Let’s think outside the box and see who wants to be bold. Last Friday’s editorial reprint of a Scripps Howard News Service editorial wrote well about “Give Disabled American Veterans (DAVs) A Fair Chance.” I throw this out to the “Court of Public Opinion.”
Last year, in order to help Pioneer Group of Topeka bring home 400 new jobs at the VA, Leavenworth County and City, as well as the Port Authority, committed $1.5 million dollars over 10 years to help build parking on the VA campus. Subsequently, the Kansas Legislature re-instituted state historical tax credits, and the renovation project was almost guaranteed another $2.5 million in public funds.
I’ve learned that 85 percent of our DAVs are unemployed. Wouldn’t it be great for Leavenworth to once more embrace our “protectors of freedom.” Let’s make a local commitment to DAVs nationally. Let’s create housing for them. Let’s address their transportation needs. Let’s enhance quality-of-life initiatives. How? We do it with a cooperative commitment by all involved.
We ask Pioneer to relinquish all or at least a major portion of the $1.5 million of parking funds. Then all three entities recommit those funds to local developers who will build housing addressing DAV special needs. If we committed 10 percent to the cost of each privately owned home (on the tax rolls), at $250,000 per home, that’s just $25,000 of public funding for each home and we could provide 60 homes to DAVs for that $1.5 million!
Next, we need to address transportation. Any city with a population of more than 40,000 can qualify for federal transportation money. Leavenworth and Lansing could consolidate for the purpose of a transportation grant application and we could establish bussing for all the citizens and create special transportation for our DAVs.
Finally, we would ask the VA to hire as their highest priority those DAVs new to our area. Those DAVs that heard of this community’s commitment to them.
Why would Pioneer Group do this? Why would this community? Pioneer is a community-minded group with strong commitment to “doing the right thing.” Additionally, with the community establishing itself as a national leader in DAV homesteading and employment, we could attract other civic minded employers to the VA campus and to the remaining vacant buildings. Pioneer could benefit significantly just as could the community.
This community has a legacy of undertaking this type of initiative. We annually host one of the largest Veteran’s Day parades in the nation. In 1885, the citizens of Leavenworth committed $50,000 ($1,179,000 in today’s dollars) and 640 acres of land to the establishment of the Western Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.
This is one of the greatest things that we could do to help all of us ensure our future viability and economic prosperity. It will not only bring jobs for DAVs but it will bring other new employers wanting to support the DAVs and that will mean jobs for everyone.
J.C. Tellefson is a Leavenworth County Commissioner.
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Let’s think outside the box and see who wants to be bold. Last Friday’s editorial reprint of a Scripps Howard News Service editorial wrote well about “Give Disabled American Veterans (DAVs) A Fair Chance.” I throw this out to the “Court of Public Opinion.”
Last year, in order to help Pioneer Group of Topeka bring home 400 new jobs at the VA, Leavenworth County and City, as well as the Port Authority, committed $1.5 million dollars over 10 years to help build parking on the VA campus. Subsequently, the Kansas Legislature re-instituted state historical tax credits, and the renovation project was almost guaranteed another $2.5 million in public funds.
I’ve learned that 85 percent of our DAVs are unemployed. Wouldn’t it be great for Leavenworth to once more embrace our “protectors of freedom.” Let’s make a local commitment to DAVs nationally. Let’s create housing for them. Let’s address their transportation needs. Let’s enhance quality-of-life initiatives. How? We do it with a cooperative commitment by all involved.
We ask Pioneer to relinquish all or at least a major portion of the $1.5 million of parking funds. Then all three entities recommit those funds to local developers who will build housing addressing DAV special needs. If we committed 10 percent to the cost of each privately owned home (on the tax rolls), at $250,000 per home, that’s just $25,000 of public funding for each home and we could provide 60 homes to DAVs for that $1.5 million!
Next, we need to address transportation. Any city with a population of more than 40,000 can qualify for federal transportation money. Leavenworth and Lansing could consolidate for the purpose of a transportation grant application and we could establish bussing for all the citizens and create special transportation for our DAVs.
Finally, we would ask the VA to hire as their highest priority those DAVs new to our area. Those DAVs that heard of this community’s commitment to them.
Why would Pioneer Group do this? Why would this community? Pioneer is a community-minded group with strong commitment to “doing the right thing.” Additionally, with the community establishing itself as a national leader in DAV homesteading and employment, we could attract other civic minded employers to the VA campus and to the remaining vacant buildings. Pioneer could benefit significantly just as could the community.
This community has a legacy of undertaking this type of initiative. We annually host one of the largest Veteran’s Day parades in the nation. In 1885, the citizens of Leavenworth committed $50,000 ($1,179,000 in today’s dollars) and 640 acres of land to the establishment of the Western Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.
This is one of the greatest things that we could do to help all of us ensure our future viability and economic prosperity. It will not only bring jobs for DAVs but it will bring other new employers wanting to support the DAVs and that will mean jobs for everyone.
J.C. Tellefson is a Leavenworth County Commissioner.
