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Resiliency Efforts Continue

Two added to Project Team; Planning for Free Business and Nonprofit Trainings Underway

The NCRPC is pleased to announce that Deb Ohlde and Laura Leite have joined the organization’s economic recovery and resiliency project team as contracted consultants. They fill the role previously held by the Regional Economic Disaster Recovery Coordinator, supported in part by the EDA CARES Act.

ohlde contracted consultant

Ohlde

Ohlde lives in Clyde and has many years of experience in strategic planning as well as proposal writing/project management in the community development and non-profit sectors. She worked for NCRPC from 1994-2016. Deb currently works for Kansas Corn as the Director of Grower Services, while also occasionally doing small consulting projects. Her focus will be updating the resiliency portion of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Ohlde will be reaching out to various stakeholder groups over the coming months.

Leite lives in Republic and brings extensive experience in program planning and management. She has most recently held positions with Cloud County Community College, Kansas Board of Regents, and Salina Area Technical College. Leite will be coordinating the upcoming business and non-profit trainings.

leite contracted consultant

Leite

“We are excited to have Deb’s knowledge and expertise collaborating with NCRPC again. She was an invaluable asset to the organization before her departure in 2016,” NCRPC Executive Director Emily Benedick said. “In addition, Laura comes highly recommended and we are thrilled to have her on board.”

The NCRPC has released a Request for Proposals for delivery of training and technical assistance to businesses and non-profits located in the 12-county service area. The deadline for proposals is May 21. It is anticipated that a schedule of initial trainings will be available by mid-July.

“We look forward to building a cadre of professionals who can deliver personalized training to businesses and nonprofits in North Central Kansas,” coordinator Laura Leite said.

This article appeared in the May 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Two High School Seniors Receive Rural Voices Contest Awards

image of rural voices 2020-2021 contest themeTwo 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 2020-2021 Rural Voices Youth Contest sponsored by the NCRPC.

Avery Johnson, a senior at Beloit Jr-Sr High School, and Carrie Roe, a senior at Herington High School, submitted the winning entries in this year’s contest. Each will receive a cash award of $850. The contest awards are named in honor of John Cyr who served for 22 years as the NCRPC Executive Director. Since 2006, more than $26,000 has been awarded through the Rural Voices contest.

Students had the option to submit an original essay or video reflective of this year’s contest theme of “Rural Kansas…Tomorrow’s Possibilities.” High school seniors in the 12-county NCRPC service area were eligible to participate.

“The Rural Voices Youth Contest provides an excellent opportunity for high school seniors to truly reflect on how living in rural Kansas has shaped their lives,” NCRPC Executive Director Emily Benedick said. “In a time when recruiting our youth back to rural Kansas becomes increasingly difficult, I think the Rural Voices process leaves participants with a greater sense of appreciation for a rural upbringing.”

Details on the 2021-2022 Rural Voices Youth Contest will be announced in the Fall.

View the winning entries

From the Winners…

“As with all rural populations we face challenges that will test the progression of our community. However, we are blessed with strong community leadership, generational visionaries, and passionate citizens who are dedicated to the continued advancement of our small but mighty community. My vision of 2030 is following the road back home and leading my generation through the same continued excellence.”

Avery Johnson | submitted top video entry

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of growing up in a small town, which is why it was so important that others understand that rural Kansas has so many opportunities for people to be successful and thrive. We need to protect our rural communities and give them the chance to prosper so they can do the same for future generations.”

Carrie Roe | submitted top written entry

This article appeared in the March 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



CDBG Awards Announced

Good news came to several North Central Kansas communities last month in the form of a grant award. The awards will help complete a variety of improvement projects across the region. The funding comes from the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce.

NCRPC staff assisted with the following projects and will provide project administration.

The City of Concordia was awarded $48,975 for the demolition of dilapidated houses and garages/sheds. The city will contribute an equal amount in matching funds.

Lincoln County was awarded $35,763 for three new warning sirens. The county will contribute an equal amount in matching funds.

The City of Mankato was awarded $600,000 for water distribution system improvements. The city will provide $2,399,857 in matching funds it secured through USDA Rural Development.

The City of Vermillion was awarded $250,000 for a water source and distribution improvement project. The city will provide $1,374,007 in matching funds it is securing through USDA Rural Development grant and loan funds.

The City of Wilson was awarded $300,000 for housing rehabilitation and demolition. Local matching funds will provide another $11,750 for the project.

For more information about the CDBG program, visit the Kansas Department of Commerce or contact the NCRPC staff.

