Ignite Emporia has a lot of work planned as leaders look ahead to 2021.
Director Rob Gilligan says last year was a foundational year for the agency despite the disruptive presence of coronavirus. Ignite Emporia moved forward with the ACT (A-C-T) WorkKeys program, which measure the basic skills required for workplace success. Ignite also conducted an extensive housing study with the help of Simmons Pet Food.
This year, Gilligan says housing will be a big focal point. He says the community needs to build 30 to 40 new residences a year just to maintain current levels.
Local housing supply is at historic lows and potential locations for large-scale projects are next to nonexistent. Gilligan says the need is across all price ranges — especially homes under $200,000 or rental units under $750 per month. Ignite Emporia has started work with the city of Emporia on a potential 50-lot subdivision, although the location for that has not been set, and Gilligan says public-private partnerships may be needed to meet the current and ongoing demand.
Another focal point — childcare — developed as the pandemic continued. Gilligan says childcare, or the lack of it, is an underrated economic impact item as exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gilligan says early conversations are dealing with finding community partners, either at the local or state levels, to see how deep the issues are surrounding available childcare. Next will be finding needs and potential solutions in the business sector. One need that is already evident is having childcare in nontraditional hours. Another is possibly having more on-site childcare. A third is reducing wait lists at established daycare centers. A fourth is increasing wages for providers.
More information about Ignite Emporia is available online at www.emporiakschamber.org.
