By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Lieutenant Governor of Kansas David Toland also serves as the Kansas Secretary of Commerce so touring the state to get a feel for how the economy is doing is doubly important.
Getting the pulse for what is happening, Toland started his week with stops in Colby, Atwood, Rexford, Oberlin, Norton, Hays and then arrived in Great Bend Wednesday.
Visiting the workforce center in
Great Bend, Toland acknowledged Kansas has to stop the loss of educated
students leaving the state for other jobs.
"We have to make sure when they are in school that they get exposed to job opportunities in the state," said Toland. "It is about internships and apprenticeships. You get a kid into something while they are here and there is a much greater likelihood that they will stay."
Toland also expanded his thought on keeping educated adults in Kansas by saying the state has to have a greater focus on innovation. The Lieutenant Governor wants to see the higher-waged jobs, prevalent in Dallas or Denver, also exist in Kansas.
Toland said another common concern he has heard on his tour is the lack of
housing to support the workforce wanted. The Rural Housing Incentive District
(RHID) grant has received revisions since Governor Laura Kelly took office by
encouraging construction or renovations. The governor’s bill helps permit
vertical construction on upper-story properties.
"For example in Great Bend, you have terrific old buildings with second floors full of pigeons and storage," said Toland. "A very promising practice in smaller communities is property owners investing in their buildings and turning the second and third floors into loft-style housing. This RHID bill will provide a tool to do more of that."
The Great Bend Economic Development recently pitched an additional incentive
for second-floor renovations downtown for loft living spaces. The pitch asks
for roughly $1 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan funding to pay 50% of
the fire sprinkler and alarm systems needed in the commercial/residential
structures while the other 50% would be structured as a forgivable loan. The
50% loan would be forgiven if the valuation on the property increased enough
over a specified time period.