Kansas Municipal News
Greyhound opens new route connecting Kansas City and Salina
Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in North America, is opening a new route connecting Kansas City, Mo., and Salina, the company announced Tuesday.
A bus will make one trip west from Kansas City and one trip east from Salina each day beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 7:10 p.m. Customers can board at 1101 Troost in Kansas City, Mo., and at 125 E. Diamond in Salina.
Greyhound also will make a stop at Kansas State University at the K-State parking garage, which the company hopes will allow students to visit friends and family more often, as well as network and attend sporting events in neighboring cities.
This new route also will allow Greyhound customers to travel more conveniently to locations such as Wichita, Topeka and Denver.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Great Bend recognizes outgoing councilmembers; new council will be fairly “young”
The refresh button will be hit again when the Great Bend City Council next meets on January 21.
Monday night, Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis thanked the three outgoing councilmembers who did not seek reelection in the 2018 election. Three new names will be on the board along with Brock McPherson who won a second term in an uncontested race. Zimmerman spent two years on the Council, Berryman four years, and Jackson 10 years.
As far as terms are considered, it will be fairly ‘young’ council that will meet at City Hall on January 21. The new lineup will include four members that are still serving out their first term, McPherson, who’s going into his second term, and newly appointed Jessica Milsap, Chad Somers, and Dana Dawson. Despite just starting his term in Ward 3 this month, Dawson does have 14 years of council experience prior to sitting out this past year.
(Read more: Great Bend Post)
Aldi proposes making $60,000 donation for art in Roeland Park instead of incorporating piece into new store project
The Roeland Park city council on Monday gave tentative approval to allowing Aldi to provide a $60,000 arts donation in lieu of incorporating an art piece into the teardown/rebuild efforts for the store located at 4801 Roe Blvd. The item will be placed on the next council meeting’s agenda for a final vote.
City administrator Keith Moody explained that Aldi would prefer the city determine how to spend the $60,000 donation and that the store was open to the art being placed anywhere in the city.
Roeland Park policy requires new commercial construction to include a piece of art that totals 1 percent of the project’s cost.
Because the city would own the art installation created with Aldi’s money, it would also be responsible for any maintenance cost the art could incur over time, Moody said.
Mayor Mike Kelly said the option “makes a lot of sense” noting that Roeland Park could utilize the donation to incorporate art into a place where it could be more frequently viewed.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
County Commission hears about ‘Women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathmatics) Week’
Miss Augusta 2019, Sierra Marie Bonn, appeared before the Commissioners to officially introduce herself and her social initiative, “Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead” to the Board of Butler County Commissioners.
“Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead” was founded to promote science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education and engagement inside classrooms, camps, college campuses, and with community partners.
Miss Bonn worked with the City of Augusta to establish “Women in STEAM Week,” a celebration held the third week in October that honors and highlights influential women who have made an impact in the STEAM fields. Now she is seeking to advance her cause through a Proclamation, which will extend the observation of “Women in STEAM Week” throughout Butler County.
Her 2019 goals include the implementation of “Women in STEAM Week” across the state and country.
To learn more about “Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead” visit Sierra’s website: www.letsgofullSTEAMahead.com
(Read more: Augusta Gazette)
Grant would connect hike, bike trails in Winfield
A grant the RISE Cowley coalition wants to apply for could provide funds to expand and connect the City of Winfield’s biking and hiking trails.
Improving trails was identified as a way to increase physical activity through last year’s Community Health Needs Assessment.
RISE Cowley and the city would partner up on the grant application, which could result in up to $50,000 for the trail work in Winfield.
The city and RISE Cowley would work together on a trails master plan as part of the grant application. The master plan will also help with applications for other grants, said Sarah Werner, CEO of the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Douglas Design District names executive director
The Douglas Design District has a new face.
Renee Duxler has agreed to become the executive director of the nonprofit civic organization, which includes more than 100 member businesses in the district on downtown Wichita’s east side.
Duxler, a Wichita businesswoman who ran for a spot on the Sedgwick County Commission last year, had been a board member with the organization before closing her small business in November.
She will now oversee day-to-day operations for the organization, which was started in 2007. Last year, it was announced that the organization would receive $84,500 in grant monies over two years from the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Community Foundation.
