Kansas Municipal News
Frontenac Fire Captain Jim McClain retires after nearly 50 years
The Frontenac Fire Department bids farewell to Captain Jim McClain, who retires after almost 50 years of service to the community.
Hired in 1974 and promoted to Captain a decade later, McClain’s positive attitude and leadership were hallmarks of his tenure.
Source: KOAM News
Rossville residents receive extra help with storm damage
Residents in Rossville are seeing an abundance of help from community members to tackle storm damage. Early Wednesday morning, strong winds and heavy rain swept through all of northeast Kansas. Rossville was amongst many areas hit hard with fallen tree limbs and uprooted trees seen throughout the town. Though the town was shaken up, community members rallied together. One resident posted to Facebook showcasing how the high school football team stepped up to help clean storm debris throughout neighborhoods. KSNT 27 News spoke with head football coach of the Rossville Dawgs, Derick Hammes, about his players helping out their community, and he said he’s grateful his players are giving back. “I want them to understand that the community supports them, and when it’s their turn to support back, they’re available to do that,” Hammes said. “We realize that helping one another out is all apart of being in a small community.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Haysville sees vandalism to parks, antique lights
The City of Haysville is seeking information on recent vandalism at numerous park restrooms. The vandalism also left a busy street in the dark.
The City says restrooms have had sinks and plumbing fixtures damaged or stolen. Some of the damage has caused the facilities to be closed until repairs are made. Also, the city says 600 feet of wire was stolen from an underground conduit that powered the antique lights along Meridian. “We always encounter vandalism every summer this year, it seems to be times 10 and happening quite frequently,” said Tony Martinez, the director of public works in Haysville. “We have 15 parks in the town, and i would say probably almost every single park has experienced some type of vandalism over the summer.” Martinez said that it’s going to take some time for the restrooms to get up and running. “Summer’s our busiest time of the year, so our park department doesn’t have time to install these pieces, so we’re now hiring a contractor to install these, which in result means the restrooms are going to be closed a little bit longer to the public and that’s really the downfall,” he said. The City’s goal is to get the restrooms fixed by July 4.
Source: KSN-TV
New terminal opens at Garden City Airport
The second phase of Garden City’s new Airport terminal is complete. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran was in attendance as the ribbon was cut to open the terminal of the new facility. Garden City’s original terminal was constructed in 1959 and no longer met demand. Rachelle Powell, Director of Aviation at the Garden City Regional Airport, said planning to replace the terminal began back in 2017. “With this new terminal project, we’ve doubled our gate capacity from one gate to two, which is huge for southwest Kansas, and also gave amenities to our traveling public such as the passenger boarding bridge and the baggage carousel,” she said. The terminal has updated technology and a new welcome message in multiple languages to serve the diverse population in the region. “We utilize the 26 languages that were spoken in our school district when we were doing the design to welcome folks to our community cause that’s part of our culture in southwest Kansas is making everybody feel welcomed,” said Powell.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas firefighters receive nearly $19M from relief act
The Kansas Insurance Department announced nearly $19 million will be going to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRA). Of those, Shawnee County will receive nearly $1 million.
On Thursday, June 27 Kansas Insurance Department (KID) Public Affairs Manager Kyle Strathman announced the money would be distributed to 553 different FRAs across the state. The funds come from a 2% tax that is paid by insurance companies on fire and lightning premiums. “Firefighters work to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges those efforts by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones,” said Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. “The Act not only gives first responders needed safety nets, but it also allows local communities to provide their citizens with improved firefighting equipment and resources.” Strathman said the funds can be used to pay for health, accident, disability and life insurance premiums of local firefighters. Associations can also use relief funds to purchase new firetrucks, make fire station improvements and purchase firefighter gear.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Topeka receives $25 million sidewalk grant
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
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 Wednesday morning. “It’s going to be one that’s probably going to end up being undetermined. We didn’t have video on this one,” he said. Commissioner David Dennis asked Williams what he expects the bill to be for overtime pay and whether the county should make a claim on the recycling facility’s insurance to cover costs. “One of the problems we get into if we bill for services is, you have to bill everybody,” Williams said. “You can’t just selectively say, ‘Well, this guy really upset us so we’re going to bill him.’ We have to bill everybody. And I think that normally is what causes the failure of these insurances to pay. The first thing they’re going to say is, ‘Well, you didn’t bill the last fire you went to.’”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Park City relaxes firewall code for future development
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
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 at 200,000 square feet and houses more than 30,000 animals. The campus of the aquarium includes a boardwalk with a Ferris wheel and a butterfly garden — concepts that will also be included in the Park City project. The aquarium in Park City will be 80,000 square feet with more than 1,500 animals.
