Yesterday I attended the Board of Directors Meeting for the Harvey County Economic Development Council with the City Manager of Newton. Mickey Fornaro-Dean is the dynamo that seems to be in charge. They will be holding a Transportation Roundtable at the Meridian Conference Center for the purpose of educating regional industries on the transportation advantages/synergies the Kansas Logistics Park and her partners can offer with barge traffic, railroads, trucking, Foreign Trade Zone, etc. Concerns were expressed about the planned discontinuance of the federal government's wind energy tax abatement program and the impact it will have on wind industries and the KLP.
Another point that was brought up concerned a commitment from the YMCA to build a facility in the medical complex anchored by a state-of-the-art hospital, Newton Medical Center. The Directors see this as another element in a regional "health and wellness complex."
There were between 20 and 25 member present. This board has representatives from the county and all of the small cities and towns in Harvey County with many different industries represented. I am still amazed at how progressive this area has become. They work hand-in-hand with Newton's city staff and Newton is the largest city in Harvey County which has a population of approximately 33,000. Unemployment rates for January 2012 - Harvey County 6.6%, State of Kansas 6.4%, and the United States 8.3%
For those of you who follow my blogs, a gentleman came up to visit with me after the meeting. It appears that we have a shared interest in water and that he is on several water boards, including the Kansas State Water Board. He told me about a monthly meeting for the Lower Arkansas River Basin that is held monthly in a neighboring community on the second Tuesday of every month.
It is kind of amazing to see places that have changed over time, especially in terms of government. I'm seeing more and more communities becoming more progressive in society.
ReplyDelete