“It’s a pretty big step for us, but quite frankly, long overdue,” said Bill Jackson, founder of the organization and CEO of Transitions Group. “We have grown exponentially over the last five years and it was time to invest in this position. We’re all very excited about what this means for our members as well as our community as a whole.”
About 300 businesses exist in the district — which runs from Oliver west to Washington and Second Street south to Kellogg — with more than 100 dues-paying members belonging to the civic group.
(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)
Public weighs in on Century II’s future
Four District Advisory Board Meetings on Monday night, focused on the future of Century II in Wichita.
For nearly eleven months, a committee of volunteers have weighed options about the facility’s future. Committee members said they found significant damage to the roof, leaks around the HVAC system, air conditioning that needed to be repaired and asbestos issues inside.
But the committee hasn’t made a decision on it’s future, yet and community members had the chance to voice their ideas.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Kansas embraces unconditional housing program for mentally ill
Kansas officials see a solution to chronic homelessness and the burden placed on state institutions, jails and law enforcement in the work of a psychiatrist who believes mentally ill people can help themselves without any strings attached.
The idea is to provide those who need treatment with unconditional housing and the support services they need, even if they are substance abusers who are likely to violate traditional program requirements for curfew and sobriety.
Sam Tsemberis, a Columbia University faculty member and proponent of the Housing First concept, is working with Kansas Aging and Disability Services to refine and possibly expand this approach from three communities to a statewide campaign. His initiative is internationally acclaimed, although it has some critics.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding of people’s capabilities,” Tsemberis said. “What we’re doing with a program like this is essentially leveling the playing field so that people who have for some reason become homeless have the same opportunity to have and keep housing as the rest of us. Most people in Kansas don’t have sobriety and treatment requirements in order to stay housed. And if they did, we’d be in a lot more trouble on the homelessness front.”
KDADS for three years has operated Housing First programs in Wichita, Shawnee County and Wyandotte County. Initially supported by federal grant money, the agency secured legislative support last year to maintain the programs. This year, the agency is asking for an additional $250,000 to target homeless communities elsewhere in Kansas.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
With multiple concerns, Great Bend says ‘no deal’ to lease agreement
The City of Great Bend owns real estate located on Southeast 10 Road, just south of and east of the Arkansas River Bridge. This land was acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s and was formerly occupied by Abram “Leedy” Krause. Krause vacated the real estate in the late 1970s and it has been vacant since that time.
Ivan Perales requested to lease the approximately 8.8 acres on a five-year lease at $500 per year. Perales has a small livestock operation on adjacent land that he wishes to expand.
Attorney Mark Calcara from Watkins Calcara represented Perales at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting and stated the lease agreement would be a win for both parties. Beau Brough lives to the east of Perales’ existing piece of land and the property that Perales wants to lease from the City. Brough noted there are approximately 30 goats, at one time, seven horses and four cows on a piece of land less than one acre in size. Brough spoke for other neighbors to the east and noted Perales has already had difficulty keeping this smaller piece of land clean of animal waste. No councilmember made a motion to approve the lease agreement, so the motion died.
(Read more: Great Bend Post)
Johnson County provides courthouse history
Since the creation of Johnson County in 1855, the county court system has occupied three different facilities. The current building has housed the Tenth District Court of Kansas for more than half a century.
In the beginning, Johnson County used space on the second floor of the Harry Case Building (built in 1859) as the county courthouse.Then county voters approved a special tax to build the first official county courthouse at a cost of $36,414. Located north of the present courthouse, the three-story brick building opened in 1892.
The current courthouse opened in 1952. When construction began in 1951, the court system had only three judges. The county population was approximately 63,000. The facility had nine floors and almost 235,000 square feet of space. Besides the court system, the courthouse housed most county government departments.
In 1954, the county made an addition to the building, followed by a third wing in 1968. By 1975, the courts had expanded to eight judges. The county population had increased fourfold — to more than 237,000 residents. In need of more space, the county added an eight-story tower onto the east side of the building.
(Read more: Gardner News)
Wichita State forecasts increased local job growth for 2019
The Wichita area is now expected to add an increased number of new jobs in 2019.
According to a revised employment forecast from the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, the city is now expected to add just over 2,700 new jobs this year to push its year-over-year employment growth to 0.9 percent.
That’s up from the 2,400 jobs and 0.8-percent growth rate forecast in October.
The increase will be led by continued growth in the city’s production sector, with CEDBR now saying manufacturing is expected to increase by more than 800 jobs this year.
