McPHERSON, Kan. — The last of the 2025 Mastermind McPherson County Community Benchmark presentations were held Thursday, with two sessions in McPherson. Earlier sessions were held in various communities around the county.
The general theme of the McPherson part of the survey, which 241 people participated in, is that McPherson today is a community proud of it’s heritage with deep bonds, but confidence in future prospects and faith in equitable leadership is eroding, with concerns about such things as long term planning, especially as it related to infrastructure. While Community pride runs high, strategic vision and fairness in governance are things demanding urgent attention.
During an afternoon session and an evening program held with STEP MC participants, some of the common themes that came up dealt with housing, child care, and infrastructure. One notable business aspect that came up in the survey and touched on at both meetings was a need for more sit-down and late night dining options, the latter a frequent subject on some social media pages.
The afternoon session focused on housing as an important priority, including more housing in general and affordable housing in particular. In that realm, the ideas of allowing smaller homes, second dwellings on properties… the so-called granny flats… and addressing both starter and step-down housing.
At the STEP MC session participants focused in on childcare, including the expense, availability, and some options that could be looked at, including potential intergenerational involvement and partnership opportunities.
A county-wide summit is being planned for the early part of September, which will be looking at the subject of vibrant places.
