EudoraNews.com

Two recent statements gave us pause about the future of Eudora. The first was from Marty Kobza at the annual Eudora Chamber of Commerce dinner. The Eudora USD 491 superintendent said that in 20 years Eudora could be a two high school district.

That seems a bit of an overstatement since there are cities in Kansas with populations of more than 40,000 that have one high school and nowhere have we seen estimates that Eudora will grow to that size in that timeframe.

Nonetheless, there is no reason to believe Eudora couldn't be shouldering toward half that size in two decades time. The momentum is there with the intermodal near Gardner, the Turnpike interchange near Tonganoxie and the coming development of Sunflower.

The other recent comment was from Douglas County Commissioner Jere McElhaney and his prediction during the commission's recent consideration of merger talks for Eudora Emergency Medical Services and the Eudora Fire Department that foresaw a merger of all county fire and medical in another 15 to 20 years.

We're not sure these two visions are compatible. A city the size Kobza foresees in 2027 might very well feel a need to control its own emergency services.

Both comments were thrown out as asides, and their authors should be held in strict accounting for them. But they do give pause and suggest the need for serious planning on many fronts if Eudora is to meet the challenge of profound change.