Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Municipal Bond Trends for November 17, 2021

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Reopening hospital in Fort Scott a possibility

Bringing a hospital back to Bourbon County will be a long process, but the chief executive officer of the company contracted to conduct a feasibility study said Tuesday they are ready to move forward with the idea. Fort Scott city and Bourbon County officials met with officials from Noble Health of Kansas City, Mo., to get a glimpse of the feasibility study data. The county contracted with Noble Health to conduct a study to determine if opening a hospital in Bourbon County is feasible.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune

Harvey County to revamp travel policy due to violations

Harvey County Finance Director Dan Bronson told the Board of Harvey County Commissioners on Tuesday that he was looking at making major revisions to the county’s travel policy due to an increase in the number of violations in recent weeks. Bronson said the violations came from employees surpassing the limit for meals. He said more employees had been traveling for training since the COVID-19 pandemic was subsiding. About 10 violations were red-flagged in the past week by County Clerk Rick Piepho. Bronson said the violations were an efficiency issue. When an employee spends $30 on a meal, he said someone had to track down that employee for $5.
Source: Harvey County Now

Newton recycling program in jeopardy

The future of recycling in Newton is unknown, but expect it to be an item of debate in the coming months. The use of the program has decreased. And, recycling tipping fees that the city will have to pay are expected to increase. “I don’t know where we’re going to land with it, but we will have to have a discussion on recycling in 2022 and if we’re going to continue,” Newton City Engineer Suzanne Loomis said. At the start of 2020, the city moved to an optional recycling program, thanks to Waste Connections penalizing cities if they didn’t have a cleaner recycling stream in its negotiated contract with the county. The city had residents sign up for the program in hopes there would be fewer violations.
Source: Harvey County Now

Money available for Amtrak expansion. Now what?

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has become law. It contains money for long-distance Amtrak routes. Amtrak has plans to connect Oklahoma City to Wichita and Newton, making Newton a hub between the proposed route and the Southwest Chief. The expansion has long been discussed as a goal for the state, Amtrak and locally in Newton. “The good news is there are now funded programs (to pay) for it,” Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said of the line expansion. But, as the dust settles and more information becomes available, it appears there’s more work to be done before work on the route begins.
Source: Harvey County Now

Kansas casino early partnership with ‘DraftKings’ in anticipation of legalization of sports gambling

Early Tuesday, the Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Dodge City pushed forward with their partnership with a mobile sports gambling company. All of this before lawmakers have even signed the dotted line on any regulations to legalize sports betting in Kansas. While it’s still illegal here in Kansas, the ability to bet on your favorite live sports might soon be a reality. Which Kansans like Kyle Ricklefs say could be a game changer. “I think it would be awesome. I think it’d be really good for the economy, it’d be something fun for people to do,” said Ricklefs.
Source: KAKE – News

Will the infrastructure bill lead to Amtrak in Wichita?

Rail service returning to Wichita is now a possibility since President Biden signed the massive infrastructure bill. Leaders in Kansas are hoping it will happen, as the state will get 272 million dollars for public transportation. Chairman Chip Westfell, of the Harvey County Commission, said the signing of the bill has greatly improved the possible extension of the Heartland Flyer from Fort Worth, Tex. to Newton, Kan. He said it is not a done deal yet. “I was excited, enthused for all the rail fans. But, I am enthused for Kansas, enthused for everyone on the route,” said Commissioner Westfall. Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner is also enthused. “We are hoping in working with amtrak and the federal rail administration FRA to see what it is going to take to make sure we are in that first group of construction projects,” said Commissioner Meitzner.
Source: KSN-TV

‘Artie has left the building’

It would likely be hard to find a Paola resident who didn’t recognize the name and face of Paola Mayor Artie Stuteville. After all, she’s lived in the community since 1969. She’s served on the Planning Commission and City Council before becoming mayor in 2005. She’s owned a local laundromat and taxi service for more than 40 years. And she’s also hard to miss thanks to being blessed with a lot of height. But after 28 years of public service, Stuteville decided not to run for reelection in November, and she is passing the leadership torch to Paola City Council member Leigh House. House ran unopposed and won the Paola mayoral position with 555 votes in the Nov. 2 election.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

