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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2026-08-07T10:07:18-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Derby approves STAR bond district expansion to explore potential development

The Derby City Council had a captive audience at its Oct. 26 meeting, as the city hall lobby was full of local residents on hand for a public hearing regarding the expansion of the Derby STAR bond district. As noted by staff, the vote at hand was simply to expand the boundaries of the current STAR bond district to include a nearly 44-acre tract of land east of the Derby Sports Zone site (and northeast of the Target store on Tall Tree Road). The vote did not include approval of the proposed project itself, which would feature a Crystal Lagoons man-made beachfront attraction, 150-room hotel, glamping (“glamorous camping”) site and more.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Local K9 officers to receive donation of protective vests

The Garden City Police Department and Finney County Sheriff’s Office K9s will soon each receive a bullet and stab proof protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s. According to media releases, K9 Koda’s vest will be embroidered with the message, “in memory of K9 Kye, Oklahoma Police Department,” while K9 Shiva’s vest will be embroidered with “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always.” Delivery of the vests is expected within eight to ten weeks.
Source: Greater Garden City » Feed

Johnson County voter turnout this year could set new record for off-year municipal elections

A higher-than-average voter turnout is expected in Tuesday’s municipal elections in Johnson County. That’s judging by advance voting numbers so far along with requests for mail-in ballots, county Election Commissioner Fred Sherman said Thursday. Sherman told Johnson County commissioners this year’s turnout may be near or slightly above 20% – which would be a high point for off-year, midterm elections that usually draw fewer voters than the partisan contests that happen in even years and feature races for state and federal offices. Turnout in the 2019 city elections was close to 17%, according to the election commission archive. Sherman said there’s been some improvement in voter turnout for city elections since the Kansas Legislature moved them from April to November, starting in 2017.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Overland Park could see electronic scooters starting this spring with proposed pilot program

Motorized scooters are one step closer to making their way from downtown Kansas City to the Overland Park area. At their Wednesday meeting, the city council’s Public Works Committee recommended the approval of a new resolution that would allow city staff to start negotiations for an e-scooter pilot program with Lime and Bird, two of the biggest players in the emerging e-scooter industry. Both companies have shown interest in bringing their pay-per-ride vehicles to the Johnson County suburbs. Last month, Bird inked a deal with Prairie Village to launch a pilot in that city.
Source: Prairie Village Post

‘We have a place for you:’ Johnson County sheriff welcomes unvaccinated officers from other states

The sheriff of Johnson County wants to welcome officers from across the county. In a news release, Sheriff Calvin Hayden said Thursday his office is a safe haven for law enforcement officers in other states who do not want to be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine. “True to our Midwestern values, Johnson County is a place where freedom is valued, and law enforcement is respected. The support our citizens have shown over the last several years has been overwhelming,” Hayden said. In August, Johnson County implemented a policy requiring employees to be fully vaccinated or get a weekly COVID-19 test. A day after the county made that announcement, Hayden said he would not follow the mandate.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Cybersecurity experts release recommendations

A statewide position to coordinate cyber security work across sectors, an emergency plan for potential digital attacks and allowing local governments to tap into state IT contracts are among the initial recommendations released Thursday by a panel of cybersecurity experts asked to evaluate the state’s digital landscape. The report from the task force, created by Gov. Laura Kelly in July, comes as the state’s vulnerabilities to cyber attacks come better into focus, with officials looking at ways to reduce the potential risks of state and local governments to costly attacks. Earlier this month, officials in Pottawatomie County paid out over $72,000 to resolve an attack which crippled many of its computer systems for weeks.
Source: Salina Journal

New Halstead police officer enjoys serving tight-knit community

Halstead’s newest full-time police officer describes himself as a community-oriented person who wants to do the best job possible to help people. “Building relationships with people in the community and being able to go up and talk to them in a personable manner or almost as a friend instead of as an officer—that’s what I want to do,” Josh Crowe said. “I just want to be embedded in the community and help out as much as possible.” Crowe, whose first day with Halstead P.D. was Sept. 27, said he’s looking forward to meeting more people and building good relationships with them.
Source: Harvey County Now

