Newsletter Archives - Page 14 of 15

Blog Archives

Pilot Home Ownership Program Helps Beloit Home Buyer

Home Ownership Program Logo Buying a home became feasible a little sooner than planned for one new homeowner thanks to a two-county pilot project of the NCK Home Ownership Program.

The program, which offers down payment and closing cost assistance to home buyers in Cloud and Mitchell counties, launched this Spring. NCRPC Business Finance Director Debra Peters manages the program.

Stephanie Simmons utilized the program to purchase a home in Beloit in July. She has lived in the county for nine years but most recently had been renting. Simmons, who serves as Executive Director of the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation, says the pilot program was a critical factor in her ability to purchase a home this summer.

The Pilot NCK Home Ownership Program was a factor in Simmons’ ability to purchase a home this summer.

“I am a very budget oriented person and don’t make quick or hasty decisions financially,” Simmons said. “I knew I wanted a home that was a forever home for my daughter and I and it just seemed a little out of reach. This program truly helped to make this more feasible and reasonable on my budget.”

Simmons says the transition to home ownership has been positive. “I feel like I am putting my money to work for me and building equity,” Simmons said. “I also feel like we are more part of a neighborhood that we can be life-long members of—making memories, making our community better, and having our own place.”

Funding requests currently have exceeded the funds available for the pilot project in Cloud and Mitchell Counties. The NCRPC also administers a similar program in Marysville. The Marysville Pilot Home Ownership Program will be accepting applications again beginning January 2. The results of the pilots will be used to develop a regional home ownership program to be launched in the future. For more information, contact Debra Peters at the NCRPC.

This article appeared in the November 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.

Region Represented in New Initiative

“Land in Kansas” is a new statewide economic development initiative that launched in July with the goal of attracting investment and promoting business expansion.

Key components of the initiative, according to a Kansas Department of Commerce press release, include a new state marketing campaign, a review of economic development programs in the state, and a pilot program to enable communities across the state to better target specific areas for economic growth.

North Central Kansas is represented in the new strategic planning process. CloudCorp Executive Director Ashley Hutchinson, Concordia, KS, has been named co-chair to lead a full evaluation of Kansas’ economic development strategy. Economic Development Director for the City of Lenexa, Blake Schreck, also serves as co-chair.

According to Hutchinson, her role is to create a Request for Proposal (RFP) to analyze and audit the Kansas Department of Commerce Development programs and incentives. Three different stakeholder groups—including economic development professionals, business and industry leaders, and legislators—will be consulted to determine what to include in the RFP.

“Our ultimate goal is to take a look at the programs we have now and see what is working and what isn’t. We are also interested in looking at successes in other states and seeing if those are a good fit for us and our industries,” Hutchinson said. “The completed report will create a guide for policy makers as we all work to Land in Kansas and Grow in Kansas.”

Hutchinson views this strategic process as a positive step toward growing the state.

“I am excited about this initiative because it’s a chance for us to really look at the whole picture instead of piecing together solutions,” Hutchinson said. “I am very excited to be representing rural communities. Our needs are sometimes much different than our counterparts in urban parts of the state and my co-chairman position is a signal that the Governor, along with the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture, are taking rural economic development very seriously.”

Contact Ashley at 785-243-2010 if you would like to provide input.

This column appeared in the September 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.

Internships Benefit Student Intern, Host Organization

Written by Doug McKinney, NCRPC Executive Director

An internship is a way for young adults to get credit for real-world experience. Interns work with an organization engaging in activities that provide them with new learning while benefiting the host organization. One funding source for internships is the Dane G. Hansen Foundation Community Intern Initiative. It matches Northwest Kansas communities or organizations that have a specific need with upper-level college students to address that need during a summer internship.

Communities or organizations first identify a community improvement project — such as downtown revitalization planning; community website/marketing; park or trail improvement; design for re-purposing an old building; or a host of other possibilities — and then apply to host an intern to assist with the project beginning in late May and ending in early August. Hosts in 2018 were City of Belleville, Jewell County Economic Development, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation, North Central Regional Planning Commission, Ad Astra Music Festival of Russell and Wallace County Community Foundation.

Emily Reno, 2018 Hansen Intern for NCRPC, focused on food system information gathering as part of a regional food system assessment the NCRPC is doing in 2018 and 2019.

“While the first day on the job gave me somewhat of an indication of what my summer would look like, it in no way prepared me for the friendships I was to form in just a short period of time. And little did I know that I would soon find myself immersed in rural culture down to every last county fair, harvest festival, and Fun Day,” Reno said. “North Central Kansas is truly a unique place. Enough for me to consider it as a place I could come back to and call my home.”

Two interns with Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation focused on downtown building façade improvements. Some of the signage and improvement ideas they laid out will occur yet this year.

