Spring is here, with Easter in the rearview mirror. Makayla and I visited both of our families, starting in Harrisonville Missouri where my parent’s still live before heading to Topeka for Makayla’s family. More than enough food, stories and laughs were shared over the three days out of town. We had an Easter egg hunt in Topeka for the older kids (6-10 years old), while our youngest niece who is around two years old had a much easier time as her grandma would just lay the eggs a few feet from her as she moved around the yard… everything is very exciting at that age!
Before the weekend got underway Legacy Square hosted the Ottawa Ministerial Alliance for a Good Friday Service (pictures here). Solemnly sharing the story of Christ’s journey on the historic day. While the message was meant to leave you somber, the weather couldn’t have been nicer, and maybe that’s the sign of hope that represents the joy that comes on Sunday.
Covid-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Act
Here is a neat opportunity from the Kansas Department of Revenue for retail businesses. The purpose of the Covid-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Act is to provide assistance to certain business owners impacted by COVID-19 related shutdowns and restrictions during 2020 and 2021. To see if you fit the bill, click this link for the list of eligible and ineligible business types.
This assistance offered is calculated based on a portion of property taxes accrued by one’s retail storefront property. The support is equal to 33.0 percent of the total COVID-19 ordered shutdown days your business experienced in 2020 and 2021… each one of those years can equal out to as much as $5,000 of assistance. An online application may be submitted through the Department of Revenue’s website at: www.ksrevenue.gov. and more information on the whole act can be accessed here.
Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP)
Another program available to Kansas families put in place to offset the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the KEEP program. With the purpose of supporting children recovering from the impact the pandemic had on learning. KEEP provides qualifying parents and guardians with a $1,000 award per eligible student to pay for a variety of educational goods and services that promote learning recovery. Beneficiaries can spend their awarded funds in an online education marketplace that offers said selection of approved education goods and services from the community. Qualifying students must be between the ages of 5 and 18, and their families must fall into the economic guidelines presented here. Parents can determine eligibility at www.keep.ks.gov and submit an online application.
To become a Qualified Education Service Provider (QESP), allowing families to use your services with KEEP awarded funds, you must fall into categories including: camps, language classes, instrument and vocal lessons, tutoring, or be a vendor for curriculum materials/school supplies/technology. To get a brief overview of this program and if it is right for your business, click the link here to learn more.
Young Professional Gathering
Young professionals met downtown at Grub and Chug to hang out after work yesterday. This group is starting to get some traction once more with around 12-15 “young” leaders in attendance the past two outings. You can see last night’s group here… we missed a handful who had to sneak out early, so we improvised to give us some extra numbers in the picture. Currently the group works as a social time and opportunity to further grow these connections, if you or someone you know would like to attend next month, the more the merrier! I’ll be looking to get May on our calendar soon, stay tuned. Thank you Grub and Chug for the hospitality... they have a great selection of beers on tap, full bar, and a menu for all kinds of tastes, stop by 306 S Main St. to grub and/or chug!
OakStar Bank
Our office is looking forward to May 24th when we will be celebrating the grand opening of OakStar Bank at 226 W 23rd St. Though we plan on christening the building with a ribbon cutting, this will be taking place on a Wednesday evening rather than our normal Friday mornings, so make sure you have your calendar booked. I was able to walk through the new building a week or so ago and wanted to share some progress pictures with you, it’s exciting to visualize the project by looking at the bones present now. I imagine the most anxious for completion are OakStar staff who get to see things move forward every day as they sit adjacent in their temporary building onsite. It’ll be a beautiful addition to our community, continuing to liven up a side of town that has seen much improvement over the past handful of years with the coming of Holiday Inn Express, Club Car Wash and Primetime Grille/Fusion Alley to name a few. Thanks for the investment you’re making in our town OakStar family!
Legacy Homes of Ottawa – Oxford House
The community had the privilege to tour 720 S Main St. this morning, the soon-to-be new Oxford House in Ottawa (pictures of the event here). Legacy Homes of Ottawa didn’t skip any corners when refurbishing this property, it looks immaculate inside and out (before/after pictures of the home here). George Ogle bought this house with the intention of making this a place for recovery, support, and hope for those who are overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. I couldn’t be more pleased that George is able to partner with the Oxford House organization, which has over an 80% national success rate in helping individuals overcome this difficult time in their lives. Oxford Houses are self-run, self-supported systems that follow a democratic process of operation for the members of the home. There are strict rules in place to help give residents a structured life, this includes mandatory chore days, they must be going through a 12-step program, new residents must be voted into the house by existing members, and any drugs or alcohol on the property results in immediate eviction. This program is built for individuals who are choosing to move toward sobriety but wouldn’t have a safe space to do so otherwise. This house can home nine males going through this process of recovery starting as early as the beginning of May of this year. When applying to reside at 720 S Main you must first do so online at www.oxfordvacancies.com, which is followed by an interview... it’s important to note that no interview is ever turned down. Once accepted, residents can stay in the house as long as they’d like, whether that be for a handful of months or several years. DJ Mecum, the outreach coordinator stated that 18 months seems to be a sweet spot for recovery.
Here is some educational material on what an Oxford House is and why it is such a blessing to have this resource in our community. I mentioned this morning that when we have conversations about homelessness and the economic depravity that can result in life-ruining addiction for those in our community, there are no clear answers on how to fix these challenges outright… but I will say this is a big step in the right direction! I can’t be more thankful that George chose to use his skills, money, and effort to make this a reality. When it could’ve been so easy to make money on this beautiful home by selling, he chose to use it for the greater good. My challenge to you and me is that when this house gets filled, we help and care for those who desperately want change in their life. That we continue to make Ottawa and Franklin County the best place to live, work and play and include our new neighbors at 720 S Main. Mr. Rogers, the ultimate good neighbor, once said “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of.” I cannot wait to see lives changed through our new Oxford House, thank you George for showing us how to be a good neighbor.
I imagine you saw my new banner at the top, I am a fan of "Relate with Ryland", I'm not sure I'm married to it yet though. I might still do some thinking, I'm open to your thoughts, so let me know...
I hope you enjoy your weekend, what a beautiful time of the year to be outside in Kansas. Talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
