If Allen County keeps on keeping on, its on a trajectory to lose almost one-third of its population over the next 50 years, according to a report released by the Kansas Health Institute.
Instead of raising their families here, more and more of todays youth are joining their peers in the city. Even those in their senior years are seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
Barbara Anderson, a regional director for the Department of Commerce, takes the reports gloomy prognosis as a personal challenge.
If a region doesnt have reasons for people to stay, then theyll go elsewhere. I admit it feels like theyre giving up on us. But its up to us to make Allen County a desirable place to live.
As Iolas former Chamber of Commerce director from 2003 to 2008, Anderson is big on the return on investment philosophy.
When businesses paid their dues, they wanted to know they would get something in return, she said. The same goes for when people move to a state or a community.
In her job with the DOC, Anderson serves 19 rural counties up and down the eastern corridor of Kansas, helping them build community through programs, economic development and financial incentives.
Through her 10 years of working with scores of communities, Anderson shared some of their secrets of success.
1. Rural Opportunity Zones. Begun in 2011, this is a state program that helps counties and businesses recruit employees by helping them pay up to $15,000 of their student loans. Its a win-win. The graduate gets help paying for his education and the community gets someone with desirable skills.
Allen County has been a little slow to embrace this, Anderson said, noting the county signed on to the program in 2013, agreeing to fund one application at $1,500 a year for five years. A waiting list of nine applicants exists. Businesses can also take it upon themselves to pay the $1,500 a year. The state matches what either the county or business contributes. In Humboldt, for example, St. Timothys Lutheran Church used the program to help pay toward the student loans of their new pastor, Timothy Roth.
Sunset for the program is 2021, but could be extended, as it was in 2015. Anderson hopes the county steps up its contributions.
2. Local clubs and organizations. Sounds too easy, right? But, according to Anderson, belonging to a church or Rotary, Lions, PRIDE or Kiwanis is essential to building a strong core of volunteers. Which gets to Andersons other point in that municipalities with declining populations and shrinking state aid are unable to meet peoples expectations and volunteers will need to step up.
Anderson noted the new pedestrian bridge spanning Elm Creek could not be a stand-alone city project. Without Thrive Allen County, which wrote the grant that secured the bulk of the funding, and all the volunteers, it would not have been possible, Anderson said. The same goes for the historical plaques denoting Iolas founding fathers that dot the downtown square, an effort coordinated by Iolas PRIDE group. I think its coming back around that we cant depend on our city government to fund such things. We cant expect them to do everything, she said.
3. Connect schools with businesses and industries. Anderson noted a successful program in Crawford County where middle school students learn the ins and out of specific trades by going to their places of work.
Drawing from her own experience, Anderson said, Until I became a Chamber of Commerce director Id never stepped foot in Gates Manufacturing, and to be honest, never had a clue the degree of sophistication required for some of the positions and the opportunities for advancement.