Combined with growth in construction, the production sectors are now expected to hit 1.9 percent in employment growth in 2019 with 1,296 new jobs.
(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)
100 plus streak ends: Chetopa’s Altoona-Midway snaps six-year losing skid on basketball court; exhibit great class in victory
For the Altoona-Midway boys basketball team, this wasn’t just a monkey on their back.
It was more like a baboon. A 500-pound weight? More like a ton.
But the larger the obstacle, the greater the satisfaction after having overcome that barrier. No doubt there are still some gigantic smiles on the faces of Jets players, coaches and fans today.
For the first time in more than six years, the Altoona-Midway High School boys tasted victory in a varsity basketball game, defeating the Chetopa Hornets 37-31 Friday night. “To say the kids were pretty excited after the game tonight would be an understatement,” said an elated AMHS Head Coach Jeff Almond, who is in his first year at the helm of the program. “It was like the weight of the world was lifted off their shoulders. After not winning a varsity game in six years, it is quite a load off for the kids.”
Despite their absolute elation over finally snapping the long losing streak, the Altoona-Midway squad exhibited great class in victory, saving most of their jubilation for the locker room.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
County leaders see growing need for mental health co-responders working with police
The number of mental health-related 911 calls continues to climb in northeast Johnson County. And to meet that growing need, Johnson County Mental Health is deploying a second mental health co-responder to assist law enforcement agencies in the Shawnee Mission area.
This second staff member will split focus on assisting the police departments of Prairie Village and Leawood. The existing northeast area co-responder will continue responding to mental health-related calls across five police jurisdictions and eight other cities in northeast Johnson County.
Tim DeWeese, director of the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said the need for mental health co-responders is “definitely there,” as the data shows.
“Right now, what’s happening is that what we’ve found is that the one co-responder for all of those cities and those seven police departments — to share one co-responder — it wasn’t enough,” DeWeese said.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Labette County discusses fees for copies for the public
Labette County commissioners discussed fees to charge the public for copies during a short business meeting Monday before touring roads and buildings.
Register of Deeds Julie Becker discussed the copy fees and shared a spreadsheet of what other registers of deeds charge for copying in Kansas. Another deed register created the spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet shows that Labette County charges 25 cents per page when a customer is in the deeds office and $1.05 for emailed or faxed copies. Index pages cost $5. These are large pages from books that record all properties in the county and track ownership from when the county was formed to now.
Commissioners Lonie Addis and Fred Vail said all department heads need to charge the same amount for copies and they encouraged Becker to discuss her findings with department heads to come up with a uniform proposal on which commissioners could vote. Addis said the county is not allowed to make money on copies but can only cover costs.
“I don’t think some counties realize that,” Addis said.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
Pratt solar farm is ready
Electricity from 22,232 solar panels is now flowing into the city of Pratt power grid from the solar farm built east of town. The Pratt Solar Farm is now online in test phase, feeding electricity into the city’s power grid, right on schedule, according to city manager Rick Eckert.
At a groundbreaking ceremony last summer at the solar farm site east of Pratt Community College, Mayor Doug Meyer projected a start-up date for the city grid to gain electricity from the solar farm in January 2019.
“This is a cooperative project between Kenyon Energy, Inovateus Solar and the city of Pratt,” Eckert said. “We are right on schedule and it’s a win-win situation for all of us.“
(Read more: News – PrattTribune – Pratt, KS)
Finney County approves zoning amendments
The Finney County Commission approved amendments to two county zoning regulations at its meeting Monday, changing rules regarding the transfer of conditional use permits and temporary signage.
Under an amendment to Article 28 in the zoning regulations, a conditional use permit for a certain property can be transferred twice to two separate entities if the transfer is for the same use, according to the amendment. The transfer includes a $200 fee, is granted at the Neighborhood and Development Services’ discretion and is conditional on the new owner not changing more than 10 percent of the building footprint.
The change allows Neighborhood and Development Services to speed up the conditional use program by eliminating the usual four- to six-week waiting period, said Kaleb Kentner, Neighborhood and Development Services director. The commission also approved an amendment to Article 24 in the regulations in regards to temporary sign permits. The updated regulation removes fees for temporary signs and states that all temporary signage is permitted as long as it is displayed for less than 30 consecutive days, meets the standards of the zoning district and doesnb’t block public right of way.
