info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Overland Park staff to formally recommend against relocating Farmers Market to Santa Fe Commons

info2018-09-04T09:37:47-05:00September 4th, 2018|

Overland Park staff next week will make a formal recommendation to the city’s Community Development Committee on a conceptual design plan for Santa Fe Commons that will not include relocation of the Farmers Market from its current site. The potential relocation of the Farmers Market to Santa Fe Commons has been under consideration for months, with consultants hired by the city to look into ways to improve market operations laying out a number of benefits to the idea. But the prospect proved divisive among residents, with many saying it would eat into precious green space in Santa Fe Commons. In [...]

Disc golf thrives at premier course in Hays

info2018-09-04T09:35:43-05:00September 4th, 2018|

As Ron Rice was out and about on Wednesday he saw a class of Hays middle school students throwing discs around the nine-hole Rolling Hills Park Disc Golf Course at 41st Street and Autumn Lane. “It’s nice to see,” Rice said. “The P.E. teacher is teaching them disc golf.” Rice has been playing the sport — what old-timers refer to as Frisbee golf — since he was in college at Fort Hays State University in the late 1970s. A lot has changed since those early days. He is one of 132 disc golf players registered so far for the 34th [...]

Homeowner sues City of Wichita to lower special assessments when bonds are re-financed (which probably NO city in Kansas does)

info2018-08-31T11:05:53-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Thousands of Wichita homeowners, mainly those who bought new homes built between 2002 and 2011, could be paying more in special assessments than they should, according to a Wichita lawyer suing the city on behalf of a local couple. The attorney, Austin Parker, contends the city of Wichita is deliberately collecting more money from property owners who pay special than it needs to pay off bonds that funded streets, sewers and other infrastructure improvements in what could be dozens of developments across town. The issue, Parker says, stems from the city’s practice of refinancing more than $220 million in general obligation [...]

Augusta’s new downtown playground takes shape

info2018-08-31T09:57:53-05:00August 31st, 2018|

A 2003 economic development study recommended ways to improve the economy downtown, and in the past 15 years, it has been a goal of members of the Augusta City Council and residents to see a downtown playground for local children. That wish is about to come true. City Manager Josh Shaw advised that a downtown playground ties in with the rehab of the Frisco Depot and the enhanced Rail to Trails project. “To be a destination, an economic driver, the park has to be unique with different options,” Shaw said. “Something not found everywhere.“ Hopes are that the park will be [...]

Business occupancy rate 93 percent downtown Leavenworth

info2018-08-31T09:55:36-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Vacant buildings are rare in downtown Leavenworth, and the statistics prove it. According to Leavenworth Main Street Executive Director Wendy Scheidt, 93 percent of the buildings are occupied in the 28-block downtown district. She said the occupancy rate is comprised of approximately 250 businesses in downtown Leavenworth. Scheidt said downtown Leavenworth maintains that percentage because “it’s a good business community that works together.” Taylour Tedder, assistant city manager for the city of Leavenworth, said such a high occupancy rate for a municipality the size of Leavenworth “is fairly rare.” He said that high occupancy rate can be attributed to numerous long-standing [...]

Prairie Village sets public hearing date on new home design guidelines

info2018-08-31T09:54:34-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Prairie Village announced it has set a public hearing date of Sept. 11 for the city’s planning commission to review a new set of home design guidelines intended to address concerns about the wave of teardown-rebuild projects in the city. “These proposed changes would add neighborhood design standards for R-1A and R-1B zoning districts, which would regulate building massing and frontage design,” reads a message about the hearing posted by the city on Nextdoor. “The proposed changes would also add impervious coverage limits and revise and re-format other existing standards related to accessory buildings, setback, and lot exceptions.” (Read more: Prairie [...]

Ceremonial shots set off Winfield alarms

info2018-08-31T09:53:47-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Parts of Winfield went on alert for a short time Wednesday after a report of shots being fired near an elementary school that later were identified as coming from a memorial service at a nearby cemetery. Winfield officers were dispatched around noon to a report of gunshots heard by children and adults at Whittier Elementary School, 1400 Mound St. Officers checked the area and confirmed the gunshots came from St. Marys Cemetery, 1938 E. 12th Ave., and were part of a veterans’ memorial service, according to the Winfield Police Department Facebook page. The ceremonial shots were fired during recess, and as [...]

Cowley County emergency management to conduct full-scale exercise

info2018-08-31T09:52:52-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Cowley County Emergency Management will facilitate a full-scale exercise on Sept. 6 at the Tisdale United Methodist Church, 17507 U.S. 160 Highway, east of Winfield. At least 22 separate organizations are expected to participate in this exercise, which is slated to begin at 9 a.m. and complete no later than 1 p.m. Emergency operations planning is a key role of the Emergency Management agency. To successfully test a plan’s effectiveness, specific aspects of the plan need to be tested and evaluated for any necessary improvements. The Tisdale United Methodist Church is one the newest community partners and has accepted the role [...]

Derby: Rules exist for outbuildings

info2018-08-31T09:48:19-05:00August 31st, 2018|

A new business, Graceland Portable Buildings, is selling outbuildings at 2230 N. Nelson Drive, including some large models. The Derby Informer asked City Engineer Dan Squires about what local residents need to know when looking at the structures. Generally, such buildings are allowed, but they do have to meet zoning requirements, Squires said. “Any accessory structure has to be permitted and meet the setback requirements for the zoning district and the individual lot,” he said. Also, there are a lot of coverage requirements. In the single-family residential district, the lot coverage is limited to 30 percent. Thus, on a 10,000-square-foot lot [...]

Derby City Council looks at refurbishing pools

info2018-08-31T09:46:15-05:00August 31st, 2018|

After 15 years of use, the pools at the city’s water park, Rock River Rapids, are in need of a total facelift, say city officials. At issue are all the layers of paint that have been put on the pool surfaces over the years. That’s 12 layers to be precise. While they have served their purpose, they also can potentially hide concrete damage such as cracks, said Steve White, director of parks, who submitted a refurbishment proposal to the City Council for its consideration at its Aug. 28 meeting. The city has received five bids to thoroughly sandblast the pools, clean [...]

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