Construction Activity

Construction activity continues in Mitchell County, Kansas. We have been working to document the many projects underway at this time. We have been adding pictures to our Mitchell County Community Development Facebook page to help keep up with the changes that are occurring in our communities. You can see that page HERE.
The new Rail Car and grain handling facility improvements are underway in Glen Elder. The Crown Homes development is nearly finished as City of Beloit crews are constructing the new street. Sunflower Manufacturing is putting up a new building on Highway 24 on the southeast edge of Beloit.

Construction is just beginning on a new walking trail. A parking lot is being added to the North Campus area where the Law Enforcement Center, USD 273 and Early Learning Center are already in place.

Solomon Valley Home Center is putting a new face on their store on Highway 24

At least two more commercial buildings will begin construction too. Keep up to date on the construction activity in Mitchell County by following our Facebook Page.

Unemployment Rate Low/Construction High

The latest report from the Kansas Department of Labor shows unemployment in Mitchell County at 3.4% in January 2012. This is lower than any of our neighbors in the contiguous counties of Jewell, Osborne, Lincoln, Cloud and Ottawa counties which are all over 4%. The Department of Labor has published a map demonstrating unemployment rates, county by county, across the state.

Employers in Mitchell County are still trying to hire new people and manufacturers are expanding and facing increasing demand for their products.

New construction and new business investments continue to add up in Mitchell County. Construction continues on the addition to the Super 8 Motel. A small warehouse building has been moved into the Solomon Valley Business park, the additional warehouse facility at Thompson's OK Tire is being completed, the new Law Enforcement Center is open now, a new front is being added to the Solomon Valley Building Center, Sunflower Manufacturing is putting up another building, the Library construction project is underway and two more buildings will begin construction soon on the Solomon Valley Business Park.

On top of all this crews are making great progress on the new swimming pool, new water lines on the west side of Beloit and new cooling towers for the City Power Plant.

Three of the new homes in the Crown Homes Addition are nearing completion. A total of 9 homes are included in this project.

Many images from numerous construction projects currently underway or recently completed can be seen on the Mitchell County Community Development Facebook page.

Economic Investments Continue to Grow

Mitchell County Community Development began working with local businesses in 2004 and since that time we have documented 68 success stories including 34 new businesses and 34 expansion projects. New Businesses have included a small trucking company (Griffith Transportation, a custom cabinet shop in Tipton, KS. Simpson Farms which is an Apache sprayer dealership in Beloit, small restaurants, a coffee shop, private fitness center, florists, chiropractors and an auto dealerships. We have also worked with a company called Old School Seals that manufactures wax seals for formal letters and invitations that now calls Tipton, KS their home.

Several multi-million dollar projects have bloomed over the years with Farmway COOP and their rail car loading facility in Glen Elder, KS plus their steps to add several types of large grain storage facilities in Glen Elder and Beloit plus a new Distribution Facility on Highway 24 in Beloit.

We have worked with Carrico Implement, Fin-Kool (a custom machine shop), Fouts Insurance, Solomon Valley Home Center, Sunflower manufacturing and Great Plains Manufacturing on expansion projects including a new Research and Development Facility for Sunflower manufacturing just a couple of years ago.

We have worked with developers on large housing projects such as the development of the Porter House Apartments project in downtown Beloit and our most recent project with Manske & Associates with the Crown Homes development in the Ackerman Addition of Beloit.

We now have 4 lots sold in our business park. Three of those within the past year. As a result of that we are getting three businesses....Racer Tech, Midway Development and Schroeder Building and Cabinets.

Thompson Tire Company and Super 8 Motel are also working on expansions right now. This Spring we will have at least 7 commercial construction projects underway simultaneously.

In 2005 we created a county-wide Neighborhood Revitalization Plan to encourage more investment in both residential and commercial construction. As a result we have over $41.7 million in construction projects approved through this program.

From October 15,2006 to January 15, 2012 there were 158 projects approved under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program in Mitchell County, KS. This includes 50 commercial construction projects and 84 residential construction projects and 24 ag facilities.

In the future we are looking to open up new opportunities for commercial development along Highway 24, open a new housing development area, a new restaurant is expected to open soon at the junction of Highways 24 & 14 and efforts are underway to bring a couple of new businesses into the downtown business district in Beloit.

Efforts are also underway to recruit new residents to the community through the Rural Opportunity Zone program introduced last year by the state of Kansas. We are also reaching out to recruit residents to fill positions with local employers. Plus we are working to encourage the state to assist with more "work force" housing programs to aid developers in constructing wage appropriate housing for our local workforce.