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)
Shawnee County Commission allocates $3 million to Expocentre project
Shawnee County commissioners on Monday morning voted 2-1 to approve $3 million in excess reserve funds to help pay for major upgrades at the Kansas Expocentre, placing the price tag on the renovation and construction project at $48 million.
The vote didn’t come without opposition from two citizens who voiced their concerns during a public comment session, however.
And to make sure his sentiment opposing the allocation on Monday was clearly expressed, Commissioner Bob Archer exclaimed “no” when the actual vote was taken.
Voting for the measure were commissioners Shelly Buhler and Kevin Cook.
With the vote, the Expocentre project budget was set at $48 million, paving the way for the massive project to begin.
(Read more: Political – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Pittsburg city commission welcomes new member
Dan McNally was sworn in as Pittsburg’s newest city commissioner last week after the seat was vacated by Mayor Jeremy Johnson, who resigned in December.
Johnson was elected to the Crawford County Commission in the November election after a ballot recount.
McNally earned degrees in social work and clinical psychology from Pittsburg State University and the University of Kansas. He now works with Spring River Mental Health & Wellness in Riverton.
The new commissioner has more than a dozen years of experience working with children and families at the Family Resource Center in Pittsburg. McNally has served as vice chair for the city of Pittsburg’s Sustainability Advisory Committee and volunteered on the board of directors for the Pittsburg Family YMCA and Southeast Kansas National Alliance on Mental Illness.
(Read more: www.joplinglobe.com)
Salina approves City Manager employment contract
The Salina City Commission voted unanimously Monday afternoon to approve an employment contract for Mike Schrage, Salina’s next city manager. Schrage has been serving as interim city manager since June, when former City Manager Jason Gage resigned to become city manager in Springfield, Mo. Before that, Schrage served as Salina’s deputy city manager for 12 1/2 years.
The Salina city manager is responsible to the city commission for the administration of all activities, functions, and programs of the city, in accordance with state law and policies adopted by the city commission.
The commission’s vote formalizes its Dec. 21 decision to offer Schrage the position of city manager.
Schrage said his goals include leading the commission through strategic planning and working on additional budget preparations and capital improvement planning to give commissioners a better sense of the city’s needs and priorities.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Lawrence sees increase in staff resignations, needs to fill 18 full-time positions
City of Lawrence officials say the city is losing specialized staff at a high rate, and that significant pay raises could be required to stem the tide of outgoing employees.
More than 20 highly specialized city staff members whose jobs require formal technical and scientific training have resigned in the past few years, according to information the city provided the Journal-World. About 10 of those resignations were employees in the city’s municipal services and operations department and occurred over the past several months.
City Manager Tom Markus said that the resignations are mainly market driven. He said that amid record-low unemployment rates, the city’s pay has not kept up with pay being offered in surrounding communities. Markus said the landscape is especially competitive for those with science and technology degrees.
“What I’m seeing is a much more competitive environment right now,” Markus said. “And I think that the employees with those skillsets know they are in much higher demand than they used to be.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Maxine preserves Opolis history
Need to know a bit of history about the city of Opolis? Maxine Seal Miller is your woman.
Maxine — who was born locally and raised in Opolis — practically spent her whole life collecting bits and pieces of Opolis history.
She had a friend, Elma Bateman, who was a bit older than her. Elma too, had a collection of Opolis history.
“She grew up in Opolis when it was just a little town and it grew into a fairly nice size town as she grew up,” Maxine said. “When she passed away, her daughter gave me all of the things she collected.”
Maxine recently compiled all of this information into a 165 page book about the town called, “Opolis, Kansas State Line City.”
(Read more: Pittsburg, KS – Morning Sun)
Uber and Lyft lights are illegal on Kansas streets
Glowing logos in the windshield for popular rideshare companies Lyft and Uber help passengers identify what vehicle to get into, but Kansas Highway Patrol troopers say the lights are illegal.
Christopher Hockett, a Wichita rideshare driver, says he did not realize he was violating the law with his green Uber LED light.
“I didn’t know what I was getting pulled over for,” said Hockett.
In a video from his dash cam, you can hear an officer explain that the lights in the window are illegal.
According to Kansas statute 8-1729, the only lights drivers can have on their vehicles that are visible from the road are white, yellow, amber, or red in color.
