LATEST NEWS

On July 21, the Lower Arkansas River Basin Advisory Committee voted to support the feasibility study while the Walnut River Basin Advisory Committee voted not to support a study. The Sedgwick County Commission proclaimed its support of a feasibility study on Wednesday, August 4. The Kansas Water Authority will consider the feasibility study at its next board meeting on August 25 in Newton.

On January 21, the Kansas Water Authority voted to have the Kansas Water Office to create an issue paper for the proposed lake project. The issue paper is to address water resource needs, state interests for public water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, flooding, and environmental, economic and social impact factors. The KWO formed an advisory committee to investigate and accumulate information of the issues. That committee has been meeting and the final report is anticipated to be completed by mid-August 2004. Stay tuned.

We recently obtained the following information that is being considered by the advisory committee:

Outdoor Recreation

An analysis of the recreation needs and unused recreation capacities of the area indicates that there is historic and current documented need for additional water based recreation in the project area.

The State of Kansas ranks last in the amount of public land per capita in the United States. The majority of public land in Kansas is located in northeast Kansas. Accordingly, there is pent up demand for outdoor recreational opportunities in south central Kansas.

From the 2003 State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

• The most popular sites will experience increased congestion in the future
  
  
• Conflicts between recreation users will increase as public supply is limited and diversity of experience increases
  
  
• Changes in the demographics of recreation users will continue to influence the type of recreation experiences demanded
  
  
• Water will continue to be a focal point of outdoor recreation.
  
  
• Declines in the demand for consumptive recreation experiences will continue
  
  
• Deteriorating park and recreation budgets relative to costs
  
  
• Greater division between "haves" and "have-nots"
  
  
• In just two and a half decades the population of Kansans 65 and older is expected to nearly double, from 358,065 in 2000 to 604,654 in 2025.
  
  
• The greatest percentage change in the Kansas population between 1990 and 2000 was in the 45 to 54 age group.
  
  
• The aging of the baby boomers will have dramatic effects on the demand for many outdoor recreation experiences.
  
  
• Participation in the most strenuous activities will likely decline, but generally suppliers of outdoor recreation experiences should find numerous customers brimming with discretionary time and a reasonable amount of income and a broad portfolio of leisure skills.
  
  
• Identifying and developing the correct infrastructure now so that it will be in place and ready for this onslaught is just one of the associated challenges facing the outdoor recreation industry as a result of this population shift.
  
  
• The primary barrier to outdoor experiences that can be addressed by suppliers is inadequate access.
  
  
• From 1997 to 2001, visitation at Kansas state parks increased from 6.4 to 7.52 million.
  
  
• The state parks at El Dorado Lake average over 1,000,000 visitors annually.
  
  
• Kansas ranks last in the Midwest Region in the number of state parks.
  
  
• Kansas ranks well ahead of other states in the region when comparing the number of overnight visits hosted per acre of state park.
  

Economic Development

In 1973, the Delaware County, Oklahoma (adjacent to Grand Lake) assessor reported that the county's assessed value was $29 million. The valuation of the county today is $200 million and over the past six years, the average increase in assessed valuation has been $8 million per year.

In order for Sedgwick County to meet its potential, in terms of employment, by the year 2030, we need a population increase of 41.7 percent in the three county MSA. The MSA will have to grow from 545,220 in 2000 to 939,139 by the year 2030.

The factors that will distinguish the labor supply of competitor U. S. cities in the future is the ability to attract, train and keep younger residents.

Recreation is rated as an important or very important criteria for site selection (47.9% of respondents).

In 2003, the total direct impact that tourism had on the Wichita economy was estimated to be $355,694,580.

Tourism has an indirect impact on the economy, creating a total impact greater than the direct impact alone.

The National Association of Realtors predicts that so many people in their 40s and 50s will enter the second-home market that the influx will account for 100,000 to 150,000 housing starts each year through 2010.

Most vacation homes are close to the owners' primary residences, a median distance of 185 miles, the survey showed.

A two-hour radius from the proposed lake site will make this lake accessible to a population of over 2.5 million people.

A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors estimates there are as many as 7 million vacation homes in the United States alone with an occupancy rate averaging 8 weeks per year. NAR's chief economist, David Lereah states the primary motivation for second-home buying is recreation and location with ocean, river, lake, mountain, and other natural attractions topping the list.

The baby boomer demographic is key. Baby boomers are getting into a different part of their life cycle. They pretty much have their kids; they're kids are now starting to have their kids; and the baby boomers are now floating off to retirement. As they move into their 50s, that's doing quite a few things from a construction standpoint. One thing is they're going to be dropping out of the labor force. For construction companies, there are two almost opposed problems. One is that as they retire, with whom are you going to replace them? I think there will be a tendency for baby boomers to work later in their life, because they'll be able to and because they'll be healthy enough to do it. Most people don't really want to retire at 61 years and nine months, which is the current average. In the last few years, the average retirement age is starting to move up, and that trend will continue. The other side of that is when people do retire, they often move. Especially in the second-home market, you're seeing that impact already. When you're in your 50s, that's when most second homes get bought. A lot of people buy their second home with the idea that this is their retirement home. So a lot of people are getting rid of that big suburban house and downsizing. Even if they're not, they're buying a second home in some more-pleasant area.