From the president’s desk How’s the Ottawa economy? Are we experiencing growth locally? Will the intermodal in Edgerton benefit us here in Ottawa? These are questions I get asked often as I visit at civic groups and with our local citizens. I recently attended the ribbon cutting of Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC – a.k.a.: the intermodal) in October. There is a real WOW factor pulling onto the grounds of LPKC. Trains and trucks moving everywhere, all seemingly flowing in a very systematic and strategic fashion. Management admits to a few “glitches” when the gates were thrown open, but for the most part everything worked as planned. The ribbon cutting was a real Gala with two large connected event tents carpeted in black situated with black chairs all tied with an orange ribbon. The tent sides were clear plastic adorned with large black drapes, gathered to give a ballroom effect. Situated outside the tent, and directly behind the speaker’s podium on the train track, were several large, bright orange Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) train engines. A live band played music and all guests were treated to Gates Barbeque following a speaker’s cadre that included Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, Kansas U.S. Congressman Kevin Yoder, dignitaries from
BNSF and NorthPoint Development (the economic development group promoting LPKC) and elected officials from Johnson County and the City of Edgerton. Following the ribbon cutting and great barbeque any attendee who wanted a tour was chauffeured around the grounds on charter buses which were driven under the five wide-span, all-electric cranes (each weighing 1.6 million pounds and over 90 feet high) and between trucks and trains as they were unloaded and loaded with ostensibly little effort. During the event we learned that in addition to the 5 cranes, the facility has 48,000 feet of track (six 8,000-foot strip tracks), 1,810 truck parking spaces with 4,300 container stacking spots. Of the original 443 acres (already expanded to 1,120 acres), 350 acres will be under roof and, at full capacity, can execute 1.5 million lifts of 80,000 pound containers annually. A far cry from the current 40-acre intermodal operation at BNSF’s Argentine yard in Kansas City, Kansas that lifts 380,000 containers a year. Needless to say, you felt as if you were attending a big deal – and really it is. The fiscal impact won’t be as immediate as the throwing of the switch at Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant back in 1985 – but the long-term benefits for the region will be as lasting and quantifi-
able. We know for sure that as distribution centers are constructed on the grounds at LPKC, that of the 7,400 jobs created, some of the employees of those facilities will choose to live in Ottawa. And it is also a fair bet that as companies with transportation needs (either sending or receiving) John Coen consider where to locate in relation to easy access to shipping availability, many will look outside the shadow of LPKC for reasons of cost and convenience. Franklin County needs to be ready. Economic growth is basically a function of good housing, jobs and wages, and available amenities such as retail and restaurant selections, good schools and good roads. The investments in these infrastructures that Franklin County citizens have made through the years put us in great position. All this translates into potential opportunities for our community. Will it help Ottawa? The answer is most certainly, “yes, it will!”
Help Us Help Others Helping COF Control Its Future Your contribution to the Friends of COF are used to fund: • Unmet transportation needs • Up-to-date accessible housing for individuals with disabilities. • Recreational activities for clients such as Special Olympics. • Special needs of individuals served. • Person-centered support services.
Lamb-Roberts Funeral Home
Serving Franklin County for Over a Century. Also Serving Douglas and Osage Counties with Homes in Baldwin City and Overbrook. www.Lamb-Roberts.com
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q $1,000 - Silver q $5,000 - Gold q $10,000 - Platinum q $50,000 - Diamond q $100,000 - Lifetime
q Current Client Services q The endowment fund q Other________________________ q No preference q Contact me for volunteer opportunity
COF Training Services, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides services for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in Coffey, Osage and Franklin counties.
