info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wichita allows tiny house development to move forward; neighbors hire lawyer

info2018-08-22T08:17:38-05:00August 22nd, 2018|

Saying they have no choice and over the objection of dozens of neighbors, Wichita City Council members on Tuesday approved the city’s first “tiny house” subdivision. The neighbors left the meeting angry. They say they plan to sue to try to stop the development and plan to oppose the council members at the ballot box. “This isn’t over,” said J.D. Munley, who lives near the planned development. “I have already talked to my attorney.” The issue involves plans to put about 90 tiny houses on 15 acres of land just outside the city limits at Harry and 143rd Street East. More [...]

Great Bend receives another push to place turf at the Sports Complex

info2018-08-22T06:28:20-05:00August 22nd, 2018|

n case the idea of installing turf was not on the minds of city officials and councilmembers, several baseball- and softball-minded individuals showed up at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting to encourage the placement of turf on ballfields. Mike Minton, president of the Great Bend Bombers Baseball organization, presented before the Council on the advantages of placing turf on the baseball and softball fields at the Great Bend Sports Complex. Minton outlined the amount of visitors the Sports Complex brings into the city each spring and summer with youth tournaments and turning that traffic into dollars spent in the community. [...]

Ark City to place stop signs at four more uncontrolled intersections

info2018-08-22T06:26:00-05:00August 22nd, 2018|

Starting this week, the City of Arkansas City will place stop signs at four uncontrolled intersections in northwest Ark City. East-west traffic will be required to stop. The move is intended to reduce the frequency and severity of vehicle collisions at the intersections. The City Commission voted 4-0 on Aug. 7 to approve a resolution authorizing the placement of eight new traffic control devices. City staff plan to use reflective tape and flags on the sign poles to call attention to the new stop sign placements. Tree trimming and removal will be performed as needed to improve visibility at the most [...]

Shawnee man battles city for years over stream, storm water damaging his yard

info2018-08-22T06:24:52-05:00August 22nd, 2018|

A metro man has gone head-to-head with the City of Shawnee for decades, but he said, as he gets older, he just can’t do it anymore. It all comes down to a natural stream that runs through the front of his property. David King spoke at last week’s city council meeting, something he said he’s been doing for years. “The storm water system is not natural. They built it! They created it! That’s my whole story right there," he said. King has lived off 71st Street for 40 years. For the first two decades, he didn’t have any issues with storm [...]

Shawnee County officials hear mixture of comments on land use plan

info2018-08-20T21:57:15-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Shawnee County commissioners heard mostly criticism but also some praise Monday for a proposed comprehensive land use plan they’re considering for the county’s unincorporated areas. “I don’t think any of us want more government in our lives, and that’s exactly what this is,” said Arlen Kirkwood, owner of rural properties in northwest Shawnee County. Kirkwood was among more than half of Monday’s audience who raised their hands in response when one speaker asked if they opposed the plan. Still, Leslie Prentice, appearing on behalf of the more than 130 members of the Topeka & Shawnee County League of Women Voters, told [...]

Maize officials hope new art district will help forge identity

info2018-08-21T06:51:49-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Plug “downtown Maize” into Google and the search engine returns a map of the entire town. There’s a reason for that: Maize doesn’t have a downtown. Other than being known for excellent schools, the suburb doesn’t have much of an identity either. But city leaders want to change that. On Tuesday night, they’re holding an open house to begin gathering input on what residents want to feature in the new Academy Arts District, which will run along Park and Academy avenues. “This is something we are incredibly excited about,” said Jolene Graham, an executive assistant in the city’s administration. “It really [...]

Shawnee city council approves historic Kenneth Smith property rezoning

info2018-08-20T21:50:47-05:00August 20th, 2018|

The historical Kenneth Smith property in Shawnee is moving closer to becoming a residential subdivision. At its meeting on Aug. 13, the city council unanimously approved rezoning of the lush 60-acre site to planned single family. Developers with The Alpert Companies, LP, plan to develop 92 single family residential lots in the former golf course setting, which will provide the opportunity for maintenance-provided villas in a variety of types, sizes and styles. Sitting on the south side of 71st street, between Quivira and Pflumm roads, the site was formerly where the Kenneth Smith Golf Club manufacturing facility produced golf clubs from [...]

Neodesha rec commission pays for new city sign

info2018-08-20T21:49:06-05:00August 20th, 2018|

The Neodesha Recreation Commission has placed a new LED sign near the corner of 8th Street and Granby, in front of the City Hall/Civic Center. The City of Neodesha wishes to thank the Recreation Commission for allocating the funds for this beautiful new sign, for their foresight in commissioning a sign that will help to keep our community informed, and for allowing the City to showcase our new City Logo on the sign. (Read more: Neodesha, KS news)

Merriam requests federal commitment on Upper Turkey Creek Project

info2018-08-20T21:47:46-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Merriam has asked the federal government to renew its commitment to the Upper Turkey Creek Flood Risk Management Project. The Merriam council unanimously agreed to submit a resolution to the Army Corps of Engineers to show the city’s continued support to complete the Upper Turkey Creek project. Ultimately, the U.S. Congress will have to approve the project and allocate federal dollars to preliminary engineering and design before any work can be completed. The Upper Turkey Creek Project is a joint effort between Merriam, the Corps and Johnson County Public Works. The Corps had recently informed Merriam that the project would receive [...]

Johnson County taxpayers are on the hook for election commissioner’s compensation — but have almost no say over who gets the job

info2018-08-20T21:44:03-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Under state law, Johnson County leaders have no say over who gets hired — or fired — as the county election commissioner, despite the fact that the office is financed entirely by funds from Johnson County taxpayers. “That statute was that they have complete authority and we have no authority,” County Chair Ed Eilert said. It was concerns about the possible politicization of the election offices of Kansas’s most populous counties that led the state legislature to pass a law giving the secretary of state full authority over Johnson County’s election office — including naming the election commissioner — some decades [...]

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