All Kansas adults can now get COVID booster shots

All fully vaccinated Kansans over the age of 18 are now eligible for COVID-19 booster shots, state health officials announced Wednesday. Before, Kansas followed federal guidelines, that booster shots should be available only to people over 65, with underlying health conditions or at risk because of their jobs or living conditions. But like governors in several other states, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she didn’t want to wait.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Manhattan gives initial approval to Manhattan Development Code

After years of working on updating and replacing zoning and subdivision regulations, commissioners on Tuesday approved the first reading of the Manhattan Development Code. John Adam, Manhattan senior planner, presented the first reading of the code, which will replace the current zoning and subdivision regulation with a unified set of regulations.
Source: themercury.com

Kansas opens vaccine booster to all eligible adults

The State of Kansas has announced that it’s opening vaccine boosters to all eligible adults. We spoke with the Crawford County Health Department about the announcement. On Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced the COVID booster shots will be open to all vaccinated Kansans ages 18 and up. Teddi Van Kam with the Crawford County Health Department says “It puts the decision you know, to the individual themselves, for them to kind of assess what their, what they feel like their exposure risk is at home, at work, out in the community.”
Source: KOAMKOAM

Parsons to remove pit bull ban

Parsons city commissioners plan to revoke the city’s ban on pit bulls. Commissioners on Monday unanimously agreed to remove the section of the animal ordinance that states pit bull dogs are prohibited. “This is something that’s been brought up a time or two over the past several months. … My hope is, anyway, that we could remove the breed-specific ban on pit bulls,” said Mayor Tom Shaw at the beginning of the discussion.
Source: Parsons Sun

All Ark City schools will close to quell COVID outbreaks

Arkansas City schools will take a 10-day wellness and mental break, hoping to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the district. At a special meeting Tuesday night, the school board approved adding Friday, Monday and Tuesday to the Thanksgiving break starting Wednesday (Nov. 24). All school sports and activities can continue as normal. Students will return to class Nov. 29. Superintendent Ron Ballard said the extended break would be the equivalent of the standard 10-day quarantine. “We have COVID going on at a pace that takes us all the way back to last year, and perhaps above in terms of the speed that it is increasing.” he said.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

TIF District approved for bare land

Finney County Economic Development Corporation is working with Western Kansas Corridor LLC on the development of property located at the northeast quadrant of the north interchange of U.S. Highway 50/400 and U.S. Highway 83. … Lona DuVall, President/CEO of the FCEDC said the Western Corridor TIF is … primarily a way for the developer to pay for the cost of establishing infrastructure in a bare piece of agricultural ground by way of utilities, roads, water runoff, etc. … the way Kansas law is written in regards to creating a TIF is the city has to make the termination that the property is either blighted or not producing as much as it could … “With this property being on the intersection of a very highly trafficked highway interchange, we would believe that it has the higher value than just what it’s being currently used for,” she said.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Lawrence-Douglas County continues discussion of solar farm regulations

As part of its meeting Monday, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission continued its discussion of new zoning regulations for rural Douglas County for commercial or utility-scale “solar energy conversion systems,” or solar farms. A committee has been working with planners to make revisions to the draft regulations, and committee chair Jim Carpenter said they were taking great care in that process. “We’ve not seen a text amendment come forward like this before that is of such big scale or duration,” Carpenter said. “We are trying to work out the rules here to allow industrial scale solar out in the rural parts of the county that could be in place for 30, 50 or more years.”
Source: LJWorld.com.

