News – Page 2217 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Shawnee County stays with lawn care firm despite suggestions service has gone to pot

info2019-02-12T06:48:51-06:00February 12th, 2019|

Shawnee County is sticking with its courthouse lawn care provider, despite questions about whether its service has gone to pot. County facilities manager Bill Kroll spoke critically Monday of the job done by Green Touch Lawn & Tree. Commissioner Kevin Cook recalled how an apparent marijuana plant was found growing last May on the courthouse grounds. Still, Kroll asked Commissioners Cook, Bob Archer and Bill Riphahn at their morning meeting to extend the county’s contract with Green Touch to mow and control weeds at locations that include the courthouse at 200 S.E. 7th. “Last year they didn’t do as good as [...]

Can Overland Park transcend ‘Johnson County beige’ image? Long-range plan holds hope

info2019-02-12T06:47:20-06:00February 12th, 2019|

Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Johnson County’s Resurrection mega-church, would like nothing better than for his two grown daughters to live in Overland Park. But he says 29-year-old Rebecca is intent on starting a small business in a hip Kansas City neighborhood, and Danielle, a 33-year-old public defender in Olathe, prefers her home in Lawrence to Overland Park. “They both think diversity is really important,” Hamilton told the Overland Park City Council on Feb. 4. “They start talking about ‘Johnson County beige’ and that’s not just the color of our houses but it’s often the color of our skin and the [...]

Barton County saves money with bulk mailer for valuation notices

info2019-02-12T06:44:45-06:00February 12th, 2019|

The Barton County Appraiser’s Office has to mail out certified valuation notices by March 1 to all taxpayers owning real estate. The Appraiser’s Office received a full response from companies across the country that handle bulk mailings. No business in Barton County handles such a task, so it forces the Appraiser’s Office to look elsewhere. Barton County Appraiser Barb Esfeld says getting this job outsourced saves the department thousands of dollars. At an international conference, Esfeld found out about a company called The Master’s Touch. Master’s Touch is a large company that handles bulk mailing and is charging Barton County $6,500 [...]

Bringing a building ‘back to life’: After 10-year effort, newly rehabilitated Lawrence train station to be rededicated

info2019-02-12T08:46:47-06:00February 12th, 2019|

For years, little attention was given to the blond brick building along the railroad tracks. Though it served as an active train station, the Santa Fe depot was poorly maintained, was often vandalized and was sometimes the site of illegal squatting and drinking. Then, more than 10 years ago, a group of Lawrence residents started taking care of the station — hosting cleaning days, ensuring its doors were open and locked at the correct times, and sometimes having musicians play on the platform to greet passengers. But above all, the group, Depot Redux, was advocating that the City of Lawrence take [...]

Topeka may spend $2.35M more for Kansas River project where boaters drowned

info2019-02-11T14:20:15-06:00February 11th, 2019|

Topeka’s city government suffered a setback last year when costs turned out to be far more than expected for a project to improve the safety of its Kansas River weir, where three people have drowned since 2007. But the city council could put the project back on track if it approves $2.35 million as part of city manager Brent Trout’s proposed 2020-2029 Capital Improvement Plan. “The CIP funds would allow the project to move forward,” said city utilities engineer Paul Bodner. The project to improve safety at the weir is being considered at a time when local officials had been talking [...]

Downtown Sculpture Walk seeking supporters

info2019-02-11T14:18:13-06:00February 11th, 2019|

While marking its seventh year, downtown Hutchinson’s annual Sculpture Walk is also entering a new phase that will require direct public sponsorship if the program is to continue, according to a member of the group now managing the effort. The program started in 2012 as an art loan program to add art downtown, which was undergoing streetscape and lighting improvements. After viewing programs in other cities, the late Ron Kelley brought several Main Street merchants together to see if Hutchinson could support a similar program, and Sculpture Walk was born. The program involves inviting artists from local and national locations to [...]

Olathe’s Honeywell plant gains jobs from closures in Wichita, Washington state

info2019-02-11T14:16:58-06:00February 11th, 2019|

The Honeywell Aerospace facility in Olathe is expected to gain what could be several hundred new employees over the next year to 18 months, the result of closures in Wichita and Washington state. A Honeywell spokesman confirmed Friday that the company is centralizing its repair and overhaul operations and will move jobs from Wichita and Renton, Washington to Olathe. The Johnson County plant is just south of the intersection of Kansas Highways 7 and 10. “We own the facility. It’s centrally located. It’s got the ability to handle the additional work,” Honeywell spokesman Scott Sayres told The Star. Sayres declined to [...]

Baldwin City receives KDOT grant for sidewalk to west school campus

info2019-02-11T13:39:12-06:00February 11th, 2019|

Thanks to a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation, Baldwin City school children will have a new safe route to the community’s west school campus. Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said the city learned Jan. 30 that it will receive a $580,000 KDOT transportation alternative grant, which will provide 80 percent of the cost to install a six-foot wide sidewalk on the south side of Elm Street from Eighth Street to the existing walkway at the Midland Railway tracks. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Betting on downtown Hutchinson: Private investment in the last five years is on the rise

info2019-02-11T07:08:24-06:00February 11th, 2019|

In 2018, construction for new homes in Hutchinson hit a half-century low, but private investment has taken a chance on downtown. That’s sparked a resurgence of business and development. It could be just the right time. More than $21 million in private investment has poured into the downtown over the last five years, 2013-2018, according to city data. During that time, private investment totaled $7.65 million. The largest downtown project during that time was the 2013 Wiley Plaza, 100 N. Main. The $9.15 million project was an outlier in downtown investment, but the figures show an upward trend for downtown ever [...]

Johnson County expands public transit

info2019-02-11T13:30:00-06:00February 11th, 2019|

Johnson County government is partnering with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) to launch a first in the nation Uber-like public transportation plan. The plan is aimed at increasing the use of public transit in the county. Under the plan, whose pilot phase was launched Feb. 1, KCATA will provide up to three 12 passenger vans which can be summoned by commuters using a phone App. The county has set aside $250,000 for the pilot program. Jody Hanson, county director of information, said that the plan will initially cover the densely populated areas of Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee and Mission. [...]