Topeka Capital-Journal
A 64-page community assessment of Topeka and Shawnee County released Thursday is bursting with data, comparisons to other cities and, most importantly, six primary issues that tell the capital city’s story.
Those six, identified in the Market Street Services Inc. report, are:
■ A critical need to improve community pride.
■ Threats to a strong workforce go beyond population growth.
■ Quality of place enhancements are needed to change outlooks.
■ Homegrown talent: a need to connect the local and regional talent pipeline.
■ Enhancing economic opportunities through existing strengths.
■ Prosperity and well-being lag behind.
“It’s not all rosy, is it?” said Matt Pivarnik, CEO and president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and GO Topeka. “We have our work cut out for us. I think that this actually confirms a lot of what our gut was already telling us. It puts some data behind it.”