Seven Priorities for Heartland Visioning

Education – Skills Training and Lifelong Learning: Provide skills training required to increase employee and management productivity and meet the needs of our employers and employees that must compete in a global business market for high paying jobs. For employers considering relocation, retention or expansion of high paying jobs in Shawnee County, this would include competitive skills training for their new employees. Expand and improve Kaw Tech and collaboration with other schools to ensure a qualified, well educated workforce that meets specific trade skills needed by employers and eliminates the skilled workforce gap.

Education – Higher Education: Encourage the community to actively assimilate and encourage college age people in the “Knowledge Corridor” to establish an emotional connection with the community. This could include local businesses offering incentives to college students such as coupons.

Quality of Life – Recreation, Arts and Culture: Develop and implement interdependent county-wide comprehensive master plans for recreation, arts and culture and entertainment that serves as a focal point for our community. Determine a required level of service for each element that results in meeting our Key Benchmarks. Determine the gap between existing facilities and this level of service and eliminate the gap within ten years while at the same time providing for annual growth as it occurs. Ensure that all facilities are staffed and maintained for high quality service. When developing levels of service for each element, ensure that proper consideration is given to age, income level and lifestyle. Consideration will also be given to use of these facilities by Shawnee County visitors and tourists and becoming a regional attraction. The master county-wide plans will include sections for creation of events and programming, promotion, marketing and calendars of activities. The plans will include but not be limited to the items below:

a) Entertainment

i. Downtown entertainment district (town square concept).

ii. Main street farmers market.

iii. Expand the music festivals.

iv. Retain and expand entertainment venues and events.

b) Arts and Culture

i. Enhance arts programming and groups that promote the arts.

ii. Venues for musicians to perform.

iii. Economic impact study.

iv. Develop arts district(s).

c) Recreation

i. Create a county-wide system of trails for walking and biking.

ii. Attract and promote sporting events.

iii. Ensure that activities are available for youth in their neighborhoods.

Infrastructure – Downtown and Riverfront: Develop and implement a downtown master plan as Heartland Visioning’s flagship project that includes the riverfront and North Topeka areas and links with the corridor to Washburn and the Expo Center. Elements could include:

a) an entertainment district

b) parks

c) green spaces and landscaping

d) satellite college campuses

e) canal from the riverfront into downtown, with water parks

f) downtown housing for diverse income levels

g) more services, public safety, gathering and socialization spaces

h) technology park/incubator

i) viable, attention-getting attractions such as Winter Wonderland, regular

festivals, ballpark and other community events

j) give proper consideration to age, lifestyle and resource level

k) redevelop existing buildings

l) image altering projects for downtown

m) make downtown pedestrian and bicycle friendly

n) attractive gateways into downtown

o) grocery and convenience stores

p) farmers market in an open air facility

q) state and federal resources for development

r) parking

s) Watertower District

t) public safety

Infrastructure – Neighborhoods: Provide the infrastructure and implement a comprehensive plan required for revitalizing north, east, south and central Topeka. The revitalization should result in higher real estate taxes and reduce costs resulting from crime and thus provide a positive return on investment. Expand, empower and improve Neighborhood Improvement Associations (NIAs). Link community centers, schools, and churches in neighborhoods with a provision for social services, after school training activities for children and parent education. Require low income multi-family housing units to provide programs and activities for children and parents that improve the quality of life, safety and educational opportunities for residents. This may require public/private investment in infrastructure and facilities such as community centers.

Economic Development - Develop a county-wide “brand” for internal and external marketing. The brand will reflect the thinking within Shawnee County and its municipalities; a unified leadership, that projects a positive, progressive image. Ensure that the “brand” has meaning, can be widely embraced by our community and speaks courageously about ourselves.

Government - Develop an annual legislative agenda based on input from public, not-for- profit and for-profit sectors that will help advance Heartland Visioning.