The L-Cat bus makes a quick stop Tuesday morning in front of Plumb Hall. The Emporia State campus is one of the many stops on the public bus route. Megan Gartner/The Bulletin

In accordance with a student survey given last year, the Emporia Main Street organization is attempting to help make Emporia a more student friendly place. This process includes new businesses and reshaping old services in order to make Emporia more accessible and appealing to the student body.

“We’ve done several different things and it’s a work in progress, but we continue to try to work on the Black and Gold Zone close to ESU and implement some of the different activities and businesses that students have asked for,” said Casey Woods director of Emporia Main Street.

The Black and Gold Zone is an area surrounding Emporia State University that stretches roughly two blocks, Woods said. He explained how Emporia Main Street is working to make this area as student friendly as possible in order to encourage students to come off campus and participate in the community. The area includes businesses, restaurants and other establishments, which Woods said he hopes will become more student oriented over time.

Another facet of making Emporia more accessible for students is the Lyon County Alternative Transport service, or L-Cat. Doug Stueve works at the Lyon County Department on Aging and he oversees the L-Cat service.

“There’s not any current special setup, but busses come right in front of Plumb Hall on an hourly basis…and that connects with another bus that can get students almost anywhere they want to go in Emporia,” Stueve said.

Stueve said last year the L-Cat service made roughly 42,000 runs and, based on projections, will make between 44,000 and 45,000 runs this year.

The hourly stops in front of Plumb Hall begin at 6:51 a.m. and end at 5:06 p.m., Monday-Friday. Aside from this stop there, are 33 total stops in Emporia with 15 on the east route and 18 on the west route.

The L-Cat also has a “Demand Response” service, which allows for anyone to make a call and schedule a pickup by L-Cat at a location other than the fixed stops and be taken where they need to go.

But some students choose not to use this service.

“I (don’t) use it because I like to walk to school,” said Bre Cooper, sophomore accounting major.

The L-Cat service does charge riders, but offers different options. The fee for a single ride one way is $1.25, but riders may also purchase passes. Perhaps more appropriate for students is the “Semester Pass,” which covers four months of unlimited rides for $90. A 30-day pass can also be purchased for $30.

Information on routes, fares and maps can be found on the Emporia website in both English and Spanish. Brochures and other information can be found in the L-Cat offices as well as from bus drivers.

 Luke Bohannon

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The urban way of life may be coming to downtown Emporia, as developers announced this morning their intentions to build a three story, limestone and brick, mixed use building on the 1100 block of Commercial Street between Wheat State Pizza and the Quick Lube gas station. The Shepherd family, the French family and the Haag family have partnered to initiate the project.

“When people live there, have coffee, have breakfast… it’s (all) just right there – it’s exciting to think that this might be part of what’s coming back to Emporia,” said partner Joyce French.

The community initiated development has been in the works for more than a year and will consist of 10, one-bedroom apartments located on the top two floors, one ADA handicap unit and three to four possible commercial and retail areas on the ground floor.

The developers have met with engineers and architects and plan to remove a house that currently sits on the lot where the proposed building will be located. The building will occupy approximately 10,000 sq. feet, and a parking lot with 24 to 25 stalls will be located in the back for residential and commercial tenants. Partner Cory Haag said that the parking stalls along that block are currently parallel, but they will possibly change to angled parking.

“We’d like to get going and break ground in early spring (2011)… the city’s been very helpful in working with us so far, and we feel that that’s a doable time frame,” Haag said.

Haag said the project will probably be completed by March or April 2012.

But there remain a few key issues to be resolved before the development can get underway. Haag said the biggest concern that needs to be addressed is the dirt and gravel alley on the block, but the developers have asked the city to address the issue, since many of the alleys on Commercial Street are asphalt.

Another obstacle is the conditional use permit that will allow the ground floor ADA apartment. The developers will meet with the Emporia City Planning Commission at 7 p.m., Dec. 21 to seek the permit, and if approved, they will meet with the City Commission in January.

Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods said the Main Street association fully supports the conditional use permit and the upgrades to the alley.

“We’re excited that we’ve got to this point – this will not only benefit just that area, but there is a tremendous amount of benefit here for ESU,” Woods said.

Woods said that a survey taken last year showed that housing was one aspect students and faculty would like to see more of in the downtown area near campus, and there has also been an interest in certain types of restaurants and retail, especially clothing retail.

Woods called the project a “marketer’s dream.”

Currently, the proposed name for the building is Kellogg Plaza & Lofts. Developer Harry Haag said that the idea was to illuminate the historical aspect of Emporia State, since Lyman Kellogg was the first president of the university, then called Kansas State Normal School.

Mary Shepherd said she has received an enthusiastic response from the Kellogg family.

“We’re excited to work with Cory again and to bring in other individuals (who) are doing fantastic things for the community and (who) recognize the opportunities downtown,” Woods said.

Kenzie Templeton/The Bulletin

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Intersections are closed in downtown Emporia due to continued water main maintenance Monday afternoon on Commercial Street. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin.

Businesses and drivers are to expect traffic control systems such as closed roads and fencing on the 1100 block of Commercial Street as construction on a project to replace 100-year-old water main lines is underway.

“Everyone should still come downtown and shop and take advantage of what we have to offer but be careful around construction zones,” said Casey Woods of Emporia Main Street.