“Flashing lights are prohibited,” the statute says.
Lyft Amp, a device the company supplies, glows pink and purple. It changes color as the driver approaches their passenger.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Ellis expands application deadline for New Retail Business Sales Tax Rebate
A revision to the city’s New Retail Business Sales Tax Rebate Program was unanimously approved Dec. 17 by the Ellis City Council. The application deadline has been expanded to 60 days. City Clerk Amy Burton and City Attorney Olavee Raub presented the revised draft of the proposed New Retail Business Sales Tax Rebate Program. Ms. Burton noted two discrepancies between the current Utility Incentive Program and the proposed Sales Tax Rebate program – the definition of a qualifying new business and the deadline for application into the programs. It was the consensus of Council to modify both programs to reflect a sixty-day application deadline and to use the definition of a new business as outlined in the Sales Tax Rebate program.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Lansing, township officials to meet concerning Lansing withdrawal from Leavenworth Fire District No. 1
Lansing city officials are looking to set up a meeting later this month with representatives of the Delaware and High Prairie townships to discuss the planned withdrawal from Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1.
“We’re looking at mid-January,” City Administrator Tim Vandall said.
But no date has been set.
He said the meeting would be between representatives of the city and two townships rather than the entire governing bodies of the three entities.
Plans for the meeting come after members of the Lansing City Council announced their intent to withdraw from Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1.
Fire District No. 1 currently provides fire department services for the city of Lansing and Delaware and High Prairie townships. The fire district was established through a 2003 interlocal cooperation agreement. Lansing officials plan to operate a city fire department in the future and have offered to provide fire services to Delaware and High Prairie townships.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
Winfield residents call for citizen’s group to advise elected officials; elected officials point out they don’t need a group to do it
Some Winfield residents are trying to form an informal citizens’ advisory group that would present concerns to the Winfield City Commission. The idea for the group came after several events last year, including the firing of a police officer and the former city manager’s leaving his job.
Winfield residents Willie Tuttle and Merrill Gordon brought up the topic with commissioners at their Thursday work session. Interim city manager Brenda Peters said she’d also had some citizens bring up the issue with her.
Gordon said the idea is to have a loosely organized group of citizens who would discuss questions or concerns and bring them to the attention of commissioners if needed. Commissioners didn’t dismiss the idea, but they also said they want citizens to know they can come directly to them with any problems.
Mayor Greg Thompson said that while the commission always wants to hear from citizens, they can’t authorize a board.
Commissioner Phil Jarvis said that people are willing to meet with the commission individually.
“We don’t want to give the impression that they can’t approach the commission,” Jarvis said.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Parsons to consider pool subsidy
Parsons city commissioners on Monday will consider approval of an annual $22,000 subsidy to support the Municipal Swimming Pool.
The city owns the swimming pool but the Parsons Recreation Commission operates it under a yearly maintenance agreement, which the commission also will consider during its regular Monday evening meeting.
Gary Crissman, recreation commission director, presented the commission information on the finances of the pool for 2018 during a Thursday afternoon work session.
Last year was the first in at least several years that the public pool operated in the black, Crissman said, although the city did help with the subsidy and other expenses for a total of $24,548.
The pool brought in $63,518, including the amount from the city, during the 2018 season and spent $52,113 for a net profit of $11,405. In 2017 the pool made $40,545 and spent $47,480 for a loss of $6,935.
Crissman credited the two days of half-price sales on season passes for the increase in revenue as the sale of family season passes nearly doubled. Concession sales also increased because of the increase of the number of people using the pool.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
Lyon County declines membership in Flint Hills Regional Council
The Lyon County Commission declined to renew its membership with the Flint Hills Regional Council for 2019 Thursday morning at the courthouse.
The Flint Hills Regional Council is a voluntary service association formed between a number of counties, cities and municipalities to provide services of mutual benefit to the region with a mission to enhance economic viability and overall quality of life for Flints Hills residents.
Lyon County has been a member for five years, but Chair Rollie Martin said he wasn’t sure if the county was seeing a true benefit from its involvement. He said he believed the county should see some sort of “measurable success” after five years of membership.
Commissioner Scott Briggs, who has served as the county’s liaison for the last two years, disagreed.
“I don’t know how you quantify the success of it or not the success of it,” Briggs said. “It’s the relationships you build, and I think the relationships should still be there.”
