ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — Allen County Commissioners discussed airport projects Tuesday with Caleb Coltraine from Garver, their engineering consultant. Among the projects is the one to build a full length taxiway, which had been identified as a need for some time.
While this is an estimated just over $1.8 million project, Coltrane said a combination of FAA and state grant funds will cover much of the cost of it, with the local share at this point projected to be around $100,000, possibly less. This project is ready to bid.
Another project that will be coming is repairs to pavement near the hangars, which is in very poor shape. A KDOT grant is funding most of these repairs with a local share of $45,000, which Commissioners approved signing documents on.
Thrive Allen County’s new economic development director, Camille LaVon, was introduced to Allen County Commissioners during their meeting Tuesday. LaVon, who grew up in Leavenworth, comes to Allen County from Colorado Springs, where she worked for an economic development organization serving El Paso and Teller counties, and in diverse situations.
For more rural communities, her focus was on workforce development, while in larger communities economic retention was her primary responsibility, along with being involved in recruitment activities connected with primarily suppliers.
Before going into economic development, LaVon had worked internationally in Germany and South Korea, worked with veterans transitioning out of the Department of Defense into the civilian sector in the western states, rehabilitation of inmates, and workforce development in Colorado and Washington state.
LaVon has already met with representatives some Allen County industries and city officials, and also took a lot of notes as the Commission discussed airport matters during the morning,
In his report to the Allen County Commission Tuesday, Public Works Director Mitch Garner said they are still waiting on installation of a couple of items to the new contractor.
Commissioners conducted an executive session to discuss economic development matters, which also included city and Thrive representatives. They also visited with Arlyn Briggs of Iola who thanked them for their decision last week to slash funding for Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, recounting some issues he and others have had with them. He also discussed increasing issues with musk thistle along county roads, which he said is becoming an increasing issue.