Mies Construction and BG Consultants, Inc. were contracted to complete the project, which began June 9 and is projected to finish in late September or October. The project is estimated to cost a little under $1 million.

“(This is) necessary work for the quality of everyone,” said by Earl Mies, media contact for Mies Construction. “If students could please support the downtown area, it would be very much appreciated.”

Some problems have surfaced during the duration of the project, including stolen equipment that has since been recovered by the Emporia Police Department.  City residents and students are warned to avoid leaning into water meter pits and trenches to avoid a dangerous situation.

Three construction zones were laid out that stretched from the 1100 to 300 blocks. Crews work approximately five weeks on each zone including installation, testing and final cleanup.

Work on these streets will typically be done from 7:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with a possibility of Saturdays if behind schedule.  However, the project is currently on schedule, according to Mies.

Lane Hollern of L&L Pets commented on the efficiency and quality of the construction and the construction workers.

“They just started cuttin’ in yesterday and they’re ready to start hooking up the main line. The workers are clean…and high quality,” Hollern said.

An update issued on Aug. 12 from the Emporia Main Street website included a warning to businesses that they would lose temporary access to water for variable durations.

According to the construction plan, businesses would be notified two weeks prior to construction and 24-48 hours in advance of any water access loss. Businesses are encouraged to have a supplement water supply.

“It will affect other people more than it will affect us,” said Marla McClellan, an employee at Town Crier.

Some community members have raised questions about the impact the project will have on water quality, but a representative of BG Consultants, Inc. ensured that the water quality should not be affected. Mies Construction confirmed that statement on Aug. 24.

Emporia Main Street has been working with the business owners in ways of promotion to avoid a negative impact on sales and services. McClellan felt that this was indeed true.

“KVOE’s running some extra ads at better pricing than we normally get. That’s helped,” McClellan said. She felt that the businesses have been working to support in each other.

The blocks of 1100, 1000, and 900 are complete and the 800 block will reach completion in two weeks if the current pace is sustained.

For more information call Emporia Main Street at 620-340-6430 or stop by its office at 12 East 5th Avenue.

Liz Coffey

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The Survey

A survey is currently underway to help determine how Emporia State students perceive local business options. Conducted by Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods, the survey will be completed in late February and then distributed to local businesses.
“Our businesses have always told us that they want to reach out to ESU students but there’s a communication barrier there,” Woods said. “So we’re trying as a Main Street organization to bridge that gap and take the information from the students to the businesses.”
A similar survey was first taken by Emporia high school students and after the college surveys are complete, an online survey will be available for other community members.

However, Woods said that college students are the main focus.
“Basically what we’re trying to gauge is what students like and what they don’t like about the entertainment, retail, and service options in Emporia and it’s our hope that we can share that information with Emporia Main Street members and other economic development agencies,” Woods said. “So when new businesses are opening up or when existing businesses are looking to expand, they can keep the student population in mind and make adjustments to their inventory, their services or the style of products that they’re carrying so that they are more appealing to the student body.”
Woods hopes to halt the commute of college students to other cities with bigger shopping venues by making retail in Emporia more appealing. While some branch organizations are not an option because of the smaller population of the town, Woods hopes that entrepreneurs will open stores or restaurants that are similar to the mainstream ones in demand.

“We’d like to use some of this information for our entrepreneurs that are looking to start businesses, and at the same time we’ll release that information to our existing business members so they can make changes,” Woods said.
Flint Hills Mall Director Jose Feliciano said that while he is always open for feedback, he thinks the mall already has options to satisfy the needs of college students.
“I personally think the mall has what college students need – Buckle, Maurice’s – we have quite a bit to offer college students as it is,” Feliciano said. “We definitely look at all opportunities for things that the community is lacking. We look at resources for children’s clothing, women’s clothing, more specialized stores. It would be nice to have another bookstore – it’s definitely something I think the college students love to have.”
According to results from surveys that have already been processed, students want to see more concerts, clothing venues and a wider variety of restaurant options, particularly ones that will appeal to more international students. Overall, restaurant variety has been complemented so far on the survey.
“I’m surprised about how the student body has reacted so far in the fact that they really seem to enjoy some of the locally owned options. That’s a bit unusual nationally, but we saw that locally owned restaurants were actually preferred over chains,” Woods said.
Justin Smith, senior political science and sociology major, a member of Project to Improve Emporia, along with Harrison George, senior sociology major, has worked with Woods to help distribute the survey.
“We’re getting pretty good feedback so far,” Smith said. “We’re passing out surveys whenever we can. I’ve been giving them out in classes and to different organizations that I’m in.”
He complements the survey’s specificity, saying that more options in town would enhance the student experience at ESU.
“It’s a good survey because it’s so targeted to our age group and college students specifically,” Smith said. “So many people like this school but they don’t like the town as much. It’s a great way to get feedback.”
Feliciano agrees that college students have a lot of influence in Emporia.
“As a community, I think feedback is good,” Feliciano said. “I think that everybody should give constant feedback and the involvement with ESU and what they foresee as their needs is a good way to try and meet everybody’s needs.
To fill out a survey or for additional information contact the CSI office in the Memorial Union or Casey Woods at his Main Street office. Today and tomorrow a representative from the Main Street office will be in the Union handing out surveys from noon until 3 p.m. In addition, surveys are available online at
www.survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2n8mftsg2nx7y6b/start

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