By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Trying to change the regional identity of a three-state area in one morning was a little like speed dating, said Jasen Jones, executive director of the Southwest Missouri Workforce Investment Board.

Members of area chambers of commerce and community development organizations in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma came together Tuesday for the first time since holding a regional economic summit in April. Subcommittees in numerous areas — education, health care, infrastructure, marketing, economic development and tourism — were formed at April’s meeting and presented their ideas Tuesday at the meeting at the Mining Days Building in King Jack Park in Webb City.

The big challenge for most subcommittees was identifying funding across state lines. Although the group’s ultimate goal is to ideologically erase state lines, chamber officials acknowledged there is strong competition among the three states, and said legislators need to be persuaded to look beyond that.

“We’re looking at where the money is going to come from,” said John Bode, Carthage Chamber of Commerce president. “But by joining together, (three states) can send six senators and probably 20 representatives to Congress to try and get that funding for these (cross-state) projects.”

The next step for the committees will be to meet with local, state and federal legislators from all three of the states during a session in August to explain what the group is doing and to try to identify potential funding. Rob O’Brian, president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said the date and location of that meeting will be announced later.

Officials from communities in all three states discussed the increase in Indian gambling in the area, specifically the Downstream Casino Resort along Interstate 44 where Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri intersect. The casino opens July 5.

Concerns were voiced that the casinos would pull such a large number of people out of traditional jobs that it would destabilize the local work force.

Adolfo Castillo, president of the Tri-State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he recently visited with people applying for jobs at the casino, and while the workers said they would be making between $7 and $8 per hour, they were willing to take the wage because they would get health insurance.

Jones encouraged the group to look for ways to benefit from the increased tourism and exposure, while preventing or dealing with the negative effects of gambling.

Education also took up a large part of Tuesday’s discussion. Most officials agreed that their communities need to place a higher priority on education, not just for the top or bottom performing 15 percent of students, but rather the 70 percent in the middle.

“Students give us what we show appreciation for,” said Ron Lankford, Webb City R-7 superintendent. “As a community, we have to show our appreciation for education.”