Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Merriam City Council to vote whether to approve plans for a new community center

A big vote is scheduled in Merriam, Kan., Monday to approve plans for a new community center that many residents don’t want.

Last year, voters approved a sales tax to help pay for the $30 million project. It would include a gym, jogging track and indoor aquatics center.

A group called “Merriam Concerned Citizens” claims the swimming pool they’ve enjoyed for years is being replaced with a much smaller outdoor pool. They’re also unhappy that an additional $6.6 million would go toward a new parking garage.

(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)

Task force aims to create new off-leash dog park in or near Mission

For close to 18 months now, the city of Mission and private individuals have been researching the feasibility of creating an off-leash dog park in or near the city. Now northeast Johnson County residents are being asked to go to missionks.org and take a short survey on the idea.

The city said a Mission Dog Park Task Force was established in February 2017 and met six times last year. It toured six Kansas City area dog parks and heard from staffers at two other cities that already operate dog parks.

The Friends of the Mission Dog Park organization was formed in February of this year and in April renamed itself “Mission: Dog Park.” The group, which is seeking the survey feedback, describes itself as an organization of northeast Johnson County residents “on a ‘mission’ to locate space for, build and privately fund and maintain” a dog park in Mission or northeast Johnson County.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Hutch schools begin search for superintendent

Hutchinson USD 308 could have a new superintendent for 2019-2020 selected by January 2019. “The pool is much smaller than it was just three years ago,” Sechrist told the Hutchinson school board. A comparable school district – Salina’s – is conducting a superintendent search, too, spurring Hutchinson to keep its search process on a fast-moving timeline. Gary Price, a former USD 308 superintendent brought back to be interim superintendent, is in the second year of the interim period. His contract will end June 30, 2019. The next superintendent probably will be under an existing employment contract through this school year and would not be able to start here until July 1, 2019.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Fines up threefold for Shawnee County’s ambulance service for late response times

Shawnee County fined its ambulance service provider more than three times as much for late response times during the first six months of this year as it did during that same time period last year, figures show.

The provider, American Medical Response Ambulance Co., nevertheless remains in substantial compliance with its contract with the county, said county ambulance compliance officer Nelson Casteel.

AMR paid the county fines totaling $17,920 for the first six months of this year, compared to $5,821 for that same period last year, according to figures Casteel provided the commission.

Those figures said AMR was fined 403 times during the first six months of this year, compared to 205 times during the same time period last year.

AMR ran 11,595 calls during the first six months of this year, a 15 percent increase over the 10,060 during the same time period last year.

Holcomb reviewing ex-officer’s request for special concealed carry ID card

On Wednesday, the Holcomb City Council will revisit its review of a former Holcomb police officer’s request for a special concealed carry identification card, which the mayor and several councilmembers are concerned may leave the city liable in case of an incident through the officer’s work.

On Sept. 12, former Holcomb officer Joshua Tipton presented to the council his request for an H.R. 218 Identification Card, which allows retired or “separated” law enforcement officers to carry a concealed weapon in any state in the country. As the governing body over the HPD, Tipton’s most recent law enforcement employer, the decision to issue the card lies with the council, according to the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.

Chanute weighs ordinance against meth problem

The Neosho County Attorney told the Chanute City Commission that the city’s limits on sales of precursor ingredients has dramatically reduced the incidence of methamphetamine labs in the city, if not the drug’s use.

“We obviously still have a meth problem in town,” Commissioner Phillip Chaney said during Monday evening’s discussion.

The commission reviewed the city’s 2013 ordinance on cold medications that can be used to make methamphetamine. The issue weighs the drug abuse problem against the inconvenience to cold and allergy sufferers seeking legitimate medication.

County Attorney Linus Thuston quoted a Kansas Bureau of Investigation official on the issue.

“Does Chanute want to become Montgomery County?” he asked.

The city of Parsons started the restrictions, which were passed countywide in Crawford and Cherokee counties. Iola also passed restrictions after Chanute.

Thuston said since the ordinance was put into effect, one meth lab was prosecuted in five years, compared to 12 to 25 a year previously. Thuston said the drugs now come from south of the border. In addition to cartels, the drug is made by people who get precursor chemicals from large chain pharmacies in Coffeyville and Independence.

Mom-and-pop pharmacies can limit sales of drugs including pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, but Thuston said large chains are prohibited by company policy. He said a retail chain’s pharmacist opposed lifting Chanute’s ordinance.

Hoping to leverage Boeing Wichita’s legacy, Spirit positions for B-52 bomber work

At the height of the Cold War, the Air Force amassed a fleet of 744 Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses, each capable of delivering 70,000 pounds of bombs, including nuclear ones, thousands of miles from the U.S.

