Emporia City Commissioners have officially signed the application for a Federal Grant aimed at turning Emporia and Lyon County into a tech hub.
Commissioners unanimously voted to sign the application for the i6 Federal Grant during their action session Wednesday afternoon. If approved by the federal government, the $750,000 grant will be put towards sparking the THINK Emporia initiative which seeks to expand entrepreneurship in Emporia and Lyon County by enhancing local use of technology.
Mayor Jon Geitz says the application is one of the ways the city of Emporia is thinking outside of the box in terms of economic development.
Several local entities have pledged their support for the THINK Emporia Initiative including Emporia State University, Emporia Main Street and the Lyon County Commission who declared their support for the program during their action session last week. The application will formally be filed Thursday and commissioners will learn if they have been awarded the grant sometime in July.
In other business, commissioners approved a resolution for Healthier Lyon County’s Safe Routes to Healthy Food Program. The initiative is seeking to provide safer pathways, such as sidewalks, crosswalks and sharrows, for individuals located in so-called “food deserts” to healthier food outlets.
Daphne Mertens of Healthier Lyon County says the first step of the initiative will be to install sidewalks at both Good’s Cash Saver and Dillon’s Grocery Store.
The initiative is funded by HLC’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Grant of which HLC is one of eight recipients.
Also during the meeting, Mayor Geitz issued two proclamations, the first naming April as National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month. The second proclamation also named April as Fair Housing Month.
Commissioners also named Logan Alexander as the City of Emporia’s Above and Beyond Employee Award recipient. The commission also approved free dump days, an agreement with KDOT for FFE and recognized the finance department for receiving the Certificate of Achievement for Financial Recording (CAFR) Award.
The Emporia City Commission will next meet Wednesday, April, 10 inside city conference room 1AB at White Auditorium.