Commissioner Dan Slater said he agreed with Martin that the county wasn’t benefiting enough to justify the cost of membership. The idea behind the organization was “fantastic,” but he wasn’t seeing a benefit to Lyon County.
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)
Wind opponents tell county: See you in court
Opponents of a planned wind generation facility in southwest Neosho County told commissioners Friday morning that the issue will go to court. They also pushed for an absent commissioner to vote on the measure.
“I hope it doesn’t come to any bloodshed,” opponent Dale Jeffrey said.
Some opponents said the developer, Apex Clean Energy, is moving ahead with the project until it is too late to prevent it.
“Your inaction is going to cause us to be reactive,” Jeffrey told commissioners. “The longer it goes, the more difficult it’s going to become.”
Opponent Ed Spielbusch said Apex is trying to circumvent the commission, and there appears to be stalling.
“No matter what you do, you’re going to have a lawsuit,” Jeffrey said.
Opponents have asked for a moratorium, and 1st District Commissioner Paul Westhoff, whose district covers all of the territory for the windmills, made a motion for one, but 3rd District Commissioner David Bideau would not second it. 2nd District Commissioner Jennifer Orr was not present, and has not attended meetings since the end of November.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
Lot prices and burial rates to increase at Lawrence cemeteries; some funds to help improve cemetery grounds
Fees at the city’s three cemeteries will see the first of five rate increases this year, funds that city officials say will help to better maintain the cemetery grounds.
The fee increase was approved as part of the city’s annual budget process and will increase rates for lots and burials by $50, excluding interment rates for infants, according to a city news release. The rates will increase by $50 each year through 2023. A more expensive nonresident lot space was also added.
The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department oversees three cemeteries: Oak Hill, Maple Grove and Memorial Park. Parks and Rec Director Derek Rogers said that cemetery fees had not increased since 2012 and that a cost analysis indicated that Lawrence’s rates were in the low to midrange when compared with those charged by other cities.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Prairie Village clerk Joyce Hagen Mundy wrapping up 3 decades with the city today
Joyce Hagen Mundy walked into city hall for her first day of work with Prairie Village on Dec. 1, 1985.
Today, more than 30 years and nearly 1,000 city council and planning commission meetings later, Hagen Mundy will enter city hall as an employee for the last time.
“It’s been a privilege,” said Mundy, who lives in Overland Park. “I’ve grown to love this town. It’s become my second home.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Farmer decides to grade road himself
A farmer who went off on his own to grade a county road isn’t in trouble for doing so, but he was advised at the county commission meeting Monday that he could be held liable if an accident occurs because of how he’s graded the road.
Highway Administrator Ronnie Tremblay and the Clay County Commission met … about unauthorized grading that had occurred on a Clay County road over the weekend…
Tremblay started the meeting by reporting that he had two phone calls on Sunday stating that Bob Wietharn was grading the road in the 1900 block of Kiowa Road with his personal tractor. Tremblay didn’t know how to handle this issue so he then called the Sheriff’s Office and talked with Deputy Stellner about this issue. Tremblay stated that he was concerned about the liability for the county and for Wietharn if there should be an accident.
(Read more: www.ccenterdispatch.com)
Clay Center City Council OK’s standards, rates for solar panels
Last night the Clay Center City Council approved an ordinance for standards for people wanting to connect solar panels to the city’s electric grid and another ordinance setting the rate of reimbursement for those generating electricity with solar panels who generate more electricity than they use. Public Utilities Superintendent Scott Glaves told the council the rate of reimbursement for those generating more electricity than they use by solar rate is 150 percent of the “deferred cost,” or what PU would have paid for that electricity had it not been generated by the solar panel. This rate is set by state statute.
There hasn’t been much call for people putting in their own solar panels around here, put as those panels become cheaper and more readily available, Public Utilities expands that trend to change.
(Read more: www.ccenterdispatch.com)
70 volunteer and part-time fire departments receive grants
Seventy volunteer and part-time fire departments across the state received funds this year through the Kansas Firefighter Recruitment and Safety Grant Program administered by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). The grant awards will be used by fire departments for the purchase of safety gear, washer/extractor machines for cleaning bunker gear, start-up of Junior Firefighter programs and physical costs for firefighters with no insurance or ability to be reimbursed by their department. This year, over $1.3 million in requests from 79 departments were submitted. Fire departments received approximately $310,000 to be used for safety gear and $90,000 for 26 washer/extractor machines. Due to the high number of requests, OSFM will be requesting the 2019 Legislature continue funding this important grant.