Investments being made today will help our community continue to move forward in the future.

Looking Forward to 2012

2011 has been a year of ups and downs but commercial construction activity looks very promising in 2012. Community Development Director, Murray McGee reported to the Mitchell County Commissioners recently that several large commercial construction projects have been started and many more are on the horizon.
The Crown Homes construction is nearing an end. Two of the new homes in the Ackerman Addition are expected to be ready in February. Seven more will be ready soon after.
Thompson Tire has started adding on to their north building. Super 8 is adding on 20 rooms. Those two projects will be completed in early 2012.
In 2011 a total of three lots were sold in the Solomon Valley Business Park south of Super 8 and Becker Autos & Trailers. Three new commercial buildings will be constructed in the business park next year.
Plans are also being developed to construct new commercial buildings at 3rd & Mill Street and at 2nd & Mill Street in downtown Beloit.
Construction continues on the new swimming pool in Chautauqua Park, crews have started work on new water lines. Construction work on the new lines started in the area of 4th & Western Streets.
They City of Beloit is also moving forward with plans for new cooling towers to be built at the power plant in 2012.
McGee said there are also two other commercial building projects in the discussion stage at this time for 2012.

Busy Time for Mitchell County Community Development

I just gave an update today on several ongoing projects:

1) The platting process continues on the North Campus Development area. We already have interest in the commercial and residential areas of the property.

2) Manske & Associates have closed on land in the Ackerman Addition in Beloit and will move their housing project to this location. Construction should begin soon.

3) We have two large business expansion projects on the table. Both over $500,000.

4) We have 9 new business development projects. A couple have made offers on property in Beloit.

5) We have sold two lots in the Solomon Valley Business park within the past 45 days and talks are underway for the sale of a 3rd lot at this time.

6) Brett Wichers has moved the Plum Creek Restaurant to it's new location on west Court Street in downtown Beloit.

To say the least.....this is a very busy time. If you have a business project you would like to discuss call 785 738-2717 or 785 569-1465.

North Campus Development Plans Moving Forward

The Beloit City Council has authorized the survey and platting of the North Campus Development area. The action by the city is the next step in the process of developing the former Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility property. It opens many new opportunities for the community.

The site will include 12-15 acres for new housing develop directly west of the former correctional facility campus. It will also include 8-10 acres along U.S. Highway 24 for commercial development and approximately 20 acres of land directly north of the campus for mixed use development of housing, and light commercial businesses.

The City is in the process of having the property platted and rezoned. Mitchell County Community Development Director Murray McGee says he has already been contacted by people interested in both the residential and commercial property along the highway.

The city will be working over the next few months to determine how they plan to market and sell the land for development.

Parties interested in the development can contact McGee at 785.738.2717 or 785.569.1465.

Community Turning Negative Into Positive

It's great to see a community recognized for turning a negative situation into a positive. Our community was hit hard when the state of Kansas closed the former Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility. Many jobs were lost and we were left with a big hole in the community with an campus full of empty buildings.

Since receiving the campus, buildings and adjacent ag land from the state of Kansas the community has forged ahead with efforts to fill the buildings and now develop plans for future development of the surrounding agricultural land.

Earlier this week a reporter from the Associated Press asked for an update on what the community is doing. Today the word is spreading through radio and TV news stories.

Our community deserves a big pat on the back for moving forward and making something positive out of the hand we were dealt.

Preliminary BRES Survey Results

Preliminary results of the Business Retention and Expansion Survey conducted this Summer were discussed at the Solomon Valley Economic Development meeting on Thursday. The survey of about a half dozen big and small businesses in Mitchell County provide a sampling of information on local business and employment trends. The businesses surveyed represent a total of 425 employees. Of that amount 33.6% of the employees are commuting from outside Mitchell County.
The survey gathered information on the downsizing the businesses went through over the past couple of years. But it also showed a positive trend towards bringing back at least 25% of the workforce within the next 2 years.
The survey covered information on procurement of products and services; local government; infrastructure and quality of life issues.
All of the businesses surveyed indicated they are very pleased with the local qualtiy of life. Especialy the medical services, schools and general family isues.
The one area of concern mentioned was housing. Both in terms of the quality of available housing and the availability of housing for our workforce.
Additional surveys will be conducted soon to increase the sampling. As those surveys are finished and follow-up interviews are conducted more details of the report will be released.

