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Roadmap for improvement

By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer

Community leaders on Wednesday unveiled a strategic plan for a better future for Cowley County.

The Vision 20/20 Task Force presented a 15-page plan including a broad vision statement and general strategies for achieving it at the monthly meeting of the Cowley First economic development advisory board.

The Cowley First board put possible adoption of the single-spaced, tightly written document on the agenda for the group's next meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Strother Field terminal building.

The unveiling of the Community Plan for 2006-2010 comes after a year-long process involving many volunteers working with hundreds of county residents in focus groups, and the input of thousands of people responding to surveys.

Though the plan is labeled for the next five years, it should not expire at the end of that term, a consultant said at the meeting.

"There is no final destination point," said Marla Flentje, senior consultant for The Austin Peters Group, a Kansas consulting firm that specializes in strategic planning and development.

"Community-building is a never-ending project," Flentje said at the meeting. "But you have done what many communities have not done -- developed a detailed plan."

A Vision 20/20 design team held 15 meetings from May of 2005 through March of this year. More than 160 residents participated in 24 focus groups, and more than 1,700 residents completed opinion surveys.

The plan's vision statement includes 11 separate points that reflect shared community goals for the future.

Among these visionary goals are: to work together to maintain public safety and keep crime rates low; to offer well-paying industrial, manufacturing and service jobs; to nurture and mentor youth to help them form lifelong community ties; to keep neighborhoods and business areas attractive and well-maintained; to preserve natural and historic assets; to provide affordable and suitable housing; good health care; and to welcome people from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups.

The plan also includes 37 "strategy statements" grouped under five headings -- people, economy, place, health and culture.

* "Through the whole process, we tried to reach out to as many people as we could," said Seth Bate, president of the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce. "In the people focus group, we had people from 15 to 82 years of age participating in writing strategies."

People group members noted that retention of young people in the community is a concern, Bate said.

"Our young people want more than a good paycheck to remain close to home," the document states. "We also must make far greater efforts to include youth and young adults in community decision-making. It must become second nature to seek their voices and votes ..."

Vision 20/20 survey respondents also endorsed the strong support for local public schools, Bate noted.

"High-quality educational opportunities are key to retaining and attracting family, industry and business," the document states.

The document also states that there is a need for expansion of educational opportunities for people who elect not to attend college, and for young women and gifted students, he said.

* Another strategy statement in the economic section of the plan calls for overcoming barriers to succesful workforce recruiting, said Yazmin Wood, president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The barriers include a lack of affordable housing for hourly and semi-skilled workers, lack of daycare, need for technical and skills training tailored to local business and industry, perceived image of local schools as having low test scores, perceived lack of shopping and dining out opportunities and drug and alcohol abuse.

The document also calls for an inventor center that provides technical assistance and business counseling for creative individuals to test their product ideas. In addition, it calls for an annual entrepreneurship recruitment program serving as a supplement for ongoing entrepreneurship programs.

"A nationwide promotion should be undertaken annually to recruit an entrepreneur to start new business in Cowley County," the plan states.

* Pam Moore, executive director of the Legacy Foundation, said that the "place" section of the plan includes a concern for substandard conditions of some rental properties.

Transportation concerns include the need to take care of the U.S. 77 corridor between Arkansas City and Winfield, and the need for public input on how to do this, Moore said. Reliable rail service is needed for local industries.

"Strother Field offers an airport that probably could be used more in the future," she said.

Another transportation concern involves transporting people, particularly for the poor, the elderly, and young, Moore said.

"A first step should be creation of a profile of our public transportation needs," the plan states. "We should also access resources for the Kansas United We Ride program, an initiative of the governor's office to coordinate and enhance public transportation for human services."

* In addition strategies for reducing substance abuse, the health section of the plan also points out a need to promote the physical and mental heath of residents, said Kerri Falletti, administrative of Cowley First.

"There should be low-cost annual activities to promote health, such as walk-a-mile events and bike trails," Falletti said.

One strategy calls for establishing free or low-cost medical clinics in Winfield and Arkansas City. Another points out a need to increase access to health insurance.

"Reduction of tobacco use and smoking is an issue of concern," she said.

Falletti noted that the document also points to an alarming statistic for Cowley County: Analysis of data from the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services shows a high incidence of substantiated child abuse in the county, above the state average.

* The county should promote its diverse festivals and other cultural events more effectively, said Joni Rankin, executive director of Winfield Main Street.

"Cowley County has some fabulous festivals," Rankin said. "Anywhere you go in the world, you're liable to sit on a plane or train next to someone who has been to a festival here."

She noted that another strategy in the plan expresses the need for a county cultural life center to promote collaboration among cultural arts organizations and to enrich the cultural life of the community.

"We've got to collaborate better," she said. "We're not talking about starting a new program, but collaborating better on those we have."

Rankin suggested the county needs a "champion" who becomes a face for the county, a cheerleader.

At the end of the meeting, task force member Erv Knocke responded to a comment stressing a need for follow-up on completion of the vision document.

"What's really unique about this plan is that a system in place for implementation," Knocke said.

He referred to Cowley First, whose the members who make up the group are civic leaders with the clout to ensure that the plan is taken seriously and that there is follow-up.

Dave Galliart, chairman of Vision 20/20, said he was pleased with the efforts of all who worked on the document.

"When we started work on this document, we sought grass-roots involvement, and I think we did that," Galliart said.