Training well attended at Burr Oak Library

Eighteen new and current board members, city council members and county commission members attended a training at the Burr Oak Community Library Thursday night.

The Jewell County Community Development (JCCDA) coordinator started off the training with a general overview about what community development is and what makes it different from other organizations, such as a chamber of commerce. She also explained how the organization is funded, how it is set up and what leads to the massive 333 percent return on investment that the JCCDA boasts each year.

JCCDA work is bolstered by many partnerships throughout the different communities, region and the state. One of these partnerships is with the NCK Regional Planning Commission which helps communities go more in-depth with state and federal program dollars and applications. Doug McKinney, out-going director, and Emily Benedict, incoming director, were in attendance to present about the organization.

Tammy Finnell, host for the night as the director of the Burr Oak Community Library, shared with the group how she was part of a team to get the new facility built and a little bit about how they did it. She also shared some insights about how the Mammoth Festival has developed through Strategic Doing.

Jenny Russell rounded out the night sharing best practices and resources for city councils including information for the Kansas League of Municipalities, land banks and capital improvement planning. Grant funding was also covered from large programs like Community Development Block Grants and USDA Rural Development. The Jewell County Community Foundation spring and fall rounds as well as the Dane G. Hansen Foundation monthly round were also discussed. Another grant writing workshop for the county was also talked about and will be scheduled at a later date. Local incentives were laid out and both the Kansas Small Business Development Center and Kansas Department of Commerce services were profiled.

Last for the night, sample results from the countywide survey conducted in January 2020 for the JCCDA strategy meeting were presented, giving leaders some insight into what their communities consider are priorities.