Please take the time to read and post your thoughts!!! I’ve heard some feedback lately, both positive and negative, regarding our expansion of water and sewer services to the area around Highway 69, also known as the Northeast Development Project. At about $700,000, the project accounts for about 20% of the overall water and sewer rate increases recently implemented, and as such, the project is being scrutinized and RIGHTFULLY SO. I want to take the opportunity to make the case for the project and to explain why your city leaders believe the decision stands up to scrutiny. In short, I want to explain the logic behind the decision. To do that, it would be beneficial to begin back at the time our community was founded in 1869. Making the case: From William G. Cutler’s History of the State of Kansas, “Pleasanton was founded in 1869. This flourishing town of twelve hundred inhabitants, the largest in Linn County, is situated on the Kansas City, Fort Scott, & Gulf Railroad… The building of Pleasanton commenced in the summer of 1869, when the coming of the above-mentioned railroad was assured.” During much of the 19th century, railroads provided a major source of transportation of goods and people across the settled regions of the United States. In many ways, it acted as the highway of its time. As such, towns sprung up and flourished around rail lines and train depots. The railroad provided merchants with access to goods they needed and customers to sell those goods to. Pleasanton was one of these towns that benefited from growing right next to this vibrant and heavily used transportation system. As the quote above suggests, Pleasanton was built because the construction of the railroad was assured. Of course, as we move from the 19th into the 20th century we know that the development of automobiles and trucks used for the purposes of travel and transportation of goods began to overshadow the rail system in many ways. It’s no surprise then that Pleasanton continued to flourish through most of that century due to the fact that Highway 69 ran its course straight down the middle of our town. The highway picked up where the railroad left off by continuing to bring necessary goods and consumers to our community that helped spur economic prosperity, open shops, and a thriving small town with a population of about 1,200 people. As we continue, please note that our population has changed very little from the early years of our community. It’s important to the logic we used in making our decision. Around 1991, our community took a serious blow. That’s the year that Highway 69 was moved, expanded, and ultimately bypassed Pleasanton. Ask anyone that was around to see Pleasanton both before and after the bypass, and they will probably tell you that it was about then that our town began to steadily decline. Gone were the highway travelers that would stop for fuel or food or to shop at one of our many variety stores and other shops. Instead of driving straight through town they simply glanced over as they continued to make their way north or south to their destination. In many ways, our story parallels that of the story told in the children’s movie Cars. Once the highway traveler was gone things got tough. As we continue to move into the 21st century we see that Highway 69 has been relocated again, pushing highway travelers even further away from Pleasanton and Main Street. It stands to reason that the same decline we witnessed after the first highway bypass would only continue and might possibly even worsen - unless we did something about it. Here’s what our history has taught us: Pleasanton was built around the railroad; a major supplier of goods and customers in the 19th century. The railroad acted much like the “highway” of its day. The City of Pleasanton was founded and flourished because of the goods and visitors the railroad provided. As the railroad faded and the modern highway came into its own, Pleasanton benefited mightily from the supply of goods and customers provided to it by Highway 69. Pleasanton took a serious blow and began to decline after the Highway 69 bypass of 1991. Pleasanton was bypassed again just a few years ago by the four lane expansion and relocation of Highway 69. Throughout its history and economic ups and downs our community has maintained a steady population of around 1,200 people +/-. Here’s the logic (keeping our history in mind): Pleasanton’s economic situation has steadily declined with no significant change in population. Logically then, we can deduce that the economic prosperity experienced for most of the 19th and 20th centuries and the economic decline we’ve experienced in the last 25 years is linked more to the abundance or absence of the out of town consumer than it is to our population. The key to future economic prosperity is the ability to draw travelers provided by Highway 69 into our community. In the modern age, the highway has become the most widely used system for travelers and the transport of goods. Because of its historically proven benefit to our economy and community, the City of Pleasanton must find a way to benefit from the highway and the customers it provides. Highway traveler’s desire easy and convenient access to goods and services as they travel, the highway bypass makes it unlikely that they will exit to shop on Main Street. People desire a variety of commercial outlets to purchase goods and services. Accessibility to these retail and service outlets makes a community a much more attractive option to live in. A more attractive community will promote growth in population. More local population will lead to more business for Main Street merchants. In order to spur economic development, jobs, and access to goods and services for our citizens and highway travelers, Pleasanton must promote the development of a commercial corridor as close to Highway 69 as possible. Suppliers of goods and services require buildings and land to operate out of. These buildings need necessary infrastructure such as water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, etc. in order to function. Therefore, the first step in developing a commercial corridor along the highway and realizing a rebirth of economic activity and progress in Pleasanton as well as increased population is the installation of the proper infrastructure next to Highway 69, aka known as the Northeast Development Project. And there you have it! Whether you agree or disagree with the decision there was certainly historical evidence and logic behind the choice to expand. It’s definitely a calculated risk with no guarantee of success. The only guarantee we have is that if we do NOTHING then NOTHING will happen. Thoughts, questions, concerns? Please feel very free to post them here. I would love the opportunity to expand the conversation and discussion with you! Thank you for your time.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:01:37 +0000
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