Garden City celebrates construction of new shooting range

Bracing against 50-mph wind gusts that stirred up grit and dust, local elected officials, law enforcement and community members met Wednesday afternoon to “break ground” for the new gun range located south of Garden City on Old Highway 83. Construction of the state-of-the-art facility actually began several weeks ago and is well underway. The project is one of four projects included in a sales tax initiative Finney County voters approved in 2017.
Source: Greater Garden City » Feed

Lawrence municipal services workers vote to join Teamsters

The 85 workers responsible for Lawrence’s infrastructure, street maintenance, engineering and more have voted by more than a 4-1 margin to unionize with Teamsters Local 696. The City of Lawrence Municipal Services and Operations department follows in the footsteps of sanitation workers, who voted to join the union in August 2020 and ratified their first contract this summer that increases wages and provides strong seniority language, grievance procedures and more, according to a Thursday news release from the union. The MSO workers want better wages, fairer work rules and improved benefits, the release says.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Douglas County Commission takes next steps toward repairing, waterproofing historic courthouse

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday voted unanimously to allow staff to seek out professional design services for a project to waterproof and repair the basement of the historic county courthouse. The project aims to fix the courthouse’s water infiltration issues. The work will involve excavation of the courthouse’s perimeter in order to get to its lowest point, testing and repairing the building’s stones, and adding waterproofing drain tile that would connect to a sump pump to collect and move water away from the building. “Back in 1904, I think when the building was constructed, they didn’t do waterproofing on these types of structures,” said Jay Zimmerschied, director of capital improvement projects. “These buildings traditionally are incredibly porous, and that’s what we’re trying to stop.”
Source: The Lawrence Times

Johnson County FD#1 acquires 21 Spring Hill firemen in split

Twenty-one SH firemen will be contracted with Johnson County Fire District #1 next month. The change has been in the works about two years, as Overland Park has annexed land in the Spring Hill (JCFD#2) area, the decision was made to split #2 evenly between Overland Park and JCFD#1, which serves the Gardner Edgerton area. Dennis Meyer, fire chief for JCFD#1, said the change will not increase costs to local residents; however, the district will assume 21 Spring Hill employees, and #2 will contract for that management.
Source: Gardner News

West Lawrence home gets to keep its artificial palm trees; other homes may get to add them too

Planning and Development Services Director Jeff Crick … said his office’s original analysis that the city’s land development code prohibits artificial plants from being used to meet the code’s landscape material standards was accurate. However, that code also exempts “detached dwellings” from complying with those landscape standards. “So, that code section would not apply to a residence…” That brings up the question of whether artificial trees are now fair game at homes across the city. The answer is that it depends on location and other factors such as size. But, with the current ruling, there certainly are some opportunities for property owners to install artificial trees or other types of synthetic vegetation.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Baldwin City mother files petition to challenge Douglas County’s mask mandate

A Baldwin City resident recently filed a petition in Douglas County District Court to challenge a mask mandate for children under the age of 12, alleging that the mask requirement causes her child “severe anxiety, stress and a lack of concentration.” Marie Taylor, the mother of a 9-year-old, filed the petition on behalf of the child, in response to the county’s current mask order, which requires anyone between the ages of 2 and 11 to wear a mask indoors in public settings, including in public school buildings. The Douglas County Commission issued the order in August, then extended it for 90 days in September because children in that age range were not yet eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines …
Source: LJWorld.com.

Rose Hill fitness center gets upgrades

October marked the official unveiling of the new fitness center at the Rose Hill Recreation Commission (400 S. Rose Hill Rd.). The upgraded fitness center has expanded by about 750 square feet, according to RHRC Superintendent Jason Steadman, through movement of some office space. Additionally, new fitness equipment was secured for the renovated space. “We’ve added 1,200 pounds of free weights, an olympic bench press, a hip sled, a leg press … and new cable machines for biceps/triceps,” Steadman said. Renovations began in March 2021. While there are a few finishing touches being made, the space has officially opened to RHRC members.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Public service is way of life for longtime Derby resident

For 46 years, Larry Gould has had a hand in the growth, vision, and safety of the community through his service on councils, boards, and committees. The spry 81-year-old moved to Derby from Wichita in 1965, and on the advice of a friend that “this is a small community and you’ve got to support it,” he become involved with the Derby Jaycees. His first foray into public service came in 1975 when he was elected to a two-year term on the Derby City Council, followed in 1981 by election to a four-year term on the Board of Education and appointment in 1987 to an unexpired City Council term through 1991.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Overland Park takes this step to solve financial issues for fire departments in JoCo

