Kansas Municipal News
Wichita aviation companies win millions in workforce development grants
Four Wichita aviation manufacturers, as well as the Wichita Airport Authority, have been awarded millions in grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce to support their training and workforce development efforts. In total, Commerce says it awarded nearly $20 million to seven recipients through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program, with the goal of supporting capital projects that spur regional economic development in the aviation industry as it continues post-Covid recovery.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Roofs going up in Newton
With a half-year to go, 2023 has already seen more new housing starts in Newton than nine of the 11 last years. Year-to-date, the city has seen permits pulled for 34 living units. That puts the city well on pace to surpass last year’s total of 37 starts. According to City Engineer Suzanne Loomis, 20 of those starts involve single-family homes. … The number of housing starts for 2023 follows up on 2022’s 37 housing starts. In 2017, the city added 116 units, driven by the construction of apartment complexes on the south side of the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas firefighters receive $16.8 million from Kansas Insurance Department
The Kansas Insurance Department has made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs). Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, over $16.8 million has been distributed among 554 local FRAs throughout the state. Kansas Insurance Dept. Commissioner Vicki Schmidt said in a press release, “Firefighters put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges that by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones. 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.”
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Funding available to power clean energy in rural communities
Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects offer a significant opportunity to revitalize rural communities and diversify the local economy. Increased tax revenue from renewable energy projects enables school districts, cities, and other entities to address local emergency services and infrastructure improvement needs while reducing the local tax burden. Additionally, farmers and landowners can earn additional income through land-lease payments from project developers, and new job opportunities arise during the development, construction, and operation of a project. Those economic benefits have not gone unnoticed in Washington, D.C.
Source: Pratt Tribune
Vogts Parga moving to Moundridge
Vogts Parga will be moving its office from downtown Newton to Moundridge. Rene Parga, owner, said the decision was based on the opportunity to put the office next to the company’s shop. “I hate to leave, but we have a better chance to have everything together,” he said. The company recently purchased buildings along I-135 highway and Highway 260 (Arrowhead Road) in Moundridge. A notice on the company’s website said the property will allow space to provide room for future growth. Parga said the company rented the Newton office and will be out of it by the end of 2023.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick County plans to build a new emergency preparedness center
Sedgwick County is buying land to build a new emergency preparedness center in southwest Wichita. Construction of the roughly 27,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost around $16 million. A federal grant the county plans to apply for could finance 70% of the project. The county commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Friday to purchase 4.9 acres at the southwest corner of MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue for $613,934. The county expects to close on the property next week. The site at MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue that Sedgwick County will purchase to construct a new Emergency Preparedness Center.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Stan Herds earthwork revering John Brown to be unveiled Saturday in Osawatomie
Lawrence artist Stan Herd has created an earthwork portrait of Kansas abolitionist John Brown for the City of Osawatomie. The first-of-its-kind tribute to Brown is set to be unveiled on Saturday. The land artwork is located at John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie. The city in April announced the new partnership with Herd in an “effort to highlight the city’s critical role in pre-Civil War American history” and “transition the currently-state maintained historic site into a national park and museum, much akin to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia,” according to a news release.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Sedgwick County FD uses new service to alert drivers
Sedgwick County Fire District 1 (SCFD) now has a new way to warn drivers that a fire truck is responding to an emergency and motorists need to use caution. SCFD vehicles were recently equipped with a system called HAAS Alert that automatically sends digital notifications to drivers in the area when a fire truck’s lights and sirens are activated. The alerts appear through GPS on cars’ navigation and entertainment screens and on drivers’ cell phones, letting them know a fire truck is en route or on the scene of an urgent call. This advance warning, in addition to traditional lights and sirens, has been proven to protect first responders and reduce the likelihood of secondary collisions near roadside incidents by up to 90%. “We’re happy to be able to add another level of protection for our firefighters, so they can respond to incidents as safely as possible,” said SCFD Chief Doug Williams. “This service gives motorists extra time to see us, slow down and move over safely. “
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Douglass city pool adds color
Douglass city pool got some bright new colors painted on its walls. It all started when the Douglass pool got new management at the beginning of the summer. They contacted a local town artist, and author Jessica Williams to see if she could paint the entrance and a couple murals on the inside walls as well. Williams has been an art enthusiast since she can remember, taking all the art classes and clubs she could. She even got to be a part of the K-State Mural team where she painted a couple murals on the K-State campus that she says are still there to this day. Williams said when she found out they wanted her to paint these murals she immediately started the rough sketches for them. Just 23 minutes later she submitted the hard rough sketches to the pool managers. Later she went up to the city pool and sketched out her design until it was perfected, then proceeded to begin the painting process. Willams has finished 2 murals already at the pool and has just a few more to start and finish for them.
Source: Andover American
Municipal Bond Trends for June 16, 2023
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.
Sedgwick schools and rec commission discuss working together
USD 439 and the Sedgwick Recreation Commission have agreed to consolidate their effort in offering a wellness center to the community but they still have obstacles to overcome in making it a reality. Superintendent Greg Lehr said the district plans to have the outdoor track, the indoor walking track, the new gymnasium, and the cardio/fitness room available for use by anyone living inside the district’s parameters. He said they don’t plan to make the heavy weight room available to the public but could consider its use on a case-by-case basis. Lehr said construction was scheduled to be done in mid-September and hopefully they could start making the areas available to the public in October. “This is a community space,” Lehr said. “We want people to come in and use it. We want them to see what we do on a daily basis. Not everybody understands that.” Interested parties will have to pass a background check, signs waivers, and agree to the state rules. Source: Harvey County Now
Next Newton mural revealed installation set for summer
A character by the name of Jack Pumpkinhead was featured in at least one of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. Many people don’t know about his appearance in the book “Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz” because he wasn’t in the movie. That is Oz book No. 23. The people of Newton will become more acquainted with the character because he’s one of five characters featured on the Newton Arts & Murals Project’s next mural, the Meadowlark Mural, which will be on the back of the freestanding mural near the Main Street railroad track crossing and the north Old Mill parking lot. The figures will be 9.5 feet tall, said Andrea Braker, who is on the Newton Murals & Arts Project Board, the group installing and creating the mural. The project also is fully funded.