This article appeared in the March 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Project Spotlight: City of Tipton Solves Drainage Issues

image from City of Tipton, KS drainage system improvement project

A recent project in the City of Tipton improved the city’s storm drainage system.

Perseverance paid off for the City of Tipton. When the first attempt to secure project funding for a storm drainage system improvement project was denied, the city council went back to the drawing board and narrowed the scope of work. Those efforts were rewarded with funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in the community facilities category. The 2019 award of $101,665 was matched with an equal amount from the city.

The resulting project improved the city’s storm drainage system by installing new culvert pipes, a portion of enclosed storm sewer, area inlets, ditch grading and minor street repairs. It was completed in Fall 2020.

Residents and visitors alike have noticed and appreciated the changes. Prior to the project, there were significant problems with erosion, silting, drainage, standing water and mowing. This project eliminated those issues and solved a problem that had been on the city’s radar for many years.

“When I started on the city council in 1993, one of the first requests I received was to do something about the ditch on Main Street,” Tipton City Clerk Joanne Brummer said.

image from City of Tipton, KS drainage system improvement project

The addition of area inlets on Main Street help collect the water coming off of the road.

According to city council members, the project benefits have been numerous. The overall appearance has improved, the system is easier to maintain, safety issues with the deep ditches were resolved, and there is also potential for growth with improved access to empty lots.

Jessica Krier, a member of the Tipton City Council, is a homeowner on south Main Street adjacent to the recent project.

“We have been very pleased with the results of the recent drainage project in Tipton,” Krier said. “Since moving in to this home, I have stressed about the water collecting in the ditch with younger children. Thankfully, this project has not only upgraded the appearance of our home, but it has also greatly improved the safety of our yard for my family.”

Key partners involved with the project included Ron Schlaefli Construction and project engineers Schwab Eaton. NCRPC staff provided project planning assistance, grant writing and administration.

The City of Tipton, a small community located in the southwest corner of Mitchell County, is no stranger to improvement projects.

“Tipton’s citizens demonstrate a great deal of pride and commitment to solving problems and continually improving their community,” NCRPC Community Development Representative Amanda Horn said.

The Tipton City Council says they have been fortunate to receive a number of grants over the years to help fund various projects.

There are many great things happening in North Central Kansas. Project Spotlight shares stories from communities around the region and how they solved challenges. To view more Project Spotlights, visit https://www.ncrpc.org/tag/project-spotlight/.

This article appeared in the March 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



NCK Business Relief Loan Program Update

Second Phase Announced for Businesses Less than 2 Years Old

A second phase of the NCK Business Relief Loan Program is now available — this time for businesses less than two years old.

image of NCK Business Relief Loan Program Logo

“This next phase was developed to help businesses that have not been eligible for some of the other COVID-19 economic relief programs that are available due to the start date of the business,” NCRPC Business Finance Director Debra Peters said.

The newest loan funding will assist start-up businesses in North Central Kansas adversely impacted by COVID-19. Businesses must be less than 2 years old and have started no later than August 1, 2020. Funding requests for the program are being accepted on qualified applications on a first come, first served basis until funds are exhausted or the program ends on December 31, 2021. All owners must have a credit score of 700 or greater prior to the pandemic.

The new program provides loans on favorable terms for response and recovery needs due to the COVID-19 crisis. For-profit businesses less than 2 years old in Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Marshall, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, Saline, and Washington counties are eligible for the program. Loan funds may be used for operating capital/inventory and asset purchases needed to pivot operations/increase productivity.

Phase 1 of the NCK Business Relief Loan Program launched in November 2020. The NCRPC is administering the program. Phase 1 was made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA). Program demand was high and all funds were allocated by December 31, 2020.

Funding for the new phase was made possible through generous donations from area banks and the NCKCN-Four Rivers Business Loan Pool.
Visit the NCK Business Relief Loan Fund – Businesses Less than 2 Years Old page to learn more.

This article appeared in the March 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Leadership Lessons Learned

Scholarship Recipient Reflects on Training Experience

By Ellen Barber

Leadership has many definitions, but I like the one the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) uses — “It’s an activity that mobilizes others to make progress on difficult challenges.” Anyone can do that sort of leadership; they don’t have to have a title. I guess that speaks to me too, because what I do, economic development, is all about doing the hard things, and not doing it alone, because that’s just impossible.

image of ellen barber

Ellen Barber is Executive Director of Marshall County Partnership 4 Growth and was the first recipient of the McKinney Leadership Scholarship.

I was able to attend the KLC’s Leadership Edge Class via Zoom recently on the Doug McKinney Scholarship from the North Central Regional Planning Commission. It was a unique covid-safe experience with nearly 200 people sharing the screen and being “dropped” into small groups for fleshing out the concepts.

Something I learned was that there are two parts to leadership and choosing the skills that go with each type becomes crucial to success. One type is the how-to or technical skill side. I deal with this having to follow rules in speaking to city councils, in writing a grant, or finding research. There isn’t usually a lot of conflict or different interpretations here.

But the other leadership part is adaptive. It requires “new learning with stakeholders engaged in smart experimentation.” Lots of interpretation here! That’s where the leadership gets hard. Cultures at work, home, and community don’t always care to experiment or try new things. There is unwanted conflict that comes from the “unspoken motivations” involved with changes to a system. Yet an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow and try new things to benefit others is a key to any progress. Leaders realize some conflict is necessary if there is to be new growth. Challenging the status quo and asking good questions helps people grow their viewpoints.

In the class, we shared an issue and then challenged each other with questions that made us think deeply about how we were handling that issue. Were we involving all the stakeholders needed to truly solve a problem? What kinds of smart experimentation were we leading our group to try?

Shortly after the class, I found out that the Marysville Pony Express Museum and the Convention and Tourism office were working to join ranks to solve some shared staffing problems. I found this a great example of leadership. They were working on the technical things like the job descriptions each group would share with the one person who would work part-time with both groups. But they were also doing the creative side of how to meld values and what sort of system would attract and keep a great employee.

I am pleased to earlier see our Chamber and Main Street join under one roof, and now two entities of tourism. Topeka has combined 11 offices with similar economic goals under one roof, and Manhattan has one office with many facets for economic development and a single website that covers all of the city, tourism, development ideas, and even the town’s job site. It’s a stretching idea, but much more progress has come with working together to share the challenges, ideas and purpose. NCRPC is also a great example of so many segments of regional development working under one roof with great success.

Any organization can make progress when we take action not only on the how-to side of leadership, but also the creative, adaptive side where we are willing to try new things to solve old problems…and even if they should fail, it will lead to the next better outcome from the lessons learned. To those who aspire to better leadership, keep on taking (technical and adaptive) actions to motivate each other to do the hard things!

This article appeared in the March 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Increasing Resiliency

Region Working to Recover from COVID-19 Economic Impacts

As the region continues to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCRPC has been working with many communities and organizations to assist with response and recovery.

A large factor in the continuing recovery efforts is an award the NCRPC received from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) in August 2020 to help coordinate a response to the pandemic’s economic effects within the 12 counties the NCRPC serves. The EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant will help support the work of a regional disaster recovery coordinator and provide technical assistance to the business and nonprofit sectors in North Central Kansas as part of an effort to boost the region’s economy.

In November, a full-time Regional Economic Disaster Recovery Coordinator was hired to help coordinate response and recovery.

image about business and nonprofit technical assistance survey

Results of a recently completed survey will be used to customize free training opportunities this year for entrepreneurs, businesses, and nonprofits in North Central Kansas.

To help determine the technical assistance that will be made available in 2021, a brief online survey was conducted. It ended January 15. Results are now being analyzed to customize training topics and tools that will be most beneficial to businesses and nonprofits and increase the region’s resiliency going forward. A Request for Proposals from area consultants who can provide the needed expertise will then be prepared. Additional details will be announced once consultants are in place and schedules are finalized. It is anticipated that free trainings will begin in spring 2021 and go throughout the year.

The NCRPC also continues to partner with Technology Development Institute at Kansas State University to provide businesses and manufacturers in the region with the ability to apply for no cost engineering and business development assistance as part of the Innovation Stimulus Program. More information about the program is available from the Technology Development Institute. Funding for it is also made possible through the EDA CARES program.

We will continue to update our region’s COVID-19 Information and Resources page as needed.

This article appeared in the January 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Remote Working

Staff Share Learned Benefits, Tips to Working Remote

The NCRPC and affiliate NCKCN have practiced remote working for select staff for several years. That small group grew in spring 2020 when the office went nearly entirely remote for a number of weeks. As was the case for many offices and organizations, the process of going remote on a large scale was a learning one.

image for breaking the myths about remote working

When staff participated in a virtual meeting in December 2020 as part of the Kansas Beats the Virus Initiative, remote work rose to the top of the list for a group action project. The Kansas Leadership Center launched the initiative in partnership with the State of Kansas to encourage local solutions to help control the spread of COVID-19. Gretchin Staples facilitated the meeting in what ultimately resulted in a social media campaign to break remote work myths based on the personal experiences of staff with remote working.

“Having staff working remotely was not really new to us, but we never explored the remote option any further because it simply did not seem feasible given the nature of our work,” NCRPC Executive Director Emily Benedick said. “As a result of the pandemic, we were suddenly an entirely remote office overnight. As an organization, we learned a ton about the benefits of and tricks to working remote.”

The myth breaking and points of advice were shared on the NCRPC Facebook page in late December and early January. The series covered a wide range of topics including communication, accountability, technology and more. To view the tips, visit the NCRPC Facebook page.

This article appeared in the January 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



Home Ownership Program Update

Pilot Assisted in the Purchase of 25 Homes in 2020

Financial incentives offered through the NCK Home Ownership Program assisted in the purchase of 25 homes in the region last year.

The pilot program officially expanded to Ottawa and Republic counties in April 2020. It assisted eligible home buyers with down payment and closing cost assistance. The total value of the 25 homes was nearly $3 million, with $300,000 coming from the pilot program. There were 8 homes purchased with program assistance in Ottawa County and 11 homes purchased in Republic County. Another 6 homes were located in counties where the NCK Home Ownership Pilot Program had launched previously.

The NCRPC administered the program offered by its housing non-profit, NCK Housing Opportunities, Inc. The non-profit serves Cloud, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, and Saline counties. An award from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation of Logan, Kansas, assisted in the creation of the loan and grant pool. An award from the Evergy Hometown Economic Recovery Program provided the grant portion of the program for Ottawa County home buyers.

Program data indicate positive local impacts. In a survey of home buyers, 44% were first-time home buyers and 44% also took a job in the last 24 months with one-third of those reporting the program incentive was a factor in their job decision. In addition, 43% were under 30 years of age.

“With the expansion of the pilot program to Ottawa and Republic counties, we continued to see strong interest from individuals with local ties to the region with 62% of home buyers reporting that they graduated from a school in the NCRPC 12-county service area,” Home Ownership Program Manager Debra Peters said. “We were also encouraged by the high percentage of young buyers accessing the program and staking roots in the region.”

A similar home ownership pilot program is underway in Dickinson County. Additional pilot programs have been completed in the City of Marysville and Cloud, Ellsworth, Lincoln and Mitchell counties. Future plans include the expansion of pilot home ownership programs in each of the remaining counties in the NCRPC 12-county service area, pending the availability of funding. Results of the pilot programs will be used to develop a permanent regional home ownership program. Visit the Home Ownership Program page to learn more.

This article appeared in the January 2021 NCRPC Newsletter.



NCKCN Extending High Speed Internet Access in Rural Areas

Image of laptop computer and technology

Expansion of high speed wireless internet is underway in four North Central Kansas counties and will be completed by the end of December.

NCKCN, a broadband internet service network covering North Central Kansas, is extending its high-speed wireless internet to pockets of unserved and underserved broadband areas in four North Central Kansas counties. NCKCN is a 501(c)3 affiliate of the NCRPC.

“The need for high speed, high quality broadband internet affects the most critical aspects of our rural counties,” NCKCN System Administrator Todd Tuttle said. “Educational institutions, economic development and commerce, population growth and medical services all rely heavily on every resident or household having access to reliable internet services.”

The expansion project includes portions of Cloud, Jewell, Mitchell and Republic counties. It will increase internet connectivity for rural residents and businesses in areas where accessing quality high speed internet is difficult. NCKCN is building a hybrid fiber-wireless solution to provide customers with fast, affordable, low latency internet access with no data caps. To see a map of the newest available coverage areas, visit www.nckcn.com/coverage.

NCKCN is collaborating with Cunningham Telephone & Cable (CTC) to extend broadband to these underserved areas by leveraging CTC’s neighboring fiber network. NCKCN and CTC are both local North Central Kansas companies that have a long history of providing internet solutions for the region.

The new service offers internet speeds of up to 50x25Mbps to residents and businesses. New customers in the expansion area who sign up for service will receive free installation and a wireless router. This project is an extension of NCKCN’s proven fixed wireless deployment, which it has offered since the early 2000s.

“The rise of COVID-19 has made it more apparent than ever that residents in our region need access to high speed internet,” Tuttle said. “We are pleased to expand our services to help meet that need.”

The expansion project is already underway and will be completed by the end of December.

This project is made possible, in part, through a Connectivity Emergency Response Grant, which was created to address the increased need for internet connectivity in Kansas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was awarded as part of the state’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Economic Development and Connectivity grant application process made available from federal CARES Act funding.

To learn more or sign up for service, call 785-738-2218 or visit NCKCN.

This article appeared in the November 2020 NCRPC Newsletter.



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