“It was definitely worthwhile,” Kelly Larson, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director, said.

Russ Piroutek, Belleville City Clerk, said the city hosted an intern who was able to work on community center concepts for the downtown area and gain a great deal of public feedback about the ideas generated.

Jewell County hosted two interns in 2018. They worked on deteriorating building and spatial development options in various downtown areas. They also worked with the Jewell County Health Coalition on fitness center options.

“It was a great project with lots of value,” Jenny Russell, Coordinator for Jewell County Community Development Association, said. “Hansen support was imperative!”

Another example of a successful internship program is the Nex-Generation Student Internship Program. In 2018, 56 businesses across Northwest and North Central Kansas hosted 68 high school and college interns.

“One of our main objectives is to expose students to Northwest and North Central Kansas workforce opportunities at an early age and encourage them to look for jobs right here at home,” Mendi Anschutz, Nex-Tech’s Economic Development/Networking Specialist, said. “We launched this program through Nex-Tech in 2011 with 6 interns. Three years ago, we opened up the program to local businesses, and a true culture shift has begun.”

At the conclusion of her internship, Emily Reno wrote a Letter to the Editor at the Beloit Call. To read the letter, visit www.ncrpc.org/2018intern.

For more information about the Hansen Intern Initiative, click here. The deadline for communities to apply to host summer interns is October 31, 2018. For more information about the Nex‐Generation Student Internship Program, click here. Businesses interested in hosting interns should contact Nex-Generation before December 2018.

This column appeared in the September 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.

Claiming Your Google Place Listing

Written by the Kansas State University Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement

Partial screenshot of NCRPC Google search result

This partial screenshot is an example of what it looks like to have claimed your place on Google.

One of the easiest, but most overlooked aspects of online marketing is claiming your Google Place listing. This is a feature that allows information about your business to populate on the right-hand side of the Google search results page. Claiming your business’s online identity in this way allows potential clients to find you and know that you are currently operating. Photos will help them know what your storefront looks like, so it can be identified when they plan a visit. Filling out all sections of the form will allow searchers to click directly into your website or social media pages, reducing the level of searching required to learn about your business.

Claiming your business’s Google Place will allow people to view quite a few details about the business when they search with Google, particularly contact information and hours of operation. This is a simple, yet crucial part of getting a business started out on the right track online. While creating a presence on social media is important, the majority of people still search for a business on Google first to find information. We do not want to lose them at the beginning before they get a chance to see any of the social media on which a business may have worked so hard.

Let’s Get Started!

Visit www.google.com/business and click the green Manage Now button.
You will be prompted on the next page to add the name of your business. Be sure it is accurate and click Next.
Now add in your business location and then it will bring up businesses around the address you provided.
Next it wants you to categorize your business, then add the phone number and website.
You’re finished! Select Finish and be sure to verify your location.
You will then be directed to your business page dashboard and here you can manage it further.

Claim your business today and do not miss out on another customer!

For more information about online marketing with new-media tools like websites, e-newsletters, social-media, and e-commerce, visit our learning resource at RuralEngagement.org.

This article appeared in the September 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.

Planning Pays off in Cleanup Campaigns

More than 700 tires were removed during a community cleanup in Wilson this spring.

Although the traditional time for “spring cleaning” has passed, planning for a successful community cleanup campaign can happen anytime.

Improving the physical appearance of a community while helping to create a sense of pride among residents is one reason communities host cleanup campaigns, according to Nadine Sigle, Extension Associate for Community Vitality with K-State Research and Extension. Sigle is co-author of a publication that breaks down community cleanup campaigns into seven planning areas. The box contains a list of the key planning areas and a link to the full publication.

Connecting organizations and resources can increase cleanup impact. For instance, cities and counties may work together to waive landfill fees, local funding sources may provide financial support, or youth may get involved through service learning days.

A recent example of a community cleanup took place in Wilson April 23-May 12. The project was organized by Wilson Economic Development Corporation in conjunction with the City of Wilson. The city received a Community Clean-Up Grant through the Smoky Hills Charitable Foundation with funds from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. Volunteers removed tree limbs, yard debris, construction waste, and trash at 28 city locations during the two week clean up—totaling approximately 140 man hours. Another 28 man hours were spent handling the paint, tires, and vehicles that were collected.

According to NCRPC Housing Director Carol Torkelson, community cleanup is an investment. “State or Federal funding programs typically are not willing to invest in communities that have not invested in themselves,” Torkelson said.

Keegan Bailey, NCRPC Housing Assistant, encourages taking before and after photos and dividing the cleanup into manageable pieces. “It’s important that communities see progress and feel good about the work they’ve done,” Bailey said.

This article appeared in the July 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.

Sign up for e-news!

Recent Posts

Archives