SECTION G
MOMENTUM
2022 Rolling toward a better Topeka, Shawnee County
S U N DAY, A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 8
G2 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Momentum 2022 serves up exciting new recipe Topeka headed for great things over next few years
Kayla Bitler
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omentum has taken hold, and excitement abounds in Topeka and Shawnee County. Our community has found an exciting new recipe for progress, and we know it. One ingredient in our recipe is direction. Momentum 2022 provides the vision and direction for the community to work toward, and the strategy for doing so. Direction alone, however, is not enough to create positive change. This brings me to our next ingredient — our community members. Our community members are truly excelling in collaborating to form ideas, do work
and make things happen. They are the most integral part of our recipe. It’s important to the Greater Topeka Partnership as an organization, and to myself personally, that we always recognize this. Collaboration is another vital ingredient. We couldn’t do this work without the entire community coming together. Between community leaders, business owners, volunteers and investors, we must continue to work together to move forward. The last ingredient in our recipe is excitement. It has never been more exciting to be a part of our community, and through my work with community leaders and members, it has become obvious to me that the excitement is catching on! When I think about Topeka and Shawnee County in the year 2022, I see a vibrant community with a core that is active and attractive. I see a downtown that is the pulse of our community, with a lively plaza, loft living, and successful bars, restaurants
and shops. A boutique hotel offers visitors the chance to engage with our revitalized downtown. The Kaw River is full of fun and activity, and NOTO continues to provide art and excitement for residents and nonresidents alike. Wheatfield Village has set the bar for qualityof-life developments in our region, providing a hotel, movie theater, restaurants, and high-quality apartments in a lifestyle environment. By the year 2022, Topeka and Shawnee County have made significant strides toward attracting and retaining talent. Washburn Tech East provides workforce development and training for adults most in need. TopCity Interns continues to grow and promote the community to young professionals. TogetherTopeka, our community’s collective impact partnership for talent, will have engaged the community to work toward improving educational and career opportunities for residents from birth through retirement.
Economic development in Topeka and Shawnee County, in the year 2022, has an increased emphasis on entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation in the animal health, agricultural, technological and financial tech arenas. Community morale and positivity is on the rise and will continue to rise through 2022. As part of Momentum 2022, we will measure community pride using Net Promoter Score. Moving forward, positivity will be actively and deliberately spread through the community, as we share updates of new happenings and developments. The excitement and momentum will continue to catch on, and with it, community pride will strengthen. By 2022, Topeka and Shawnee County will have an increased focus on inclusive prosperity, and our community will appreciate diversity more than at any previous point in time. We have worked to become a healthier community
because of the focus on diversity and inclusion. Since the release of Momentum 2022, it has been heartening to engage with a great number of community members on this work. Change is tough work that requires us to think differently and act differently. It is often uncomfortable, but it is also absolutely necessary to engage in this work, and to continue collaborating. We must continually challenge ourselves to be better, and to think bigger, through 2022 and beyond. There’s much happening in Topeka and Shawnee County right now, and there’s every reason to be positive about the future of our community. But even with all the growth and change, we must not let ourselves become complacent. There is still work to be done. Let’s keep the momentum going! Kayla Bitler is senior vice president of Momentum 2022 at the Greater Topeka Partnership.
Implementing Momentum 2022:
Communication and collaboration critical By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
Momentum 2022 is a comprehensive, multipronged economic development initiative for Shawnee County and Topeka. The four-phase project is just eight months into its fourth phase, an implementation plan that’s expected to carry through 2022. Creation of seven workgroups and the East Topeka Council came after extensive study and discussion, and now those groups are meeting to determine how to make a difference on a wide range of community issues. The workgroups, which are highlighted throughout this section, are focused on five pillars: • Develop homegrown talent. • Create vibrant and attractive places. • Grow a diverse economy. • Promote a positive image. • Collaborate for a strong community. Kayla Bitler, senior vice president of Momentum 2022 at the Greater Topeka Partnership, is tasked with the challenging job of coordinating a diverse and large group of people who are tackling tough community issues. This initiative isn’t just another rah-rah project. It’s digging into tough issues — tough societal issues — such as poverty, access to affordable housing, blight and lack of opportunities. “This is not easy work,” Bitler said. “Momentum 2022 is a very aspirational plan, and it’s full of challenges that our community has faced, in many cases, for quite a while. I think huge strides have been made recently within our community with respect to talking about those things that are tough to talk about.” January 2018 began the first year of the implementation phase of Momentum. “I think the main thing, as a whole, that we’ve done in 2018 is really start to delve into what are the factors that contribute to the different issues we’re trying to address in our community,” she said. “What are the initiatives
Community members participate in a recent Heartland Visioning meeting, learning about the creation of a new city flag and about programs encouraging everyone in Shawnee County to vote. Heartland Visioning is an important part of Momentum 2022 and helping the community plan for its future, said leader Glenda DuBoise. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Heartland Visioning draws together a diverse group from throughout Topeka to tackle various community challenges. Glenda DuBoise, community engagement coordinator for Heartland Visioning, stresses how important it is to break down barriers to move forward. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
that are already going on. It’s so important that we don’t run out and start new initiatives.” “Collaboration without duplication,” she added, a mantra she is keeping in mind as groups tackle overlapping issues. For instance, the talent group’s work to improve educational access and increase third-grade reading scores will overlap with the
workforce group’s efforts to make sure local and potential employers have a trained workforce. Facilitating communication throughout Topeka and Shawnee County is of critical importance for the success of Momentum 2022. She is working on the challenge of communicating what each workgroup is doing, not just among Momentum 2022 direct participants but
to the community at large. It’s especially important as community members want to know how they can get involved. “That’s one of the challenges that quite frankly, we still have some work to do with figuring that out,” she said. A tool desperately needed in Topeka is a way to map entrance points into various community issues. Multiple
efforts and endeavors, Bitler said, are tackling issues such as education, poverty and housing, and a way for people to find out who is doing what and decide if they’d like to volunteer or help is critical. Right now, communication between workgroups is informal and organic, she said, and the workgroups are reaching out to each other to meet or talk about overlapping issues. The intertwining of issues among groups may make it challenging to communicate and plan, but coordination will be key to making Momentum 2022 work. “I think it’s a primary challenge, but I think it’s one that we acknowledge and take it head on,” said Glenda DuBoise, community engagement coordinator for Heartland Visioning and quality of place workgroup participant. “We really look at how we can break down those barriers, putting those workgroups together, looking at what each is doing. How do we join forces together to get some things done? As long as we back up and say, ‘Oh well, yeah, that’s a challenge,’ and we don’t face it and don’t work with it, I think it will be a barrier. But I think if we acknowledge it and agree to work together as much as possible, I think it can happen.” Lalo Munoz, who serves on the community engagement, pride and service workgroup, said he sees many people who want to get engaged. Momentum needs to offer opportunities for people to be involved in a way that’s meaningful to them. But many of the changes to be made will occur over the long term, and that’s something people need to understand. “We’re not going to have individuals get involved and things will immediately get better,” he said. “One of the things we need to do is be sure and communicate what we’re doing on a regular basis. People are hungry for the sense and the notion that things are improving.” More information about Momentum 2022 can be found at momentum2022.com.
G4 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
TA K I N G T H E P U L S E :
Data vital to community’s economic development work By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
Measuring progress is a key part of Momentum 2022, and leaders throughout the city have been working to create a "scorecard" that can offer a snapshot look at what's happening — or not — locally. "The goal with the scorecard is really just to be able to share with the community the results of community efforts," said Kayla Bitler, senior vice president of Momentum 2022. "It's meant to be more of a community report. How is our community advancing in ways that Momentum 2022 has identified through community input and community surveys are important to us?"
The scorecard doesn't yet have an official name, and as of mid-July was still being tweaked in terms of what information it would contain. Overall, it is a dive into Topeka and Shawnee County statistics that help measure what's happening in the community, and it also sets targets for Momentum 2022 goals. The information included on the card is not exclusive to Momentum, Bitler noted, and added a caveat she and others working with the economic development plan utter repeatedly: Programs and information are not exclusive to Momentum 2022. "There are so many things that so many different partners in the community do,
that for Momentum 2022 to come along and try to take credit and put it on a report card would be a really not intelligent thing for us to do," Bitler said. Ultimately, it's critical that shifts in what's occurring in Topeka and Shawnee County be trackable, so it becomes easier to tell what's working and what isn't. "It's important for us as a community to be able to have targeted efforts, to know more detailed information about the statistics," Bitler said. It's been challenging to determine what data needed to be part of the scorecard. Much of the work gathering data has fallen to Freddy Mawyin, Greater Topeka Partnership's research manager.
The scorecard, he said, should be designed to show metrics that would help determine whether or not initiatives being put in place are effective. To do that, he has been breaking down the critical elements of the five primary objectives of Momentum 2022: develop homegrown talent, create vibrant and attractive places, promote a positive image, collaborate for strong community, and grow a diverse economy. Some issues, like livability, are tough to translate to metrics, Mawyin said. "People's perceptions comes into play a lot," he said. "What I define as a livable place might not be the same as what somebody else
would define it as. What you want in your 20s might not be the same as what a male in the 20s would want, or a married woman with two kids." Data included in a draft version of the scorecard include physical and mental health in Shawnee County, drawn from the County Health Rankings data; countywide private capital investment; and housing affordability distribution. Some statistics won't change quickly, and some definitely not by the time Momentum 2022 reaches the five-year mark. "There's a lot of tough issues in Momentum 2022," Bitler said. "If they were easy things, they would be done already."