Established 1898
785-242-3550
I want to support Friends of COF: q $50 - Contributing Please use my tax-deductible q $100 - Supporting contribution for q $500 - Honorary
1615 S. 6th Street • Burlington KS 66839 • (620)364-2151 1516 N. Davis Avenue • Ottawa, KS 66067 • (785)242-5035 www.cofts.org
www.ottawakansas.org
Controlling Our Future
Their faces tell the story Like most citizens, they’re proud of their work skills and appreciate meaningful employment. While some concentrate on assembling and packing oxygen masks used in passenger planes for B/E Aerospace, others assemble and package wiring cables for Sensor-1 or affix labels and package bases for trophies for Hasty Awards. There’s also a group packaging strobe lights used on fork lifts for TVH Distributing, and another group assembling boxes and other packaging items used by Century Link for telecommunications. And, every Wednesday, there’s another group enjoying the opportunity for outdoor work when they deliver The Shopper to Ottawa city residents on behalf of the Ottawa Herald. They’re the faces of COF Training Services, Inc., and, like most Americans, they want to work and be as self-sufficient and self-supporting as possible. Established in 1968 as a not-forprofit organization, COF provides support and services to people who are intellectually and/or developmentally disabled who reside in Coffey, Osage or Franklin counties. Using the first initial of each county, the acronym COF was chosen as the agency name. The corporate office and workshop is located in Ottawa’s Industrial Park at 1516 N. Davis Ave. A second workshop facility is located at 1415 6th St. in Burlington. The past 45 years have produced a rich history of securing work and income-earning opportunities for persons who receive services from COF. Most of the work has been with well-known companies like Puritan Bennett, which sub-contracted COF to assemble medical supplies and ship an average of 500-700 cases per day to worldwide locations. COF also packaged and shipped school supplies for Stuart Hall and packaged and assembled pet carriers for Kennel Aire. These companies, though, sold out to other businesses, moved their operations to access cheaper foreign labor or went out of business altogether. While COF successfully completed these contracts, it nonetheless lost a future of work opportunities with those well-known companies due to economic forces. There has never been enough work or revenue generated at the COF workshops to enable the individuals who work there to support themselves without additional reliance on state dollars and Medicaid funding. It’s all about the money According to COF’s executive director and CEO Chris Patton, during the past few years COF’s primary
source of funding — Medicaid and other forms of state aid — has been drastically cut, as has the funding of many other organizations that provide social services. Exacerbating this decrease in funding is the fact that the State of Kansas has turned over almost all of its management of Medicaid dollars to one of three large for-profit insurance companies known as managed care organizations, or MCOs. Patton believes this change in payment processes virtually guarantees still more drastic cuts. Operating under the name of “KanCare,” Kansas government opted to relinquish control to the MCO based on two premises: Medicaid isn’t sustainable and for-profit MCOs are better equipped than the state to control spiraling costs. “Dwindling Medicaid dollars is simply a by-product of demographics and arithmetic due to converging events of the largest generation of people in the history of mankind, known as the ‘baby boomers’ who are now entering into increasingly older ages and putting a greater demand on all types of social services,” Patton states. “At the same time, “ he continues, “years of losses of good paying jobs have reduced taxable incomes, upon which state and federal governments rely to fund social services programs.” Unfortunately, the need for vital services upon which people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities rely will not decrease as Medicaid dollars decrease. Since it’s unlikely the state or federal government is going to come
up with a plan for social service organizations to alter and adapt to these dramatically changing socioeconomic circumstances, Patton indicates COF has developed its own strategy to survive and thrive. Going on a “tax weight” diet COF Executive Director Chris Patton goes on to say that reducing “tax weight” is like reducing body weight. “Citizens who have come to rely on the many forms of government subsidies need to consciously try to decrease ‘tax weight’.” “At COF we are trying to decrease our tax weight as an organization, and we are trying to empower the people who receive services here to do the same to the extent possible.” Patton said the capacity to decrease “tax weight” varies among the approximately 300 people who receive services from COF; however, there are many who are able and willing to make the concentrated effort to become less reliant on various forms of government funding. “The fundamental impediment to not being able to reduce tax weight is not due to the person’s socalled disability, but rather to the lack of available work opportunities,” he said. “The challenge COF faces is to provide various opportunities to allow people who receive services to be able to earn sufficient income to enable them to substantially decrease their unearned income or their tax weight.” New meaning to old acronym New meaning has been given to the acronym COF. With a renewed determination to continue provid-
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ing vital services to persons with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, COF is determined to take Control of Our Future and to empower, to the extent possible, the people for whom COF provides services to take control of their own futures. A recent reorganization of structuring at COF named Wayne Baylor director of contract procurement. With more than 70,000 square feet of space at both facilities, Baylor’s exclusive focus is to secure additional sub-contract work for either or both of COF’s workshop locations. He is engaged in reviewing opportunities to purchase existing profitable businesses that COF could own and operate, and he is working to find opportunities to develop or market products. Assisting Baylor is a well-trained staff and a capable and highly motivated work force of individuals who want to work and take control of their own futures. COF is trying to Control its Future and increase income earning opportunities for the people it serves in other ways, too. Director of Day Services Craig Evans oversees contract work at both workshop locations and also directs a program for persons to work in their communities. COF can provide workers for businesses which might need full-or part-time workers, permanent workers, or for persons or organizations which might need chores accomplished such as mowing yards, raking leaves, removing snow, etc. A job coach is available to supervise workers as needed. Training for improving work skills is continually provided. The third part of COF’s reorganization process to Control Our Future and reduce tax weight for both the agency and persons receiving services involves establishing a Community Relations Manager position. Among her many community relations activities, Carolyn Church oversees COF’s volunteer committee, “Friends of COF,” comprised of dedicated, supportive citizens and family members of those who receive services at COF. The aim for Friends is to raise funds through securing tax-deductible contributions and through sponsoring various social/ recreational events throughout the three-county area. Please feel free to learn more about COF’s tax weight reduction plan and its many efforts to Control Our Future by contacting any of the three COF employees (785-242-5035), or by emailing CEO Chris Patton cpatton@cofts.org . COF is adapting to the challenging socio-economic circumstances that confront all types of not-for-profit social organizations, and is optimistic and excited about its future.