Municipal Bond Trends for November 16, 2021

TikTok 911: Lyon County dispatch draws a crowd

TikTok isn’t only for teenagers and milk crate stacking anymore. It’s now used by Lyon County first responders. The Lyon County Emergency Communication Center launched its own TikTok feed in late August. It’s now approaching 4,800 followers. “See a new side of dispatch,” a Facebook post about the feed said this past week. The first TikTok post was serious, marking “National I Am 911” Day. Other videos are humorous, with several “education bloopers” available.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Gov. Kelly Announces Legislature Will Reconvene Nov. 22nd

Governor Kelly announced Friday that she will use her constitutional power to reconvene the Kansas Legislature for a special session on November 22. This after the Legislature filed a petition with 86 signatures from members of the Kansas House and 29 members of the Kansas Senate, surpassing the two-thirds majority needed for a legislative petition. The focus of the special session will be the Biden administrations string of federal vaccine mandates and ways to protect Kansas workers who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

U.S. 69 toll lane project to expand, with Overland Park paying an extra $10 million

The Overland Park City Council on Monday agreed to add an additional $10 million in local costs to the U.S. 69 toll lane project, which will now include the reconstruction of the 167th Street interchange. This past spring, the council approved the first phase of the U.S. 69 expansion, to widen the highway to six lanes from 103rd to 151st streets — a $300 million project paid for in part by making one lane in each direction an express toll lane. Drivers could choose to pay a toll for a faster commute. The other lanes would remain free. Now, thanks to the passage of the federal infrastructure bill, the state will receive new funding to dedicate to the project, said Lindsey Douglas, deputy secretary with the Kansas Department of Transportation. And that will help accelerate work to improve the 167th Street interchange, from Metcalf Avenue to Antioch Road. Plans call for U.S. 69 to eventually be expanded south to 179th Street.
Source: Joco 913 News

Health officials concerned over COVID-19 uptick as holidays approach, mask mandates end

The rolling average of new COVID-19 cases in the Kansas City area continued to increase for the second consecutive week, raising the concerns of health officials ahead of the holidays. The upswing in cases has health officials concerned what will happen in the coming months as mask mandates have been allowed to expire and people head indoors for the winter months and for holiday celebrations. “When you start taking off masks and you go indoors, people are going to get sick again and we’re going to see the increasing rise of COVID-19 numbers,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System. “And that’s exactly what we’re starting to see and I’m concerned.”
Source: The Kansas City Star

Lawrence community celebrates new mural at Cottin’s Hardware

A crowd gathered Sunday to celebrate the completion of a new mural at Cottin’s Hardware, 1832 Massachusetts St. Artists Dave Loewenstein, Ardys Ramberg and Missy McCoy got started on the mural, “Tiempo de la Tierra,” on Sept. 7, just after the Lawrence City Commission gave it final approval. Loewenstein, conservation leader Brett Ramey, a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and Haskell Indian Nations University Professor Daniel Wildcat, a Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, spoke eloquently and with passion about the mural, our community, the global community and the precarious situation our earth is in, Tom Harper wrote of the event. “We were also reminded of the beauty that surrounds us & good people making meaningful contributions to make the world a better place. In our town, everyone involved in the mural and yesterday’s gathering are shining examples of this truth,” Harper wrote.
Source: The Lawrence Times

“A Bolder Humboldt” initiative aimed at making the town a vibrant place to live and visit

Ten years ago, Humboldt, Kansas, was a lot like thousands of small towns across the United States. Economic and social shifts had left the once-booming downtown feeling eerily abandoned. Walmart stores had opened up to the north and south of town, “sucking the life out,” as one local man put it. A highway bypass had been built. And, because of mechanization, the many farms in the area required fewer workers. As a result, many storefronts were empty and the town population was dwindling. But the residents of this town of 1900 people didn’t give up. The area economy was actually quite sound. There were three successful industries—farming, a cement plant, and a fast-growing trailer hitch company. It was the downtown and the sense of wellbeing that needed a shot of adrenaline. That boost is now being provided by Joe Works, the founder and CEO of B&W Trailer Hitches, and a group of young people, mostly made up of his children, who launched an initiative called A Bolder Humboldt aimed at making the town a vibrant place to live and visit. “Why should people have to move elsewhere to enjoy the nicer things in life? Why can’t they have all those things in a small town in the Midwest?” says Joe.
Source: Pivot Projects

Save Century II activists want safeguards to prevent renaming the center for money