G6 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Economic development’s broad definition challenges workgroup By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
It seems a simple task to determine the definition of economic development. But for decades, discussions about growing city and county economies have centered on job creation and what can be done to draw new companies to a market or to expand the size of those already there. Today’s definition, though, has shifted significantly. The Economic Development workgroup of Momentum 2022 has spent its first months grappling with exactly what that definition is, said chairman Mark Rezac. “What we’re in the process of doing is trying to come up with what we are going to do, and how we are going to define economic development,” he said. Rezac said the group expected to have an economic development definition nailed down at its August meeting, and then it will begin to focus on specific issues and goals. “Jobs, attraction, retention and expansion are key,” he said. “Part of that is quality of life, the public infrastructure and any kind of business assistance programs.” It’s tough to determine an area of focus as the group moves forward, but Rezac said quality of life is critical. “If (Jane) is not happy with Topeka, if she does not like her living arrangements or what the options are to do, what’s going to keep her in town?” he said.
It’s a relatively vacant construction site right now, but the S.W. 29th and Fairlawn Road corner in Topeka will be the site of one of the city’s largest developments in recent years, Wheatfield Village. It will include restaurants, a movie theater and an apartment complex, among other retail and business establishments. The development received incentives from the city of Topeka. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITALJOURNAL]
Many of the issues surrounding economic development overlap with other workgroup areas, such as increasing talent to make sure a strong workforce is available as companies expand or locate in the county, Rezac said. His group has had good communications with other Momentum 2022 groups and has even held meetings with those focused on quality of place and talent attraction. “One leg of economic development is those trade jobs,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to maintain them. The economic development umbrella is huge.” Each member of the economic development workgroup brings his or her own experiences to the table. Diverse opinions help to expand the definition of economic development and expand insight into what needs to happen locally. Alonzo Harrison, owner of HDB Construction Inc. and a workgroup member, sees the
need for education, skilled labor and increased wages and salaries. His heavy construction company doesn’t do a lot of work in the area anymore, but he’s always in need of workers with commercial driver’s licenses. A longtime GO Topeka participant, Harrison’s desire to make Shawnee County grow is wide-ranging, from better paying jobs in the $40,000 to $50,000 range to seeing Washburn Tech East provide opportunities for all residents to downtown renovations. “We’ve got to grow some of the local talent, and we’ve got to give them the opportunity for upward mobility,” he said. “We’ve got to create jobs that keep young people here.” Dan Foltz, president of KBS Constructors Inc., agreed. “I think a significant impact will be the assets we have in place here in the community that will drive innovation and growth,”
he said. “We have a really strong productivity-based community, Foltz and have had for years, but the future of growth is really tapping in and supporting innovation and creativity because of the way that innovation is accelerating with technology.” Foltz, who has been active in the Kansas City community as a businessman, sees a needed focus and opportunity in Shawnee County on the biosciences. He pointed to successes seen by the Kansas City Area Development Council. “If we focused a piece of our effort in Topeka, we will grow something similar to that,” he said. Part of the economic development umbrella will be addressing an issue that can get sticky — whether the city and county need more or better incentives to help businesses. That’s come up for the downtown and NOTO workgroup too, said chair Pat Doran. He pointed to the need for incentives to get some investors downtown constructing and building their properties. “Our workgroup needs to be an advocate at the city, county and state level, and it’s probably going to be a community-wide effort to pursue things that may have a bad reputation in the community, like STAR bonds and other incentive vehicles,” he said. “We’ve got to get other people involved (in rebuilding downtown), but the workgroup’s
current assessment is it’s not likely to happen unless we can find incentive tools to make that happen.” City manager Brent Trout said it’s necessary to look at whether what the city or county is giving up in taxes is worthwhile. But he quickly brought the conversation about economic development back to quality of life and place. “It’s been determined by information we receive from site selectors that many of the industries that consider a community, it’s not just incentives that are critically important,” he said. “It’s all the other things that go along with being in a community. Those things begin to be important when all things stack up together. Oftentimes, what we can offer as an incentive is typically the same as what a city down the road can offer. Those things begin to be less of a differentiator. “Those quality of life issues — good roads, a good network of transportation for them to get access to get their goods to market, being able to recruit — begin to be critically important,” Trout said. The task before the group isn’t easy, Foltz said, and especially challenging work will come around coordination. “There’s going to be some (times) where you feel like you’re not making momentum, and then there’s going to be advances,” he said. “It’s a little bit of chaos because you’re trying to orchestrate so much, but the trend is clearly in the right direction.”
G8 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
What’s next? City manager Trout talks economic development By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
Brent Trout, Topeka’s city manager, sat down with The Topeka Capital-Journal to talk about economic development from the city’s perspective. Answers have been edited for space. What is the biggest challenge for the city with economic development?
To try and say one thing would be discounting how complex economic development is. You have to do it in a holistic approach, similar to what Momentum 2022 is doing. There are many things that need to be addressed in order to make a community grow and have economic development successes.
What is the city’s involvement with economic development?
We’re typically not the lead in the area of recruitment. Most of the time, when people are looking at business and industry location here, they’re going through the Greater Topeka Partnership. We’re hooked in with them very closely. Usually after they get a call, the next call is to us. The city sits down with new or proposed businesses to meet needs around sewer, water and other infrastructure. Officials also work with zoning issues, whether variances are needed or something like a planned urban development arrangement, which would go through the planning commission.
How to you tackle the crime rate in the city, and the perception that we have high crime, Trout which impacts economic development?
I think the best way to battle the perception is to make sure that you’re putting the forces out there where you need to in order to reduce the occurrence of crime, addressing some of the root causes. We’ve done a lot with our behavioral teams that are out there meeting and trying to solve situations that are occurring in neighborhoods. The crisis intervention teams, those are important to make sure things don’t escalate. Being on the ground with our community policing officers to see what are the issues and trying to solve them. Right now, we’re seeing some success, knock on wood. If things continue, it’s going to be a much better year than last year. It just takes diligence and being willing to try different things. Shawnee County and Topeka have seen decreasing population numbers. How do you make a difference that will affect population growth?
It can be a number of things. Housing, improving our streets, the county working on the parks, us working on what we provide in the way of fixing our water mains and our sewer mains and those types of things. Improving our plants to make sure they have goodtasting water. It’s one of those things
Crews work on the intersection of S.W. Gage Boulevard and Munson Avenue. Work being done on the city and county’s infrastructure, from filling pot holes to updating water lines, is a critical part of economic development. [CHRIS NEAL/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
where we can’t stop. It’s a constant process. People make decisions on where they want to live — every month there’s somebody deciding, “I think I’m done living here. I’m going to go look for a job somewhere else.” We have to keep after it constantly. There can’t be any let up. If you could have more funds to tackle projects, where would those funds go?
We continue to have needs with regards to our street department. More money available to that would be good. We know where we need to do work, what needs to be improved there, and if we have more money available, I think that would help.
In other areas, the general fund is not doing too bad. I think we’re in a pretty good position right now. Probably in our water department. We’ve experienced a lot of it this year. It’s been a bad year for water main breaks. It identifies that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in our water distribution system to make repairs so that we have stronger pipes that can handle the weather that we have here. How do you stay motivated with so many long-term goals?
I think you identify where you’re having successes. We’ve developed plans that will address the issues that were identified in Momentum
2022 for implementation. You have successes. Such as one that I’m excited to see is Washburn Tech East. (That shows) the ability to identify a problem, take an action, get it implemented and in place in an area of the community that needs to have better access to the next step in education. The important thing is you keep identifying the issue that needs to be addressed. That’s something that I’ve been preached on by a few people that I’ve interacted with over my time as a city manager. You always have to be looking at what’s next. We work on something to create solutions and continue to nurture it so it’s successful.
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | G11
Karen Christilles, executive director of 712 Innovations, says the organization has outgrown its space at 712 S. Kansas Ave. and will soon move to a new location. [PHOTOS BY CHRIS NEAL/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Goal: Make community inviting to new, growing businesses By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
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he tasks laid out for the entrepreneurship workgroup have been, as workgroup chairman Zach Snethen said, daunting. “We all thought that we were going to jump right in and start doing it, and then we realized the tasks at hand, and it’s this impossible thing to get your arms around,” Snethen said. But those tasks, which included gathering entrepreneurs from across Topeka, recognizing and synthesizing resources from organizations that don’t traditionally work together, and diagnosing how to best serve the city’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystems — have seen a lot of progress from the workgroup. “It’s really about how we can make Topeka and Shawnee County an inviting place to start business and grow business,” he said. “We have to make sure we have the resources, whether it be financial, whether it be mentoring, whether it be networking, so that entrepreneurs can start and be successful. That’s the overarching premise we’re tasked with.” Even so, said workgroup member Tara Dimick, it hasn’t been easy. “Entrepreneurs are — how do you say it? — their own people. The entrepreneurs are coming up with the crazy ideas where people are going: ‘Wait, you’re going to do what?’” Dimick said. “How do you find those people?” asked Dimick. “And how do you catch them?” Snethen agreed there were a multitude of angles. “For entrepreneurs, there’s not really one track you can follow,” he said. “There are people
A 3-D printer makes a part that will be used to upgrade one of 712 Innovations’ other 3-D printers.
