LaHarpe residents have discovered that two of three priorities for their community have remained the same over the past year. During Tuesday evening’s LaHarpe Community Conversation, hosted by Thrive Allen County, a small group of 10 residents gathered in city hall to brainstorm improvements for the town.
“Last year, when we held this, our three priorities were housing, stores, and more civic engagement,” said Thrive Community Engagement Director Marcia Davis. “There has been improvement in housing, but not really any movement on stores.”
Although Davis wasn’t sure she could quantify whether there has been more community involvement, she did point out that LaHarpe Days has brought people into the community. “Then there’s the Easter egg hunt that was held a couple weeks ago,” she added. “That saw a large turnout.” In fact, according to resident Joyce Lee, there were 233 kids in attendance. “In addition to that, there were also parents or grandparents accompanying them,” noted Davis.
Wherever they lead a community conversation, Thrive touches on three points: What’s going well, what could be improved and narrowing the list to three priorities.
When it came to “good things” about the community, there was no shortage of examples. “Our gymnasium has a lot to offer,” noted resident Sharlyn Thompson. “We’ve got line dancing going on and cooking classes.”
Davis agreed, pointing out that the city’s facilities are well-used. “Whether it is the ballfield bringing in tournaments, the gym, or the park,” she said.
Other positive attributes included the improvement of city streets and the city’s response time to power outages, water leaks, or getting trees trimmed. To continue improving the city’s housing, the idea of a housing assessment was brought up.
Jared Wheeler, who works in economic development for Thrive, noted a housing assessment is necessary to access funding through the Kansas Department of Commerce, including “tax credits, revolving loans, grants or something similar.”
Davis added, “It’s the first step to getting more houses built.”
In the area of improvement that were discussed, communications were highlighted.
“I would like to see the newspaper more involved in these small towns and helping us to get the communication out,” said Thompson. Other ideas to improve communication included better signage for LaHarpe and the events or activities the city offers.
Floyd Thompson stated he wished to see a convenience store or small shop in town. He noted that a lack of one is a sign of a town that is not growing. “That’s just my opinion,” he said. “To get a candy bar or a bottle of pop, you have to get in your car and drive somewhere.”
More suggestions for improvement included having more places to eat, getting more businesses on Main Street, and filling up empty lots.
Rounding out the meeting, those in attendance agreed that business (new stores), housing, and communications (signs) were the town’s top three priorities.
With communications being the only different priority from the previous year, the group brainstormed some avenues they could take to improve in that category. Electronic billboards were one suggestion, however, the cost of such a sign was a concern.
