The $7.5 million first installment in state aid mostly for Kiowa County was authorized Wednesday by the State Finance Council to help cleanup and rebuilding. That was fast work, especially considering that the Legislature was out of session when the tornado struck Greensburg May 4. More money will be available under the state’s $32 million relief package and from the federal government. Timing is key, though: According to Associated Press, Greensburg residents have been told at town meetings that 53 businesses already have decided not to rebuild in town. "I think most of the businesspeople — I would say the largest percentage of them — have every intention of staying, but intentions don’t pay the bills," said farmer and businessman Scott Brown. "I hope there’s more to come."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Raptor on Too many exemptions
- Phantom on Open thread 11/23
- Raptor on Too many exemptions
- Monkeyhawk on Open thread 11/23
- ANTI on Open thread 11/23
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/23
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/23
- ANTI on Open thread 11/23
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/23
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/23
22 Comments
Scott Bowman had some wise words to say about the new funds. :)
So where are the Liberals on this thread?
No Bush controversies here?
I guess they couldn’t think of any substantive posts. :)
I read this morning that KDOT is reconsidering the route of US 54 through Greensburg. This is definitely a good idea. Upgrading highways is always a very difficult process – do you bypass town of widen? Bypassing often leaves a town behind; however widening requires too much destruction. However, now there is a clean slate to work with.
Shortly after the disaster I suggested that, in many ways, it makes sense to ‘go slow’ and think about things. I said the same thing after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean and after Katrina.
Greensburg will not be the Greensburg we once knew. I am saddened by that reality. However, we do have an opportunity to make Greensburg a thriving city again.
There was also a great article written today in the Eagle about the expansion of highway 54.
Many people, business and community leaders along with travelers and commercial transporters have been desiring the completion of the Spirit Corridor, known as Highway 54.
I wrote a statement about this on this blog about Greensburg, I would say about three weeks ago. And that was that this could give the attention that the Spirit Corridor needs and that jumping starting it would be crucial to Greensburg rebuilding. Well! It looks like the State and KDOT agreed with me.
They are now looking at developing a great access point of the 4-lane highway through the business area of Greensburg. Then from the heart of Greensburg and around Pratt and onwards to Kingman where it will meet up with the 4-Lane already built.
This will be a huge benefit for Greensburg and it’s rebuilding and ultimate survival. Kudos to KDOT!
http://kansas.com/news/story/90873.html
Looks like Ben beat me to it. :P
US-54 from Wichita to Tucumcari (I-40) needs to be upgraded. Obviously this would require cooperation from 3 other states. This is the obvious route from Wichita to the west coast.
On this we are in agreement Joe!
I doubt we will see even 54 upgraded between Wichita and Pratt in the next 50 years, let alone all the way to Tucumcari. Heck, 54 though Goddard isnt expected for another decade, and it will take them a decade to finish it.
http://www.forward54.org
Unfortunately Tony, given KDOT you are probably correct.
There is an old joke about that. Astrophysicists have figured out that the sun will burn out in 10 billion years or so. That means they will have to finish Kellogg under the lights.
I’ve taken the 54 on two west coast trips. I’ve taken the I-40 (to OKC) & I-35 several times. The latter route seems to be a bit faster, albeit longer, because you can do 70+ mph without having to slow to 30 mph gettin through lots of towns. It would be a really expensive proposition building a high-speed transit corridor from Wichita to Tucumcari. With fast-rising fuel costs, would this make it cost-effective? Transportation experts should study this.
One could make an argument that we might benefit from a Northwest-Southeast diagonal freeway connecting Wichita to I-70 a bit west of Hays, in order to more efficiently connect us with Denver, and from there, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Boise, Portland and Seattle.
Or maybe Wichita is too small a town to think in these interstate-connectivity terms.
If 53 businesses don’t rebuild in Greensburg, what’s going to happen to its tax base? How will it remain a viable town into the future?
A good article on using blogs to cover long-term community issues.