“There are businesses and entrepreneurs that are up-and-coming, and we need to be telling those stories. That’s one of the things that, when you sit down and look at it — there are a lot of niche and startup businesses in the community. They’re just not well known.” ZACH SNETHAN Entrepreneurship workgroup chairman
712 Innovations.
who are going to come at it from a technical side of things, there’s going to be people who come at it from the academic side, and there are going to be people that are well past traditional school age, that want to pull out of where they are in life and pursue interest in entrepreneurism. It’s all these different tracks.” For the workgroup, a key goal is developing connections, hubs where
all of those tracks can come together. Workgroup member Karen Christilles, executive director of 712 Innovations, a service provider to entrepreneurs, found the workgroup collaborations illuminating. “There are a lot of organizations that might not seem to have stake in the game for entrepreneurs, but they really do,” Christilles said,
noting that even workgroup members familiar with the entrepreneurial world were surprised when they started compiling resources. “There’s a lot. Take Glenda Washington with the EMDB (Entrepreneurial and Minority Business Development) at GO Topeka. She has a fabulous program that she’s been working on, and just like 712, everyone says, ‘This is a hidden gem.’ Well, we have to not be hidden anymore. So we’re looking for ways to amplify what we have,” Christilles said. For Snethen, that also means doing a better job of promoting successful entrepreneurs already in the community. “There are businesses
and entrepreneurs that are up-and-coming, and we need to be telling those stories. That’s one of the things that, when you sit down and look at it — there are a lot of niche and startup businesses in the community. They’re just not well known.” But the work is well underway, Christilles said. “One of the things that has already begun is an entrepreneurial task force,” Christilles said. “We said: ‘Look, we don’t even know who’s on the team. We need a team roster.’ So we all came together, mapped what it was that we did.” On July 31, they released that map. Christilles says it provides a Venn diagram showing entrepreneurs
and business owners the resources that line up with what they need. If businesses are looking for space, there are places in the community they can go to, Christilles said. “If you’re looking for financial support — and at what level — here are the names and addresses from 1 Million Cups to Washburn School of Business to the Topeka Angel investors, for instance.” The workgroup has been focusing on mentoring, Snethen said. “Not just, ‘Here’s a place to do your business,’ but intentionally pairing entrepreneurs with seasoned business owners and letting them walk side by side and see what it means to grow a business,” he said. Snethen hoped the workgroup could develop more mentorships, citing the Top Tank competition as an “intentional” example of encouraging entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into a workable business. Dimick agreed, noting the difficulty that new business owners have often comes from challenges outside their area of expertise. “You got into business because you’re good at some kind of service, or making a product or widget. But then you have to do all these other things while also doing the thing you’re good at,” Dimick said. Despite the complexity, Snethen is enthusiastic about the workgroup’s progress. He said that Momentum 2022 initiatives represent an opportunity for the city. “The efforts that are going on right now with the revitalization — the new businesses and restaurants downtown — and the renewed interest in the holistic well-being of the community really starts to change the perspective on what it’s like to recruit to Topeka,” Snethen said.
G12 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
712 Innovations riding resurgence of worker space philosophy By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
With all the exciting work that’s happening at 712 Innovations, you might expect executive director Karen Christilles to crow about being on the cutting edge. But, as Christilles will tell you, there’s nothing new under the sun. “Co-working, makerspace, accelerators, incubators, all of them have been around, in one form or another, since the dawn of time,” Christilles said. “There were farmers going: ‘I have a corner of the barn. You can be there.’” Christilles’s space, 712 Innovations, is a hub of activity and entrepreneurship, providing makerspace, co-working space, mentoring and more. The building — like the people who use it— is a mash-up of ambitions. The front half is sleek office space, familiar and inviting. And the back, filled with 3-D printers, computers, and cool, unusual projects like halfbuilt model trains — feels like a hip tech lab that you always wanted to play around with in college. Christilles says she has about 100 clients, half using the co-working space and half the maker space, although, she says, there’s a significant overlap. Bryan Falk, an architect who runs his own business on the coworking side, has only good things to say.
David Corr is the equipment technician for 712 Innovations, which provides makerspace, co-working space, mentoring and more. [CHRIS NEAL/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
“It’s everything an architect would need: printers, CNC Routers, tools — it’s just about everything a lot of businesses would need,” Falk said. And the advantages, he said, are obvious. “I don’t have to mess with cleaning the place up, paying utilities and bills, and all that. Without building maintenance, it’s not only lower cost, but lower time commitment.” One of Falk’s favorite things about the space is the people. “There’s a painter next to me who’s not only
really knowledgeable about paints, but is also really business savvy. There’s a computer science guy that helps me if I have email trouble or computer problems, there are artists that come in. Makers, who know the tools and have a good eye for design.” “It’s a great network,” he said. Christilles noted that co-working has been having a cultural moment. “It’s had a resurgence in the past 20 years,” she said. “Our society has gotten more mobile, and we have people
who are starting their own businesses. People started working out of coffeeshops. I mean, you see that all the time. And so, co-working is incredibly popular for those kinds of workers. They want the amenities of brick and mortar. You don’t always want to be meeting your clients in a coffee shop.” Although, Christilles noted, clients use the space for a range of purposes, from office to design to mail pickup. Nick Xidis, who runs Hazel Hill Chocolate a few doors south, started using the space to be a
good neighbor. But he found the makerspace to be more practical than he imagined. “A year and a half ago, we started a line of artisan chocolates,” Xidis said. “And in developing that product, there’s a piece of equipment you need called a winnowing machine — these seeds have a husk on them that have to be separated. But there really isn’t a commercially available machine at the small size we need, so we really couldn’t buy one.” Which is where 712 Innovations came in.
“We did find a Creative Commons license design from a seed company in the UK,” Xidis said. “So we took that design, and we were able to use the tooling and the design and the assistance of the staff at 712 to build that machine from scratch. And instead of an outsized machine at a mid-five figure investment, we were able to — for a few days work and a few hundred bucks’ investment, and a little bit of creative adapting — create that machine.” Xidis offers a piece of chocolate made from his machine. “Enjoy that bean,” he said. “It’s from Venezuela, and I won’t be able to get it for too much longer.” It’s very good. With stories like these, it’s not surprising that 712 is outgrowing its space. Christilles credits much of the success of the enterprise to her board. “When I came here, the board said: ‘Look, you’re the first coworking space, you’re the first maker space in all of Topeka. This was something that a group of people wanted, and has been funded, and we believe that this will grow and you will outgrow this space.’ They were right!” Christilles isn’t ready to make a formal announcement about a new location just yet. But it’s clear why 712 has done well. It meets many needs, and it helps make great chocolate.
MOMENTUM 2022 SECTION H
Topeka police officer Morgan Bracken, a community police officer in southeast Topeka, takes a break to play with kids at the Deer Creek Community Center, 2345 S.E. 25th St. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
In East Topeka, advocates see an area on the upswing
As crime drops and education ramps up, the future is bright By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
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alo Munoz thinks that East Topeka has reached a turning point. With Washburn Tech East under construction, and new investment coming to East Topeka, it feels like change is in the air. “We want to build on that excitement,” said Munoz, co-chairman of the East Topeka Council. “There’s something special and different in this part of town.” Looking at a variety of metrics, some say East Topeka is turning a corner. Burglary, robbery, and shoplifting are down over last year. Car theft is down. Overall crime in East Topeka is dropping. “We feel that Chief Cochran’s increased efforts and outreach in the community, with things like the East Topeka Council, has made a great impact in reducing crime in East Topeka and across the city,” said Gretchen Koenen, public relations specialist for the Topeka Police Department. Bill Cochran became Topeka’s police chief in November 2017. In education, it’s a similar story. “East Topeka is on an upswing, if you look at the data,” said Aaron Kipp, general director of assessment and demographics at Topeka Public Schools. While he acknowledges there’s work to be done, the data is moving in the right direction. Although East Topeka schools are still behind their counterparts, the district's report on 2017 graduation rates notes that Topeka schools are seeing the highest graduation rates in seven years for African-American students, special education students and students receiving free lunch. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka Public Schools, credits those changes to a holistic approach towards education, one that doesn’t exclude foster students, students living in poverty, or the homeless — as well as adopting an approach that considers students' mental health. “We are really looking at how do we remove barriers in ways that promote economy vitality and health,” Anderson said. Anderson, who requires that her principals make home visits when
students are absent two days without parental contact, has found that most absences arise from basic needs. “When you’re dealing with high poverty you might be absent because the water’s off,” Anderson said. “Rather than looking from a punitive standpoint, we look at the people we’re serving and ask: What’s the why behind the what? What’s keeping them from coming to school? Why are they absent?” Anderson expects numbers to continue to improve for East Topeka, and she's on a mission to improve access for all of her students. “Last year, we were probably one of the only schools in the nation that purchased bus passes for every student in high school,” said Anderson, noting that attendance in Highland Park High School was now more than 90 percent. Like Munoz, Anderson thinks that Washburn Tech East is going to make an impact. “It’s going to be a game-changer. Most people in poverty are the working poor. They’re not just sitting at home without jobs. Having greater access to industry credentials will give East Topeka an immediate running start,” Anderson said. There’s a lot of work to be done, however. A Kansas Health Matters report showed that 50.6 percent of children in the 66607 zip code, which covers much of East Topeka, were living below the poverty level. While that’s an improvement over the last reporting period, it shows that challenges remain. Craig Barnes, division manager of the Community Health Outreach and Planning program for the Shawnee County Health Department, said that while there’s work to be done, East Topeka is on the right track. “In order to influence community health, it is crucial to target the root causes of social determinants of health," Barnes said. "Effective community engagement through community coalitions, like the East Topeka Council, allow us to integrate health policy issues into a broader range of policy areas; such as education, employment and social policy in areas that exhibit need."
