose of each is the following: “To stabilize population in its designated service area in North Central Kansas through assistance with housing opportunities; to maintain existing housing stock and help prevent further deterioration caused by vacancy; and improve economic conditions that help communities thrive.” Simply put, the mission of each organization is to preserve and strengthen housing in North Central Kansas.

“We keep hearing the need for housing assistance in the region,” Carol Torkelson, NCRPC Housing Director and board treasurer of the new nonprofits said. “We want to create programs that fulfill the purpose and mission of the nonprofits.”

The NCRPC has introduced pilot home ownership programs over the past year in various locations across the region.

“The pilot home ownership programs are really our first offering to try to address some of the needs,” Debra Peters, NCRPC Home Ownership Program Manager and board secretary of the new nonprofits said. “Housing rehabilitation is the next thing we want to tackle.”

The new housing initiatives began under the business loan pool that Peters manages, but quickly evolved to the point of needing its own oversight committee. The housing advisory committee will grow as additional programming is added.

Doug McKinney, NCRPC Executive Director, is leading the new nonprofits as board president. NCRPC Executive Board Treasurer Brian Eilert also serves on the board of directors of the new nonprofits.

Currently Four Rivers Housing Opportunities, Inc. offers a Marysville Home Ownership Pilot Program and the NCK Housing Opportunities, Inc. recently expanded its NCK Home Ownership Pilot Program. For more information on either program, visit www.ncrpc.org/services/homeownership.

This article appeared in the July 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.

 


Sense of Purpose Important in Advancing Rural Kansas

Viewpoint Column by Doug McKinney, NCRPC Executive Director

NCRPC has been working with jurisdictions in the region related to a proposed unmanned aircraft system corridor of training between Fort Riley and the Smoky Hill Weapons Range. Displays such as the one above were set up in courthouses located in the corridor.

Wow, unemployment is below 4 percent nationally and less than 3 percent in north central Kansas. That is near record lows. The overall number of persons in the workforce is not at record levels, yet productivity remains solid with a reputation in this region for strong, efficient and effective work ethics.

Is it a matter of persons in the workforce having high values and a sense of life purpose? It appears that way. I hope the North Central Regional Planning Commission and its affiliates indicate a sense of solid purpose by following its core mission to advance rural Kansas in service provision.

One recent service has been supporting Fort Riley training of unmanned aircraft systems. NCRPC facilitated forums this month in four counties as part of its land use study for the UAS corridor from Wakefield to Ellsworth. Great input, feedback and general dialogue resulted.

Other facets of the organization are extra active as well with a plethora of housing assistance, community development activities and homeland security trainings. Safe journeys.

This article appeared in the July 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.

 

 


NCK-WiFi Continues to Expand Locations

A new NCK-WiFi hotspot was added this summer at the Jamestown city park/baseball fields — bringing the number of NCK-WiFi locations to 16 distributed throughout 7 cities. Plans are underway to continue expanding the network throughout North Central Kansas.

This summer NCK-WiFi is also being made available at many events including the Cloud County Fair in Concordia, Mitchell County Fair in Beloit, the NCK Free Fair in Belleville, and Belleville 150th Celebration.

NCK-WiFi is a free Internet service provided by Cunningham Telephone & Cable (CTC) and NCKCN, a NCRPC affiliate. To learn more about NCK-WiFi and the locations currently available, visit www.nck-wifi.com.

This article appeared in the July 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Two Communities Awarded CDBG Special Funding for Pool Projects

Two communities in the region were recently awarded funding that will help them replace their city swimming pools.

The funding comes from the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The latest round of CDBG grants that were awarded to 11 communities across Kansas were part of a special series of funding.

The City of Blue Rapids was awarded $763,411 to demolish the existing pool and construct a zero-entry swimming pool. The city will use $508,942 in bonds for matching funds.

The City of Clyde was awarded $1,000,000 to build a new ADA bathhouse and construct a zero-entry swimming pool. City employees will demolish the existing structure with force account labor estimated at $16,620 and $682,980 in bonds will be used to complete the project.

