The Flint Hills Regional Council had its June meeting in Emporia.
On Friday, members listened to several demonstrations, including a program update from Flint Hills Technical College, history and use report on the Lyon County Fairgrounds and a report on local economic development from the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas.
Board President Scott Briggs says the Regional Council is designed to foster relationships leading to future growth and development, whether for the individual cities and counties involved or for the regional membership as a whole.
Briggs says a lot of the Regional Council’s attention has been focused on the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility at Kansas State University. Most of the economic development will likely take place in and around Manhattan, but Briggs maintains there will be a much larger radius for development, and Lyon County can expect some economic benefits once the NBAF facility is constructed.
Also, the Regional Council obtained a so-called “brown field assessment grant,” which lets counties identify potential development sites that need to be cleaned up and provides a starting point for that work.
Lyon County has been part of the Regional Council for several years. In our coverage area, Chase and Wabaunsee counties are also involved as are towns including Reading, Alta Vista, Council Grove, Dwight and White City.
