by Mary Wilson
Grandview and Belton Chambers of Commerce have teamed up to
provide their members a unique partnership opportunity with businesses in
neighboring communities.
On Thursday, February 28, the two chambers met for a joint
luncheon, where leaders from both cities shared highlights from the past year
and provided insight into what’s to come in 2019. The Belton Chamber of
Commerce first kicked off the idea of joining forces in 2018, with plans to
meet annually. Representatives from education, economic development, business
relations and city management from both Belton and Grandview presented to the
chamber members.
“We are really excited of the year that we’ve had thus far,”
said Dr. Andrew Underwood, Superintendent of Belton Schools. “We’ve got a
great, veteran staff in Belton that is providing top-notch education for our
kids.”
Underwood added that with the latest Annual Performance
Report for his district being at a 92.9%, Belton continues to aim for 100%. The
district is also completing a $32 million construction project at Belton High
School, which will provide a 9-12 grade building.
“We’ve not been able to have that in probably the last 15
years,” said Underwood. The project is scheduled for completion in June, with
opening by the 2019-20 school year.
Alexa Barton, Belton City Manager, stated that one of the
very first things she accomplished upon her new position was to introduce
herself to Superintendent Underwood.
“It’s been one of the best things that I’ve ever done,” said
Barton. “In working with the school district, we’ve really improved those
communications. I am so proud of our school district. I am so proud of our
teachers and our students and all of the hard work that they’ve applied to raise
our scores the way that they have.”
Barton added that the district is the City of Belton’s
secret gem. The city and the district are working on a collaborative marketing
plan to let visitors and interested investors know that Belton is making great
strides to improve its image and is open for business. She added that with
commercial development, the city is also seeing new subdivisions taking shape.
With the development of Southview Business Park, located
just south of Grandview along I-49 and 155th Street, Belton’s jobs
will increase by approximately 1,300, and residents will also see some
infrastructure improvements. This will include a thoroughfare from 155th
Street to 163rd. Barton said
that this was absolutely necessary in order to provide access to the facility.
Grandview Superintendent Dr. Kenny Rodrequez said that his
district also works closely with Belton, and that Underwood serves as one of
his mentors. He discussed Grandview’s three main priorities for the school
year: college readiness, career readiness, and cultural competency.
“We are extremely blessed,” said Rodrequez. “This school
district is one of the most amazing places that I’ve ever worked in and I’m certainly
very pleased to be the superintendent.”
Rodrequez added that his district has increased ACT scores
in the last three years by over a point, and as a whole scored over 90% on the
state’s Annual Performance Report. His goal is to provide a path to college or
career for every student in the district. The district is also seeking
opportunities to work more with the community and further parent involvement.
“It’s almost cliché to say that it takes a village, but it
really takes everybody,” said Rodrequez. “Our school districts cannot do this
by ourselves. It benefits everybody to work together.”
For the City of Grandview, City Administrator Cemal Gungor
talked about the improvements on the I-49 Outer Roads to be changed back to
two-way streets, along with the splash pad groundbreaking ceremony taking place
this week.
“This is not the Grandview of your mothers and fathers,”
added Economic Development Consultant for the City of Grandview Troy Nash. “This
is a new city with a dynamic mayor, a dynamic board of aldermen, a city administrator
with a lot of energy, and a committed senior leadership team.”
Nash stated that Grandview is included in the state’s
opportunity zone, which was selected by the Governor to focus on the most
economically deprived and underserved parcels of land. 161 designated
opportunity zones were submitted by the governor, and with Grandview being on
the list, Nash said that means the city will be able to keep its share of
private capital investments made in the city.
Belton will host next year’s joint luncheon with the
Grandview Chamber of Commerce. For more information, follow either organization
on Facebook.