To be eligible to apply for the CDBG special series, a city had to have a population between 500 and 25,000 and meet the 51% LMI requirements. A minimum match of at least 40% local funds was also required.

The NCRPC assisted with the project development and will provide administration for both projects.

For more information about the CDBG program, visit the website at www.kansascommerce.gov/cdbg or contact the NCRPC community development staff.

This article appeared in the July 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Home Ownership Program Expands to Two More Counties

A program that seeks to make home ownership more affordable for eligible buyers purchasing a home in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties launched in June.

The two-county pilot project of the NCK Home Ownership Program assists home buyers by reducing the barriers of down payments and closing costs. The program offers a combination of a down payment assistance loan of $10,000 and closing cost grant of $2,000 when purchasing a home of $50,000 or greater in Ellsworth or Lincoln County. Funds are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

An award from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation of Logan, Kansas, is being used to assist in the creation of the loan and grant pool. NCRPC is providing matching funds. Program administration is led by Debra Peters, Program Manager, and Keegan Bailey, Program Coordinator.

“This initiative would not have been possible without assistance from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Ellsworth and Lincoln County banks, Smoky Hill Development Corporation Executive Director Stacie Schmidt, and Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Kelly Larson,” Peters said.

According to Peters, the primary objectives of the pilot program are to reduce the number of homes on the market by making home ownership more affordable, be a catalyst for first time home buyers, benefit employers in recruiting and retaining employees, potentially reduce time/expense commuting to work, and provide an opportunity for alumni to return to North Central Kansas and enjoy the convenience of living closer to friends and family.

A similar program was offered in Cloud and Mitchell counties in 2018-2019. Ultimately the goal is to expand the NCK Home Ownership Program to other counties in the NCRPC service area. Another pilot home ownership program is also underway in Marysville. For more information about the program, contact NCRPC or visit www.ncrpc.org/services/homeownership.

This article appeared in the July 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


High Radon Levels an Issue in Some Homes

What is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States?

Radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the soil. It cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Outside, radon is diluted to low concentrations and is not considered harmful. Indoors, however, radon can reach elevated levels that are considered dangerous.

In Kansas, 1 in 4 homes has high levels of radon.

According to the county map available at the Kansas Radon Program website, much of the NCRPC 12-county region has high average radon values. If your home tests high, it can be fixed. A radon mitigation system should be installed by a certified radon mitigation contractor. If you already have a radon system in your home, it should be tested every 3 to 5 years to ensure that it is functioning properly.

Testing is the only way to know your level of exposure. You can buy a do-it-yourself radon test kit or hire a professional. NCRPC has a Kansas certified radon measurement technician on staff that can complete this for you. Contact the NCRPC Housing Department at 785-738-2218 for a quote.

If you opt to test yourself, radon test kits can be purchased at many local extension offices or ordered from the National Radon Program at www.sosradon.org. For accurate results, windows should remain closed for the duration of the test.

For more information, visit the Kansas Radon Program website at kansasradonprogram.org/home.

This article appeared in the May 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.


Assistance Available for Small Public Water Supply Systems

Small public water supply systems with populations of 150 or less may qualify for loan forgiveness of up to $500,000. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund established the new qualification for loan forgiveness earlier this year.

Knowing the general scope of the project and having an estimated cost is all you need to fill out the project submittal form to be put on KDHE’s Project Priority List. The deadline to submit a form to be considered for the 2020 Project Priority List is June 17, 2019. Once the project is ranked on the priority list, then cities will have a better idea if they should complete an actual application. Each year the highest ranked projects for the available funds to KDHE will be invited to complete an application.

A preliminary engineering report (PER) is an important part of the application process. Systems without a PER may have difficulty meeting application deadlines. For more information, contact the NCRPC Community Development staff.

This article appeared in the May 2019 NCRPC Newsletter.

 


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