info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Developers seek city help to renovate ‘eyesore’ in southeast Wichita

info2018-07-10T07:20:34-05:00July 10th, 2018|

A pair of developers are asking the Wichita City Council for nearly $6 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds to renovate a southeast Wichita apartment complex. Brent Hurst and Dave Murfin have formed Sandstone Apartments to purchase Eastwood Apartments, a six-building complex located just south of Kellogg on the east side of Oliver. The request for the industrial revenue bonds goes before the council on Tuesday. The complex, built in the 1950s, "has come into disrepair and faces extensive deferred maintenance issues," according to a city document. A plan for the project shared with city officials called the Eastwood Apartments an "increasing [...]

Shawnee upgrades 20-year-old water fountains, adds dog bowls, water bottle fillers

info2018-07-10T07:12:38-05:00July 10th, 2018|

Park-goers and their canine counterparts have new water fountains and dog bowls in Shawnee’s parks this summer. Swarner Park and Gum Springs Park each have new fountains with dog bowls and water bottle fillers. Herman Laird Park has a new fountain with a dog bowl. Joe Overstreet, manager of parks and facilities, said the four drinking fountains, which were replaced in mid-June, cost approximately $1,300 each. The drinking fountains upgrades were a planned budgeted expense in the Land Improvement Maintenance account. “The fountains being replaced have been in operation for as long as 20 years,” Overstreet said. “The new fountains allow [...]

Junction City Water Supply in Good Shape

info2018-07-10T07:11:28-05:00July 10th, 2018|

It is hot and dry, and Geary County is in a drought emergency. But Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel confirmed Monday that the city’s water supply is good shape. “I think we’re lucky in the fact that even though the drought seems tremendous here is not spread out through the area.” Dinkel noted there is still water coming into Milford Lake, there’s still water being released from Milford Lake, and of course our well fields ( are ) along the Republican River. “We have no issues at this point in time.” Rains in north central Kansas have resulted in water flowing [...]

Sales Tax to Fund Capital Improvement Fund for Infrastructure Improvements in Phillipsburg

info2018-07-10T07:06:24-05:00July 10th, 2018|

The Phillipsburg City Council is asking residents to consider a .5% sales tax at the August 7th election which will replace the current .5% sales tax that is dedicated to the payment of debt for the wastewater improvements made in 2001. The debt for the wastewater improvements will be paid in its entirety on August 1, 2018 which is 4 years earlier than planned. Farmers State Bank, Farmers National Bank, and First National Bank had purchased the bonds and are allowing the City to pay them early. By paying the bonds off early the City has saved $34,423.00 in interest cost. [...]

Overland Park receives settlement from insurance company after boy topples expensive sculpture

info2018-07-10T06:58:59-05:00July 10th, 2018|

The insurance company for the family of a boy who toppled an expensive sculpture at an Overland Park community center has sent a large check to reimburse the city. Overland Park spokesman Sean Reilly says the family's insurance company sent the city a check for $107,000 after a 5-year-old boy knocked over the sculpture last month. The sculpture, known as the "Aphrodite di Kansas City" was on display with more than 150 other works of art at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center when it was broken. "I cannot believe they allowed something so dangerous to be where kids play," Sarah Goodman, [...]

A 130-year-old general store and memories keep Kansas ghost town of Banner alive

info2018-07-09T11:37:50-05:00July 9th, 2018|

From a spring wagon pulled by mules, A.W. Purinton found his home. It was fall 1878 and settlement was only beginning. Western Kansas was vast and empty. Trego County hadn’t been organized. The only community center was a small settlement north of the Smoky Hill River that would become WaKeeney. Yet, for a few days on the sparsely settled prairie, the pioneer and a couple others from his native Vermont searched for the best free land to stake their hopes and dreams and build a future. Purinton found it along the Hackberry Creek in the southwest part of the county, not [...]

Equine facilities impact communities in more ways than one

info2018-07-09T11:34:53-05:00July 9th, 2018|

One facility has been in the same location for more than a 100 years. Another for close to 20 years and one more is just getting its feet wet. For three places that host equine events in southwest Kansas, the impact on their communities can be measured in a couple of ways. Many equine enthusiasts and competitors travel to events around their local areas while others criss-cross the country competing. When they travel, they need food, fuel, feed for the horses and hotel rooms. Some bring shopping lists when they travel to bigger cities and stock up on necessities before or [...]

Topeka city manager drops request to raise sales tax, proposes keeping it the same

info2018-07-09T07:45:32-05:00July 9th, 2018|

Public feedback has prompted city manager Brent Trout to drop his earlier request that Topekans be asked to raise the citywide sales tax to three-quarters of a cent. A resolution he is sponsoring would arrange for Topekans to instead vote on whether to extend the current half-cent tax for another 10 years. The city on Thursday made public a copy of the preliminary agenda for its governing body’s July 17 meeting, which shows that body plans to consider scheduling a citywide Nov. 6 ballot question election on whether to renew the current half-cent tax for 10 more years, through Oct. 1, [...]

Governing bodies to consider labor contract, incentives for promoters

info2018-07-09T07:44:44-05:00July 9th, 2018|

A proposed labor contract amendment and incentives for promoters to bring acts to the Kansas Expocentre are among matters local governing bodies plan to take up this coming week. The Shawnee County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Monday in its chambers in Room B-11 of the county courthouse, 200 S.E. 7th. The Topeka City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th. Commissioners plan to consider entering into an agreement through which Philadelphia-based Spectra Venue Management, which manages the Kansas Expocentre under contract for the county, would provide the county $200,000 to establish an [...]

Cowley County officials hope to avoid property tax hike

info2018-07-09T07:28:45-05:00July 9th, 2018|

Cowley County commissioners this week took a step toward approving next year’s budget. Administrator Lucas Goff and county commissioners held a work session Tuesday on the proposed 2019 fiscal-year budget during a commission meeting. Among the challenges to the upcoming budget is a substantial increase in the cost of health insurance: 26.6 percent. The increased cost is based on how the insurance was used by employees in the last fiscal year. Some years are good and some years are less good, Goff said. It depends on the amount of money the insured use for the services they receive. Goff is working [...]

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