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Local Business Recognized for “Going Green”
PRESS RELEASE
Hugh O’Reilly owner of Ottawa’s McDonald’s, recently received certificates of recognition for “Going Green.” O’Reilly recently teamed up with Total Energy Concepts to save energy with the installation of Power Protection, and Smartcool units. These units protect electrical equipment from lightning strikes, dirty power, and poor efficiency. The net result is optimized voltage and current. O’Reilly is doing his part to improve the bottom line and improve our environment. The impact from the facility carbon footprint will be decreased, which is good for everyone. Ron Saf with Total Energy Concepts is excited about their new partnership with O’Reilly. “It is a rewarding experience to work with a business that is pro-active in lowering their electrical usage while helping the environment” Saf said . A pollution control award was also received.
John Mitchell, environment director for Kansas Development of Health and Environment on left with Hugh O’Reilly Jr.
GREENFIELD & DAVIDSON, CHARTERED
Local Certified Public Accountants
Business Spotlight
Ron Saf with Total Energy Concepts, and Hugh O’Reilly owner of Ottawa McDonalds
Ron SafGifts, with Books, Total Energy and HughSpecial O’ReillyOrders owner&ofMore Ottawa Mc Bibles,Concepts, Cards, Imprinting,
Business Recognized for “Going Green”
227 S. Main Street • Ottawa, KS 66067
Hugh O’Reilly recently received certificates of recognition for “Going Hugh recently teamed up with Total Energy Concepts to save energy Tax Preparation & Planning installation of Power Protection, and Smartcool units. These units pr Small Business & Computer Consulting Come see us at Cornerstone – your full service Christian book and gift store. Accounting & Payroll Services electrical equipment from lightning strikes, dirty power, and poor eff 217 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 Robert W. Greenfield, CPA net result is optimized voltage and current. Hugh is doing his part to cornerstonebook@sbcglobal.net Jay E. Davidson, CPA www.gdrcpa.com bottom line and improve our environment. The impact from the faci 785-242-2112 footprint will be decreased, which is good for everyone.
785-242-6200
WELCOME NEW STAFF MEMBER
Mike Brown
Come See the Possibilities! • • • • •
Andersen Replacement Windows Andersen New Construction Windows Lumber & Paint Decking Building Supplies
Sunflower Plaza Tower
785-242-6655
Andersen ExcellenceSM Dealer
701 S. Poplar • Ottawa, Ks
Mon. - Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. TRENDEL LUMBER CO.
www.trendellumber.com
1516 S. Main • Ottawa 4
Sunflowerplaza@keymgmtsites.com www.keymgmt.com
A Great Place of Living
(785) 242-8144
www.ottawakansas.org
REAL ESTATE UPDATES
It, finally, is a sellers’ market again in the residential real estate market Ottawa home sales are on a positive trajectory and whether because of milder weather, rising interest rates and improvement in the economy or some other reason the community should be pleased in the turnaround according to Tammy Ellis, real estate agent with Century 21 Lantis and Associates. Ottawa has 143 active real estate listings ranging from a list price of $18,000 to $1,290,000, with 17 pending sales as of October 31.