As Overland Park, Leawood and Olathe have grown, financial problems have mounted for the fire district that serves rural southeast Johnson County. The expansion of those cities has shrunk Fire District No. 2, and its tax base, creating a bleak future for the district. Right now, Fire District No. 2 is serving territory that Overland Park annexed in 2008, but the city is about to open a new fire station for that area and will terminate the service agreement earlier than initially planned. Jim Francis, chief of Fire District No. 2, said the move will cost the district even more revenue, about $1.5 million next year. The remedy? Fire District No. 2 will cede day-to-day operations to Overland Park and to Fire District No. 1, which serves southwest Johnson County. Overland Park will absorb 22 staff members and the area east of Lackman Road. Fire District No. 1 will take 22 employees and the area west of Lackman.
Source: Joco 913 News

Saline County approves agreement to pledge $1 million towards new RHID

The Saline County board of commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward in the process of developing the South View Estates Rural Housing Incentive District located near South Ohio Street and Schilling Road. With the vote, they affirmed their previous decision made on Aug. 31 not to protest the formation of the RHID and authorized chairman Rodger Sparks to sign an agreement between the county and the City of Salina. The county will work with the developers to identify ARPA-eligible costs, for which they set aside $1,000,000 to spend on housing, and transmit those to the city for preapproval.
Source: Salina Journal

‘Don’t walk, run!’: Emporia brewery owner’s business booming with state ‘Main Street’ program

An Emporia business owner is applauding a recently expanded state economic development program for keeping his business up and running, especially during the pandemic. Jeremy Johns, co-owner of Radius Brewing Company, said the state’s “Main Street” program had been ‘proactive’ in providing the support his brewpub needs to stay afloat. “A lot of times, businesses don’t know what kind of help they need, and Main Street reaches out to us and says, ‘Hey, we see this coming up, how can we help? Here are some things that might be helpful for you…,'” Johns said. Emporia is one of 28 designated communities under the Main Street program, which is expanding to three new communities in 2022.
Source: KSN-TV

USPS slow down creating late utility bills in northeast Kansas

Some community members across northeast Kansas are having to pay up because the United States Postal Service is slowing down. USPS launched new standards for first class mail at the beginning of October. This has caused a slow down for certain deliveries across the country. A handful of residents in Wamego say this has led to receiving their utility bills late, but city officials are assuring them there are other ways to pay.
Source: KSNT News

City of Lawrence wants to hear from transit riders and pedestrians about getting around town

Changes are coming to the way people get around town in Lawrence. City staff and steering committee members want to hear from the public about the future for pedestrians and transit riders. After months of work and planning, the city has rolled out two proposed scenarios to redesign bus routes. The work to gather feedback and finalize route changes by the end of this year — to be implemented in August 2022 — complements plans for a bus transfer facility coming to Bob Billings and Crestline Drive.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Saline County breaks ground on $89 million jail project

Construction will begin soon on an $89 million jail in Salina. The new jail will be located in north Salina at 800 E. Pacific Avenue. The jail is expected to consist of housing for approximately 392 inmates, increased space for rehabilitation programming, office spaces for the sheriff`s office, and parking for staff and the public.
Source: KSN-TV

Why Sedgwick County turns its eyes to San Antonio for mental health solutions

Every weekday at San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters, people line up at windows to report crimes, seek advice, maybe challenge a parking ticket. But not everyone is here to conduct typical police business. Some are unsheltered and have heard the police can help them get or recover an ID, removing a huge barrier to receiving services. The ID program is the brainchild of the department’s homeless outreach team, and it represents one small piece of a puzzle that San Antonio and Bexar County (population 2 million) have been putting together since the early 2000s. Its purpose: to reduce the number of people living on the streets and to try to help those with mental illness and addiction issues who often end up in courts and jails.
Source: KSN-TV

November general election breakdown: Why some Kansas communities are pushing for a sales tax increase

The November general election is just one week away. Besides candidates, thousands of Kansas voters will vote on ballot questions. From new fire stations to better parks and even mental health services, several community leaders said they need extra funding for some essential upgrades. “The fire station is just too small. We have firefighters sleeping in spaces that used to be closets, so it is behind time, it is past time,” said Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell. … Great Bend is hoping to add up to a .45% increase to its sales tax. “It is the most equitable tax everyone pays the same amount, including people that aren’t from Great Bend,” said Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis.
Source: KSN-TV

