info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Topeka receives $25 million sidewalk grant

info2024-06-28T10:58:16-05:00June 28th, 2024|

The City of Topeka will be receiving $25 million dollars from the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) for sidewalk projects. Topeka is receiving funds under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. The project will see 50 miles of sidewalk repair and construction along River Road, Southeast California Avenue and in the Central Highland Park neighborhood. Topeka was one of 148 projects selected by the Biden administration. “This grant in the amount of $25 Million will allow us to do some transformative projects for the City of Topeka.” said Public Works Director Braxton Copley. Source: KSNT 27 News

Park City recycling plant fire now under control. Crews continue to monitor hot spots

info2024-06-28T10:50:12-05:00June 28th, 2024|

Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp announced Wednesday afternoon that the fire at Park City’s Evergreen Recycle plant is officially under control, although crews will remain on scene for at least another day. Some piles of materials were still smoldering, but there were no more flames as of 3 p.m., county spokesperson Stephanie Birmingham said. Last time the recycling plant caught fire in October 2022, video evidence showed the blaze was a result of mulch and grass spontaneously igniting under wood piles. This time, investigators likely won’t be able to identify a definite cause, Fire Chief Doug Williams told county commissioners [...]

Park City relaxes firewall code for future development

info2024-06-27T15:16:05-05:00June 27th, 2024|

Building inspector Bob Walker recommended the change because he believes the city's previous firewall regulations for townhomes were excessive. A firewall is used to delay the spread of a fire with a prescribed fire resistance duration and independent structural stability. This allows a building to be divided into smaller sections. Previously, the city code listed a two-hour firewall fire resistance rating requirement for common walls in townhomes that are not equipped with automatic sprinkler systems. Source: Ark Valley News

Developers have bold plans for Park City entertainment district

info2024-06-27T15:12:51-05:00June 27th, 2024|

A new commercial district in Park City broke ground on June 14 at the former Echo Hills Golf Course between 53rd and 61st streets on the west side of I-135. Projects being constructed on the property include a baseball complex, butterfly garden and an aquarium. ... One of the largest draws of the new Park City district — a project that could be a national attraction — is the aquarium. The project is being handled by a group called OdySea out of Scottsdale, Arizona. OdySea's aquarium in Scottsdale opened in 2016. It is the largest aquarium in the southwest United States [...]

Bringing together families and nature is at the center of Andover’s recreational park revamp

info2024-06-26T10:46:10-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Andover is expecting to see a large influx of population in the near future. Taking this into consideration, the city proposed a 1% sales tax increase to fund projects that will support the incoming population. One of those projects included the revitalization of the Andover 13th Street Sports Park. The park is heavily utilized each year by hundreds of youth baseball players, but often fell short in the ability to host the number of games needed. Other problems like drainage issues were common throughout the park, and the parking lot and spectator seating were in desperate need of expansion. All of [...]

Newton reviews land bank policies

info2024-06-26T10:39:18-05:00June 26th, 2024|

The land bank also considered policies to standardize practices. The policies included goals, like transferring ownership of unclaimed blighted properties to a taxpayer, reducing properties under violation, supporting homeownership and expanding the tax base. The land bank said they would like to look at changing the goals to include nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity. Daniela Rivas, city manager, said that generally land banks were used for putting land back on the tax roll, but nonprofits could be included. Source: Harvey County Now

Zoning changes could help Newton childcare shortage

info2024-06-26T10:38:19-05:00June 26th, 2024|

With current childcare regulations, a person wanting to run a facility from their house must get permission from the city in many areas. ... The commissioners said they would like to look into changing the zoning requirements in the future so childcare facilities can open in the heart of the city without opening the property up to other businesses if the current owner were to move. Source: Harvey County Now

Fed Governor Bowman says she’s still open to raising rates if inflation doesn’t improve

info2024-06-26T09:52:08-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Tuesday the time is not right yet to start lowering interest rates, adding she would be open to raising if inflation doesn't pull back. "Should the incoming data indicate that inflation is moving sustainably toward our 2 percent goal, it will eventually become appropriate to gradually lower the federal funds rate to prevent monetary policy from becoming overly restrictive," Bowman said in prepared remarks for a speech in London. "However, we are still not yet at the point where it is appropriate to lower the policy rate." Those comments reflect a prevailing sentiment at the [...]

Cowley County’s first temporary homeless shelter welcomed its first guest last week

info2024-06-26T09:50:32-05:00June 26th, 2024|

An emergency shelter is now open in Cowley County, and it has already housed its first temporary residents. The shelter has been in the works for years but now has the opportunity to change lives. In Cowley County, resources for housing are slim. The Cowley House of Hope shelter is meant to fill those gaps. The shelter’s been in the works since 2017 when thousands of dollars had to be raised to make it a reality. The shelter is built similarly to a duplex. It sleeps five people and has two rooms with several beds in each. Each room also has a small kitchen [...]

‘It’s helped a lot’: Evergreen Recycle passed its fire inspection just weeks before massive blaze

info2024-06-26T09:46:59-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Fire crews have been fighting a blaze at Evergreen Recycle in Park City for more than two days. During a similar fire in 2022, investigators said part of the challenge was that the owner wasn’t following fire code with the wood piles, and it took nine days to put out. "It's a challenge. I don't know that it's a strain. We've got maybe 40% of our resources out here right now," said Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp. "In 2022 when we were here, we put about 1,500,000 gallons of water on it." In October of 2022, crews rushed to a [...]

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