“We’ve seen, by the sheer number of requests for this funding, the need is high among our volunteer and part-time fire departments,” Doug Jorgensen, State Fire Marshal, said. Following is the list of grant recipients from the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
(Read more: The Salina Post)
Commissioner Dan Deming talks wind farm proposal
As we mentioned earlier in the week, the Florida company wanting to build a wind farm in the southern and southeastern parts of the county has yet to file an application for a special use permit for the project.
It has become quite controversial. Residents that will be affected by the project wanted a moratorium so more study could be done. They would also like to see regulations for such projects put in place.
That failed to get past the Reno County Commission mainly because commissioners Dan Deming and Bob Bush were concerned it might kill the project.
Commissioner Dan Deming, who leaves office Jan. 14, says he understands the two sides. He says both sides have a good case to be made:
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Frontenac history front and center at MHM
What do you know about Frontenac? Do you know about the 100-year-old businesses in Frontenac which are still in business today, how the Frontenac Raiders got their name or how teachers managed to teach students of different nationalities in the 1800s?
For the last several years the Frontenac Homecoming Committee amassed an array of artifacts from the coal mining days.
There are so many, in fact, the committee can’t show them all off at once at the Miners Hall Museum, Committee Member Linda Grilz said.
Although the committee often displays their work at their local town hall, the group had an opportunity to partner with the Miners Hall Museum.
(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)
Merriam adds two pedestrian-friendly HAWK signals to Johnson Drive
Merriam is installing two pedestrian-friendly HAWK traffic signals on Johnson Drive.
Beginning Dec. 26, the city began work to install two signals on the corridor: one at Goodman Street and Johnson Drive and the other at Mastin Street and Johnson Drive. The city intends to complete work by Jan. 10.
HAWK signals, which stand for High Intensity Activated CrossWalK, flash red when pedestrians have signaled that they want to cross the street. This provides safer crossing than traditional crosswalks because drivers are more likely to stop for a red light.
“They also reduce the number of delays drivers experience in those areas since they are only activated when pedestrians who wish to cross are present,” said Meredith Hauck, assistant city manager. “These intersections were identified as places in the community with high levels of pedestrian traffic, and our hope is the HAWK signals help create a safer environment for both people traveling on foot and by car.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Community discusses future of Century II
Community members gathered Wednesday night to discuss the future of Century II.
The Century II Citizens Advisory Committee has been working for nearly a year to decide if the building should be torn down and rebuilt or remodeled.
Several people in the community want to see the historic structure stay as part of Wichita’s skyline.
Century II has structural problems and safety concerns as well as millions of dollars worth of asbestos that needs to go but committee chairperson Mary Beth Jarvis says the issues inside the building are beyond simple repair.
“There’s such excellence created in our performing arts and our arts and culture groups. they’re the reason we want to make sure we’ve got a great facility for them to perform in for the future. we can’t kill them in the process by making them go dark,” Jarvis said.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Overland Park shifts ward boundaries to compensate for booming population in southern part of city
The continuing development boom in southern Overland Park has prompted the shifting of city council boundaries to add more territory to the wards in the northern part of the city — a factor that will come into play in this fall’s city council elections.
Under the city’s charter ordinance, Overland Park is required to review and adjust its city council ward boundaries when the deviation in population among the six wards exceeds 10 percent.
Population counts from mid-2018 found that the Ward 6, which encompasses a large swath of land mostly south of 151st Street, had grown to more than 36,200 while the three northern-most wards had populations in the 31,000s.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Former county employee appeals contract decision
A former Leavenworth County employee whose contract was ruled to be invalid is appealing that decision.
The notice of appeal was filed Monday by an attorney for Tamara Copeland.
The decision by Senior Judge Edward Bouker that found Copeland’s contract with the county to be invalid is being appealed to the Kansas Court of Appeals.
…In July of this year, Bouker ruled that the severance provisions of Copeland’s contract had violated public policy and were an improper attempt to bind future commissioners.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
Joyce tabbed Finney County treasurer
Trista Joyce has been named the new Finney County Treasurer after she was appointed by the Republican Party on Wednesday evening.