The Century II Convention and Performing Arts Center will be Century II for the foreseeable future, but City Hall and its recently approved private management company could seek to rename parts of the facility for those who are willing to pay. City Manager Robert Layton said Tuesday that the city would be unlikely to get any bids for renaming the entire Century II, but there could be some opportunities to sell naming rights within the facility. Layton gave that update in response to questions raised by supporters of the Save Century II movement at Tuesday’s council meeting and in an earlier teleconference meeting with city officials and officials of ASM Global, which will take over the management of the now publicly run center in January.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Atchison Approves COVID Premium Pay from ARPA Funds

City Commissioners approved a one-time payment of $1,000 per employee for front-line employees who were deemed essential and forced to continue to work during the shutdown during the height of the COVID pandemic panic during Monday’s regular meeting. To be eligible for the payment, the employee must have started working with the City in 2020 or before and still be an employee of the organization. Department heads and those who were able to work remotely during the shutdown in 2020 are not eligible. The money is an allowable use of American Rescue Plan Act funds, of which the city is receiving nearly $1.6 million.
Source: www.atchisonglobenow.com

Johnson Drive through downtown Shawnee is going down to 3 lanes

Shawnee’s pilot project to reduce lanes and slow down traffic on Johnson Drive through the downtown area is now underway. Crews have begun re-striping a stretch of Johnson Drive between Flint and Goddard streets. Work is slated to wrap up by Friday. The project, also known as a “road diet,” reduces that part of Johnson Drive from five lanes (two lanes going both directions, with a shared left turn lane) to three lanes (one lane going both directions with a shared left turn lane).
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Roeland Park lets Johnson County’s last citywide mask mandate expire

The last city in Johnson County with a face mask mandate has let its order expire. Roeland Park was the only remaining city that required masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On Monday, the city council voted 5-4 to allow its current masking resolution to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. Mayor Mike Kelly broke the tie. The resolution had taken effect Aug. 24 and was initially set to expire Oct. 19, but the city council later extended the expiration date. The order required masks for all people indoors in places accessible to the public or in crowded outdoor public places, with some exceptions. Roeland Park was the second Johnson County city to enact a mask mandate in the absence of a countywide order after Prairie Village imposed one on businesses starting Aug. 24. The Prairie Village City Council allowed that city’s mandate to expire on Oct. 31.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Bus stop issue resolved

The issue of motorists having to stop for school buses along U.S. 54 just outside LaHarpe has been resolved. LaHarpe City Attorney Fred Works said Monday the Iola school district has reached an agreement with a family allowing buses to use the family’s driveway for pick-up and drop-offs. The bus will no longer stop along the highway. At least three motorists have been ticketed in recent weeks for passing the stopped bus from the opposite direction along the four-lane highway. Motorists must stop for a school bus from both directions if its red lights are flashing and its stop sign is extended. The only exception is when a motorist is approaching from the opposite direction along a four-lane highway divided by a grass median.
Source: The Iola Register

How will Kansas spend $1.6B in COVID aid? Charities, sheriffs, theaters make their pitch

Help for the homeless. Grants for movie theaters. Hydroelectricity. As Kansas prepares to allocate $1.6 billion in federal COVID-19 aid, business groups, non-profit organizations and civic advocates from across the state are pushing a sweeping range of proposals for spending it. They are all angling for a piece of the one-time funding that could prove transformational for a host of programs and initiatives. The money holds the potential to ultimately touch residents in all corners of the state through dollars for affordable housing, business start-ups, new and improved public buildings, better access to higher education and faster broadband internet. How this funding is spent largely rests with a panel of state, civic and business leaders who have been touring the state, listening to local CEOs, non-profit executives and residents make their case for their particular project. Known as SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas), the committee will produce recommendations that will go to the State Finance Council, a body made up of Gov. Laura Kelly and legislative leaders, for final approval.
Source: The Kansas City Star

$420K COVID grant will aid purchase of hotel for domestic violence shelter in Wichita

