Giving always yields a return

opinions

August 15, 2013 - 12:00 AM

Kudos to Allen County for loosening its purse strings for the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
The Center is a model child and deserves the increase in allowance.
The county will now devote one-third of a mill to the Bowlus, an average of about $32,000. Up until now, the Bowlus could depend on about $2,500 from county coffers. The City of Iola, meanwhile, will continue to devote one full mill to the Bowlus, which this year will equate to about $31,900.
The Bowlus benefits the entire county when events come its way. In a county this small, visitors love to scout the sites, restaurants and stores of all of its cities.
The county also uses the Bowlus on a regular basis for meetings, 4-H events, and special programs.
The Bowlus is coming up on its 50th year as a county fixture for area students and citizens. The county’s increased commitment couldn’t come at a better time.

COMMISSIONERS weren’t so eager to commit to a program to entice college graduates to our area.
The program involves a 50 percent match with the state to help graduates repay their student loans in return for them locating in our area for five years.
The loans cap out at $15,000 per student spread out over the five years.
Participating Woodson County has pledged $6,000 to the program, which with the state’s match will create a healthy enticement for prospective grads of community colleges and universities.
Businesses also can participate in the program. Monarch Cement, for example, could pledge $7,500 to entice an engineering student to come its way. Right off the bat, that $15,000 could go a long ways in getting students to give Allen County a second glance.
The average student loan debt for graduates with four-year degrees is almost $27,000 — double from 20 years ago when adjusted for inflation.
Students today are desperate for ways to whittle down that debt so they can get on with their lives and put their money toward more rewarding things, such as a home.
That five years immediately after graduation is an ideal time to get people to settle here. They bring new energy, ideas and maybe even a significant other. Small town America may sound hokey, but to many young families they find our communities, schools and places of work a welcome retreat from the big city.
The program is coordinated by the Kansas Department of Commerce through its Rural Opportunity Zone Program.
Barbara Anderson, Iola, pitched the program to commissioners Tuesday.
They should welcome her back and say yes to her invitation to participate.
— Susan Lynn

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