REAP Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
July 23, 2015 ~ Wichita Workforce Center, 2021 N Amidon, Suite 100
Council Member Carl Koster, Chair
1. Welcome, Introductions, and Announcements
Council Member Carl Koster, Cheney welcomed attendees and asked for self-introductions.
Chairman Koster and Keith Lawing recognized former Executive Director, Kelly Bergeron and thanked her for her excellent service to REAP.
2. Board of Directors Business
A. Approval of Minutes from April 16, 2015
Commissioner Brad Dillon, Reno County (Mayor Terry Somers, Mount Hope) moved to approve the minutes from April 16, 2015 as presented. Motion adopted.
B. Membership Applications
Associate Membership Applications:
In November 2014, the REAP Board of Directors amended and updated the Bylaws and Fiscal Policy. As part of this process, an “associate membership” category was created, allowing economic development organizations and private sector entities to become members.
Black Hills Energy applied for an associate membership.
Mayor Marcey Gregory, Goddard (Commissioner Carol Voran, Kingman County) moved to approve the application for Black Hills Energy associate membership. Motion adopted.
C. Unscheduled Topics:
Proposed Transload Shipping Center
Keith Lawing discussed the recent Kansas Department of Transportation press release date July 20, 2015 regarding the City of El Dorado being named one of the seven finalists for a proposed transload shipping center. A letter was prepared on behalf of REAP to the transportation department expressing support for El Dorado to be the location of the site. A copy of this letter was provided to attendees prior to the meeting. Linda Jolly, El Dorado, Inc. and Herb Llewellyn, City of El Dorado provided an overview and additional information regarding the site. The site would impact the regional economy by increasing and enhancing exports and related commercial activity.
Commissioner Brad Dillon, Reno County (Mayor Jeff Longwell, City of Wichita) moved to approve the support letter be sent to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
3. 2015 Legislative Wrap Up Report
Tom Bruno, Bruno and Associates, presented a report of the 2015 Legislative Session, including the status of the REAP Legislative Priorities and answered questions from the audience. REAP Legislative Committee Chair Chip Westfall spoke about planning for the 2016 session and invited REAP members to serve on the Legislative Committee. The next meeting of the committee is September 24, 2015.
4. Report on the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth (BREG) and the Greater Wichita Partnership
REAP is one of the sponsors for the BREG initiative and the Cluster Groups have prepared action plans and are now moving to the implementation phase. Commissioner Brad Dillon and Gary Schmidt with the Greater Wichita Partnership provided an update and highlights on accomplishments resulting from recent cluster meetings. Lawing encouraged REAP members to reach out to business and industry in their communities that could or should be part of the eight industry clusters.
5. Regional Transportation Task Force Assignment
Lawing followed up on the regional transportation presentation given at the April Board of Directors meeting. The REAP Transportation Task Force, chaired by Kingman County Commissioner Carol Voran, invited members of REAP, WAMPO, Wichita Transit, and KDOT to participate on the Task Force. The meeting is scheduled for August 20, 2015. All interested members are encouraged to volunteer to be on the task force. A preliminary report from the task force meeting will be shared with members at the next board of directors meeting.
6. 2015 Work Plan and Regional Projects Update
The update report was included in the meeting packet for reference and includes the 2015 Work Plan progress report, report of the committees and task forces, upcoming Events & Meetings for 2015 and budget update.
7. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m.
Attendance
Board Members and Alternates
Council Member Carl Koster, Chair / Mayor Jeff Longwell, WichitaBob Conger, Kechi / Commissioner Ron Loomis, McPherson County
Commissioner Brad Dillon, Reno County / Commissioner David Nygaard, Newton
Mayor Clair Donnelly, Maize / Harland Priddle, K-96 Corridor Association
Mayor Marcey Gregory, Goddard / Mayor Terry Somers, Mount Hope
Council Member Tom Haynes, Derby / Commissioner Carol Voran, Kingman County
Willis Heck, Associate Member / John Waltner, Harvey County
Herb Llewellyn, El Dorado / Commissioner Chip Westfall, Harvey County
Guests/Presenters/Staff
Kelly Bergeron, Goddard / Shirley Lindhorst, REAPKurt Bookout, El Dorado / Keith Lawing, REAP
Tom Bruno, REAP / Nancy McCarthy Snyder, WSU
Angela Buzzard, WSU / Bob Myers, Newton
Les Depperschmidt, AT&T / Andy Schlapp, WSU
Zahra Ehtisham, Andover / John Schlegel, WAMPO
Bryan Frye, City of Wichita / Gary Schmitt, Greater Wichita Partnership
Linda Jolly, El Dorado / Anthony Swartzendruber, Harvey County
James Kilpatrick, Kansas for Liberty, / Beth Shelton, Harvey County
Ken Kriz, WSU / Marie Vergara, WSU