Joyce is an accounting supervisor at Golden Plains Credit Union currently and has numerous years of living in Finney County and southwest Kansas.
Joyce will take over for current Treasurer Kelly Drees on Jan. 14 after Drees steps away following next week.
38 precinct committee members for the Finney County Republican Party submitted 44 votes. Joyce was elected with a 29-15 win over fellow candidate Emily Burns in the final running.
(Read more: Western Kansas News)
Other Shawnee Mission area cities plan to look at LGBTQ+ protection ordinances, but no firm plans are set
With Prairie Village and Mission’s passage of non-discrimination ordinances that provide legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals last month, some local advocates are keeping a close eye on whether other Shawnee Mission area cities will follow suit.
And it appears the largest city in Johnson County may be among the most likely to look at an NDO this year.
Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach said that the city will convene a committee in 2019 to discuss a non-discrimination ordinance.
“At some point [this] year I do anticipate discussing an NDO with members of the Overland Park City Council,” Gerlach said.
Other large Shawnee Mission area cities say the issue is on their radar, but that they don’t have firm plans in place for bringing an NDO forward for consideration.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Airbnb increasing Wichita presence, but is that bad for hotels?
With Airbnb reporting that stays nearly doubled in Kansas from 2017 to 2018, the home-sharing service is clearly growing its slice of the hospitality pie.
Does that mean, however, that hotels and motels are losing out on revenue? According to numbers supplied by the company, about 87,000 guests stayed at Airbnb properties in Kansas last year. That’s up from about 47,000 in 2017.
Locally, Airbnb counted 7,730 guest arrivals in Wichita in 2017. For last year’s tally, the company recorded stays by county instead of by city, with the Sedgwick County number growing to about 13,000 guest arrivals. Most of those, obviously, were in Wichita.
Jerry Keeble and Winnie Chien, a husband-and-wife Airbnb host from Park City, rent out three properties in Sedgwick County, including a home in the Delano neighborhood.
Chien says she’s not so sure that Airbnb guests take much of a bite out of the hotel and motel pie in Wichita.
“I think they are different clients, different guests,” Chien says.
(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)
Wichita Fire Department’s Engine 6 off duty as city looks to put grant money elsewhere
As of January 1, 2019, Wichita Fire Department’s Engine 6 is off duty. It’ll sit at an east Wichita fire station shared between the city and Sedgwick County next to a city squad unit and a county fire engine.
“We don’t really know what the problem is. We’re not understanding why we have to take Engine 6 off track. The city’s not in a crunch. It’s not in a budget failure area,” Matt Schulte said.
Schulte is the president of IAFF 135, the city’s chapter of the firefighter union. The union was clear in its disdain for the city’s decision to pull Engine 6 on social media writing posts in a “countdown” format and urging neighbors in the area to write to their city council member or the mayor to advocate for Engine 6. But Wichita Fire Department’s Fire Marshal Stuart Bevis said the county fire engine and the city squad unit can handle the calls in that area just fine. He said there’s no other fire station in the city with two engines.
“Because of the call volume in that area, and we have a county engine already covering that area and covering both the county and city area due to our mutual aid agreement, that we would be pulling that engine out because we no longer have the funding for it,” Bevis said.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Financial concern raised as Hillsboro hospital falls behind on utility payments
The hospital hasn’t paid utilities for October, November or December. Hillsoboro City Administrator Larry Paine says it is behind more than $28,000
“If this continues and we never get paid, that becomes a problem” Paine says….
He says the hospital didn’t communicate with the city about the bills, and that’s why the city is frustrated.
“But if we hear from people, we will work with them, find ways in which they can get payment plans in play,” Paine says.
…
Both the hospital and the city agree the hospital’s future is not in question and it will remain open.
(Read more: KWCH News)
‘We started together, we end together’: WPD recruit class has near record number of women
New faces will soon be hitting the streets in Wichita.
Wichita Police Department’s latest class of recruits will graduate next month. Officials say this group will add even more diversity to the department.
They say this is the largest group of women in a class since 2011, and it’s a trend they’re expecting will continue.
In the Law Enforcement Training Center, there is a sisterhood.
“I really hope that one of you at least will be at whatever bureau I’m at,” said Brittney Thomas, Recruit Officer.
Of one, two, three, four, five, six women all looking forward to becoming Wichita Police officers together.
(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)