Future workforce scores with test results
Ottawa High School’s composite score on the 2013 American College Testing exam — as well as the number of students who took the test — was important to Jeanne Stroh. The Ottawa superintendent found that the number of students who showed they are ready to tackle the rigors of college-level coursework was equally telling, she said. The 2013 ACT report showed 31 percent of the 107 OHS students who took the ACT this year were proficient in all four categories of collegelevel coursework — college English composition, college algebra, college social science and college biology. “I think the percent of students who are ready for college-level courses is an important number to look at,” Stroh said. “In a typical community, about 50 percent [of high school graduates] will go off to college, and less than 25 percent will graduate. Based on the [ACT] report, it’s a pretty sure bet 31 percent of the [Ottawa] kids are ready for college-level work and will graduate [from college].” The state average for students who scored proficient in all four categories of college-level work was 30 percent. Stroh would like to see the bar graph on the report depicting Ottawa High School’s 31 percent tally climb into the 90-percent range, she said. Implementing Kansas College and Career Ready standards — commonly referred to as Common Core — should help the district increase the number of students who can master college-level coursework, Stroh said. College- and career-ready standards require students to not only master basic skills but show they can apply those skills, Stroh said. Stroh was encouraged that 68 percent of students taking the ACT this year were proficient in college-level English. “That’s an area where a lot of school districts do not do well,” she said. The report showed 53 percent of OHS students were proficient in collegelevel social science, slightly above the state average of 51 percent. The school’s 42-percent mark in college biology matched the state average. Forty-three percent of OHS students were proficient in college algebra, below the state average of 51 percent. The 2013 ACT report showed Ottawa amassed a composite score of 21.7, slightly below the state average of 21.8, but better than last year’s OHS score of 21.3. Eighty-four OHS students took the exam in 2012.
Franklin County’s Exclusive Indoor Firing Range! affordable
Senior Living
Independent apartment living for age 62 and over
•Guns •Ammo •Targets •Holsters •Reloading Supplies
Studio floorplans
One-bedroom floor plans
Rent based on income
Emergency call system
Community / game room
Service coordinator
Cedar Square Apartments
412 S. Main • Ottawa • 785-418-0711
www.TheGunGuys.net Open: M-F 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sun. Noon - 6 p.m.
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1550 South Cedar Ottawa, Kansas 66067 Phone 785-242-8110 www.nationalchurchresidences.org
Call us to learn more! 5
Upcoming Calendar Events
Call the Chamber office at 785.242.1000 to schedule your event. Nov 4 @ 5-6 p.m. - Member Mondays at Applebee’s, 2340 S Oak St. Join fellow Chamber members for FREE APPETIZERS for all Chamber Members the first Monday of every month. Drink specials available. Nov 5 @ 5-6 p.m. - Affordable Healthcare Act for the Individual at Neosho County Community College Auditorium, 900 E Logan. The event is free. Seating is limited, RSVP’s are required. CLICK HERE to RSVP. Nov 5 @ 6-7:30 p.m. - Windows 8 How To’s at Neosho County Community College Computer Lab, 900 E Logan. Space is limited, call 785.242.1000 to RSVP. Windows 8 - learn how to use it, transition from Windows 7 and making it easier. Nov 8 @ 8 a.m. - Chamber Coffee for Modern Woodmen of America at the Chamber office, 109 E 2nd St. Crystal Davis-Taylor, Financial Representative. Nov 14 @ 5 p.m. - Chamber After Hours & Ribbon Cutting at Advantage Ford’s new location at 2320 S Oak! Rick Nunez, General Manager. Nov 15 @ 8 a.m. - Chamber Coffee at Ottawa Herald/Studio 104, 104 S Cedar St. Jeanny Sharp, Editor & Publisher. Nov 22 @ 8 a.m. - Chamber Coffee at Delilah’s Serenity Salon, 114 W 3rd St., to celebrate their 1 year anniversary at their current location. Lesa Liggett, owner. Nov 28-29 - HAPPY THANKSGIVING - Chamber Office Closed Dec 2 @ 5-6 p.m. - Member Mondays at Applebee’s, 2340 S Oak St. Join fellow Chamber members for FREE APPETIZERS for all Chamber Members the first Monday of every month. Drink specials available. Dec 5 @ 5 p.m. - After Hours - Customer Appreciation at Peoples Bank, 5th & Main. Ottawa
BUS NESS Gold Sponsors
journal
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce 109 East Second Street Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-1000
Ottawa Music serving needs since 1989 Buying a small music store in Shawnee, Kansas in 1980 wasn’t part of Calvin Rosey’s original plan. At the time he was studying to be a band director at Emporia State and University of Missouri - Kansas City. Rosey, who grew up in the Paola area and had been active in the band programs at Paola High School, knew music was going to shape the direction of his life, but he never dreamed that owning a music store would sustain him and his family at such a young age. That small store Rosey purchased in 1980 grew to be one of the largest music stores in the Kansas City area over the next 25 years. It was that same store that brought Rosey and his wife Patti together. Patti Rosey grew up in Shawnee and participated in all of the music programs offered at Shawnee Mission North High School. She received a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree from U.M.K.C. She began teaching piano lessons at Calvin’s music store shortly after he purchased it. The two were married in 1989. Nine years ago the Rosey’s opened Ottawa Music at 120 E. 19th St. in Ottawa. The store offers a full range of musical instruments and accessories as well as lessons. Along with pianos, brass, woodwinds, folk instruments, guitars, amplifiers and sound equipment as well as rentals, sheet music, gift certificates and equipment repair, plus free layaway and financing. The Rosey’s have six children, most of whom are involved in music through their church and community. Calvin Rosey plays trombone in several local groups including the Ottawa Brass, Ottawa Civic Band, and Garnett Community Band. The Rosy’s invite you to come to them for all of your musical needs by stopping at the store or by calling 785-242-4800.
