info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Manhattan city commission discusses airport parking fees, federal grant

info2018-08-16T09:58:09-05:00August 16th, 2018|

Parking lot improvements at the Manhattan Regional Airport was the central point of discussion at the Manhattan City Commission meeting Tuesday. Airport Director Jesse Romo said they are about 60 percent done with the design process and that they currently plan to take bids on the construction in November. Romo said that the Airport Advisory Board has been supportive of implementing a parking fee of some sort to pay for the project, but a recent federal bill signed by President Trump after the board discussed supporting a fee opens up another revenue source. Romo said that as a result of [...]

Could tiny homes be built in Derby?

info2018-08-16T09:56:20-05:00August 16th, 2018|

Tiny homes have been sparking some controversy in Haysville and Wichita, so could they do that in Derby, too? Maybe, maybe not. As City Manager Kathy Sexton put it: “We’ve not had inquiries from builders about tiny homes yet so [we] haven’t researched the issue nor discussed the details surrounding this issue in any detail.” There is no one, set area in Derby for the mini houses, which are one of the trendiest developments in the residential housing business. However, there’s a brake that would likely put tiny homes on the back burner as an individual simply cannot buy a [...]

Wichita could cut Cowtown funding in 2020

info2018-08-16T09:54:48-05:00August 16th, 2018|

Wichita's Old Cowtown could see its funding cut by more than half a million dollars. The city is looking at cutting the majority of funding for cowtown museum in 2020. The budget for that year is calling for no operation budget which is about $700,000 annually. Museum supporters say the cuts would be detrimental to the museum's future. "They would only pay for maintenance, we would not be able to run programs, we wouldn't be able to be open, it would only be preserving buildings, it would be a graveyard for history," says Cowtown volunteer Dakota Bennett. Wichita Mayor Jeff [...]

Brown v. Board mural dedication highlights local history, community pride and unity

info2018-08-16T09:51:38-05:00August 16th, 2018|

Wednesday’s dedication of the Brown v. Board of Education mural featured empathetic speeches, heartfelt congratulations and a few tears. About 700 people attended the dedication, celebrating the collaborative artwork on the south-facing wall of Hill and Co.’s building at 1424 S.E. Monroe St., near the Brown v. Board of Education historic site. “This wall is the voices of our youth, our community, our collective humanity that has been brought together through art,” said Sarah Fizell, executive director of ArtsConnect and a founder of the mural project. Fizell said many of the volunteers were from Topeka, but signatures also came from [...]

Bike share program comes to Kearny County

info2018-08-16T09:49:23-05:00August 16th, 2018|

Within view of the pool, hospital, library and Main Street, Lakin sidewalks now have something in common. Each sport a rack with blue and white bikes making up the city’s budding bike share program, the first of several aimed at smaller communities across the country. Kearny County covered much of the program’s costs through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways grant, a sizable award dedicated to health and activity-centric community programming, with MountainHawk donating to the bike and lock costs to keep community contributions closer to the $6,000 provided by the grant. Bike share programs take different shapes and have [...]

Belleville volunteers to mark century of service to the city, rural community

info2018-08-16T10:37:16-05:00August 15th, 2018|

A century of saving lives and protecting property will be celebrated by the Belleville Fire Department this weekend, with a day of events for the community on Saturday, August 18. The celebration marks 100 years since the City of Belleville created a Fire Department Fund to maintain the department and purchase equipment. The first officials fire department was organized on July 29, 1918, with 22 firemen. Today the department includes 21 firemen headed by Chief Duffy Strnad. Strnad has served as chief 14 years, and as a member of the department for 33 years. Strnad credits the volunteers for their dedication [...]

Belleville considers how to enforce building ordinance

info2018-08-16T10:35:05-05:00August 15th, 2018|

There is a growing sense of urgency among the ranks of local city council members as they seek to find answers regarding two downtown buildings that may be on the verge of crumbling. Belleville city council members on Monday discussed the fate of the former Belleville Jewelers on the west side of the square and the former Century Shop located on the south side. Both buildings have been unoccupied for years and are in violation of the city's vacant building ordinance. Of the two, the south side structure appears to be the most seriously eroded. Read more: Belleville Telescope.

Lots of responsibility, low pay, cultural shift away from summer jobs lead to lifeguard shortage for Shawnee Mission area pools

info2018-08-15T06:36:57-05:00August 15th, 2018|

Nearly every city in northeast Johnson County experienced some kind of lifeguard shortage this summer — part of a growing national trend since the recession in 2009. In fact, several cities estimated the pool of applicants for lifeguarding is nearly half of what it was 10 years ago. A growing economy and a cultural shift away from summer work gives teenagers more time to focus on extracurricular activities, family vacations and career-driven paths such as internships and advanced coursework. That means fewer lifeguards. Lauren Ozburn, an area aquatics specialist with Waters Edge, said lifeguarding used to be highly competitive. Now, she’s [...]

Developer says it needs additional $510K in public financing for Regency Park reskinning project

info2018-08-15T06:34:03-05:00August 15th, 2018|

Structural changes to strengthen the new facades from Regency Park shopping center will mean substantial cost increases for both private and public financing. The developer of the center, at 93rd Street and Metcalf Avenue has asked the city for a $510,000 increase in the amount it will get from a special sales tax, bringing the reimbursement from $7.3 million to almost $7.9 million. A public hearing on the amended community improvement district is scheduled for Sept. 17. In addition, the city may make also increase the amount of assistance in the form of economic development revenue bonds designed to exempt some [...]

South Hutchinson City Council exploring significant cuts to city staff

info2018-08-15T06:32:52-05:00August 15th, 2018|

The South Hutchinson City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday night to discuss significant cuts to city staff, including potentially eliminating up to a third of the city’s police department. The meeting agenda indicates the council plans to go into an executive session to discuss nonelected personnel. The agenda did not show any votes scheduled, other than going into closed session, and it includes no time for public comment. The council on Aug. 6, voted unanimously to adopt a $6.3 million 2019 budget with 43.847 mil levy – a 1.92 mill increase over 2018. The council then voted on [...]

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