News – Page 2350 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Pretty Prairie USD’s headcount surges; Haven USD’s numbers plummet

info2018-09-21T07:28:36-05:00September 21st, 2018|

Two neighboring rural school districts in Reno County reported major swings in student numbers this year, as schools across the state conducted the annual student headcount Thursday. Haven USD 312 experienced a drop of 52 students, as its headcount went from 813 a year ago to 761 this year. Haven USD closed Partridge Elementary School in May, and about 20 of 45 Partridge students are no longer attending Haven schools. Pretty Prairie USD 311′s headcount jumped from about 259-260 a year ago to 295 students in kindergarten through Grade 12. Pretty Prairie’s growth comes partly from the enrollment of former Partridge [...]

Shawnee County moves into next phase of Kansas Expocentre improvement project

info2018-09-21T07:27:36-05:00September 21st, 2018|

Shawnee County on Thursday entered the construction document development phase of a high-dollar project to renovate the Kansas Expocentre. The planned $45 million Expocentre improvements are to be financed using revenue from the November 2014 approval by Shawnee County voters of a ballot question extending for 14 years — until Dec. 31, 2031 — a countywide half-cent sales tax used to raise revenue for economic development and infrastructure improvements. County Commissioner Archer made reference Thursday to the county continuing to lack a funding source for an estimated $3.5 million worth of costs for the project. County counselor Jim Crowl responded that [...]

Kansas River weir project costs turn out to be $2.5 million above estimate

info2018-09-21T07:25:05-05:00September 21st, 2018|

Costs that turned out to be nearly $2.5 million higher than expected have held up work on a project by Topeka’s city government to improve the safety of its Kansas River weir, where three people have drowned since 2007. Former Topeka Mayor Larry Wolgast, a member of the Topeka and Shawnee County Riverfront Authority, described the development Thursday as a “major setback” and said it was “extremely disappointing.” City officials had intended last month to start work on the project at the concrete weir, located north of the city’s water treatment plant at 3245 N.W. Waterworks Drive. But while the city’s [...]

Sedgwick County Election Office checks machines after water leak

info2018-09-21T07:21:55-05:00September 21st, 2018|

The Sedgwick County Election Office is making sure the voting machines are working properly following a water leak Thursday. Officials don't believe any machines were damaged. They plan to work with the vendor to ensure proper functionality. The city says the machines were properly stored so it is likely only the wheels at the bottom of the machines got wet. (Read more: KWCH News)

After pushback from neighbors, Lenexa council rejects Vistas at Canyon Creek apartment project

info2018-09-21T07:01:49-05:00September 21st, 2018|

A group of homeowners living near a proposed apartment complex in western Lenexa gathered nearly 200 petition signatures and sent a flurry of emails to City Council members in opposition to the project, and many showed up in force at Tuesday’s council meeting. In the end, the council unanimously rejected the project. The Vistas at Canyon Creek, proposed for the northwest corner of Canyon Creek Boulevard and Kansas Highway 10, would have required rezoning for the construction of 294 apartments in 12 buildings and a convenience store with gasoline pumps. At its July 17 meeting, the council remanded the proposal to [...]

Overland Park moving forward with plan to install 37 new bike racks in downtown OP

info2018-09-21T06:59:38-05:00September 21st, 2018|

Bicyclists stopping by downtown Overland Park will soon have many more places to hitch up. The city is in the process of getting 37 new racks to be distributed throughout the downtown area. “Downtown is a natural destination for bikes but there are really very few racks,” said Doug Johnson, of the city’s planning and development department. That will change with the acceptance of a proposal from BikeWalkKC that the city council approved Monday night. The bike racks come at no cost to the city. Instead, the $9,270 to install them will come through the Johnson County Department of Health and [...]

New sports complex in Parsons still in planning stage

info2018-09-21T06:57:59-05:00September 21st, 2018|

Planning is well underway for a sports complex on the north end of town, but the new fields probably won’t be ready for games until 2020. Former NFL quarterback Shaun Hill, a Parsons High School alumnus, has pledged $250,000 through his charitable foundation for the sports complex that will include two multi-use fields. The fields will be large enough to divide into four youth soccer and flag football fields or used as two tackle football or adult soccer fields. The complex also will include a parking lot, a building for storage, concessions and restrooms, fencing and bleachers. Eventually lights and a [...]

Sedgwick County approves bond sale for Spirit AeroSystems expansion

info2018-09-21T06:53:55-05:00September 21st, 2018|

The Sedgwick County Commission on Wednesday voted to approve the sale of general obligation bonds, that will help finance projects like the county’s portion of expansion funding for Spirit AeroSystems Inc. The bulk of the $10 million total in Series B municipal bonds listed in county documents would reimburse the $7 million previously approved by the county for “Project Eclipse” over the next 10 years. That project encompasses the partnership between the city of Wichita and the county with Spirit (NYSE: SPR) to help finance the construction of the company’s new 150,000-square-foot Global Digital Logistics Center in Wichita. (Read more: [...]

Rural Mainstreet still growing, but slower, survey says

info2018-09-21T06:53:10-05:00September 21st, 2018|

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index was released on Thursday for September. The overall index declined to 51.5 from 54.8 in August. “This is of course, a survey of Bank CEOs in rural areas of 10 states, including Kansas,” said economist Ernie Goss. “Average community size is 1300. It’s based a lot on agriculture and what happens in energy, those two sectors. The number was above growth neutral, but it did decline for the month. I won’t say we’re moving in the wrong direction, but we’re certainly, some of the growth is cooling out there.” Kansas is included in the [...]

City of Salina to present new vision for Broadway

info2018-09-21T06:51:19-05:00September 21st, 2018|

After several months of work, citizen meetings, and workshops, the City of Salina announces a public open house to present the results of this planning process – a plan for a new vision for Broadway Boulevard. A major focus is the street itself, as businesses and property owners along the street have long been concerned about access and circulation problems partially created by medians in Broadway. Other issues have included poor bicycle and pedestrian facilities, the street’s visual image and appearance, speed concerns, and underused adjacent property. The plan, which included extensive public participation and two public design studios, is [...]