As its enters the third year of its three-year strategic plan, the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership is already considering what’s next.
“We had three ‘big, hairy, audacious’ goals – housing, childcare and broadband access,” SCCDP President and CEO Jonathan Jank said.
Housing
The second round of Rural Workforce Housing Fund grants will be finalized by April. Seward County has four projects currently under construction using the first round of $15.7 million.
Jank said the 91 units are a good return on the investment of generous donors.
The projects include the two apartment buildings going up east of Pac ‘N’ Save, eight townhouses built on the site of the old Seward Middle School south of The Rock Lutheran Church, the former nursing home in Milford which is now 21 units called First Street Flats and 14 lots called Bronco Heights across the street from Centennial Public School in Utica on the site of the former nursing home.
Jank said the townhouses and six lots in Bronco Heights have been sold.
The RWHF money goes to homes that are not income-restricted, Jank said.
“It’s the missing middle,” he said. “It comes back to the workforce.”
Childcare
When the SCCDP started its strategic plan, Seward County was in a childcare desert, with more children than spots available.
“Within two years, we filled that completely,” Jank said. “Now we’re a childcare oasis.”
New care centers in Staplehurst, Milford and Seward helped fill the gap.
The second round of Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act funding helped existing facilities expand, with some opening more places for infants and some adding overnight care.
“It’s a big development issue,” Jank said.
Broadband
Providing broadband connections for areas that are underserved or not served is another key to bringing development to Seward County, Jank said.
“It’s fiber to the cow,” he said with a smile.
The northeast part of the county was a recent focus and saw 518 new drops for fiber optic service, he said.
The next step is to identify other areas that need improved broadband, he said. The Nebraska Broadband Office will have funding available in 2025 that the SCCDP will apply for.
Also
The SCCDP hasn’t forgotten about the existing businesses, Jank said. In 2017, it developed a revitalization plan for downtown Seward that has been executed, and it continues to work with business owners in all 10 communities in Seward County.
“We focus on intentional growth,” Jank said. “We want to help our existing businesses grow and diversify our local economy.”
It is also continuing to recruit new businesses to the county, including to the rail campus south of Seward.
The biggest business coming to town is Dari Processing, LLC, a dairy company that is working to produce milk products with an extended shelf life that do not require refrigeration.
“It’s the largest capital project in the county,” Jank said.
Seward County Bridges is a critical piece of the economic development puzzle, he said. The 501(c)(3) organization provides an umbrella for non-profits to work under. It currently works with 33 different causes including different festivals around the county.
Ahead
“It’s overwhelming when you reflect on the year and all that’s happened,” Jank said.
In 2025, the SCCDP will update its strategic plan. Business owners have been talking more about succession planning, Jank said, so that will be on the docket.
It is also looking to set strategies for technological ecosystems. The goal is still to build quality jobs that pay well and are tied to technology. A digital employment center may be on the horizon.
“We hope to cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship,” Jank said. “We have a lot of existing assets we want to become strengths.”
He said people are trying to cut through the noise and learn their markets.
“They’re looking for sources of truth they can trust,” Jank said. “We always bang the shop local drum. We work hard to provide goods and services. A lot crave connectivity.”
The creative district will allow more of a focus on the arts and culture in the county. Jank said it and the SCCDP are working on a Seward County passport with bonus stops.
He said the SCCDP is having to become more creative to reach its audiences.
“We all continue to work together to make Seward County a destination,” he said.
