Dear Chamber Supporters,
I've been cheering on all our American athletes this week since the Olympics started in France. So far, we’ve seen Team USA win women’s team gold in gymnastics. Gymnast Simone Biles also won her second gold in the individual all-around, having done so in Rio in 2016 and once again just yesterday in Paris. In other gymnastic news, we saw the USA men’s team medal for the first time in sixteen years. There has been plenty of good swimming, sand volleyball, soccer, and more taking place. I am also pleasantly surprised when I stumble upon sports that I’ve never watched before, like judo, air pistols, or BMX racing. All sports I don’t think I’d ever tune into if not for the accessibility of this competition. It’s amazing to see individuals who’ve dedicated their lives training for what sometimes equates to mere minutes, depending on the sport. It’s all very inspiring; I’m soaking it all in as it usually ends just as quickly as it starts!
Splish, Splash, and Ribbon Slash
We continued our streak of Tuesday Chamber events, as this week we cut a ribbon at City Park’s newest addition, the community splash pad (pictures here). No Chamber members came prepared in swim attire, so unfortunately no splashing actually took place. But even though no one hopped in, many walked away slightly wet as we got caught under a rain cloud as soon as the scissors cut the ribbon; resulting in everyone scurrying away rather quickly to avoid the popup shower. The splash pad was highly anticipated and has been used so consistently this summer; really a great win for parks and rec in Ottawa. This new space was paid for through a couple of different means, one being the special parks fund in the annual budget and the much larger chunk being ARPA Grant funds that were awarded to the City through COVID relief dollars. Finding outlets for “outside money” to be used in town is always a win!
One way the City of Ottawa protects the equipment and the people using the pad is through these rules (you can view those here). Another was accomplished when implementing the space by using a "pass-through" system to spray out water, meaning that none of this water is recycled on-site. All water that is pushed through is fresh water that gets sprayed and then drained away. This use of treated municipal water reduces the risk of waterborne illnesses as there is no recirculation of potentially contaminated water. This choice of system and rules set in place will undoubtedly allow families to make the most of their time splashing. Another neat tidbit shared at the ribbon cutting was that this new addition is not the first water feature to exist in City Park, as a wading pool was present just fifty yards north of where the splash pad sits now. This would've been removed in the 80s after sixty-plus years of life (picture thanks to the Franklin County Historical Society). Prior to air conditioning, this served as a well-utilized resource for kids to stay cool in the summer months. What was 9" deep at the edges and 18" deep in the center cost the local Elks Club $300 of fundraising (along with the City paying for infrastructure). $300 nowadays wouldn't even pay for a single pipe coming out of the current structure! Though times have changed since the early 1900s, the desire for kids to play in the water outside still remains.
Dare Camp 2024
Local Dare Camp started yesterday out at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg. This annual event is run by the Ottawa Police Department and is offered to Franklin County 5th graders who completed the DARE program over the course of the previous school year: an excellent reward for the work put into learning about the harmful effects of drug abuse. This three-day camp is offered free to families, with an extremely low barrier of entry to ensure every child has a chance to participate. Ottawa Master Patrol Officer and Community Service Officer Larabe Alexander is no stranger to DARE camp, having led the program for many years and, in 2023, was even named DARE Officer of the Year in Kansas for his efforts.
I joined the Ottawa Rotary Club last night as we helped hand out smores to the soon-to-be middle schoolers (pictures here). Over eighty campers were able to roast some marshmallows over the fire before heading over to watch a movie and eat some popcorn. God bless the thirty-plus counselors who had the task of watching over these sugared-up kids before bed…
Welcoming Sandra Starr and New Technology
We gathered for a Chamber Coffee at Arvest Bank this morning to formally introduce Sandra Starr as the new Branch Manager (pictures here). She has been at the helm for a handful of months, making her mark on our local Arvest. This location has seen a few different banks throughout its history but has been home to Arvest for fourteen years now. Since that time, they have pursued their mission of “people helping people” in our community. The obvious way is through aiding our community with financial solutions, but they also take pride in their philanthropic arm. Sandra shared the bank’s desire to support local causes; this currently includes events like Cornstock and the Chamber’s Mayors Tree Lighting. At the downtown lighting ceremony, Arvest brews up the hot chocolate on the often-chilly evening, as well as donates two children's bikes. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a dozen bikes given to kids in our community, all equally shocked as the next when their name is read. We're so pleased their staff helps act like Santa that evening, spreading joy through giving gifts―and the sponsorship they provide to our other local nonprofits throughout the year.
One of the new offerings at their E 3rd St. location in Ottawa includes something called a "live teller" service as you move through the drive-through. This new tech was added to the ATMs just outside, Ottawa being one of the earlier adopters of the program. This entails a real person on a video screen at the ATM. This isn't just one individual; it looks like a team of Arvest employees who service our region virtually (picture of Michael, a real live teller for Arvest). This process blends the convenience of an ATM and the support of an in-person teller. These operate beyond normal banking hours, including further into the evenings and weekends. This adds an extra thirty hours a week so that customers can be more flexible when accessing bank functions. Activities that can be accomplished through this service include much of what you could do at a normal drive-through, like cash a check, make deposits/withdrawals, transfer funds, or any other questions about your account. Their staff ensured that when this new technology was implemented, there was no loss of employees; rather, these team members could be utilized in a different fashion inside. This change took some time to educate current customers, but after the month or so training period, people seem to be in the groove. What a neat way to leverage technology, free up employees in-house, and give a new option for customers banking in town.
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Chamber staff and volunteers are looking forward to next Fridays summer concert at Legacy Square (more info here). The free concert is part of our Summer Concert Series. We plan to close out the summer with an evening of good music and cold beer in downtown Ottawa. The more the merrier; we hope to see you there. In the meantime, have a good weekend and I’ll see you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
