Title: ‘World Capital of Peace’ arrives in north Kansas
'World Capital of Peace' arrives in north Kansas
Transcendental meditation, organic farming will be emphasis of
$14 million complex
By George Diepenbrock
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Smith Center — Followers of the Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi have acquired 480 acres here near the exact geographical center of the
continental United States.
Last week they broke ground on a planned $14 million complex they are calling
the World Capital of Peace. Among other things, the planners say, it will be a
haven for transcendental meditation and organic farming.
The arrival of the Maharishi's followers and their plans to build is a very
big deal in this town where little else has happened lately on the economic
front. Or as Mayor Randy Archer put it, "With a population of 1,800 and the
oldest population in Kansas, we don't have much going for us."
Archer said he attended the ground breaking for the World Capital of Peace
last week.
"I'm glad I went because the rumors are it's a cult and they are going to
make underground bunkers and build nuclear weapons. That's not what they are
about," he said.
Beatles were disciples
The Maharishi is perhaps best known as the founder of the transcendental
meditation movement and for some of his celebrity disciples, which over the
years included the Beatles and Mike Love of the Beach Boys.
Smith Center, near the Nebraska border in central Kansas, is perhaps best
known for being near the precise center of the lower 48 states and as the
birthplace of silent film star Fatty Arbuckle.
The Maharishi-affiliated groups at work in Smith Center are two nonprofit
organizations, the U.S. Peace Government and the Global Country of World
Peace.
They are unusual groups by Smith Center standards and some people are
understandably concerned about what the newcomers will be up to, despite the
expected influx of dollars associated with the project.
Water scarce
"A lot of people are pro, and a lot of people are con. A lot of people think
it will bring a lot of business to town," said Lynn Pickel, owner of Second Cup
Cafe and Pastries on Main Street. "My policy is to stay out of it as a business
owner. The water issue, as far as I know, is the biggest they are up
against."
Water is relatively scarce in Smith County, and there is concern there might
not be enough to support the planned World Capital of Peace.
Kent Boyum, an ecologist and the director of government relations for the
Global Country of World Peace, said the groups aim to be good neighbors.
"It's not a closed community that won't let anybody else be a part of what we
are doing," Boyum said of the World Peace Capital.
Smith County was chosen, he said, because it is in the middle of quiet, rural
America. He said the organization intends to build "Peace Palaces," which would
be single buildings, across the Midwest with plans to build in Lawrence and the
Kansas City area.
On the Smith Center property, 12 to 15 buildings are planned and those who
live in the community will focus on practicing transcendental meditation and
organic farming. Each building will be about 12,000 square feet, Boyum said, and
will including living quarters and meeting space. The site will also be open to
tourists.
$14 million project
The president of the U.S. Peace Government is John Hagelin, a quantum
physicist and a fringe U.S. presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000. He has said
the U.S. Peace Government is meant to complement rather than replace the
existing government and aims to "promote prevention-oriented, problem-free
administration."
Boyum said all types of people are drawn to transcendental meditation.
"The people who practice are all kinds of people - all shapes, all
colors. Some have religion. Some don't," Boyum said. "It isn't an absolute way
of life. Some people just add to their normal way of life and have less
stress,"
Boyum said the buildings for the World Capital of Peace will mostly be built
in a factory and then erected on the site. He estimated the project's cost at
about $14 million, and said the groups are working with engineers in Salina to
develop the land and the rural water district there.
As residents have learned more about the project, Archer said about "95
percent" of the people in Smith Center he has talked with seem to be for it.
"I really felt good about it. I think they will blend and mesh with the
community and the county. But any time a change comes in, usually it's scary,"
Archer said.
"They are professional"
"There's so many rumors floating around that are really pretty laughable,"
said Charles Sellens, an administrative assistant for the Smith County
Commissioners. "I feel very positive about it. The thought of people coming in
and spending money is very positive.
"They not only sound professional. They are professional," Sellens said.
"There's some feeling that a lot of them would be moving in and out. The people,
their b