Thrive’s goal: Getting people to work in Allen County

County commissioners will need to consider whether to pay more to expand a countywide transportation program to round-the-clock coverage. The current schedule doesn’t help people who need to get to work. Three local industries are willing to contribute to costs to expand coverage. A county transportation plan could expand to round-the-clock coverage to help employees get to work. At least that’s the hope for Thrive Allen County. Representatives asked county commissioners to agree to spend up to $54,000 more a year to expand the service and purchase another vehicle for the program.
Source: The Iola Register

Manhattan nixes Sunday AM liquor sales proposal

Liquor stores and retailers will have to wait on any loosening of local rules about alcohol sales. Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday discussed amending local ordinances to allow the sale of liquor to begin at 9 a.m. Sundays, which is now allowed under state law. Currently, stores can sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Mayor Wynn Butler and commissioners Mark Hatesohl and Linda Morse — the majority of the commission — said they weren’t in favor of pushing back the time.
Source: themercury.com

Water use in Garden City grows

Water consumption in Garden City is on a slight upward trend, but is about 5% less in 2021 than in 2020, which was an abnormally high-water usage year. Fred Jones, Garden City Water Resource Manager, gave an update on water consumption in the city at the Garden City Commission meeting on Oct. 19. Jones said the range among consumption totals differs approximately 245 million gallons of water over the past five years, which is staying relatively level, but looking at the trend line, there’s a slight increasing trend, but the community is growing, so it’s expected.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Snowy winter predicted in Johnson County — see if your city requires homeowners to shovel sidewalks

Ok, we realize it’s not even Halloween yet, but residents of Johnson County may want to make sure they have their snow shovels ready. This winter could be a harsh one, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which says the greater Kansas city area is predicted to be  cold and snowy this upcoming winter. … And with snow comes the unavoidable chore of shoveling your driveway. And in some homeowners’ cases, shoveling city sidewalks next to their homes. Maybe the city of Overland Park had that in mind when it recently posted on its Facebook page a “City Code of the Month” reminder telling residents that, according to city ordinances, they are not only responsible for shoveling their property but should also clear public sidewalks adjacent to their property.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Iola raises pay 5.9%

Christmas came early for Iola city employees Monday night. Council members approved a 5.9% cost of living adjustment to employee paychecks next year, mirroring the same increases Social Security recipients will receive next year. The city traditionally has tied its COLA to the Social Security Index. Next year’s raise is the largest in the past 20 years. The last time COLAs were north of 5% was in 2009, when raises were 5.8%. While the raises are above what the Council planned when setting the 2022 budget earlier this year, with insurance premiums rising only about 1.3% next year, the city should have plenty of room to absorb the generous increase, City Administrator Matt Rehder explained.
Source: The Iola Register

How a meatpacking plant changed one Kansas town 40 years ago and left a Colorado community behind

Garden City and Lamar share the same river, the same highway, the same railroad line and the same Dust Bowl past. And through the 1960s, they were roughly the same size. But the population of Finney County — home to Garden City — has doubled since 1970. It’s now over 38,000. The number of people living in Prowers County — home to Lamar — has slowly slipped under 12,000. Larry Jones has watched the transformation of western Kansas’ largest city from his farm and cattle company that sits just outside of town. “If you’d been here 20 years ago and looked at it,” he said, “you wouldn’t recognize the town.” Next door to Jones’ milo field sits the giant, boxy structure that resuscitated Garden City: Tyson Foods’ Finney County beef plant. Inside, more than 3,000 workers — most of them immigrants and refugees — butcher 6,000 head of cattle every day.
Source: KSN-TV

Andover voters to decide on proposed sales tax

A question for a one cent sales tax will be on the Nov. 2 ballot for Andover voters. The sales tax will sunset in no later than eight years. The proceeds of the sales tax will pay for the purchase of a second fire station, a remodel of the existing fire station, and a complete teardown and renovation of the 13th Street Sports Park. A fire station south of US54 is important as the city continues to grow and especially as the expansion of US54 comes nearer, the city said in a release. The park reconstruction will add an additional baseball/softball diamond and provide lighting for all five diamonds. It will also move and properly grade the playing fields – aiming to reduce the need for game cancellations.
Source: Derby Informer | Area

