Restaurant Revitalization Fund

LACF Begins Trail Construction Project at Arkalon Park

After a year-long delay due to COVID, the Liberal Area Coalition for Families has begun their trail expansion project at Arkalon Park. Saturday, April 24 included two volunteer events that brought more than twenty community members and families to the park to mow, chop, and rake these new trails into existence. 

Equipment and guidance for the project are provided by the Kansas Trails Council and one of their "Trails in a Box" kits. The Coalition is one of five organizations around the state to have temporary access to a trailer of supplies. Included in the trailer is a brush mower, spray equipment, trimmers, flags, and enough hand tools to keep a full crew busy. 

The new trails were mapped by Mike Goodwin from the Kansas Trails Council, who also served as instructor for the volunteers. Several miles of trail have been mapped. Saturday's work included preliminary mowing for the first two miles and additional dirt work for the first quarter mile. 

Work on the trails will continue in the coming months with another workday scheduled for May 8. If you are interested in helping build these trails or know of a local group who could help, more information is available on the included flyer. 

**People truly travel just to walk. While working in the office last week, I noticed two ladies enjoying the park area on Third/Kansas Ave and taking pictures of the Landmark Building. I introduced myself and asked if they were local or just passing through. They were from Kansas City and were part of a statewide walking group: Sunflower Sod Stompers. The group offers recommended walking tours around the state and one challenge, in particular, includes completing a 5k walk in Southwest Kansas. They spent the day enjoying our downtown and walking our streets. Since then, I have seen four more groups of people on the same expedition. What a great program!

PLEASE JOIN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DAVID TOLAND AND KANSAS STATE TREASURER LYNN ROGERS
for information on a new loan program beneficial to Kansas businesses and business owners.

On Friday, May 7, the Lieutenant Governor and State Treasurer will present details on the new Economic Recovery Linked Deposit Loan program. The result of bipartisan legislation in Kansas, this low-interest loan program will give businesses more flexibility to take on new projects and investments. 

Through help addressing recent and extraordinary utility bills and other operating costs, the program will help businesses here in Kansas recover and continue taking on new projects and investments good for our communities and state. While inspired by difficulties caused by the pandemic, the loan program is not limited to those related costs. The program is intended to help Kansas businesses statewide recover and continue to grow. 

As always, thank you for all of your hard work and contributions. Working together, we'll see the Kansas economy emerge stronger than ever before. 

The informational webinar is scheduled for noon Friday, May 7. To participate, please use this link on the day of the webinar: 

Resources Abound at 2021 Main Street Conference

• In the fall of 2020, the Seward County Development Corporation applied for and received status as an Affiliate Community for the Kansas Main Street Program. This statewide program was recently relaunched, and this was the first opportunity for communities and support organizations to gain access to the resources through new memberships. 
  
  As an Affiliate Community, SCDC participates in the Kansas Main Street quarterly training sessions. Additionally, the Kansas Main Street supplied a free registration to SCDC for the National Main Street Now Conference, which was held virtually April 12-14. 
  
  Key session takeaways this year includedSimple and Actionable Steps for More Effective Marketing for Businesses and Communities with Marketing 3-4-5
• Integrating Brick & Mortar and eCommerce
• Calculating the Cost of Empty Storefronts
• Grow with eBay
• Rural Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development
• Moving Forward: Essential Tips for Rebuilding Your Business Mix
• and more!

If you would like to learn more about any of these session topics, or if you have ideas about our downtown districts, feel free to call the office or set up an appointment to stop by and visit. Call (620) 604-5136 or email eli@swks.org.

Governor Laura Kelly Signs Bipartisan Legislation to Aid Kansas’s Economic Recovery

Apr 15, 2021

Today, Governor Laura Kelly signed four bipartisan bills into law to drive economic growth and strengthen Kansas’ economy. Senate Bills 65, 66, 90, and 124 are part of Governor Kelly’s Growth Agenda, a multifaceted legislative approach to improving Kansas’ ability to attract major businesses and strengthen our economy in accordance with the Framework for Growth strategic plan.