‘Knight People To Help Build Digital Communities’http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/columns/stopthepresses_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003591601“Rebuilding Greensburg, Kansas, will take consensus building, and this sort of online approach could be quite helpful.”
Tom – I think the answer to that important question lies in the ‘rest of the story’. How many people remain? Presumably if both the business base and the population reduce by the same percentage then costs of operation will go down as well.
It might be that Greensburg will simply be a smaller town when this is done.
Ben,
I make a trip out to SW Kansas every few months, and am always a little depressed by the sight of towns that are crumbling in abandonment. How small a population can a SW Kansas town have, and still be viable? Not suffer the fate of places like Ford, or Ashland? I’m not asking rhetorically…I’m honestly curious.
IIRC, the proposal to connect Seattle to San Diego via a high-speed interstate highway, was devised shortly after passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.
Because this required meeting the needs of three separate states (e.g. Californians decided that I-5 would not run through the state’s second-largest-population Bay Area zone, which would be serviced by intrastate spurs, while Oregonians and Washingtontonians wanted I-5 to run directly through their largest population centers), and issues of eminent domain, actual construction did not begin until 1962. The route was completed in 1973. Nineteen years from start to finish. Nearly 1400 miles. Here in Wichita, it’s taken more than a decade to so far complete about 4 miles of east-of-I-135 freeway, and 6 miles of east of-135 freeway, after exercising most eminent domain (excluding the Eastborough obstruction).
More than 100 miles a year vs. less than 1 mile a year. Welcome to America’s Mexico-emulating “manana” hinterland.
In Johnson County, expansions of I-35 and I-435 see workers making progress every day of the week, and often at night under high-intensity illumination, to do work when traffic is reduced.Compare this to the Kellogg expansion’s showing lots of machinery lying idle on weekdays, not to mention weekends and nights.
Why does this occur? Because under contracts that do not require contractors to finish the job by date X, or suffer major contract-payment penalties, it’s more profitable for road builders to snatch a contract, start the work, then land another contract and switch their crews to it, while letting the first one languish, then get a third contract and let the second (and the first) get back-burnered, and a fourth contract,… and so on.
Yeah, the trip to Pratt is not a pleasant one and can be quite perilous with some of the intersecting roads.
I like to visit Pratt as it is a pleasant city and I enjoy their fine museum. I visit that museum every time I drive to Pratt.
Too bad the incomplete road is the determining factor in my decision in visiting Pratt.
I’m sure Pratt would enjoy the economic benefit of a complete highway if someone would just lead and get it done.
In Greenburg’s case, it’s probably going to be a smaller town. After Katrina, New Orleans’ population dropped by nearly 50%, and because refugees have begun to build lives elsewhere, most of them aren’t going back.
I don’t know how many businesses Greensburg had before the tornado, but for a town of less than 2000 people, 53 businesses deciding to not rebuild is a substantial percentage.
There a many, many, many Kansas towns struggling to stay alive, but ineluctibly shrinking. A tornado may be a catalytic accelerant that rapidly speeds up the shrinkage process.
I’m not saying this should happen. If Greensburg rebuilds, the probability of a tornado hitting downtown again in 50 years is small. Greensburgians will figure out what they think is best for themselves. Some may decide to stay, some to leave.
MPS,
I think 53 represents about half the number of businesses. Whether or not they’re the major employers, or marginal mom-n-pop’s, I have no idea.
I went to the UDALL Website looking for a tornado event that happened before my time (1955.)
I wanted to see how Udall handled rebuilding.
Curiously enough, their rebuilding page held no entries and the only words present were “under construction.”
Which, I might add is telling of a community which suffered from a deadly tornado and appears to still be struggling to rebuild.
Not very good public relations for a town in my opinion.————————Udall TornadoA Kansas Portrait
“The worst tornado in Kansas history leveled the community of Udall on the first of a three-day storm series which raged across Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. May 25, 1955, the tornado struck the south end of Udall without warning. Within minutes, death and destruction covered the small, sleeping community in northwest Cowley County.