Children at the Deer Creek Community Center play while Bracken looks on. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
“Most people in poverty are the working poor. They’re not just sitting at home without jobs. Having greater access to industry credentials will give East Topeka an immediate running start,” Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka Public Schools
H2 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Rochelle King works out on one of the new exercise stations in the Fitness Zone at Hillcrest Community Center. [PHOTOS BY THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
East Topeka workgroup lifts up voices from formerly overlooked community Advocates say holistic approach is making a difference
By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
T
here’s something different, Lalo Munoz said, about the East Topeka Council. For one, it exists. “I thought it was very unusual that East Topeka was included when they decided what areas they were going to cover — making sure that everyone feels included, and specifically East Topeka,” he said. “It spoke to the earnestness of Momentum 2022 to make sure everyone feels like their part of this effort.” Munoz is one of three co-chairs for the council, which is made up of East Topeka voices, as well as members from the other Momentum 2022 workgroups. The goal, Munoz said, is to make sure that East Topeka is included in the city’s thinking and planning process. “The council was brought together to inform these other committees, as they begin to think about their work, so they won’t overlook East Topeka, when you’re talking about destination places or cradle-to-career initiatives,” Munoz said. For council member Sarah Fizell, that inclusion is crucial, and has been missing from previous initiatives. “For many, many years, we’ve talked about connecting downtown to North Topeka via the river, and the whole historic Pappan’s Ferry landing riverfront thing. There’s a whole Riverfront Authority. There’s never been an East Topeka Authority, or anything comparable to that, to connect East Topeka,” Fizell said. Munoz recognizes that after years of not being included in planning, it’s not going to be easy to convince East Topekans that Momentum 2022 is more than a buzzword. “If you’ve never been involved in policy decisions at the local level, and nobody you know
Washburn Tech East will bring training and educational opportunities to residents in East Topeka. It’s considered a pivotal investment in the city’s east side, which many have seen as neglected when it comes to investment and focus.
Rochelle King works out on one of the new exercise stations in the Fitness Zone at Hillcrest Community Center.
has been involved in policy decisions, it’s easy to feel like ‘that’s just not something I can do,’” Munoz said. One of the council’s goals is to be as visible as possible in East Topeka, meeting in lessfamiliar locations like the Salvation Army or Avondale East. “We do that with the intention of sitting down and hearing from individuals at that location,” Munoz said. “We want to know what people in East Topeka are seeing.” Even with that, however, Munoz thinks the real changes happening in East Topeka are going to change minds.
“It’s a little hard for people to believe that things are going to change, because there have been efforts like this before, and for decades not much has come out of that. But now, for the first time, they can see, with their real eyes, progress being made with a $4 million investment being made in the building of Washburn Tech East.” Fizell agreed, citing Washburn Tech East as an important contribution to East Topeka. “It’s a big deal to have tech training where people live, and not make them drive to the other side of the Earth,” she said.
The Fitness Zone at Hillcrest Community Center is one of the redevelopment efforts that have taken place in East Topeka.
Munoz sees interest and redevelopment in East Topeka as something that’s happening already, citing work done on the Hillcrest Community Center and the mural project — a partnership between Shawnee Country Parks & Recreation and ArtsConnect — as an example the kind of work the council hopes to encourage. “Before, it might have just been Parks & Rec redoing a basketball court, but now you have a partnership where you’re incorporating civic engagement, people who are locally involved, now there’s ownership,” he said.
Munoz sees the goal of the council as trying to tackle East Topeka’s systemic problems in access, crime and health. “If we’re successful, some of the projects and ideas that come out of this project aren’t going to be our own,” he said. “They’ll come from community members.” Workgroup member Tawny Stottlemire, who is also executive director of Community Action Partnership, has been fighting for underserved community members her whole career. She, too, said she thinks there’s something in Momentum 2022’s approach.
“East Topeka has always had strong advocacy voices,” Stottlemire said. “But I see new voices coming to the table.” “The East Topeka Advocates in the past have been neighborhoodfocused, which is good, but something different I see on the council is that it’s more holistically focused,” she said. Munoz agrees, and says that a holistic approach is key to making results for East Topeka. “At the very crux of it, a lot of the work has to do with us, and how different parts of our city work together, or don’t,” he said. “We have to address, at the very basic level, how do we close gaps between geography and culture. If we can do that, lots of the other systemic issues in Topeka — we’ll see progress in.” And Munoz says that the inclusion of East Topeka will mean progress, not just for East Topeka, but for the city as a whole. “If we have parts of our city that aren’t fulfilling their potential, Topeka loses out. Not just from not being able to see individuals who are successful, and a from a tax base perspective. We’re just not who we should be.”
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H3
Workgroup seeks to energize city’s downtown regional core Safety, connections between regions are focuses for team By Tim Hrenchir tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com
Pat Doran thinks downtown Topeka is a reasonably safe place. But he realizes not everyone feels that way. So a group Doran serves as co-chairman of has been looking at what it can do to help people feel more secure downtown, including increasing the number of surveillance video cameras. That downtown/NOTO workgroup for Momentum 2022 — a five-year campaign begun last year to address a range of factors that influence this community’s competitiveness — has also encouraged the Topeka Police Department to announce plans for a downtown substation. Safety is one area the workgroup, co-chaired by Doran and Frank Henderson, is examining as it discusses strategies to develop and energize a dynamic “Downtown Regional Core” consisting of downtown Topeka, North Topeka’s NOTO district and the Kansas riverfront area. The workgroup was asked to look at that from the perspectives of housing, recreational activities, social offerings and live/work opportunities. In addition to meeting regularly as a group, members have been divided into three sub-groups, which
From left, Vince Frye, Pat Doran, Frank Henderson and Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield have volunteered to be part of the downtown/NOTO workgroup for Momentum 2022. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
focus separately on downtown Topeka, NOTO and the riverfront. Henderson said the 27-person workgroup’s marching orders were to the following: • Pursue niche use development in downtown Topeka. • Incentivize the development in the downtown area of new housing and neighborhood retail. • Accelerate the NOTO Arts District’s momentum as a vibrant, creative community. • Activate the Kansas River as a destination and recreational amenity. • Ensure strong connectivity within and around the downtown regional core. • Work with partners at the state level to arrange for the Kansas Statehouse to be
open on weekends. The Statehouse is “hugely important” for tourism, the local economy and bringing people downtown, said workgroup member Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield. Fortunately, Doran said, the Statehouse had already been opened to tour groups on weekends by the time the workgroup began meeting last fall. After that, CuevasStubblefield said, the workgroup did initial work to ensure the Statehouse stayed open on weekends and has since been monitoring to make sure it continues to stay open. Meanwhile, Doran said, downtown Topeka has benefited from projects that include the recent openings of the Pennant and White Linen restaurants,
the ongoing construction of the Cyrus Hotel and the anticipated development of a downtown plaza. “We need to celebrate those but not rest on our laurels,” he said. “You need critical mass, so you have that positive live/work environment. So we need to add more housing to downtown. And we need to also think about the green space associated with it. The downtown plaza’s nice, but there also needs to be some place where people can walk their dogs.” Recent years have brought growth to NOTO. More than 3,000 people take part in art walks held on the first Friday of each month, and many businesses are now open year-round from Thursdays through Saturdays, according to the NOTO website.
Workgroup members are looking at what can be done to bring NOTO and downtown Topeka closer together, professionally and physically, said workgroup member Vince Frye. “The only thing that is separating them is the river,” he said. “And we’re seeing a lot more interest in developing the river, activating it and bringing it to life after all these years — taking advantage of what we have here.” Workgroup members have also been examining various master plans and studies conducted over the years regarding downtown, the riverfront and NOTO. Those studies may be outdated, “but they can give us a lot of good ideas on how we might use those old ideas today,” Doran said. He said the last component of the workgroup involves recognizing that while certain projects will not get finished within the five-year period of Momentum 2022, “We want to keep advancing the ball as much as we can despite that reality.” For example, he said that while the Interstate 70 overpass that passes through downtown Topeka needs to be redirected, completion of that project is heavily dependent on the acquisition of federal funding, which won’t likely arrive by 2022. “But we’re not going to stop pushing forward to make that happen,” he said. “That might be seven years out, it might be 10 years out, but we’re going to keep pushing.”
H4 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Critical to the success of Topeka’s core, including downtown and NOTO, are public-private partnerships, members of Momentum’s downtown/NOTO workgroup say. The city’s landscape changed with the successful partnerships on pocket parks. [AUSTIN WRIGHT/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Workgroup discusses attracting investment to downtown regional core Public-private partnerships advocated as developers wooed By Tim Hrenchir tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com
Pat Doran would like to see downtown Topeka become the site of an organic grocery store, so people who live there wouldn’t have to go elsewhere for food. But no one will open such a store there unless they’re convinced it will be profitable, he said. That’s one reason a workgroup co-chaired by Doran and Frank Henderson has been working to create a marketing study for downtown Topeka, the Kansas riverfront and North Topeka’s NOTO district, while planning to later develop a master plan for that area. “What we’re finding is that developers want a certain amount of information before they’ll invest, so the research is really important,” Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield said.
Doran, Henderson and Cuevas-Stubblefield are among 27 members of the downtown/NOTO WorkGroup for Momentum 2022, a five-year campaign begun last year to address a range of factors that influence this community’s competitiveness. The group is discussing strategies to develop and energize a dynamic “Downtown Regional Core” consisting of downtown Topeka, North Topeka’s NOTO district and the riverfront. Members are looking at topics that include bringing in new investment. As part of that effort, Cuevas-Stubblefield said, the workgroup is carrying out a marketing study to gather information about topics that include traffic counts and pedestrian counts. She said the study will also answer questions about what
An organic grocery store located downtown is among Pat Doran’s goals for the downtown/NOTO Work Group. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
sites are available and how much it would cost to do business in the area involved while addressing — from a developer’s perspective — what types of businesses the area needs. Creation of the marketing study is to be followed by development of a master plan, which will enable those involved with Momentum 2022 to show developers opportunities throughout the downtown regional core, Doran said. He suggested that developing public-private partnerships is key for local leaders to persuade developers to invest in that area. “The public cannot fund all of this,” Doran said. “Maybe the private sector could, but this works best if the two entities are collaborating together.” The Topeka/Shawnee County community already has a history of public-private partnerships.
Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield is helping the downtown/NOTO Work Group develop and energize a dynamic “Downtown Regional Core.” [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITALJOURNAL]
Revenue from a countywide, half-cent sales tax — approved in 2004 and renewed in 2014 by Shawnee County voters — has been used since 2005 to provide companies with incentives designed to create jobs, raise average wage levels and add tax base to the community. The tax generates about $14 million annually, including about $5 million for economic development. Still, developers bringing businesses to downtown or NOTO aren’t necessarily eligible to acquire incentives using revenue from that tax. And even if incentives are offered, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will attract investment, Doran said. “Developers are not going to open something just because we dangle an incentive in front of them,” he said. “They need to be convinced they’re going to make money.”
Frank Henderson is one of 27 members of Momentum 2022’s downtown/NOTO Work Group. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITALJOURNAL]
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H5
Marketing minds come together to promote community By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
Janet Stanek, chairwoman of the Momentum 2022 marketing workgroup, is done with people not knowing what’s going on in Topeka. “No more excuses,” Stanek said. “People need to quit thinking that there’s nothing going on in Topeka, or that they need to go somewhere else to find something to do. There’s a lot going on!” That kind of enthusiasm for Topeka and its programs typifies the marketing workgroup, made up of citizens with a marketing background from a swath of institutions across the city, from Visit Topeka to Washburn University to the Topeka Police Department. “Our council has a combination of some businesses, some people that are into more of the marketing public relations, the arts, some police officers. We try to have a diversified group so we can cover all angles. The goal of this whole campaign is inclusion, no matter where you are. And our charge, really, is to promote a positive image,” Stanek said. For the marketing workgroup, the focus has been on the five pillars of Momentum 2022 and ways to promote positive changes already happening in the city. “The marketing workgroup is like the East Topeka Council, in that we’re looking at all this from the top,” said Michaela Saunders, who
Michaela Saunders’ job is, by definition, developing a brand for Topeka. As the vice president of brand strategy for Visit Topeka, she is working with the marketing workgroup to let people know what is happening in the area. [CHRIS NEAL/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
The #TopCity campaign is seen around Topeka and on social media, often with people posing in front of the city’s large TopCity sign. The 3D printer at 712 Innovations printed off a few desk-sized #TopCity renderings, too. [SUBMITTED]
comes to the committee from Visit Topeka. “If we can move the needle on those five areas it will change what the community feels like, and what the results are.” For Saunders, one of the key points of the workgroup has been collaboration. “There are so many groups that have been working on pieces of this for years,”
Saunders said. “United Way, with their gradelevel reading and kindergarten readiness. The Discovery Center. Things like Washburn Tech East. But so much of what was happening in Topeka was sort of happening piecemeal. And this is giving everybody who’s doing that work a chance to come and sit at the same table. It’s a huge deal.” Though Stanek explained that this has been a building year, she’s been firmly focused on finding ways to improve Topeka’s messaging. One of the current goals of the group is to create a comprehensive calendar of Topeka events, which Stanek says Topeka is missing. “Things that are going on in Topeka, you can find out in some ways but not in others. So we started talking about developing more of a one-stop
source,” she said. But for the committee, even a slum-dunk idea can become complicated in execution. “We’ve struggled a bit with how to get everything in one place,” Saunders said. “There are reasons why there are so many different calendars.” She noted that organizations use events calendars as traffic drivers. “The people that count on their calendars to drive traffic aren’t going to let them go.” For now, the group has been building up Topeka365.com and using local billboards to promote Topeka programming. The billboards, created as a Visit Topeka project, have been adopted by the workgroup, and have put up downtown, at the Discovery Center, at Westar, and a variety of locations across the city. “If there are more
people that want to adopt a board, then we could have them every three blocks, if there’s the will for it,” Saunders said. Springboarding off different organizations’ work is just what the council should do, Saunders said. “We each have a different audience,” she said. “GO Topeka tries to reach site selectors. Downtown Topeka has traditionally spoken to Topekans themselves. 712 is trying to get more people to realize that the space is available to them. But the message of Topeka being an exciting place where you can do amazing things is similar to all of us. So being able to use each other’s momentum to create pivot messages is important.” The other big mission in the council’s first year has been to identify key stakeholders, Stanek said. For Saunders, this often meant residents who have “boomeranged” to Topeka. “New people, or people who grew up here — moved away and came back — those people are our biggest advocates,” she said. “Because it’s easy for them to see the changes, and what Topeka has and what other places don’t.” Sarah Fizell, who comes to the committee from ArtsConnect, said that she was initially surprised by how much the committee focused not just on marketing Topeka but on marketing Momentum 2022 itself. Although, she noted, it makes sense. “Momentum 2022 is
different,” Fizell said. “But I don’t know that to the average bystander — I don’t know that it looks different. If you’re just vaguely seeing that another consult got hired to come for another thing for the chamber — I don’t know that that looks particularly special.” The mission, said Fizell, is to get the message of Momentum 2022 out to Topekans. Saunders echoed her concerns. “If you’ve been here your whole life, you’ve gone through this already where it’s happened and stopped, and you maybe don’t have faith that it’s going to keep going,” she said. “But I think we’re just on this wave right now, and it’s amazing.” The best way to keep building that wave, Stanek said, is to keep adding people. “We don’t just want the community leaders,” she said. “We want new people, grass roots. It’s not all about people that are the CEO of a company or that are in a leadership role. We want students, we want youth. We want people that can impact — that can explain why this is important.” Stanek said she was proud of all the work the council has done, while wishing she had accomplished more. Right now, she said, “It’s about idiosyncrasies and grunt work to make that happen. “But,” Stanek said, “if you want grass roots, you can’t do that without people in the grass.”
H6 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Speakers Bureau increases voices touting message By Max Wirestone Special to The Capital-Journal
When requests starting coming for Kayla Bitler to give presentations about Momentum 2022 to various groups, members of the marketing workgroup were delighted. But as the requests increased, they realized there was a problem. “It’s been wonderful,” said Michaela Saunders, who serves on the workgroup and is vice president of brand strategy at Greater Topeka Partnership. “But if we’re going to grow that in a sustainable and effective way, we need more than just Kayla. We kept coming back around to, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more than one person who was in a position to go and speak?’” Thus the idea of a speakers bureau was born. Workgroup chairwoman Janet Stanek described the idea as the next initiative for the council. “The speaker’s bureau is the next big step for us. We’re figuring out who we want on that bureau and how to tailor the message for each community,” she said. The workgroup’s vision for the bureau is more ambitious than a collection of speakers, however. The personalization of the message is key, explained workgroup member Sarah Fizell. “The chamber is getting a lot of requests, whether it’s from Rotary or from a management group at a company
Creating a unified message about what’s happening in Topeka is an important part of Momentum 2022, and a speakers bureau being established by the marketing workgroup is expected to help meet that goal. Here, VisitTopeka leader Brett Oetting speaks at an event last year. The speakers bureau will pull in other leaders in Topeka, offering an inclusive and diverse group that can speak on a variety of issues. [SUBMITTED]
saying: ‘Tell us what this is about.’ And it’s one thing to come from the chamber. But it’s a little more powerful to have it come from someone else who’s chosen to spend their time, involving themselves in all this,” she said. Saunders agreed. “The idea of having people speaking to groups they already have a connection to will really help the conversations get deeper, in terms of what the goals really are and why,” she said. “Once we get everything rolling, it will just sort of raise the awareness of the community overall.”
Gary Slimmer, programming chair for the Sunrise Optimist Club, had Bitler speak to his group, which has about 90 members, earlier this month. Slimmer was impressed. “She was very interesting, and it really pulled things together. They’re putting things together to make a more positive environment for Topeka. There are enough people pulling us down already,” he said. “The message works,” Saunders said. The speakers bureau, which Fizell hopes will launch this month, is still in the planning stages and still looking
for members. Saunders encouraged Topekans who are interested in participating to contact her. “Right now we’ve been working on setting the parameters of the speaker’s bureau — figuring out how to train them and who would do it,” Fizell said. Those members, said Stanek, will come from a wide and diverse variety of Topeka institutions. “It’s an interdisciplinary group,” Stanek said. “We don’t just want community leaders.” And although Stanek stresses that the group is inclusive, she’s
particularly interested in Topekans with a human resources background. “We’re talking a lot about, for example, going to human resource departments at the various industries and marketplaces here in Topeka, and we feel like a HR person knows who they’re trying to reach and retain,” she said. “HR people know more about what Topeka has to offer, its quality of life, and what’s going on with Momentum. We feel like they could help by recruiting people from out of the area.” For now, the focus of the bureau is strictly on Topeka, but Stanek
dreams of building a bureau robust enough to do outside messaging. “Oftentimes getting someone to move to Topeka from Kansas City is a challenge,” Stanek said. She hoped that a speaker’s bureau that had recruiting and HR experience could eventually “be part of that puzzle.” For now, the focus is firmly on local organizations and businesses. Going to groups like the Sunrise Optimist Club is exactly what the speaker’s bureau should be about, she said. “Topekans need people from Topeka,” Stanek said.
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H7
Topeka will be ‘talk of the region’ with quality of place improvements By Katie Moore
Kurt Kuta leads CoreFirst Bank and is chairman of the quality of place workgroup for Momentum 2022. [PHOTOS
katie.moore@cjonline.com
While Topeka is familyfriendly and affordable, that’s not enough, according to Kurt Kuta. As chairman of the quality of place workgroup, he and others are working on drawing in the “what else.” “It’s a great place to raise a family, it’s affordable, all that stuff. In all honesty, here in the Midwest, that’s table stakes. You gotta have that,” Kuta said. “So what else? We have to do better with the ‘what else.’ I think what you want to have happen is, when you say ‘What’d you do this weekend,’ people won’t say, ‘Well I went to Lawrence or Kansas City.’” Workgroup member Glenda DuBoise said quality of place is crucial because it is one of the “No. 1 criteria” people look at while considering where to work and live. It encompasses many facets, from play areas for kids to street conditions and community events. According to a community assessment, quality of place is linked to community attachment, which is driven by social offerings, aesthetics and how welcoming a place is to different people. While quality of place was once considered a “soft” area, Kuta said it is now recognized as a key component to successful development. Kuta said the group is focused on projects that include programming, public transportation and a source for ongoing funding. One is the downtown plaza. Another in the works is revitalizing
OF THAD ALLTON/ THE CAPITALJOURNAL]
Among the efforts of the quality of place workgroup will be reducing blight in the community.
the Kansas riverfront. However, the group’s reach extends beyond the downtown corridor. One area the working group has been focused on is infrastructure. During one meeting, members came to the realization that their group “owns blight.”
