Dear Editor,
Have you looked at Greensburg, Kansas from the outside?
Thirty-two months ago we were a town with basically no residents, no infrastructure, no
churches, no schools and thirty-thousand plus loads of rubble to be cleaned up.
A community church service was our first major public function. God was still the center of
our community. Denomination lines were not an issue. We gathered together to praise our
Lord and Savior who would certainly be our strength in the days to come.
We pulled together. The Care and Share store became the first business on Main Street. The
Care and Share is a true loaves and fishes story. The Ministerial Alliance received $55,000
in insurance. They now have a $350,000 building with no mortgage. God's people are being
served and blessed every day by the store, staff and volunteers.
Seven new churches dot the landscape of the new Greensburg. Each church has its own
unique story about how and why it rebuilt as it did. One common thread is the desire to
reestablish the Lord's house, support the congregation and build the community.
The community needed a place for small business to locate. The City, Frito Lay Sun Chips
and other generous donations built the Incubator building. The Incubator was designed to
allow a small business to get "on its feet" before relocating to a full cost commercial site.
Now all the community needed was a commercial site.
Community minded citizens organized Kiowa County United to meet the need for
commercial business sites at affordable costs. Residents and former residents put their
money where their heart is ... Greensburg, Kansas. Members invested well over a million
dollars in Kiowa County United to make the dream a reality. Thanks for a job well done.
Southern Plains Coop invested heavily in Greensburg, restoring their facilities so farmers
could even deliver their 2007 wheat harvest to the local elevator. BTI established a
temporary facility on their old site which was followed by construction of a LEED Platinum
dealership on the east edge of town.
Shank Chevrolet had cars for sale at the airport by the next weekend after the tornado.
Shanks now have an energy efficient dealership located on Kansas Avenue. Greensburg
Farm Supply operated at the Tire Shop until they could relocate across the street from their
former location. Dillons and the Kwik Shop are doing a land office business.
Home Lumber came to town and met our needs as the rebuilding process flourished. Heft
and Sons construction and concrete divisions have been at the forefront of the recovery
process ... clearing, cleaning, filling, packing and pouring as the new Greensburg took shape.
Darin Hedrick, the school board and staff have done the impossible. School opened on
schedule in August 2007. The new school is better and more efficient than could be
imagined ... and it's paid for.
The Kiowa County Hospital is a state of the art facility and should open soon. The Kiowa
County Court House is revitalized and ready to serve the community for another century.
The Kiowa County Fair and Rodeo Grounds are nearing completion.
The new Greensburg City Hall is open for business. The Big Well Museum and Visitor
Center is about to go on the drawing board of a famous architect. Greensburg is the only city
in the United States with LED street lights. The streetscape is under way downtown. The
curb and gutter project is moving, along with the street repairs. Thank Steve Hewitt, the
mayor and city council when you see them on the street.
The new Greensburg is full of new and beautifully revitalized older homes. We have a new
water tower, new electric lines, resealed sewers and up-graded gas lines. We have new
businesses building permanent facilities. We have opportunities not available before the
storm. Be proud of your progress and thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on us.
Have you looked at Greensburg, Kansas from the outside? The rest of the world is looking at
you. The rest of the world is amazed at how far and how green we have become in thirty-two
months. The storm is past. .. green is growing every day. Thank Daniel Wallach and the
Greentown group for the education, promotion and help they have provided the community.
Have you looked at Greensburg, Kansas from the outside? The volunteers and partners who
have supported us over the past thirty-two months sure do. They admire the strong Kansas
spirit you continue to display. They appreciate your willingness to work together for a
common good. They appreciate your strong faith in God and the willingness to preserve and
protect his creation.
We need to be the model for future generations. We must put petty differences aside. We
need to support each other. We need to build community. We need to love one another as
He commanded. We need to thank the Lord every day for his strength and support in our
most desperate hour, the thirty-two months since and every day in the future.
Sincerely,
John Janssen
