Past and present members of the Flint Hills Regional Council met at the Flint Hills Discovery Center Thursday to celebrate the Council’s 5th Anniversary.

Gary Stith, Executive Director of the Regional Council explained that the feeling is wonderful seeing all of the communities coming together to work together.

“Feels great that the different communities in our region have pulled together and it’s making this region much stronger. We’ve got a bright future,” said Stith. “We’re going to continue to work on regional issues and find ways of helping members of our organization, focusing mostly on transportation and economic development.”

Funding for the Regional Council had been a major concern over the past two years, but Stith explained that the Regional Council is in a good place and will be around for years to come.

“It’s true that we have just finished our HUD Grant, which has been our primary source of funding for the last three years, but we have other sources of funding that we are putting together. We’re going to continue to operate and maintain the capacity of services that we’ve had in the past and we’re going to keep working for the communities that are a part of the Flint Hills Regional Council.”

Over the past five years the Regional Council has been able to accomplish a number of goals including creating the Flint Hills Economic Development District, completing a Flint Hills Housing Study, the creation and support of the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization and Flint Hills Regional Transit Association.

The Regional Council is made up of seven counties and 23 respective communities from within those counties and the Flint Hills region.