“What a big, big issue,” Kuta said. Addressing blight takes coordination, DuBoise said. They are working on coming up with “real solutions,” she said, collaborating with local government entities, developers and real estate agents. Properties could
be re-purposed into retail spaces or affordable housing. DuBoise said they are looking into loan and incentive programs that would support such projects and hope that in the next year, blight will be reduced in a noticeable way. Kuta pointed to programs like Team Up to Clean Up, an initiative launched in May that involves city departments and neighborhood volunteers. The condition of the streets is another long-running infrastructure challenge. Kuta emphasized that coordination is needed so programs can have the biggest effect and that organizations become complementary, not competitors. “What you have to allow for is a process that you get enough feedback,” he said, noting that Momentum 2022 leaders have taken steps to include as many voices from various sectors as possible. Another community
project they are working on is revamping Betty Phillips Park in the Hi-Crest neighborhood. DuBoise said they will begin designing and painting areas in the park in August and will hold a celebration Sept. 29. DuBoise said Topeka and Shawnee County are at a “critical time” for making and seeing change. It is important to work together and stay engaged, she said. Kuta noted that change takes time. “We’re a work in process. It’s going to start with some wins along the way and there’s going to be some failures — make no mistake, there’s going to be some things that don’t quite work as we want right away, but it’s going to be the determination and the willingness to try to do those things and get behind it and support it that over time, will start to build,” he said. And when wins come, they need to be celebrated. “The way I kind of envision this whole Momentum 2022 deal is, is if we can continue a string of wins, it’s kind of like a snowball,” Kuta said. “The good snowball is you start to collect things and pretty soon you got a really nice collection of wins, and more people get attracted to it and we get more confidence as a community, we get more pride as a community.” Down the line — six or seven years — Kuta said he believes Topekans will wake up and think, “Wow, look what happened.” DuBoise said she believes eventually Topeka will be the “talk of the region.”
H8 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
When it comes to attracting employees, quality of place is key By Katie Moore katie.moore@cjonline.com
The quality of place workgroup experienced an “a-ha moment” upon realizing that traditional economic development measures like job growth don’t show the full picture, workgroup chairman Kurt Kuta said. A key to growth lies outside a particular job or employer and in what Topeka has to offer. “It’s really the fight for attracting and retaining talent,” Kuta said. “So now you’re having to account for quality of place.” Krista Thacker, director of talent acquisition at Stormont Vail Health, said there are positive changes taking place downtown, including new restaurants and a range of community events. She also noted educational opportunities offered by Washburn University and Washburn Institute of Technology. “Topeka is headed in the right direction,” Thacker said. “However with many other popular Kansas cities within commuting distance from Topeka, there is certainly room for improvement in order to get more of our workforce to remain local.” According to a February 2017 economic development strategy report, nearly 40 percent of employees earning at least $40,000 per year live outside Topeka and Shawnee County. Respondents reported a scarcity of everyday social offerings and nightlife options. Thacker said recruits report a lack of retail shopping. In terms of dining, new
Children enjoy the water features in the Dornwood Splash Park on a hot summer day. Community features like this one are considered important to creating a positive quality of place, which feeds into economic development. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITALJOURNAL]
Quality of place encompasses many criteria in a community, including play places for children, said workgroup member Glenda DuBoise. The Dornwood Spray Park, near S.E. 25th St. and Highland Ave., opened in 2016 and draws families from throughout the area. The proposed downtown plaza includes a water feature, too. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
restaurants like The White Linen and The Pennant are positive steps, but potential employees are still looking for a variety of unique options. Another factor is crime. “Without a doubt, one of our biggest challenges when it comes to recruiting and convincing our professionals to live in Topeka is the perceived amount of crime in our city,” Thacker said. However Thacker said people need to take into account that violent
crime is typically committed by people who know each other or are connected to drugs. Joe Burks, spokesman for VA Eastern Kansas, said one draw for VA employees is the presence of veteran organizations, which “isn’t seen in other like-size cities.” While not all employees will live in Topeka, Burks sees having Lawrence and the University of Kansas in the vicinity as an advantage to recruiting for the Topeka VA. Committee member
Glenda DuBoise said elevating quality of life is important so that companies can bring in employees and people will want to relocate to Topeka. Community events are especially key in attracting young professionals. Another initiative is called Boomerang and is being led by Forge, the city’s young professionals group. The project is still in its brainstorming stage, but its goal is to reach out to former Topekans to showcase “the exciting
developments happening in Topeka and retaining them back to Topeka,” Gabriel O’Shea, executive director of Forge, said. The program will launch in 2019. Thad Halstead, marketing director for AIM Strategies, said he is excited about what Topeka is doing to draw talent, especially as companies like Advisors Excel and Security Benefit draw people into their business cultures. One element that Topeka has lacked is an urban lifestyle. However, downtown loft development is remedying that. Wheatfield Village, a mixed-use development at S.W. 29th and Fairlawn, also aims to appeal to the young professional demographic. Halstead said he is most optimistic about the “huge increase in local people and businesses investing back into our community.” “Topeka has momentum, and I’m excited to see what we can do together,” Halstead said.
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H9
Topeka High School grad creates app that identifies community resources By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
A new app, “Topeka Area Guide,” highlights community resources from food banks to neighborhood improvement associations. It is available on Android and Apple platforms after a Topeka High School student spent the last year teaching himself programming. Michael Welch, who graduated from THS in May, spent hours and hours working on the app, which was the brainchild of THS social worker Frederic Willer. Willer thought an app that listed community resources would be excellent for students and others to use. But he didn’t know how to create one, so he reached out to Anne Hageman, the school’s business department chair and the teacher in charge of the project. That was more than a year ago, and although a couple of students began to tackle the idea, it wasn’t until Welch became involved that it became a real possibility, Hageman said. “It’s not easy,” she said, adding that some students realized it was a little over their heads and were quick to pass it off to Welch. “He has great confidence and great skills, but he also is an independent learner,” Hageman said. “He is really good at researching what needs to be done. When he took it on this last school year, he was learning completely on his own.” Welch is a man of few words, and although Hageman described him working “feverishly” in her class and then spending
Michael Welch, creator of the Topeka Resource Guide app, works at Herman’s Meat & Smokehouse. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Michael Welch, who graduated from Topeka High School in May, spent the past year teaching himself programming, so he could create the Topeka Area Guide. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
hours of his own time to get the app done, it was a pretty simple process for him. “Ms. Hageman had an internship last year that got it started, but it never really got worked on,” he said. “So she told me to take a look at it and see if I can’t finish it. A year later, I did.” He added, “I didn’t really know how to program an app, so I had to learn what I was doing.” Welch needed online tutorials that weren’t available and didn’t fit the school’s budget, Hageman said. He bought them himself. “I wanted to learn anyway, so it was a nice excuse,” Welch confided. “I bought
courses on how to make Android apps and one on how to make Apple apps.” Hageman said Welch also played a key role in maintaining the school’s website, and he’s often pulled off the app programming to troubleshoot the site or others that the students maintain. She told him that he can claim ownership of the app and has encouraged him to add a donate button so he can get dollars for his college education. He’s worked 40-plus hours a week at Herman’s Meat & Smokehouse this summer, and will be attending Emporia State University in August. The app breaks down the community into food
resources, adult services, public health, mental health and substance abuse groups, miscellaneous, neighborhood and homeowner associations, senior citizens, and support groups. It will need significant updating to get current and stay current, and Welch said he’s working on an interface so others at the school could keep it fresh. Welch plans to develop apps as a career. Although he likes to play sports and wrestled on the varsity team at THS, he’d usually prefer to be in front of a computer. “I’m a complete nerd,” he said. His passion for what he was doing was clear all along to Hageman. “This is definitely where he’s passionate,” she said. “We couldn’t make him do this, so it wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t truly want to do this. He set such a good example for the other kids on how he has stayed focused and tried to get this through, even
though there were some major bumps in the road.” It’s exactly this type of project that Lindsay Wise, who serves on the engagement, pride and service workgroup, hopes to see more of and also hopes to promote through Momentum 2022. The app wasn’t created with the idea of being associated with economic development, but it’s an example, she said, of what is happening locally that benefits all of Shawnee County. It’s also an example of why her workgroup needs to gather information about what people are already doing. Glenda DuBoise, with Heartland Visioning and a workgroup member, was impressed that Welch dedicated his own time and resources to the project. “He actually stayed focused on it until he was able to get an app for both the Android and iPhones,” she said. “That really impressed me, his skills and his ability to do that, and his dedication to it on behalf of the community.”
