By Andra Bryan Stefanoni
news@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A trip to Washington, D.C., by a Kansas delegation may have netted an unexpected $1 million toward the Highway 69 corridor project in Southeast Kansas.
The project has seen a series of ups and downs when it comes to funding, and this week was no different.
Jim AuBuchon, Highway 69 Association executive director; Ken Brock, association president; Marty Beezley, Pittsburg city commissioner; Blake Benson, Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce president; and delegates from Fort Scott and Overland Park met with members of Congress to request that $4.5 million be appropriated next year.
The money, if approved, would be put toward the extension of Highway 69 as a four-lane road from Fort Scott south to Interstate 44.
The delegation was informed that similar lobbying efforts last year may have paid off: An omnibus bill that was expected to earn House approval this week and approval by the Senate next week includes $950,000 to be used on the segment of Highway 69 between Fort Scott and Arma.
“It wound up being a million-dollar trip,” AuBuchon said. “That was money well spent.”
The delegation shared the news with members of the Highway 69 Association at its meeting Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburg.
Kansas is expected to receive $348 million in the federal stimulus package to be used for highways and bridges. While the Southeast Kansas portion of Highway 69 did not receive anything, primarily because it was not “shovel ready,” AuBuchon said there is a bright spot: Two northern portions of the highway did.
“One, $90 million will go toward a project that is shovel ready in Overland Park, and two, $300,000 will be put to use on the Missouri side north of the river,” he said.
Several association members expressed disappointment in not receiving federal stimulus dollars.
“With no more highway funds available in the foreseeable future, that just pushes us back so much further than I wanted us to be,” said Dean Mann, of Fort Scott.
But Brock, the association president, said he sees the silver lining: “Funding other projects means Highway 69 now moves closer to the top of the list.”
Benson, the chamber president, said there’s a reason that the projects funded by the federal stimulus package are in the metropolitan areas of Wichita and Kansas City, but he added that should be an incentive for Southeast Kansas to “put our best face forward.”
“Those are the areas that are economic generators for the state,” he said. “We as an area need to make a little more effort to show we’re doing OK as it is, with sales-tax collections up, and with a little bit of help, we too can become one of those economic generators.”
Fort Scott section
The section of Highway 69 from Louisburg to Fort Scott is scheduled to be complete in August. The price tag is $98 million.
Local News
Delegation learns of funds toward Highway 69 work
- Local News
-
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down part of a state harassment law enacted after the suicide of a St. Charles County teenager who was teased over the Internet.
-
Cattle rustlers strike again in SW Mo. county
The plague of cattle rustling goes on in southwest Missouri’s Greene County.
Sheriff Jim Arnott says the latest episode occurred sometime Sunday in Walnut Grove. -
Bids sought for Cherokee County water treatment plant
After many delays, construction bids are being sought for a water treatement plant and water tank for the Spring River Public Wholesale Water District No. 19.
-
Dog helps some get through the court process
Sophie, a mutt of a dog with draping ears and dotted brows, is helping people in St. Louis County court tell stories of crime to judges, investigators and attorneys.
-
Jasper County 911 administrative lines down
Though all Jasper County emergency 911 telephone lines are functional, administrative and non-emergency lines for the county dispatching service have been down since Monday night.
-
Study suggests continued population drop in Kansas
A decades-long decline in population is likely to continue in Kansas, particularly in the west of the state, and four counties could have fewer than 1,000 residents by 2040, according to a study by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research.
-
Tornado victim’s recovery ‘miraculous’
Carolyn Mckinlay did not know much about baseball, but she knew it was important to watch the sixth game of last year’s World Series. It was important because her future husband, Mark Lindquist, had a ticket to see his beloved Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in the seventh game at St. Louis.
-
Family of service honored at Memorial Day ceremony
Lt. Col. Robert Brock returned to his hometown Monday and told an audience of about 500 residents and veterans gathered at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial that Memorial Day is a celebration of family — America’s family of service.
-
Master developer working on project possibilities
A Texas developer who Joplin officials intend to hire to help with the city’s post-tornado development says he has secured commitments for about $400 million in capital to fund about 20 possible projects.
-
Webb City High School honored in rankings of national magazine
Webb City High School is among 13 schools in Missouri to receive a silver medal designation among the best high schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
