MOVING FORWARD

Greensburg Notepad
Nov. 2, 2007-11-02

Good things continue to happen. Temporary business trailers are slowing getting on board and construction continues including that of a restaurant badly needed in the community. The announcement of more new housing to include single family as well as multi-family dwelling has been announced by Commercial Housing from Topeka. New construction is popping up everywhere.

An article in the Wichita Eagle this week headlined, A Town Split by Highway, was somewhat disappointing, although I have heard publicity is publicity no matter what. There wasn’t an untruth in the headline, but innuendos that the town is split by the KDOT decision are hurtful. That’s not what we need right now. The decision was made through many community conversations, and although we know there will never be a unanimous decision, there was a lot of input from the community to KDOT and a lot of listening on their part. They were able to accomplish in a very short period of time what usually takes months and years. The purpose was to allow Greensburg to plan for the future, knowing that the highway location was crucial to that planning. Several member of the business community have expressed concern about the article, hoping that this will not discourage businesses looking at locating in Greensburg. Though this was a bit disheartening, this too shall pass and the community continues to move forward, addressing things that we can help control and moving beyond those that we can’t.

Good things are happening in Greensburg. Tell someone.

Hurtful Headline

The recent article "A town split by highway" (Nov.1 Business Today, Wichita Eagle) was disappointing to say the least. When you really got into the meat of the story, local business people indicated support for the decision made by KDOT through community involvement in making the decision. The headline was deceiving, and one more obstacle that this community, working so hard to rebuild, has to overcome.

It's really not the local community or the business community that has to overcome this article, but those who have been looking to locate in Greensburg and now have their confidence shaken. The community will overcome the headline and story. It's just too bad the same information couldn't have been imparted in a more positive manner.

There will never be unanimity in decisions, particularly something as big as this highway location. But there can be agreement. That's what has happened. Many community conversations have taken place, much listening has been done by both the community and KDOT, and an agreement on what is the best for the community has been reached. Now, let the rebuilding begin.

Jeanette Siemens

Kiowa County Economic Development Director

Greensburg

Note:

The current highway plan does allow for "on/off" access on the west of town, but only "on" at the east edge. We would like to see this changed to "on/off" at both sides of town. However, the placement of the highway and the basic plan has been agreed upon and we will work together as a community to make it work.

This past week Jeanine and I attended an advanced facilitation workshop. This article will focus on some of the info we received, rather than particulars happening in Greensburg; giving food for thought as rebuilding continues.

The following is an excerpt from "Preparing Facilitative Leaders" written by Mary Jo Clark and Pat Heiny of Contemporary Counsulting. The excerpt talks about effective communities and what it takes to become one. Ironically it starts off by asking the question "If you could start your community/county from scratch, what would you design? How would you govern?", and so forth. Here is what they say:

A survey of community development literature taken in the last decade of the twentieth century and the first few years of the twenty-first, reveals these descriptions of a community that would maximize opportunities to solve issues:

• Rebecca Ryan says that Generation X'ers look for different things in a community: gree spaces, recreation, multiple earning opportunities, support for entrepreneurship, constant learning opportunities, fun things to do after hours, an aesthetically pleasing environment (public area, eclectic spaces), connections with one another, a cheap and cheerful place to live, opportunities to give back.
• Thomas Friedman states that communities must educate our children and current workers to be ready and able to constantly acquire new skills, knowledge and expertise.
  He believes that as a society we need to enhance the cushion of social security and focus on providing benefits (wage, health, life insurance) that move with people as they change jobs, or as their jobs change. Since our diverse populations cross faith and ideological bounds and because companies will be global, we must consider: what does good moral, social responsibility look like today?
• Richard Rogers writing in Cities for a Small Planet, states that a sustainable city will be:
  • A just city, where justice, food, shelter, education, health and hope are fairly distributed.
  • A beautiful city, where art, architecture, and landscape spark imagination and move spirit.
  • A creative city, where open-mindedness and experimentation mobilize the full potential of its human resources.
  • An ecological city, which minimizes its ecological impact, where landscape and build form are balanced and where buildings and infrastructures are safe and resource efficient.
  • A city of easy contact and motility, where information is exchanged both face-to-face and electronically.
  • A compact and polycentric city, which protects the countryside, focuses and integrates communities within neighborhoods and maximizes proximity.
  • A diverse city, where a broad range of overlapping activities creates animation, inspiration and fosters a vital public life.

Greensburg & Links Greensburg Chamber of Commerce
(620) 723-2400