2007 Annual Report Executive Summary
Wichita County Enterprise Community
The Wichita County 2007-2008 school enrollment decreased by 27 students. Wichita County Enterprise Community decided to begin 2007 by gaining input and insight for future endeavors from the community. A series of three Town Hall Meetings were held to receive input on what issues were important and what they wanted to see happen for the betterment of the county. Attendance at these meetings ranged from a high of 120 to a low of 40 people. Six community committees were formed to research ideas identified during the Town Hall Meetings, which were Care Facilities; Recreation and Beautification; Community Centers; Energy; Housing; and Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Each committee developed an action plan.
The Wichita County Enterprise Community/Wichita County Economic Development board of directors began working in 2007 to develop a future succession plan to move the organization forward in the future. The board officers participated in an executive board training to increase their understanding of their responsibilities to the board and organization. The entire board of directors also participated in a board retreat to continue to identify future community needs and projects.
The successful management of the Revolving Loan Fund resulted in the Board approval of an increase in lending limits. Increasing the lending limits allowed the EC to make one loan in 2007 which helped retain one business and re-establish a second business. The retained business is the primary retail business in the county and would have a negative impact on the ability of other businesses to maintain adequate sales, should residents begin to shop out of town more frequently due to the loss of the business.
The loan enabled the purchasers of the existing business to re-open a secondary business that had closed approximately one year ago. The loan also resulted in the retention of 5 full-time jobs plus 2 part-time jobs. The EC continued to sponsor and participate in the state’s Enterprise Facilitation Pilot Project. One new business was developed through the Enterprise Facilitation program with a second business set to open in January 2008. The first business requested to be housed in the Wichita County Business CARE Center Incubator space. The business opened in the space in April. Several business educational classes were held in the Business CARE Center. Classes offered at the Center include: Excel, QuickBooks, and various grant writing workshops. Usage of the Business CARE Center increased during 2007, with numerous businesses utilizing the facility to provide training for employees. A total of five people completed the HOPE (Homestead Opportunities for Prospective Employees) Program in 2007. This program was implemented in June 2006 to assist existing businesses in Wichita County to attract needed employees to long-term vacant job positions.
A total of six grants were awarded in 2007 which were targeted at improving the quality of life for residents in Wichita County and would aid in attracting new residents to the county. The EC also partnered with the Western Kansas Community Foundation in 2007. This regional foundation selected Wichita County as one of four southwest Kansas counties to implement their Nutrition and Physical Activity (NPA) initiative. The EC served as a convening organization for the county, provided meeting space and grant writing assistance to community organizations. In the first year, seven organizations in Wichita County received a total $17,250 for projects that were developed through the initiative.
The EC finally enjoyed success in 2007 as it was announced in October that Westar Energy would construct and operate a 99 megawatt wind farm in Wichita County named the Central Plains Wind Farm. Recruiting a wind farm to Wichita County has been a priority since 2002. The project will break ground in March 2008 with construction slated to be completed by the end of 2008 before the federal production tax credits expire. Westar Energy has agreed to a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement to Wichita County since the state has abated taxes on wind generating equipment.
The county will see as many as 150 temporary construction workers during the peak of the project, with approximately 8 permanent jobs created. In addition to the Central Plains Wind Farm, the EC continues to work with two other wind developers who have leased ground for wind farms in Wichita County. Both have submitted proposals to various RFPs for wind energy.
The Wichita County EC again hosted a very successful annual meeting which featured its 4th Annual Eye Poppin Chili Cook-off. The chili cook-off is open to businesses, organizations, churches and schools as they compete to raise money for their favorite local charity or non-profit project. In conjunction with the State of Kansas 8 Wonders of Kansas Project, the EC sponsored its own 8 Wonders of Wichita County Contest. The public could nominate local attractions for consideration in one of eight categories. The public then could vote for their favorites and the winners were announced at the EC’s annual meeting. Each winner received a road sign identifying them as one of the 8 Wonders. The EC will be developing an 8 Wonders tourism brochure.
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