Money from a federal COVID-19 grant will be used to help the Wichita Family Crisis Center buy a hotel and transform it into a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The City Council on Tuesday approved spending $420,000 from the city’s CARES Act money to complete the purchase of the hotel. The council earlier approved $800,000 for the project. Following the approval of the funding, the center’s executive director, Amanda Meyers and about a dozen staff and supporters celebrated in the hallway outside the council chambers. “Truly, we are over the moon,” Meyers said. “It was so needed for so long.” The Family Crisis Center has only been able to provide about eight safe bedrooms for domestic abuse victims and families. The center used to be able to house more people, but the COVID crisis reduced capacity as clients had to be spread out more to reduce transmission of the coronavirus.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Municipal Bond Trends for November 15, 2021

Entirely possible that we’ll see low interest rates forever, asset manager says

Interest rates could remain at their record lows “forever,” according to one asset manager, despite a recent rush to normalize policy by many of the world’s central banks. GAM Investments’ Julian Howard told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” last week that he believed it was “entirely consistent historically to talk about low rates forever.” Howard is the lead investment director of multi-asset solutions at GAM, which has 103 billion Swiss francs ($112 billion) in assets under management. He cited research by economic historian Paul Schmelzing, who was a visiting scholar at the Bank of England when the paper was published in 2020. The research looked at interest rates globally dating back to the 14^th century, identifying a downward trend, with Schmelzing predicting that “real rates could soon enter permanently negative territory.” Howard said the lower rates that we had seen in recent years were, therefore, “actually a return to a very, very long-term trend of yields falling over an extended period of time.”
Source: Economy

KCK eyes overhead gondola as a new means of transit to connect to downtown Kansas City

At one time, downtown Kansas City was well connected to downtown Kansas City, Kansas. Over the years, there were trains, ferries and streetcars that allowed people to easily move across the Kansas River and across state lines. But those local connections deteriorated with the arrival of the intercontinental railroads and the interstate highways, said Gunnar Hand, director of planning and urban design at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. He’s now eyeing a novel way of reconnecting the respective cores of the two Kansas Cities. Hand and other planners are proposing an aerial lift that would move people in gondolas far above the ground.
Source: Kansas City Star

Ready for air taxis? Here’s why Kansas could be a player in the future of aviation

The next time you are outside, look up. You might see houses, buildings, a few trees. Higher you may see some clouds, a commercial airplane, a military airplane. Maybe there’s a helicopter. In other words, not much. That’s changing. Aerospace engineers and entrepreneurs across the world are in a race to fundamentally change how we see the sky. They are working on new air vehicles — in an industry called advanced air mobility — that will be used to drop packages on your doorstep, transport people and cargo over shorter distances and could even give people the ability to call air-taxis.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Governor’s Tourism Award Winner

Governor Laura Kelly today congratulated Roger Hrabe, Rooks County Economic Development Director, on receiving the Governor’s Tourism Award. The Governor announced the prestigious award during the annual Kansas Tourism Conference in Liberal. “Our tourism industry supports Kansas jobs, injects millions into our economy, and preserves our state’s unique history for future generations – but its success wouldn’t be possible without talented Kansans like Roger Hrabe,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “Roger truly understands the connection between tourism and developing a thriving community, and his work has gone above and beyond for the people of Rooks County. Congratulations, Roger, on this well-deserved recognition.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

US farmland values rise the most in nearly a decade on crop prices

High crop prices are trickling down to agriculture real estate, which have risen by the most in nearly a decade. Farmland values jumped 18% from a year ago during the third quarter of 2021 in the Seventh Federal Reserve District, a five-state region including all of Iowa and most of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the Chicago Fed. The gains come as farmers were bolstered by high incomes and low interest rates, and after corn and soybean futures climbed to multiyear peaks in Chicago amid adverse weather for crops. Now, the high farmland prices are adding to concerns about inflation, with rising costs for raw materials and transportation leading to increases in food prices.
Source: Wichita Eagle

How will Kansas spend $1.6B in COVID aid? Charities, sheriffs, theaters make their pitch

How Shawnee County is prepping for winter roads

Shawnee County Public Works is busy Monday making sure it’s ready when winter weather hits. The department has been buying chemicals and checking out equipment since September. While that may seem early, the last thing they want to do is be underprepared when winter weather strikes. When plows and other vehicles do get out on the road, the department director wants to remind other drivers to be careful.
Source: KSNT News