Barton County Commission wants to get tough with state

In recapping last week’s Kansas Association Of Counties annual meeting, Barton County officials who attended returned with a handful of key takeaways, and the review of these led to passionate discussion amongst county commissioners when they met Tuesday morning at the courthouse…. In addition to the educational workshops and vendor exhibits, the KAC’s Legislative Policy Statement was finalized. It was the soft-handed tone of this statement that sparked frustrations for commissioners. “The KAC needs to be tougher on the state,” said District 3 Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson, who was Barton County’s voting delegate and attended along with District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. In particular, he referenced the statement on property taxes and Senate Bill 13, the so-called truth in taxation or revenue neutral law. “It’s very legal mumbo jumbo,” Hutchinson said. “It just needs to say this thing is stupid. You need to get rid of SB 13.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Parents took a fight against masks in schools to the Kansas Supreme Court, and an entire law is at stake

Parents took a fight over school masks in the Shawnee Mission School District to the Kansas Supreme Court Tuesday, and a controversial law limiting state and local pandemic responses is hanging in the balance. Oral arguments over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 40 focused on due process, the timeliness of the challenge and whether a district court ruling calling the law unconstitutional should be overturned. At the heart of the lawsuit is a bill fueled by Republican dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The GOP had been pushing back against Kelly’s actions, like closing businesses early in the pandemic and ordering masks.
Source: KCUR News

‘Reframing Topeka’ meetings discuss ways to improve the city

A project called “Reframing Topeka” is looking to make the city a better place. It’s a series of open conversations and anyone is welcome to attend. Leaders from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library guide the discussions. Their goal is to spark real conversations about practical solutions to make Topeka better. People who attend the event are placed into small groups. Within those groups, they discuss the issues they see throughout the Topeka community and share ideas and suggestions. The talks are broken up into categories such as how to make Topeka safer, fairer, more successful or more fun. “When we talk about it we talk about the trade-offs of each idea,” Lissa Staley with the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library said. “So if we did something, what else might happen and can we accept that?”
Source: KSNT News

Pops of color on the street helping your drinking water

The Topeka Zoo and the city have teamed up to create the “Waterways Protection Project.” This new project is centered around the creation of colorful, painted storm drains that will help raise awareness of the pollution going down them. Storm drains in Topeka lead out to the Kansas River, which eventually leads to the Mississippi River, which then goes out to the ocean. This means that if the number of pollution going into storm drain’s in Topeka drops, so will the amount of pollution going into the ocean. According to Dennis Dinwiddie, the Director of Conservation and Education at Topeka Zoo, it takes only a gallon of oil to contaminate up to a million gallons of river water. By creating these colorful storm drains, the zoo is hoping to attract attention to the issue of pollution going down the drains and thus affecting wildlife and the quality of our drinking water.
Source: KSNT News

Shawnee considers giving property tax relief to low-income residents — here’s how it would work

Shawnee is planning to create a new property tax rebate program for low-income residents. Funding for the pilot program would come from roughly $98,000 that comprises the remaining balance in the 10 Quivira Community Improvement District Fund. The Shawnee City Council on Monday had an extensive discussion about the rebate pilot program, driven mainly by comments in favor of helping out low-income residents as much as possible. Still, no official action was taken, and the city council unanimously agreed to consider enacting the program at a future city meeting. The 10 Quivira CID, also called Ten Quivira Plaza, is the shopping center located at the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Quivira Road.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Supreme Court digs into emergency management law

Who went too far? A Johnson County district judge who found the state’s new emergency management law unconstitutional. Or the Legislature that authored the law? The Kansas Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with those issues as it tried to decide the fate of the new emergency management law passed last session. The bill – known as SB 40 – gave Kansans new legal recourse if they believed they’ve been aggrieved by a health order issued by the state and local governments, including school districts. The law came about in response to complaints that health officers across the state had over-asserted their authority with restrictions – such as stay-at-home orders and mask mandates – that were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

Topeka’s $10K relocation incentive has ‘changed the trajectory’ of city, Greater Topeka Partnership VP says