Source: Ark Valley News
Municipal Bond Trends for June 26, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
Municipal Bond Trends for June 25, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
Bringing together families and nature is at the center of Andover’s recreational park revamp
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 those problems and many more are being addressed during the revamp that began May 2023.
Source: Andover American
Newton reviews land bank policies
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
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
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 central bank, in which most policymakers have said in recent weeks that, while they still expect inflation to get back to the Fed’s 2% target, they need more evidence. Recent readings have shown moderating inflation, with the Fed’s preferred indicator running just under 3%. However, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee noted after its last meeting that there has been only “modest further progress.”
Source: Economy
Cowley County’s first temporary homeless shelter welcomed its first guest last week
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 and bathroom. Winfield, the seat of Cowley County, doesn’t have enough resources to put into homeless infrastructure. So, the city and county turned to nonprofits to fill in the gaps. “A lot of shelters have staff, or they have more steady resources than what we do. We’re dependent mainly and mostly, entirely on donations, private donations,” said Bradley Gamber, the director of the Cowley House of Hope. Due to the lack of funding, the shelter is still small, but officials with Winfield said that at any given point in Cowley County, there are between 14 and 30 people struggling with housing.
Source: KLC Journal
‘It’s helped a lot’: Evergreen Recycle passed its fire inspection just weeks before massive blaze
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 similar fire at Evergreen to discover that owner Jeff Ralls wasn’t following fire code, which they say made it even more difficult to control. For example, Crisp says the piles of wood can’t legally be higher than 25 feet, but investigators said they were between 35 and 60 feet high in 2022. Crisp says another violation was the narrow roadways between the piles, which are supposed to be a minimum of 40 feet wide so firefighters have plenty of room to maneuver. Crews ended up battling the fire around the clock for nine days straight. But Crisp says this time, it’s a different story. “The property owners did a lot of work since that last fire to keep the piles smaller, lower, and more spread out,” said Crisp. Crisp says Ralls is now in full compliance.
Source: KAKE – News
New retail stores could boost Pittsburg’s economy
The city of Pittsburg approved a tax incentive for a new retail development featuring three major stores. The plan includes adding Ulta, Rack Room, and Five Below to the city’s shopping options, aiming to retain local shoppers and provide more variety. The agreement with a group representing the Pittsburg Town Center Shopping Complex redistributes the 1.5% local sales tax collected by three new retailers. 2/3 of it will go to the city. The other 1/3 will go to the developer to recoup construction costs, with a cap of $600,000 or 20 years of collections, whichever comes first. Officials expressed interest in the project after witnessing the success of Marshall’s, which was added to Pittsburg’s retail landscape in November 2022. “We’ve recently added Marshall’s, which has been extremely successful,” said Kim Froman, Director of Community Development and Housing. “We’ve seen a 23% increase in that shopping area since the addition of Marshall’s. So we’re really excited for that.” Froman believes that bringing in Ulta, Rack Room, and Five Below will enhance the local shopping experience and keep residents from traveling to nearby cities for their retail needs.
Source: KOAM News
Shawnee Mission task force looks to clarify district’s approach to accepting, allocating donations
Troubled by what they see as a perceived pattern that favors wealthier neighborhoods, some Shawnee Mission school board members have begun to discuss how the district should handle private donations, bequests and gifts. A three-member task force of board members Jessica Hembree, Jamie Borgman and David Westbrook met for the first time on the topic last week. Their aim is to better understand the existing policies on donations and find a way to clarify the district’s position on how that money should be spent. Almost every Shawnee Mission school board meeting includes at least one vote on whether to accept private donations and bequests. Often those votes are part of a consent agenda lumped in with various other non-controversial items. But some board members have been uncomfortable with the limited descriptions and discussion of those donations and have asked for a fuller explanation of the mechanics and rules.
Source: Johnson County Post
AGCO announces layoffs, citing ‘weakened demand’
AGCO has announced that around 6% of its workforce will be laid off due to “weakened demand in the agriculture industry.” It is not known exactly how many employees will be affected at their Hesston production facility, or the timing as to when the layoffs will take effect. In a statement, the company says the layoffs are not related to a shift in production to Mexico that was announced earlier this month. AGCO says that the Hesston facility will continue to manufacture Massey Ferguson windrowers, large square balers, combines and combine headers. The company has invested more than $28 million into the facility since 2021. Those investments have been focused on updating and modernizing systems and equipment. “By streamlining the Hesston portfolio, our goal is to secure a profitable future for the plant,” the company added.
Source: KAKE – News