Utilities and Technology Vital

When it comes to business growth and new business attraction having up to date utilities, infrastructure and technology is a vital.

Sometimes rural communities are over looked because people think they aren't up to speed with the rest of the world. Well you might be surprised by what you can find in a rural community like ours.

For example, fiber optics is a MUST for many businesses today. But some might not think we have access to it here. I contacted Brent Cunningham with Cunningham Telephone and Cable and was impressed to find they have over 1,000 miles of fiber optics connecting homes, businesses and communities in Mitchell, Jewell, Cloud, Republic, Osborne and Ottawa counties. That is very significant to business sustainability and growth here in north central Kansas. Cunningham Telephone exchanges are built with "Fiber-to-the-Home" technology with dedicated fibers per customers and 100 Mbps capable connections.

This didn't happen overnight. Cunningham Telephone is a founding member of the Kansas Fiber Network connecting Kansas with advanced services. Cunningham Communications cable systems are built with fiber optic nodes and 1GHz technology. They have been providing broadband Internet service since 1997.

Another great asset for our community is the North Central Kansas Technical College. The college provides training and services that can be very beneficial for business. Some of these are on the cutting edge of technology. The NCK Tech College has a great GIS/GPS program and can provide training and services related to geographic information systems.

The college can also provide training in telecommunications, business, computer courses, welding and a wide variety of other programs.

The City of Beloit and Mitchell County are working together on gathering GIS data and creating new aerial maps and databases. This information can be important for business planning, infrastructure development and improvements.

Utilities are another important element when a business considers expanding or relocating in our area. On one recent site visit a business person asked me how many times a year we had power outages and how long they lasted. I contacted the Systems Operations department for the City of Beloit and they verified my answer. In 2009 the city of Beloit had 3 power outages. Two of those were during winter ice storms. The average time of the outages was only about 15 minutes. In most cases the outages are limited to one section of the city or another depending on what caused the outage and where it is located.

Beloit us unique in that the city still has a power plant and can generate their own power if needed during outages from their suppliers. Or in case of emergencies. In 2009 the City of Beloit generated their own power for a total of 761,780 kWh. They purchased over 47,000,000 kWh of electricity last year from KMEA, WAPA and GRDA.

Water is another vital resource for residents and businesses alike. The city of Beloit gets its water from the Solomon River/Waconda Lake. The City has total water rights of more than 227,102,673 gallons per year or approximately 622,199 gallons per day.

The capacity of the City Water Plant is 1.5 million gallons per day and the average annual consumption is 800,000 gallons per day.

The numbers, facts and figures concerning the utilities, infrastructure and technology available in our area goes on and on. But I think this summary give you a better idea on what we have to offer to businesses and the fact that we are up to speed with the latest technology that is so important in today's business world.

Governor Signs SB 357 to Transfer BJCF to Beloit

Govenror Parkinson has signed Senate Bill 357 to authorize the transfer of the former Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility property to the City of Beloit.

The Govenror closed the facility last August due to severe budget cuts bringing an end to a facility that has served the state of Kansas for over 120 years.

The Governor's action today means the property which includes roughly 14 buildings on a 23 acre campus, along with 49 acres of agricultural land will be returned to the City of Beloit.

Local officials have been working on plans to reuse most of the buildings on the campus. Representatives from the City of Beloit, Mitchell County, USD 273, NCK Technical College and the community have been working together on this project.

The actual transfer of the property will take some time. It will be handled by the Kansas Department of Administration and Attorney General's office.

Pictures of the Administration Building and available property can be found on the Mitchell County Community Development Facebook Page and on LocationOne.

Next Focus On Technology and Infrastructure

A new brochure is currently being developed to focus attention on the technology and infrastructure we have to offer businesses that are looking to expand or relocate in our area. The brochure, developed by Mitchell County Community Development is the third in a series that is being sent directly to professional Realtors and site selectors who assist businesses in their decision making.

It is interesting to note Cunningham Telephone and Cable has over 1,000 miles of fiber optics connecting homes, businesses and communities in Mitchell, Jewell, Cloud, Republic, Osborne and Ottawa counties. North Central Kansas Technical College has a GIS/GPS Technology program that provides training in geographical information systems software using global positioning system technology. The college has contracted with local city agencies to provide data in GIS format.

The brochure will also include information on the advanced medical technology that is available to our local physicians and hospital. It will also cover information on current utility capabilities available in and around our communities.

Businesses look closely at the technology they need when they consider expanding or relocating to an area.