By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

“All ideas are on the board,” so far.

More than 150 residents from throughout Ellis County gathered Monday night at Fort Hays State University’s Robbins Center for “Strategic Doing” hosted by the Heartland Community Foundation (Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties)  and the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan.

It was the first of four meetings to guide Ellis County through the process of planning and implementing community improvements.

Facilitator Betty Johnson, Lawrence, is an FHSU graduate and Smith Center native. She first directed the crowd to “not sit with your friends and co-workers. Meet somebody new.” After some shifting among chairs, the work began for each group at the 16 tables to conduct a SWOT analysis, determining the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Ellis County.

Ellis Mayor Dave McDaniel helped brainstorm ideas with his table mates who identified three priority projects of regional importance.

“Youth involvement, water, funding for school infrastructure repairs,” McDaniel said. “Lots and lots and lots of good ideas came forth tonight, and I hope we can expand on those and really get something going.”

Funding for the strategic projects will be provided by the Hansen Foundation over the next five years.

“I think this is an excellent opportunity,” McDaniel added.

There were more strengths listed for Ellis County than ideas in the other three categories, including education, low crime, health care, the faith community, strong leadership and high-speed internet.

“Definitely a strength,” Johnson quickly agreed. “There are some rural Kansas communities still on dial-up modems,”she pointed out.

Many ideas, written on bright pink and yellow paper notes stuck to the walls, straddled more than one category.

“High-speed internet also provides an opportunity for the area”, Johnson said. “Being on I-70 is a transportation advantage, but it also brings the threat of drugs and human trafficking into the community.”

The audience was comprised of people from all walks of life, from seniors to youth, including a number of Hays High School DECA students.

One of the listed weaknesses, “resistance to change,” drew a round of applause from the crowd.

Other weaknesses cited were scarce water sources, a child care shortage, high land prices, high housing costs and no homeless shelter.

Dangers included falling prices for oil and agricultural commodities, the shrinking and aging population of northwest Kansas, few applicants for open jobs for first responders, and decreasing grants and financial aid from federal and state sources.

Several groups consider the need for a convention center as an opportunity, along with solar and wind energy development, ag exports, downtown Hays as a destination, regional sports at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex, volunteerism and entrepreneurship.

Johnson urged attendees to find out more about the new Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center, a private foundation for which the Hansen Foundation provided the start-up funding. The center, based in Norton, is interested in attracting entrepreneurs, assisting with business succession planning, and adding to the quality of life in northwest Kansas.

“For our next meeting, I will facilitate the true strategic doing. We’re going to move tonight’s process forward,” Johnson explained near the end of the evening. “There are four questions you need to answer. What can we do? What should we do? What will we do? And, what will we do in the next 30 days?

“Which of these ideas will become a reality in Ellis County?” asked Johnson.

That’s what participant Anne Leiker, director of the Center For Life Experience, wants to know. She had a mixed reaction to the meeting.

“I’ve done strategic planning several times, with Leadership Hays, Leadership Kansas, and other groups,” Leiker said afterwards. “We’re stretched with our resources and our people, and I can’t stretch any further. Now, we have the funding resource (through Hansen). Now, it’s time for people, and new people, to step up and take ownership of these ideas.”

Heartland Community Foundation Executive Director Sandy Jacobs, who is also a Hays city commissioner, echoed the “doing.”

“Betty’s right. If we don’t come back together and take these ideas, move forward and say ‘I’ll take ownership,’ then we really messed up,” Jacobs said.

She was involved in drafting the 20-year comprehensive plan for Hays, which was adopted in 2012.

“I won’t be involved in anything that will sit on the shelf. I promise you, it’s not sitting on the shelf. Our city staff is looking at it all the time. If I forget about it, somebody in the community reminds me of it,” she said. “That’s the way I want this strategic doing to work. Whatever is going to come out of this group, I promise you it will not be a document on the shelf.

“It will live and breathe and change and do,” Jacobs promised.

The next strategic doing session is at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall. Any interested community members are invited to attend.