“As our state recovers from COVID-19, we have the opportunity to rebuild a stronger, healthier, more resilient workforce and economy in Kansas,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “These bipartisan bills will help us achieve this goal by improving our ability to recruit cutting-edge businesses, revitalize our rural communities, and address housing shortages statewide. I thank the Legislature and Department of Commerce for their work on this important legislation.”

Each bill strengthens a specific area of Kansas economic development:

SB 65 – New improvements and updates to the High Performance Incentive Program (HPIP). Companies will no longer need to go through the Kansas Industrial Training/Retraining (KIT/KIR) programs to qualify for HPIP, leaving vital training funds to be used in more strategic ways. In addition, the bill allows for up to 50% of tax credits earned through HPIP to be transferred, helping to ensure that companies can fully utilize earned credits.

SB 66 – An extension of the Angel Investor Tax Credit program in Kansas for the next five years. Important updates have been made to the program, including changes to credit investment amounts, increasing budget appropriations and more. Strengthening the Angels program will allow our state to more effectively attract start-ups that will help create the technology of the future. In addition, an amendment to the bill provides for an increase in tax credits to be used to make homes accessible for people with disabilities.

SB 90 – This bill significantly expands the types of projects allowed in Kansas Rural Housing Incentive Districts (RHID) and enables the renovation into residential use (including vertical construction) of buildings and structures more than 25 years old on Kansas main streets and downtown districts. Any city with a population of less than 60,000 will be eligible for this program, regardless of county population. This program is essential in addressing housing shortages in rural Kansas in particular.

SB 124 – The STAR Bonds program in Kansas has been continued with major updates. This legislation establishes third-party feasibility studies to be engaged by Commerce, community engagement summary requirements, and other transparency measures. Updates also include measures to increase use of the program in rural areas. Finally, the program can now be used as a tool to recruit headquarters and major business facilities with the potential to attract sizable out-of-state visitation.

“Governor Kelly is known for her unwavering support of education, but measures like these prove she is also the Economic Development Governor,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “The Governor and our partners in the Legislature are responding to the needs of businesses and communities throughout our state, making rapid growth attainable in communities of all sizes. The pillars of our Framework for Growth, including forward-thinking policy, emphasis on talent and innovation and effective leveraging of community assets all are represented in this legislation. These new laws will be truly instrumental drivers of Kansas’ economic growth.”

This announcement comes during Governor Kelly’s “Back to School, Back to Work” tour through Kansas. April 12 through April 16 is “Economic Development Week,” with Governor Kelly and Lt. Governor/Secretary Toland visiting businesses and workforce centers across the state.

To learn more about the Kansas Framework for Growth, Kansas’ economic development North Star, click here.

E-Community Students Compete in the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge

Manhattan, Kansas --- The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge (KEC) State Championship, hosted by the Kansas State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship, and sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation, took place virtually on April 27th and awarded high school entrepreneurs with over $20,000 in prize money. This statewide competition featured high school and middle school students from 46 communities in Kansas.
 
Forty-nine businesses consisting of 70 students presented their business concepts. Student teams submitted a written executive summary and pre-recorded elevator pitch. Eleven finalist teams went on to present in a live, virtual mock board room round with judges.
 
"The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge was able to move forward this year with a live, virtual mock board room despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the virtual event couldn’t have gone better! The judges were engaged and asked thought-provoking questions, and you could tell the students enjoyed their opportunity to present. Each young entrepreneur was extremely talented and we are in awe of their energy, passion, and drive,” said Amara Kniep, Manager of E-Community Programs for NetWork Kansas.
 
Each team that participated in the 2021 KEC will receive $250. The eleven teams that participated in the live, virtual Mock Board Room will receive an additional $250 (for a total of $500).
 
There were two teams that stood out to each of the judges as showcasing exceptional entrepreneurial characteristics. Those two teams will receive an additional $1,000 prize (for a $1,500 award total). They were:
 
Bits of Thread, Audrey Manry and Sarah Manry (Larned High School, Pawnee County);
Wonderfully Made, Carolina Barraza (Pike Valley High School, Republic County).