Topeka is offering $10,000 to remote workers willing to buy a house and relocate to the Golden City. Since the pandemic’s forced work-from-home shift, remote workers have become the gold in a rush by rural towns and shrinking cities to attract these free agents and their out-of-state salaries. “Looking at talent has become one of the most important assets that people are going to be vying for over the next 10 years for sure,” said Bob Ross, vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Topeka Partnership, which runs the program. “We decided to go ahead and put our money where our mouth is and say you know what, if you’re willing to relocate here to work remote or for one of our local employers, you could get $10-15,000.”
Source: The Chanute Tribune

Webinars about the ReConnect Program (loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas)

ReConnect Program Webinars FY2022

Interested to learn more about our Rural Development ReConnect Program? USDA will host four webinars covering the ReConnect Program Regulation and the recently announced ReConnect Program FY2022 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

ReConnect Program Regulation Webinar 

We will present this webinar twice. The second presentation will provide the same information as the first one; no new information will be added to the second session. Please register for the session that’s most convenient for you.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

ReConnect Program FY2022 FOA Webinar 

We will present this information twice. The second presentation will provide the same information as the first one; no new information will be added to the second session. Please register for the session that’s most convenient for you.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Thursday, November 18, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Slides, a transcript, and a recording of each webinar will be posted on the ReConnect website after each session.

You can also find registration links at the events page on the ReConnect website.

ReConnect Program Regulation Webinar

Presented by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service, this webinar will provide information about the ReConnect Program regulation published on February 26, 2021. This rule describes the eligibility requirements, the application process, and the criteria that will be used by USDA to assess applicants’ creditworthiness.

This webinar will include:

  • An overview of the ReConnect Program regulation requirements
  • A high-level look at eligibility requirements
  • The application submission process and key evaluation criteria
  • An opportunity to ask questions about the regulation

ReConnect Program FY2022 FOA Webinar

On Monday, October 25, 2021, USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) announcing that it will begin accepting applications for fiscal year 2022 for the Rural eConnectivity Program (or ReConnect Program). The application window will open on November 24, 2021. In addition, this announcement also details the requirements that have been established based on feedback from the public comment period that closed on April 27, 2021 (as outlined in the regulation).

To support the application process, staff from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service will conduct a webinar on the funding announcement.

The webinar will include:

  • An awards update from previous rounds
  • Program requirements and scoring criteria for this FOA
  • An opportunity to ask questions about program requirements and scoring criteria

Additional Information

RUS encourages you to submit questions about the regulation or the FOA ahead of each webinar; please submit them through this form. We’ll address questions as time permits during each session; we’ll include the most common ones on our frequently asked questions page on the ReConnect website (link here: https://www.usda.gov/reconnect).

New visitor’s center near Mullinville opens featuring the metal artwork of M.T. Liggett

On October 2, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the M.T. Art Environment visitor center near Mullinville. Director Ann Dixson said she was relieved and happy that those scissors she held signified the grand opening that she as site steward and director was long planning for and working toward steadily. “We served cookies at the grand opening event that had little hearts on them because M.T. liked to make heart shapes in his sculptural works,” Dixson said. Myron Thomas (M.T.) Liggett became famous for creating politically charged, sometimes comic or slightly infuriating metal totems and whirligigs. He has created a line-up of pieces that grace the roadside essentially of pasture fence along US Hwy 400 and Kansas Highway 54.
Source: Salina Journal

A stroll through Hutchinson’s past

On Friday, Stage 9 Hutchinson volunteers made history come alive as tour guides lead patrons around downtown, from Avenue A to Second Street, to see Hutchinson’s historical sites during their If Walls Could Talk event. Each location provided either a live performance or a pre-recorded performance to teach residents and tourists about each buildings’ history. Hutchinson, founded in 1871, has a long history, with multiple buildings that have stood the test of time. “Imagine!” Stage 9 Hutchinson volunteer performer Rachel Hein said. “This place was once a glittering hotel and restaurant in 1889,” she told the guests of the If Walls Could Talk downtown walking tour.
Source: Hutch News

Sky-high murals on silos and buildings are transforming these Kansas communities into works of art

From Hays to Great Bend to Lecompton, small towns across the state increasingly turn to larger-than-life works of art to inspire pride among residents and attract tourists. And as more towns blaze this artistic trail, the economic benefits of murals — and the roadmap to getting them done — come into focus. Miller, an artist who has lived and worked in Hays for the past 10 years, is putting the finishing touches on a painting that depicts Indigenous bison dancers from tribes who once used the western Kansas plains as hunting grounds.
Source: CJonline

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