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PITTSBURG, Ks. — The Pittsburg City Commission approves additional funding to a wireless internet program.
Dragonnet will provide about 500 Pittsburg community schools students and their families with internet in their homes. The project was initially funded through a $1.1 million grant from the state.
The city will now be contributing an additional $100,000 to help get the project done. And that money will come from sales taxes.
Jay Byers, Deputy City Manager, Pittsburg, said, “The sales tax has been coming in very strong. So, we’re able to take half of that from the public safety sales tax fund balance. And it’s a public safety feature we will definitely use it to enhance our public safety efforts. And the other one is our utility funds.”
Construction on the towers for the wireless internet program is set to start before the end of the month and be completed by January 1st, 2021. The Director of the Pittsburg State University Business and Economic Research Center made a presentation before the commission as well Tuesday.
Dr. Michael Davidsson highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the region. Some strengths for Pittsburg were wages for jobs were increasing and manufacturing jobs are growing as well. However, some deficits were many people who work in Pittsburg are choosing not to live in town and the options for schools could be driving potential residents away as well.
Dr. Michael Davidsson, Director, PSU Business and Economic Research Center, said, “The number one concern for the future is the low rating of the public schools. All this improvement in the economy, all this economic development and all this investment without high quality schools. Because if someone gets a job in Pittsburg and has a family with kids, then these people might locate in a city like Carl Junction that has better rated public schools.”
Dr. Davidsson adds another issue is the housing availability but he anticipates that to change as the city has multiple housing developments in the works.
The Crawford County Recovery Task Force also gave an update on their efforts to stop the spread of covid-19. Deputy City Manager Jay Byers is a member of the group made up of 13 others representing 18 businesses or organizations.
The group meets every week to go over the latest details of the virus and it’s impact on Crawford County. With the holiday season coming up, the organization hopes they welcome shoppers into their businesses safely.
“They pledge to enforce distancing, to encourage masking, as well as to take care of hygiene and health within their own business facilities. And it really can make the patrons feel comfortable that businesses that their entering into are safe places,” said Byers.
Byers adds many events encouraging residents to shop local this holiday season will be announced in the coming weeks.