Other finalists that competed in the live mock board room round were:

Beauty by Jae, Jaelyn Rumback (Norton County);
Bettles’ Mobile Car Detailing, Mason Bettles (Saline County);
Frack Sweet Scents, Cooper Frack (Norton County);
Jessi D Photography, Jessi Dalke (Marion County);
Make It Sweet, Grace Whitham (Greeley County);
Morr2Grow, Kennedy Morrison and Campbell Morrison (Thomas County);
Perfect Events & Catering, Kennedy Holstein (Scott County);
Poels Pellets, Gabby Poels (Phillips County);
Unboxd, Aditya Joshi and Varun Verma (Sedgwick County).
 
The goal of the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Series is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship and give them hands-on experience. Students that competed in their local YEC Series event automatically qualified for the KEC State Championship. Fifteen wildcard applications were also selected to compete through an executive summary open review.
 
“It is exhilarating to cheer students on as they explore their interests and cultivate their passions into workable business models through Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge projects. Students must use creativity, ingenuity, practicality, and presentation skills as they learn incredible life skills and are introduced to the idea of entrepreneurship as a viable (and often preferable) career choice. The real-world problem-solving skills students gain are tremendous and will help them thrive as they move forward in life,” said Christy Hopkins, Director of Greeley County Community Development.
 
The 2020-2021 YEC Series consisted of 44 local level competitions and 898 student participants, which culminated in the KEC State Championship on Tuesday, April 27^th, held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event was organized by K-State with sponsorship from the Kansas Masons. The YEC Series is in its eighth year and continues to grow each season.

**Shay Kerr represented Liberal High School at the state-wide competition this year. His business idea--Sole Cleaners--won the local competition hosted by the SCDC E-Community Board in March. Sole Cleaners would offer specialty cleaning services for high-end shoes and hats. As the price of limited edition footwear increases, the need for additional services to protect those shoes has increases as well. This business idea showcases the power of entrepreneurship: recognize a problem people have and see it as a business opportunity.

CITY OF LIBERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Certified Sites Program

The Kansas Department of Commerce Certified Sites program is to define benchmarks consistent with national economic development industry standards regarding the availability and development potential of commercial or industrial development sites. The site certification process directs the gathering and assembly of data into a consistent and usable format. This comprehensive review of the site includes availability of utilities, site access, environmental concerns, land use conformance, and potential site development costs. This pre-qualification process works to assemble current and accurate information into a single, usable package and format it such that potential buyers can have it readily available for review upon immediately showing interest in a site.
 
As the City of Liberal Economic Development Director, I am currently working on Liberal’s first site to be certified. What is required? A Certified Site is a parcel or parcels of land which:

• A local government of local economic development organization has completed a compilation of required data specific to the site;
• Total of 10 contiguous acres or more in size, are controlled by one entity, either public or private;
• Are primarily to be marketed by community and/or local economic development organization for industrial or business recruitment or expansion;
• Are not intended for retail or residential development;
• Contain at a minimum, a 6” water main, industrial capacity sewer, and three-phase, 12 Kv electric infrastructure to the property line of the site, and that has been cleared of dense forestation and underbrush and is reasonably flat to the extent for adequate developable space without excessive cut and fill effort;
• Is listed on LOIS-Location One
• Has achieved certification and recognition from the Kansas Department of Commerce.

 
To gather all the required information the applicant has one year in which to complete the certification process. A Technical Review Board consisting of economic development professionals, including utility practitioners, will provide support and be responsible for review and approval of all Kansas Certified Sites program applications. Once a site is certified, each certified site will be provided a logo that will indicate its achievement on LOIS-Location One, which shows sites available in your community, and also goes out to a national audience.  Certification is valid for a three-year period from the date listed on the certificate.
 
There are some costs to the program for any professional services required to be performed to complete the application such as attorneys, environmental specialists, engineers and/or laboratory analysts, and state agencies fees related to issuing letters related to the environmental condition of the site.

For further information, contact Cindy Wallace, City of Liberal Economic Development Director at 620-626-2256, stop by her office at City Hall, 324 N. Kansas Avenue or email cindy.wallace@cityofliberal.org.

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