Home-grown business

worthy of support

Nearly every town in Kansas has an economic development department and this puts counties in competition with each other. I think we need to concentrate on an effort to create growth from within our community in the areas of industrial manufacturing, processing, warehousing, utilizing our waste, etc. We need anything that will employ people with the end result being something to sell not only within our community but also worldwide. Home grown can be longer lasting and much more fun.

More than five years ago, a Mr. Fruth was hired by the joint commissioners to do a study and make suggestions as to what was needed to attract industry. His report had a list of those guidelines and those guidelines called for a lot of money. The one-quarter cent sales tax that was voted in for the U.S. Highway 50 West project expired in 2008. The concept of using that sales tax as funding to promote the Fruth approach to economic development was defeated, but times have changed. There are a lot of ideas floating around in people's minds. Some of those ideas are very sound and workable but will never see the sight of day without some help. I propose we use a part of that money to research these ideas and for those that have merit we set up some kind of funding source for those projects. The projects that are approved for production will need a source of funding for start up, funding for land and equipment, extended operational costs and then funding for expansion. This is an opportunity for the total community to become involved through several methods such as creating an investment company, which could serve as the start-up company, becoming a stockholder, lender or an accumulative investor. The sales tax could work as a guarantor for the start-up costs. If you want Garden City to be a solid community, then this is the way to go. Trying to entice some company to move here is not the answer because of the competition between communities.

Under "Manufacturing" in the phone book, there is not one company listed (in the area-wide there are two listed) although there are several manufacturing companies in the area and nearly all are home grown, which reflects the loyalty of those companies to the community. When an industrial company comes to town, the building goes up, very rarely is there any expansion, wages are minimal, most do their banking somewhere else and they expect major tax breaks.

If you would be interested in the above concept of helping your community, call your mayor, city council and county commissioners.

LEE MESSENGER,

Garden City

Eastern Kansas

eager for wind

Western Kansas is rated No. 3 in the nation as a wind power source. Lots¬ of folks in eastern Kansas are ready to hook up to western Kansas¬ wind power and¬ more hydropower from Bowersock Dam. Kansas has four local¬ sources of power in wind power, solar power, refined hydropower and geothermal.

If any western wind power people are looking for new customers send them to¬ Lawrence. We need to phase out this nasty coal plant.

RICHARD HECKLER,

Lawrence