Source: Harvey County Now
Panasonic’s EV-battery plant will energize De Soto’s attraction of more companies
Build a $4 billion Panasonic electric-vehicle battery factory, and other companies will look to come to come to town, too. De Soto officials said the city recently saw its first visit from a Japanese company that could support Panasonic’s facility as a direct supplier — one of five that may be allotted different incentives through state legislation passed last year. State officials anticipate the 4,000-job Panasonic plant will create another 4,000 jobs for suppliers and local businesses. Beyond the plant, other unrelated companies will look to capitalize on Panasonic-induced changes around De Soto, such as $165 million in new infrastructure planned to serve the surrounding Astra Enterprise Park, and workforce development programs that local colleges are developing. De Soto’s pitches to site selectors have centered on the region’s 70,000-person construction, architecture and engineering workforce, plus abundant land on multiple properties, City Administrator Mike Brungardt said.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
City of Liberal collects supplies for Texas tornado victims
Just hours after a tornado ripped through the town of Perryton, Texas, the town of Liberal decided to help the victims. The tornado killed three people, injured many more, and destroyed as many as 200 homes in Perryton on Thursday. On Friday, the Liberal Police Department began collecting supplies for the survivors.
Source: KSN-TV
Plan to run towering power poles along scenic trail in northeast Wichita faces pushback
Northeast Wichita is preparing for another round of towering power poles that some residents worry will disfigure a scenic bike trail and lower their property values when they are installed in 2025. The 60-year-old transmission line between Evergy’s Wichita State and Mossman substations needs to be replaced, but the plan for running new poles along the Redbud Trail between Maple Grove Cemetery and MacDonald Golf Course has stirred controversy. The other option Evergy presented was replacing existing power poles on a 2-mile route along Volutsia and 16th Street with significantly larger poles. City staff working with the company ultimately settled on the Redbud Trail route, determining that “due to the necessary size of the new poles, the proposed project would result in significant negative impact” on neighborhoods along the existing route.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Neighbors voice concerns about JoCo-backed housing project
Confusion over the recent approval of federal money for an affordable housing project in Olathe brought a crowd of commenters to the county commission Thursday, many of them complaining about a lack of transparency and conflicting information. The comments prompted commissioners to briefly reconsider their approval from last week of the Habitat Olathe Pathway proposal, which calls for a neighborhood of affordably priced homes at 159th Street and Blackbob Road built by Habitat for Humanity.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Kansas Wins Nearly $43M to Build Key Infrastructure for High-Speed Internet
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that the National Telecommunications Information and Administration (NTIA) has awarded the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) nearly $43 million to develop infrastructure key to expanding affordable high-speed internet to remote and underserved communities. The open-access “middle mile” infrastructure will connect local Internet networks, primarily in rural areas, to major, high-capacity national and regional networks. … The grant will fund a 682-mile fiber optic network to connect Liberal to Garden City, Pratt to Wichita, Kismet to Minneola, Wichita to Pittsburg, and Pittsburg to Overland Park…. More information about the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program is available at Middle Mile (kansascommerce.gov). Additional details about federal broadband efforts are available at AffordableConnectivity.gov and InternetforAll.gov.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
New acting Topeka city manager has spent 43 years overseeing Kansas municipal governments
Richard Nienstedt had enjoyed not having to work since he retired March 31 as city manager of Ottawa. He and his wife, Rita, visited Hot Springs, Arkansas, and took a trip along the former Route 66 highway from Galena in southeast Kansas to Shamrock in north Texas. Still, Nienstedt — who has 43 years experience as a city manager in Kansas — said he feels honored and pleased to have been hired last week to serve as Topeka’s acting city manager. “When this opportunity presented itself, I thought, ‘Who wouldn’t want to go to their state’s capital city and have some impact on that?'” he told The Capital-Journal in an interview Tuesday.
Source: CJonline
Reno County Health Department hosting child care provider orientation classes
The Reno County Health Department (RCHD) is hosting child care provider orientation classes, as child care providers are needed in the area. “Child care providers play an important role in nurturing the growth and development of our youngest and most vulnerable residents,” Reno County says. Reno County says the class is a great opportunity to meet the surveyor, learn Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) regulations and ask questions about providing child care.
Source: KSN-TV
Ellinwood City Administrator discusses 40+ years of service to the city
Ellinwood City Administrator Chris Komarek has always had a thing for lights and sirens. Both his grandfather and his father served as fire chief; Komarek finished up a 40-year stint with 26 years as chief himself in September 2021. But, as with many small towns, Ellinwood’s fire department is voluntary, so there are plenty of other hats to wear in the community. As administrator for the past seven years, Komarek has worn his share of various headwear over going on four-and-a-half decades of city service. “I like to think I have the city’s interest at heart,” he said. “This city has been my life. It’s my 43rd year, but honestly I’m proud of that time. “There’s a lot of things that have been made better, but there’s still a lot I want to get accomplished.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune