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Shawnee man battles city for years over stream, storm water damaging his yard

2018-08-22T06:24:52-05:00August 22nd, 2018|

A metro man has gone head-to-head with the City of Shawnee for decades, but he said, as he gets older, he just can’t do it anymore. It all comes down to a natural stream that runs through the front of his property. David King spoke at last week’s city council meeting, something he said he’s been doing for years. “The storm water system is not natural. They built it! They created it! That’s my whole story right there," he said. King has lived off 71st Street for 40 years. For the first two decades, he didn’t have any issues with storm [...]

Shawnee County officials hear mixture of comments on land use plan

2018-08-20T21:57:15-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Shawnee County commissioners heard mostly criticism but also some praise Monday for a proposed comprehensive land use plan they’re considering for the county’s unincorporated areas. “I don’t think any of us want more government in our lives, and that’s exactly what this is,” said Arlen Kirkwood, owner of rural properties in northwest Shawnee County. Kirkwood was among more than half of Monday’s audience who raised their hands in response when one speaker asked if they opposed the plan. Still, Leslie Prentice, appearing on behalf of the more than 130 members of the Topeka & Shawnee County League of Women Voters, told [...]

Maize officials hope new art district will help forge identity

2018-08-21T06:51:49-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Plug “downtown Maize” into Google and the search engine returns a map of the entire town. There’s a reason for that: Maize doesn’t have a downtown. Other than being known for excellent schools, the suburb doesn’t have much of an identity either. But city leaders want to change that. On Tuesday night, they’re holding an open house to begin gathering input on what residents want to feature in the new Academy Arts District, which will run along Park and Academy avenues. “This is something we are incredibly excited about,” said Jolene Graham, an executive assistant in the city’s administration. “It really [...]

Shawnee city council approves historic Kenneth Smith property rezoning

2018-08-20T21:50:47-05:00August 20th, 2018|

The historical Kenneth Smith property in Shawnee is moving closer to becoming a residential subdivision. At its meeting on Aug. 13, the city council unanimously approved rezoning of the lush 60-acre site to planned single family. Developers with The Alpert Companies, LP, plan to develop 92 single family residential lots in the former golf course setting, which will provide the opportunity for maintenance-provided villas in a variety of types, sizes and styles. Sitting on the south side of 71st street, between Quivira and Pflumm roads, the site was formerly where the Kenneth Smith Golf Club manufacturing facility produced golf clubs from [...]

Neodesha rec commission pays for new city sign

2018-08-20T21:49:06-05:00August 20th, 2018|

The Neodesha Recreation Commission has placed a new LED sign near the corner of 8th Street and Granby, in front of the City Hall/Civic Center. The City of Neodesha wishes to thank the Recreation Commission for allocating the funds for this beautiful new sign, for their foresight in commissioning a sign that will help to keep our community informed, and for allowing the City to showcase our new City Logo on the sign. (Read more: Neodesha, KS news)

Merriam requests federal commitment on Upper Turkey Creek Project

2018-08-20T21:47:46-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Merriam has asked the federal government to renew its commitment to the Upper Turkey Creek Flood Risk Management Project. The Merriam council unanimously agreed to submit a resolution to the Army Corps of Engineers to show the city’s continued support to complete the Upper Turkey Creek project. Ultimately, the U.S. Congress will have to approve the project and allocate federal dollars to preliminary engineering and design before any work can be completed. The Upper Turkey Creek Project is a joint effort between Merriam, the Corps and Johnson County Public Works. The Corps had recently informed Merriam that the project would receive [...]

Johnson County taxpayers are on the hook for election commissioner’s compensation — but have almost no say over who gets the job

2018-08-20T21:44:03-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Under state law, Johnson County leaders have no say over who gets hired — or fired — as the county election commissioner, despite the fact that the office is financed entirely by funds from Johnson County taxpayers. “That statute was that they have complete authority and we have no authority,” County Chair Ed Eilert said. It was concerns about the possible politicization of the election offices of Kansas’s most populous counties that led the state legislature to pass a law giving the secretary of state full authority over Johnson County’s election office — including naming the election commissioner — some decades [...]

Teardown trend has increased heavy truck traffic in NEJC. How are those trucks affecting quality of local streets?

2018-08-20T21:35:24-05:00August 20th, 2018|

As teardowns and new home development continues throughout northeast Johnson County so does the influx of large trucks delivering construction materials and equipment. While some city officials have concerns with how the trucks could impact city roads, others are less concerned by the frequent trips into the area by heavy vehicles. Fairway’s Public Works Director Bill Stogsdill said he “absolutely” had concerns with how heavy trucks could impact roads but said “it would not be reasonable to require the demolition of a home to be removed a pick-up load of debris at a time.” Fairway City Administrator Nathan Nogelmeier also said [...]

Great Bend City Administrator focusing on the future

2018-08-20T21:33:26-05:00August 20th, 2018|

Kendal Francis is going into his fourth week on the job as Great Bend City Administrator. He might be one of the most sought after people in town. Last week, he introduced himself to the Barton County Commission and shared his vision on working together with the county to do what is best for Great Bend and Barton County. He continues to find time to talk with staff members and Great Bend City Council members to bring everyone on the same page. Shortly after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from Kansas State University, Francis started working for [...]

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