Lenexa Police’s new comfort dog ‘boosts morale’ during times of trauma, tragedy

The newest officer at the Lenexa Police Department hasn’t been sworn to protect, doesn’t write tickets and isn’t even human. Nonetheless, Lexi Blue — a golden doodle — has been hard at work serving as the police station’s first-ever comfort dog. Since joining the department in June, Lexi has visited with hundreds of community members, including elementary students, shoppers at the Lenexa Public Market and teens grieving the loss of a classmate. And already, police officers have noticed a difference.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Galena welcomes Lightning McQueen to town

Lightning McQueen is now calling Galena, Kansas home. A number of folks gathered at the famous Luigi’s Pit Stop on Front Street over the weekend. Luigi’s has been home to a number of the Cars movie replicas – from the tractor tippin’ to the sheriff looking over everything. Kids and parents can go check it out at 205 East Front Street in Galena.
Source: KOAMKOAM

City of Sedgwick names Brian Keller as city administrator

Brian Keller, a 1984 graduate from Halstead High School, has been hired as the new city administrator for Sedgwick and will begin on Nov. 22. Keller has spent the last twenty years living in Wamego and working for the State of Kansas with most of that Department of Revenue as a taxation agent. He recently transferred to Wichita and has lived in Halstead for the last few months. Sedgwick Mayor Bryan Chapman said that Keller’s local ties and his interest in living in Sedgwick were factors in his higher, as were his people skills and his ability to communicate. Chapman said he interviewed very well. “He’s very easy to talk to,” Chapman said. “I think he’ll work well with both the public and our employees, getting a feel for what’s going on and I think he’s anxious to learn. I think he’ll be very involved in all aspects of the community.”
Source: Harvey County Now

Kansas sees bumper revenue projections

Kansas is flush with cash, updates to the state’s fiscal forecast released Wednesday project, and the news is sure to prompt considerable jockeying among legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly over how to spend the expected windfall. The state avoided the worst case scenario of seeing revenues plummet due to COVID-19 and instead has seen its tax collections soar in recent months, with experts saying the state’s economy has rebounded from the pandemic. Officials now project the state will take in $1.3 billion more than initially thought for the current fiscal year, a 17% increase which brings the current revenue estimates to $8.8 billion overall.
Source: GC Telegram

How state’s decision on Docking building could affect downtown Topeka

Downtown Topeka’s revival is not a secret — looking at a picture of its strip shows businesses, restaurants and residences where none existed previously. But Morse, a real estate broker at Kansas Commercial, said one of the key building blocks in bringing back the area is less well known: the state of Kansas. Before Docking State Office Building was vacated, workers would carry lunch pails to and from their cars, not wanting to spend time walking over to S. Kansas Avenue. As the state gravitated toward private leases throughout downtown, that opened up more possibilities for state employees to eat, shop and even live in the area. ‘They’ve sustained a lot of businesses and they sustain our growth downtown on Kansas Avenue and changing who we are,’ Morse said.
Source: Salina Journal

These three Kansas rodeos win awards

Abbyville is once again on the map. The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association awarded Abbyville Frontier Days PRCA Rodeo third place in the prairie circuit for best footing — meaning the rodeo ensures a safe and stable ground for the animals in the rodeo. The award specifically focusses on barrel racing horses. The Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo out of Abilene was voted most improved.
Source: Hutch News

Municipal Bond Trends for November 12, 2021

End to lawsuit over nixed $300M Olathe project precedes Garmin land deal

Key puzzle pieces were sliding into place shortly before Garmin Ltd. completed its purchase of the former Great Mall of the Great Plains site in Olathe. The electronics manufacturer bought 193 acres northwest of Interstate 35 and 151st Street, west of its existing Olathe headquarters. Company officials said the acquisition was made for future facilities and workforce growth. But first, there was a separate property sale and resolution of a civil lawsuit involving two parties who used to own portions of the acreage.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals