“A winning attitude.”
That’s how one Kansan describes the attitude in his community, which is fitting for a town with the No. 1 ranked high school girls basketball team in the state.
But this goes beyond athletics: He was describing the spirit that has enabled this community to invest in housing, education, senior care and more.
John Tietjens, John Wempe and Lucas Raleigh are part of the leadership of the Little River Development Group. That group has worked with the Little River Community Fund and the City of Little River to make remarkable investments in their community.
Tietjens is president and CEO of the Mutual Telephone Company, headquartered in Little River. Wempe is branch president of Peoples Bank in Little River and Lyons. Raleigh is owner of Raleigh Insurance in Little River.
“Our independent telephone company was started in 1905,” Tietjens said. It is organized as a cooperative and has grown its service through the years, now providing fiber to the homes in its territory.
Years ago, the company and others formed Kansas Cellular. When Kansas Cellular sold, the company recommended putting its share of the profits into a community foundation, and the members of the cooperative voted to do so.
That was the beginning of the Little River Community Fund. The Little River Development Group serves as the economic arm of the fund to work with other entities in addressing community needs.
The Rice County Community Foundation conducted a series of needs assessments in the county. In Little River, a major issue surfaced: Housing. “Zero houses were for sale in our community,” Raleigh said.
Jobs were available in the region at major pipeline companies, an ethanol plant and other employers, but housing was a limiting factor. Fort Hays State worked on a housing assessment. JR Robl of the Tessere Company provided assistance.
Community partners launched a 25-lot housing development project called the Clutter Hill Addition.
“The community foundation took out a loan to do this project and they paid it back early,” Wempe said. Land was purchased, infrastructure was installed, and a zero interest loan was provided to housing contractors who built spec homes in the development.
Through a grant last year, the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation is now providing assistance with Moderate Income Housing funds up to $85,000 per single family home. “All the lots (in Clutter Hill) except one have a house on them or are committed to MIH,” Tietjens said. The group is working on another phase of development, including a duplex near city park.
This is one of several community improvements in Little River.
“We made a significant investment in the school,” Wempe said. An $18 million bond issue passed to rebuild and enhance the school. The nursing home was rebuilt and a new childcare center was constructed. Streetscape improvements were installed downtown, with the community fund providing matching funds for KDOT and CDBG grants.
These are impressive accomplishments for a rural community such as Little River, population 472 people. Now, that’s rural.
Why do these civic leaders work so hard for their community? “I think it’s pride – we want to make our town successful,” Raleigh said.
“I’ve always been intrigued with economic development,” Tietjens said. “I took leadership courses at Fort Hays State and it helped me realize we need to fight for our communities. We’re raising our three kids here now and we want to make this a better place.”
Wempe added: “My dad was always community-oriented. I went to K-State and went into the construction business before joining the bank. I was on that original community foundation board. Having the community fund has made a difference.”
“None of this would work if it wasn’t for all these people and programs working together,” Tietjens said.
For more information about Little River, see www.littleriverks.com.
A winning attitude and community spirit. Those are the attributes that make Little River shine. We commend John Tietjens, John Wempe, Lucas Raleigh and all the citizens of Little River who are helping advance their community together. I’m glad they make a winning team.
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