Music Warms the Heart Give the Gift of Music
Keyboards • Sheet Music • Stocking Stuffers Gift Certificates • Lessons • Free Layaway Plans Financing Available • Trade/Sell Instruments www.OttawaMusicStore.com
Logistics
785-242-4800 19th & Main • Ottawa
Silver Sponsors: Kansas State Bank & Prairie Star Catering Bronze Sponsors: Bartlett & West, Don Hardman Computer Services & Repair, Goppert State Service Bank, Ottawa Family Physicians, Peoples Bank & Walgreens
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(North of Orscheln’s Farm & Home)
Rentals • Lessons • Repairs
www.ottawakansas.org
Mon.-Thurs. 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. Fri. - Sat. 10-5
Community • History • Dentistry
It Takes A Whole Village To Raise A Single Child A Little History
Dr. Steven Thompson first opened his dental office in 1976, dentists did not wear sterile gloves and headpieces weren’t sterilized by autoclave. Silver fillings — amalgamated silver and mercury — was the standard restorative material and there were no standards and guidelines mandated by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), or HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), or HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health). Today sterilization is absolutely top priority. All instruments are sterilized and bagged for your protection. All surfaces are treated with disinfectant between patients. Plastic barriers are place and changed with every procedure. Along with Thompson the active dentists in Ottawa included Dr. “Pop” Lenard, Dr. Fred Henning, Dr John Thornburg, Dr. Sam Lyman Sr., Dr. Sam Lyman Jr., Dr. Don Bouska, and Dr. Lex Gieslar. Thompson remembers a connected spirit among the dentists. “Every year Dr. Pop Lenard would host a seasonal gathering of Ottawa dentists at the Ottawa Country Club,” Thompson said.
Restorative Materials Have Changed
The new filling materials used today have gained tremendous strength and silver fillings are all but gone. In 1976 porcelain fused to a metal substructure was the highest form of art
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single child and we wish to be a part of your efforts to create healthy and safe “best practices” for your children. Your children need to clearly understand they are part of a much larger element of life than just their life alone. Before anyone realizes it, they will have children of their own and the disciplines they have adopted for themselves will be passed on to their own children.
How much dental disease do you want your children to have?
in cosmetic dentistry. Some dental practitioners still utilize silver amalgam as a restorative material, but the percentage is dramatically decreasing. Thompson said his practice abandoned silver fillings in 1986. Today, crown construction has been totally revolutionized and cosmetic coverings can be constructed from paper thin layers of nearly unbreakable porcelain using no metal.
Our mission
We believe it takes a whole village to raise a
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That’s a pretty big question and one you can expect us to ask of your children. This is necessary dialogue and we take it very seriously. There is a dangerous transition stage that occurs between the ages of 17 and 27 and the dental hygiene practices observed during these years can mean the difference between enjoying a lifetime of excellent dental health or years of poor dental health and other health issues complicated by careless dental hygiene. If you are one of those parents or grandparents who want the very best for your children, please let us help. It’s true, it takes a whole village to raise a single child. Please, let us become part of your village by contacting us today at 785-242-5753 or visit us online at OttawaKansasDentistry.com We can all be thankful for the blessings of this community and the family it has become.