H10 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Engagement, pride, service success hinges on involving all parts of the community By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
The community engagement, pride and service workgroup of Momentum 2022 grew quickly to more than 25 people, developing sub-committees and multiple meetings, because there were many avenues to explore. Pride, for instance, is a challenging issue because it encompasses many different things, said current chairman Lalo Munoz. “We’re still thinking about it,” he said of the workgroup’s efforts about seven months into a five-year plan. “Pride is part of a strong community. The question we’re asking ourselves is how do we help to make our community stronger.” To complicate matters, Topeka isn’t a homogeneous city where one program or idea will work everywhere, Munoz said. “What’s done in one part of the city doesn’t feel relevant to other parts of our city,” he said. “I think one of the most important questions we’re asking is who has been involved in and engaged in some of these things, and what areas feel like they’ve been left out. How can we work to better engage communities and neighborhoods? “Places in East Topeka, parts of south and parts of North Topeka oftentimes say the same thing, that we don’t feel like we’re part of the broader work and investment that we see in lots of other places,” he said. They’re tough questions, sometimes with tough answers, but that’s the
LaToya Martinez, community engagement coordinator for the city of Topeka, spent a Friday morning this summer painting the ceiling of a porch at 830 S.W. Fillmore, as part of Team Up to Clean Up. The city initiative encourages support of specific parts of town that need work on everything from sidewalks to yards to homes. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
purpose of Momentum 2022. “I really think that we have to ask ourselves how do we engage in a way that is authentic,” Munoz said. “When you have individuals who aren’t in agreement with you, there’s something there that says, ‘Here’s what needs attention.’ Be open to voices that you might not agree with, that might even make you a little uncomfortable and angry. There’s a lot of value, I think, that your biggest opponent can offer insights if you’re willing to
listen. That’s the beginning.” Not all conversations in the workgroup have been tough. Lindsay Wise, who served as the group’s chair for the first months it met, said they spent a lot of time gathering information about what was already being done in Topeka and Shawnee County. “Something that’s huge for me is not duplicating efforts,” she said, adding that by surveying members and others in the community, they put together a long list of groups already active
in the community and what they were doing. Looking at that list, it was eye-opening how many services were being duplicated. Several ideas workgroup members had to boost civic pride are already being undertaken. A Topeka T-shirt was one idea, and Topeka businesswoman Jenny Torrence already has created “I Am Topeka” T-shirts. Others are also in the works, Wise said. Redesigning the Topeka city flag was another idea, but
Topeka’s Forge young professional group is working on that initiative. Events like Team Up to Clean Up, recently initiated by the city, are the exact kinds of things that build community engagement and pride, she said. They are exciting and fit perfectly into what the workgroup would like to support and help grow. They’re determined not to re-create the wheel, Wise said. She hopes that part of their work can create awareness of what others are doing and helping to coordinate efforts. “I think our biggest focus is pride,” she said. “Pride is a major issue in this community. It’s not going to change overnight. We need to have successes so that people see, ‘OK, there’s great things happening here, let’s get behind this.’ ” Getting people throughout the community engaged in the Momentum 2022 process is critical to its success, Munoz said. He’s looking forward to exploring potential collaborations and collaborators with longtime Topekans, those new to the capital city, and those hailing from all parts of town. And it will take time. “The very fact that it’s Momentum 2022, and it’s not Momentum 2018, is one important factor to keep in mind,” he said. “This is a long-term project, and we are six or seven months into a five-year plan. We’re not going to see all of the change that we’d like to, but hopefully we’ll begin to see small things in parts of our city that will begin to show that things are indeed moving.”
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H11
Programs designed to lure interns back to Topeka as they start their careers By Phil Anderson phil.anderson@cjonline.com
When it comes to attracting young talent to Topeka, an essential element is getting them to the capital city in the first place. That much seems obvious. Yet in many cases, it is easier said than done. One of the best ways to find young talent, then get them to come to the capital city, is through summer internship programs, where college-age students work at Topeka businesses and organizations. As executive director of Forge, Gabriel O’Shea oversees the Top City Interns program, which encourages college-age young people who work here for the summer to consider moving to Topeka once they begin their careers. “The goal of Top City Interns,” O’Shea said, “is to showcase the greater Topeka area to the interns.” Top City Interns does that in several ways, including through social gatherings for up to several hundred interns working in Topeka during the summer. A recent example was an outdoor concert scheduled for a Friday night in July in the 800 block of S.W. Jackson. O’Shea, a member of the Momentum 2022 talent development workgroup, said interns come to Topeka from across the state and nation and represent a variety of ages. However, the vast majority are in college. “The majority of our interns are upperclassmen, so juniors and seniors,” he said, “though we do have some sophomores and
Katie Gillespie is an intern in the human resources department at Westar Energy, 818 S. Kansas Ave. Gillespie, 21, of Leavenworth, will continue working part time at Westar when classes resume this fall at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, where she will be a senior. [PHIL ANDERSON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
freshmen interns. They’re checking out these companies to see if they want to work there, and companies are checking them out to see if they want to hire them.” O’Shea said it is important the entire community work at promoting the good things happening in Topeka. The positive energy, he said, could be the tipping point in a person’s decision to move after graduation. Summer 2018 marks the second year in a row for Top City Interns. O’Shea said it went “fantastic” during its first year in 2017, and after a few tweaks, this year is going just as well. He and others in Forge are crunching numbers to see how many interns from the summer of 2017 returned to Topeka when their educations were finished and are working here today. Those numbers should be available soon, he said. The Top City Interns program started shortly
after O’Shea took the job as executive director of Forge in the fall of 2016. In talking with Topeka employers, he said, it became clear that a major concern was retaining interns as full-time employees — something that wasn’t taking place at the time. The idea was born out of a need to keep young talent in Topeka. O’Shea said it “fits right into our mission of attracting and retaining young talent.” Educational programs sponsored by Top City Interns that focus on the city’s business community and cultural offerings expose the students to opportunities available in Topeka. But Top City Interns is about far more than just education. Leaders recognize that young people yearn for entertainment, dining and social offerings — all of which are highlighted through Top City Interns events that help young
people working in various businesses come together during the summer — something that might not happen otherwise. At least 200 interns from states across the nation are in Topeka this summer, O’Shea said. Among them is Katie Gillespie, 21, of Leavenworth, who will be a senior this coming fall at The University of Kansas in Lawrence. She has been interning since January in the human resources department at Westar Energy headquarters, 818 S. Kansas Ave. Though she will return to KU this fall, Gillespie said she will continue working 15 to 20 hours a week at Westar Energy. “I’m really enjoying it,” she said. “I got to help plan our internship program a little bit, which has been a lot of fun.” Gillespie said Westar Energy has 50 interns this summer, including ones from KU, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri. She enjoyed a meeting at which a panel of leaders spoke on the Momentum 2022 initiative. “I think it’s really exciting about all the things coming to Topeka, especially since a lot of them are catered to people my age," she said. Ryan McIntosh, 22, of Topeka, is working as a quality assurance intern this summer at se2, 5801 S.W. 6th Ave. “This is really a nice internship for me,” said McIntosh, who is studying computer science and will be starting his senior year
at Washburn University in the fall. “A lot of the people I work with are from Lawrence, so they have to commute a lot farther.” McIntosh said that during his internship, he has taken part in online meetings with people from countries such as Ireland and India, where se2 has branches. “I’ve enjoyed being in meetings with those people online and working with them,” he said. “It’s been a very interactive internship.” McIntosh said that although he is from Topeka, he has learned a great deal about the capital city, particularly its business community, through Top City Interns meetings. “I really like the Top City Interns program,” McIntosh said. “It’s been very informative, because it’s taught me things about Topeka and the business world that I didn’t know.” Another Forge endeavor is a program aimed at attracting and retaining student teachers to Topeka-area school districts. The program got off the ground about a year ago, when school district leaders indicated their desire to retain student teachers in their districts. “That was very well accepted,” said JuliAnn Mazachek, vice president for academic affairs at Washburn University and chairwoman of the Talent Development Work Group for Momentum 2022. “We will be continuing that.” This fall, Forge will launch a new program designed to help first-year teachers make a smooth transition to Topeka.
H12 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
A student at Washburn Institute of Technology practices MIG welding. The school, along with the new Washburn Tech East, will be an important part of developing talent in the community to meet workforce needs. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Education a key to meeting Topeka's future needs By Phil Anderson phil.anderson@cjonline.com
People with talent make a city click, and education is a major key that moves that talent forward. Members of Momentum 2022 are well aware of the need for Topeka to recruit — and retain — talented young people. They are equally aware of the role education plays in developing that talent. Local school districts, along with Washburn University and the Washburn Institute of Technology, are striving to make sure educational opportunities are available to TopekaHenderson area residents, and in the process provide training that will build the Topeka workforce and economy. Mazachek JuliAnn Mazachek, vice president for academic affairs at Washburn University, is serving as chairwoman of the talent development workgroup for Momentum 2022. She said she is excited about the new energy that has taken hold in Topeka, especially as young people invest in making the capital city a place where they want to live. In addition to bringing new talent to Topeka, Momentum 2022 is promoting training for individuals already in the capital city, and making opportunities available to a broad range of individuals. “The thing that we’re so careful about is that 70 percent of jobs in 2030 are going to require post-secondary education,” she said. “So how do we prepare our young people to be ready not
Washburn Institute of Technology, where students learn skills like MIG welding, plays an important role in developing talent to meet workforce needs. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
just to graduate from high school but also get that additional training so they can be contributing members of the workforce?” Philosophically, Mazachek said, the Talent development workgroup has “talked about how important it is for communities to really diligently and proactively grow our own talent so we can have a strong economy and a strong workforce for the future from people that already are here, in addition to attracting people to come to Topeka.” At present, much of Topeka’s economic strengths lie in the agriculture, animal science and financial-tech sectors. “But that is today,” Mazachek said. “We’re talking about from birth to adult, so what we need today might be very different than what those children who are birth to 3 years old might be doing in 15 to 20 years.” Developing graduates with marketable skills is key for the city to make sure its future job openings can be filled. Mazachek said she was excited about the
development of Washburn Tech East, which will be located in a building being rehabbed at S.E. 21st and Washington. Washburn Tech East, Mazachek said, is “one of our biggest initiatives” and is strategically located in an area of the city where many have difficulty gaining access to post-secondary education. Washburn Tech East is set to open in January. Staff members of Greater Topeka Partnership’s Cradle through Career program will assess different resources in the capital city, Mazachek said, then will “look for places where we need to make additions” to efforts currently taking place, while also finding ways for organizations to work together to meet community needs. She said Topeka has a low unemployment rate, which is a positive but also presents its own challenges. “We either have to bring some people into the work force who aren’t currently in the workforce,” Mazachek said, “or we have to determine how to attract new people here.” Frank S. Henderson Jr., a
member of the Momentum 2022 talent development workgroup and president of the Seaman Unified School District 345 Board of Education, said he sees many young people leaving Topeka to start their careers — a trend he would like to see end. “Topeka is losing our greatest resource, which is the group of young adults that are educated, talented and move to a destination county or city that may have desirable amenities,” Henderson said. “Additionally, as baby boomers continue to age, sustaining a viable workforce in our community is a concern. “Not only do we need to retain our talent, but we must create and develop the talent pool we presently have and will have in the future.” Henderson said Momentum 2022 is seeking to develop “homegrown talent” through: • Aligning the talent pipeline. • Ensuring all children are kindergarten ready. • Preparing students for college and careers. • Expanding continuing education options for adults. “We have committees which are engaging community partners and stakeholders in each of these areas,” Henderson said. “Collectively, we are looking at best practices and developing strategy and actions to bring about the desired outcomes in each area. “Our success will result in an increase of individuals, homegrown, prepared and ready to step into key roles in this community, a community that is dynamic and filled with pride, a place where people desire to live, work, play and do business.” Henderson, who is director of homeless services at the Topeka Rescue Mission, said he is a firm believer in the significance of every
individual and for every child and adult to rise to their God-given potential. “The ‘Cradle Through Career’ collective impact partnership truly excites me,” he said. “As a locally elected official, school board member, past president of the Kansas Association of School Boards and a director with the National School Board Association, I am extremely passionate about education. “I see a partnership comprised of educational entities, the business community, social service providers, nonprofits and others to collectively identify and develop processes to meet the educational needs of every individual and the community.” Henderson said he is thrilled about early-education programs in the community, such as TDC Learning Center and the Mathes Early Learning Center, which are funded in part through the United Way of Greater Topeka. He said he is also grateful for United Way funding for the Topeka Rescue Mission’s career readiness education program, which prepares homeless individuals to enter the Topeka workforce. “I am extremely excited for the development and creation of the East Topeka Learning Center,” Henderson said. “This facility will provide opportunities for a countless number of community residents who will discover the training that is a turning point in their lives. I am honored to sit on the advisory board at Washburn Tech for this learning facility. “I believe a culture of caring, educating and a desire to see Topeka improve is being created through Momentum 2022,” Henderson said. “I anxiously look forward to what we will be experiencing in Topeka in five years.”
MOMENTUM 2022 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | H13
Lt. Andy Beightel says there is more energy behind Momentum 2022 than past efforts. He is part of the marketing workgroup. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
‘We live here as well’
Topeka police seek role in shaping community’s future
By Sherman Smith sherman.smith@cjonline.com
Topeka police Lt. Steve Roth sees East Topeka as a community on the cusp of buying in to efforts to revitalize the underprivileged neighborhoods there. A combination of factors, including police outreach programs and the surge of enthusiasm behind Momentum 2022, have primed the residents for great things, Roth said. He expects to see progress within months. In five years, when graduates from the forthcoming Washburn Tech East are entering the workforce, an area known for its struggles with poverty and violent crime could be an entirely different place. “I think as you drive through Topeka,” he said, “and maybe you go through what was, ‘Oh my gosh the Hi-Crest area used to be a really rough looking part of town,’ you’ll start to see a little more pride in that community with kept-up lawns. You know, trash is kept at bay and not just thrown out in the front yard.” Roth works alongside community leaders tasked with igniting progress in East Topeka over the next few years. Others with Topeka Police Department shine their crime-fighting perspective on alternate areas — two officers are involved with each Momentum 2022 group — to integrate themselves in the community. As Lt. Andy Beightel says,
Lt. Steve Roth says part of the police strategy in East Topeka is having positive interactions through outreach programs, rather than just interacting with residents when they pull someone over. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
Lt. Aaron Jones says he brings an officer’s perspective to economic development talks. In addition to reporting back to the chief, he has a personal interest in improving a city where his kids were born and will be raised. [THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
One of the reasons I took this on was I want to make change. If you want change, you have to get involved.”
“We live here, as well.” “One of the reasons I took this on was I want to make change,” Beightel said. “If you want change, you have to get involved.” It’s the same reason he joined TPD 17 years ago. He wants a better future for the city and his family. By signing up for the marketing group, he can set his sights on negative public perception. Unfortunately, he said, residents have been critical of Topeka and skeptical of efforts to change for many years. “That’s been the mindset for so long,” Beightel said, “I think it’s going to be a battle
Lt. Andy Beightel
overcoming that. But I think we can do it, actually. I’m really hoping for that, not only for my sake, but my kids are growing up in Topeka. I want them to have things to do, a nice city to grow up in.” A similar challenge faces the economic development team, where Lt. Aaron Jones has volunteered his off-duty time — he jokes that taxpayers are getting “quite the deal.” Jones said a focal point for the group is discouraging certain disparaging words. For example, he said, people on the street allude to the area’s 666 zip code by making references to the “devil’s playground.”
“That’s something that really hurts our city,” Jones said, “because if you do live in Kansas City, Tonganoxie, Lawrence, and you’re thinking about which way to move, more toward Kansas City or more toward Topeka, you hear things like that and it’s going to drive you east, not west.” The research that launched Momentum 2022 found that people are migrating out of Topeka. Jones said the success of downtown revitalization demonstrates what the city can accomplish
and gives people a reason to stay. Already, he sees a more vibrant city, instead of “the old image of Topeka being the beginning of the western plains.” In recent meetings, where group members have given attention to shaping the criteria of grant funding for development projects, Jones has pointed out the importance of deploying techniques known as crime prevention through environmental design. When he reports back to TPD, he notes how frequently conversation turns to East Topeka. That’s where Roth comes in. His group is working with homeowners and landlords to make improvements to properties, and leveraging connections with church leaders and housing authorities. Having Washburn Tech East open in January at S.E. 21st and Washington will make a big difference, he said. People will get excited about the campus, the money they can earn and the realization they can have a better life. To bolster interest, the group is looking at ways to help students with transportation and day care. “Whatever issues that may arise, we’re going to try to help them so they can get to campus, get an education, get some kind of technical training, and then get out and get a little better job,” Roth said. “They start taking pride in themselves and take pride in their property. We start to see revitalization that way.”
H14 | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | MOMENTUM 2022
Improving police relations, decreasing blight among goals By Luke Ranker luke.ranker@cjonline.com
Tackling crime — or the perception of crime — will be crucial to improving quality of life in the capital city, but that takes more than arresting bad guys, city leaders said. Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran touts a holistic approach to policing, looking at all the needs of the community, officers said. Meanwhile in the city’s older neighborhoods, such as Oakland, residents want continued action on curbing blight and improving the area. “I think we’re moving in the right direction,” said TJ Brown, Oakland neighborhood vice president. “It’s a slow and gradual process with a lot of work to go, but I’m grateful of the steps we’ve made.” One of those shifts is with the Topeka Police Department, which has transitioned from a reactive role to a proactive role, Lt. Andrew Beightel said. Through community and school resource officers, better mental health training and other outreach programs, the department hopes to build better community engagement. No longer are school resource officers simply an officer who patrols the school. Now the department expects them to act as mentors. Building a positive relationship with police at an early age will translate to stronger bonds throughout the community. “Within months, we’re going to see great things
One of the Momentum 2022 goals is to reduce blighted and boarded-up buildings, such as this one at N.E. Seward and Grattan. [PHOTOS BY LUKE RANKER/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]
with the youth, and then as they start to grow we’ll see it spread out to the community,” Roth said. City manager Brent Trout attributes the department’s community-based approach to lowering violent crime. In 2017, Topeka saw 30 homicides — a record. By mid-July of this year, 10 homicides had been reported, in what Trout saw as the beginning of a downward trend. “Right now we’re seeing some success — knock on wood — if things continue, it’s going to be a much better year than last year was,” he said. “We seem to be making a difference.” In Oakland, a key to preventing crime has been eliminating blighted and
Removing boarded-up buildings like this one at N.E. Seward and Woodruff will help boost community pride, according to TJ Brown, Oakland neighborhood vice president.
vacant homes, said Brown, who spent much of his time over the past three years drawing attention to the issue.
Whether it’s a boarded-up house or one that is simply run down, blight invites criminal activity, he said. “The bottom line is it
sends a signal — it’s like the old broken window theory — if you have property in poor condition or not occupied, it sends a message that this area isn’t cared about,” Brown said. Either through the city’s property maintenance department or a program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city has been demolishing houses in blighted areas since 2016. Several of those have been in Oakland, where Brown said a vacant lot is preferable to a shuttered home. Those lots can be redeveloped with new homes, he said. The housing stock isn’t the only issue Brown said residents worry about. Maintaining the neighborhood’s tree canopy may not seem like a crime fighter, but Brown said tall trees often obstruct street lights, making the neighborhood darker. “Lighting has always been a big issue,” he said. But there’s a bigger concern in Oakland, and other older neighborhoods, that Brown said deserves attention. Not only is the housing stock older, but so are many residents, who have fixed incomes. Regardless of age, the income is low to moderate, he said. That means well-meaning homeowners may not be able to afford, to keep their homes up. Improving income and investment will be key, he said. “What those solutions are, I don’t know. But it’s a conversation I look forward to having with city leaders,” Brown said.