Tonganoxie growth creates boom town

Tonganoxie ? Jerry Daskoski watches every year as more children walk through the entrance to Tonganoxie Elementary School.

Make that entrances. There are now so many students in Tonganoxie that school administrators have them enter the building at different locations.

“If you’re a fifth-grader, you have to come in the fifth-grade doors. If you’re a fourth-grader, you have to come in the fourth-grade doors,” said Daskoski, the school principal. “If everybody came in the front door, we would have the type of congestion we just couldn’t handle.”

People are streaming in through all the entrances to Tonganoxie, too.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the city’s population grew to 3,169 in 2002 from 2,727 residents in 2000 — a 16.2 percent increase that made the Leavenworth County town the third-fastest growing in the state.

Metro proximity

Tonganoxie officials attribute the growth to several factors. U.S. Highway 24-40 was expanded from two lanes to four in 1999, making the town more attractive to commuters with jobs in Kansas City.

In fact, the fastest- and second-fastest growing towns in the state also were small towns near major metropolitan areas: In the No. 1 spot was Goddard, near Wichita, which grew 29.6 percent during the period. Another Kansas City-area town — Spring Hill — was at No. 2 with a 23.1 percent increase.

Basehor and Eudora also grew rapidly, coming in fifth and sixth among Kansas towns seeing growth.

Tonganoxie is one of the fastest growing communities in the state, according to recent U.S Census figures. The building boom is evidenced by real estate signs that dot many streets in town, like these on East 12th Street.

“I think, in part, we’re a smaller community with proximity to the metropolitan area,” said Tonganoxie City Administrator Shane Krull. “I think a lot of people come out from the metropolitan area that are willing to commute for their jobs, but let their children participate in a smaller school system where they get more of a chance to participate.”

Those new residents are bringing their dollars, as well. Rob Schuck, secretary of the Tonganoxie Chamber of Commerce, said a number of small businesses have sprung up around town, including new retailers, restaurants and a video rental store. Lawrence Memorial Hospital is opening a clinic, with a full-time doctor, this fall.

In town, nearby

“Our numbers are up, obviously,” Schuck said. “I guess if there’s more people, there’s a need for new businesses.”

Krull agreed.

Following are the top and selected Kansas cities, ranked in order of percentage change in population from April 1, 2000, the date of the last U.S. Census, to July 1, 2002.The cities’ April 2000 population is listed, then July 2002 population, then percentage change.

City 2000 2002 Change
Goddard 2,037 2,640 29.6%
Spring Hill 2,727 3,357 23.1%
Tonganoxie 2,728 3,169 16.2%
Gardner 9,421 10,701 13.6%
Basehor 2,239 2,513 12.2%
Eudora 4,307 4,829 12.1%
Andover 6,980 7,750 11.0%
Kechi 1,038 1,143 10.1%
Edwardsville 4,146 4,439 7.1%
Baldwin 3,401 3,579 5.2%
De Soto 4,564 4,736 3.8%
Lansing 9,210 9,526 3.4%
Lawrence 80,131 81,604 1.8%
Leavenworth 35,426 35,410 0.0%
McLouth 868 861 -0.8%

“We’re getting more people into our economy,” he said. “We’re adding more diversity to our school system, and our citizens. There’s more people to spend money on the local economy.”

Badd Jacks Southwest, a Tonganoxie restaurant, is both a result of and beneficiary of that growth.

“We seem to have a lot more business,” said Shawn Griffith, a waitress. “But we’ve been open about a year-and-a-half.”

Nearby business also is having an effect on the area. Cabela’s — now the state’s top tourist attraction — opened last near next to the Kansas Speedway, about a 15-minute drive from Tonganoxie. Nebraska Furniture Mart, expected to be another major attraction, opened last week in the same complex.

Stretched to capacity

There are strains, however.

Krull said the city’s infrastructure had yet to catch up with the bigger population. There is discussion of building a new wastewater treatment plant, and Tonganoxie is buying water from Bonner Springs to slake the new residents’ thirst.

“We’re stretching some of it (the infrastructure) to capacity,” Krull said.

At Tonganoxie Elementary School, Daskoski said he could have more than 800 students in kindergarten through sixth grades this fall, up from 747 students two years ago.

As a result, the school bought two trailers this summer to serve as “modular classrooms.” The school already was using two such classrooms.

“It’s kind of a paradox,” Daskoski said. “Tongie’s a small town, but we’ve got one of the largest elementary schools in the state.”

School officials are talking with DLR Group, the company that spearheaded the failed bond issue in Lawrence this spring, about a bond issue in Tonganoxie to create more room for students.

“It’s a good problem,” Daskoski said. “Especially with the state of finances in the state, when you have an enrollment increase, obviously it’s advantageous.”

Competition

Shuck, a doctor, is happy about the growth, but knows the town will see some changes.

“Sometimes, with growth comes competition,” he said. “Fast food chains, large hospitals — some people will be affected by that. Obviously, it’s going to bring more money in and more tax dollars, but it may put more strain on the businesses that have been around when the larger chains come in.

“Hopefully,” he said, “the growth can sustain that.”

Others say they expect Tonganoxie to stay a small town, at heart, albeit with some changes.

“It still feels like a small school, like a rural school,” Daskoski said of Tonganoxie Elementary. “Everybody knows everybody, the students aren’t numbers, the parents are highly involved.”

And that’s the way a lot of people like it.

“You’re getting people moving out from Wyandotte County, Shawnee County, so there’s more of a metropolitan feel,” Krull said. “But I think it’s still rooted as a small community, still has a significant amount of agricultural interests.”