The Flint Hills Council of Leaders met Wednesday at Rock Springs 4-H Ranch to develop tools that can be used for economic development, environmental conservation and transportation through the Frontiers Project.

The Frontiers project includes 19 counties spanning from the Kansas-Nebraska border and all the way south into Oklahoma.

Bill Clark, Flint Hills Regional Council Executive Director, explained that it is designed to foster the idea of Regionalism.

“Bringing different jurisdictions, counties and cities together to figure out how we can collaborate and cooperate to solve challenges,” Clark said.

Wednesday’s meeting focused on developing tools that can be used during community meetings held throughout the 19 counties to help establish the concept of regionalism.

A common focus among the leaders during the morning session focused on how to get the public involved in the project. One idea included reaching out to the churches and other civic organizations.

“Really getting the word out through different organizations about what we’re trying to get accomplished because we’re all in it together,” Clark said.

Joe McKinney, Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations, was the key note speaker and told the leaders that the nation is watching what they are doing. He explained that there are other communities doing the same thing as the Flint Hills Regional Council is but there’s not enough of them.

“I think you’re putting your region in a position that a lot of areas across the nation are not going to be in. When the federal funding opportunities are available you are going to be in a much better position,” McKinney said.

McKinney gave an example that in the farm bill that was recently passed by Congress funding will be available for projects with regional impact.

“Part of that is, you can’t just say, okay lets come together, we’ve got a region lets come together. You have to have a regionally adopted development plan,” McKinney explained.

The Flint Hills Regional Council has that already when they developed the Regional Economic Development District.

“You’re way ahead of a lot of other regions who are not looking at that approach regionally. Know that what you’re doing outside of your 19 counties has tremendous impact, and I’m telling you you’re putting yourself in a great position.”

Multiple community meetings have been scheduled through out the region starting at the end of March and running through April. Two of the meetings that are scheduled near Geary County will be on April 22nd, one in Manhattan at the Sunset Zoo and the other in Council Grove at the Kansas National Guard Armory. Both meetings are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m..