The south half of town was completely leveled. The northern half fared little better, as all houses, except one, were damaged. The only remaining businesses were the bank, post office, and the Odd Fellows Home. Gone were 192 buildings and 170 homes. The remaining homes were found unlivable.
The biggest loss came in lives. Nearly half of the families of Udall lost one or more members. The death toll eventually reached 87, with approximately 200 injured. 20 percent of the population was gone.
Out of the rubble and despair emerged not only a new Udall, but also awareness for improved discrimination and communication of severe weather information. Today the concerted efforts of the National Weather Service, law enforcement agencies, the Civil Defense Service, Severe Storm Spotter Networks, the public, and the media greatly minimize the risk Udall faced in the 1950s.”
*Entry from the Kansas Historical Society Website on Udall.
Republican
I’ve been down to Udall, they have rebuilt just fine. They look like every other small Kansas town. They have a vintage 50’s watertower, most of their buildings come from that erra, and pictures of the tornado’s distruction line the walls of City Hall and their Community Center. Its still a very small town but years later. They are a bedroom community with no major industry.
Greensburg will come back, just at about half of their current size and population.
Thanks Tony, I have driven by Udall, but never stopped. I’ve always heard the story about the Udall tornado from my parents, usually during tornado season.
I hope Greensburg becomes a vibrant community once again. Small town Kansas is what defines the state in terms of character.
And I know from what I’ve seen on news reports that there is character in abundance in Greensburg.
As a “tornado survivor” (yes, my wife and I lived in Greensburg) I truly hope that the town makes a big comeback. It will do this without us. We made the decision, as so many others have, to relocate. I am closer to my work now, and as I have had to remind others, we were not Greensburg natives to start with. We moved there a number of years ago, really enjoyed the community and the friends we made while living there, and have moved on. It was a decison we were considering before the tornado. The city Dads will have their hands full, if Greensburg is to survive. The question of money, and it’s use, is one on alot of Greensburg refugees minds at this particular moment. There has already been a huge outpouring of money into Greensburg and Kiowa Co. The exact figures do not seem to be available to the general public. And now the Government has allocated 7.5 million to Kiowa Co. for disaster relief and to help with the clean-up efforts. Curious thing is, the city of Greensburg is expecting for folks to pay for their own clean-up. I know one person who paid over $5,000 to have their property cleaned up. Now with all this money being poured into the Greensburg city coffers for clean-up and people being told it is their own responsibility, perhaps one of those reporter folks should go out there and ask a few questions. Not suggesting that anything wrong is taking place, just curious as to what all that money is being used for.
Would like to see 54 continue through town, however to the North as much as possible. I feel a City Center focusing on the Big Well with retail and banking around that one city block deep. Then around that reconstruct Churches. I feel that Greensburg and its residents need to show that belief in a higher power is important to them. A key ingredient in the whole rebuilding process will be the factor of affordable housing for those displaced that don’t meet Low-income guidelines (felons who don’t qualify, but have disabilities that have lived there for years) and who were renters and not homeowners. We must keep the officials in our prayers and keep ideas going even on a seemingly obscure blog as this. Who knows if anyone will even read my ideas, but would hope so. I lived in Greensburg for a year, moving to Coldwater in June last year. My wife and I both are employed by Greensburg businesses that are either existing in and out of the city limits, or are tenatively awaiting repairs to facilities (damaged but not totally lost buildings on the West and East ends of town). It is hard to see everyone (large #’s) say yes to rebuilding, but no to immediately. Wish I could say I want to build there, but no funds or credit to do so. Get a grocery chain to commit and you will have your city back. Kroger seems to have no clue what to do, except have Kwik Shop there to continue to pull in profits from volunteers and residents (sorry, still not selling gas, although would probably top $3.50/gallon). It’s just hard to accept “one step at a time” and know it all needs to happen now, or more people and businesses will be lost. Heard that the former mayor (before McCollum) was forced to close his barber shop that he decided to operate after the tornado in a portable building. Guess what? He has now decided to leave and NOT rebuild.