Allen County Commissioners agreed a public forum is the best way to help them decide whether they should invest $50,000 in a countywide promotion and tourism bureau.
The session will convene at 6 p.m. next Wednesday in the courthouse basement assembly room.
Invitations have been sent, but the meeting is open to all.
The premise is to better promote the countys recreational assets hiking and biking trails, restaurants, entertainment venues and
area festivals.
A director would be hired to lead the effort. He or she would also be in charge of organizing two to three big events each year.
Spreading the word will be done primarily online, but brochures will also be distributed across the state, said Bill Maness, Thrive economic development director, and in charge of spearheading the effort.
Thrive has pledged $25,000 to the projects $75,000 budget.
Maness said the proposed bureau would help bring day tourists to the area.
DARRIN Petrowsky, KDOT district engineer, said the rebuild of U.S. 169 east and south of Iola, was a little behind schedule, but the first phase from the intersection of the highway with Minnesota Road and on south to Hawaii Road should be completed by the end of October. The second phase will carry on to Delaware Road, just southeast of Humboldt.
The Minnesota Road intersection, which has provided a bypass of Iola for those using old 169 to Humboldt, is expected to reopen in about 30 days.
Work being done is pegged at about $17 millon.
The highways improvement from north of Chanute to Thayer will be done later, with no specific start date.
After the current project is opened to traffic, the remainder of work in this area will be from the Chanute-Humboldt road (old 169) to the start of the four-lane west of Chanute, and from the end of the four-lane on to Thayer.
IN OTHER NEWS, commissioners:
Heard a proposal from Larry Walden urging them to do a survey to gauge interest in purchase of the Lehigh property. Do one now, he said, and then a second survey after an appraisal of the property is available, to see if there is a difference. Walden said he had received three calls about the county possibly purchasing the abandoned quarry, which is now a pristine lake. Two calls were against the county taking ownership. Walden suggested the county using social media to conduct the survey.
Learned from Alana Kinzle that more than $10,000 has been raised for construction of a memorial garden behind the veterans wall on the south courthouse lawn. Kinzles success in forming the tribute to area veterans triggered a $10,000 match from the county. A dinner at Dudleys Done Right BBQ on Sept. 25 will serve as the next fundraiser. Josh Oberley, through Modern Woodmen Insurance, will match up to $1,000 of what is raised. Kinzle said work on the garden would start Oct. 15.
Approved use of the courthouse lawn for an Iola High School jazz concert Oct. 16.
Voted unanimously to hire attorney Robert E. Johnson, effective Oct. 1, to be their counselor. Johnson will work with Counselor Alan Weber, who plans to retire about Jan. 1. Johnson is a partner with Daniel Schowengerdt in the local firm of Johnson Schowengerdt and also served as counselor for 16 years in Stevens County.