The airplanes, which can fly 650 miles per hour at 50,000 feet for 8,800 miles, were a key part of the nation’s nuclear deterrence strategy against its then-largest adversary, the former Soviet Union.

Many of those bombers produced between 1954 and 1962 were assembled at the former Boeing Wichita, now Spirit AeroSystems. In fact, 76 of the 102 B-52H models that remain in the Air Force’s inventory were produced on South Oliver in Plant 2, where Spirit now assembles nearly three-quarters of the Boeing 737 commercial airliner.

Now, the Air Force wants to extend the life of the B-52s that remain in its fleet to at least 2050. That means replacing each bomber’s eight original Pratt & Whitney jet engines.

Spirit AeroSystems, created from the 2005 sale of Boeing’s Wichita Division, would like to get some of that work.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

City of Gardner names interim city administrator

The City of Gardner has named Laura Gourley as interim city administrator, effective Sept. 17, 2018. A unanimous vote appointing Gourley occurred during Monday night’s regularly scheduled city council meeting.
Gourley has been a Gardner employee for nearly 30 years, spending the past 13 years as the finance department director. During her tenure, she has played an instrumental role on numerous projects and initiatives, including but not limited to, developing the annual budget and first biennial budget, evaluating incentive packages to support economic development projects, serving on strategic planning teams, and helping the city maintain an AA- bond investment rating through refinancing and wise investments. As the finance director, Gourley oversaw the accounting, utility billing, and municipal court divisions as well as the city’s grant program.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Civic leaders see growth in Leavenworth county’s future

Growth.

That is the operative word for the near future of Leavenworth County.

According to several civic leaders, the outlook is optimistic for the county for the next 10 years.

“Leavenworth County will continue to be a great option for businesses and individuals as more and more housing construction takes place in all parts of the county,” said Steve Jack, executive director of the Leavenworth County Development Corporation. “Certainly, the major road projects undertaken by the county will open up more areas for development, particularly residential.”

Jack said business parks located in Leavenworth and Tonganoxie “will likely be reaping benefits to the county from additional businesses and the employment opportunities they bring.”
“I anticipate seeing significant industrial, commercial and residential growth by 2028,” said Tim Vandall, city administrator for the city of Lansing. “I believe Leavenworth County’s proximity to the metro will continue to make it appealing to businesses and individuals. Significant transportation thoroughfares like 24/40, K-7 and I-70 make owning, expanding or starting a business in the communities of Leavenworth County appealing.”

McPherson pharmaceutical plant hiring 350

The Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in McPherson is kicking off a major hiring effort next week, with the goal of adding more than 350 new employees to its local workforce, according to a company news release. Some of the jobs available include production operators, engineers, quality assurance, skilled trades, operational excellence roles, scientific positions, and more.

Pfizer is the leading international pharmaceutical company, and McPherson, where it makes sterile injectable medicines, is a primary site in its global manufacturing network. The expanded hiring is a result of growing demand for Pfizer medicines, including growth in product lines at McPherson, Johnson stated.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

South Hutchinson box plant in midst of $3.5 million upgrade

A $3.5 million expansion at a corrugated-box manufacturing company in South Hutchinson will take the plant “from the stone-age to high-tech,” said Tony Schleich, president of the local plant.

Construction of a 6,000-square-foot expansion onto the existing 50,000-square-foot American Packaging plant at 400 W. Blanchard Rd., is expected to be completed within a couple of weeks, Schleich said. The plant will then be ready for delivery of the new multi-million-dollar high-tech equipment, which is now anticipated to arrive in January.

“We’re going from manually pushing carts with material around the plant to a fully-automated conveyor-system,” Schleich said. “The speed of the equipment itself is about 25 percent faster.”

The expansion and equipment upgrade won’t result in any new jobs at the plant, which currently employs 43, but will “ultimately make the existing jobs more secure,” Hill said.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Garden City hosts alternative fuels workshop

Representatives from area municipalities, utilities and the alternative fuels industry attended a free workshop Wednesday in Garden City to learn more about the benefits and challenges of natural gas.

The workshop provided an overview of Garden City’s adoption of clean fuels and natural gas vehicles and infrastructure, and provided a forum for businesses and municipalities to talk about how to incorporate alternative fuels into their fleets.

Generally, the benefits for local governments like Garden City was in saving fuel costs both at a lower price than diesel and more stable price, and improving air quality by reducing the city’s carbon footprint.

(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

Shawnee county to take up matter involving solar street lights

The Shawnee County Commission on Monday will consider awarding a Louisiana-based company the bid to carry out a pilot project to install solar street lights in three parks the county operates. Commissioners will consider choosing Metairie, La.-based ClearWorld LLC to carry out a project to provide solar lighting to Little Oakland Park, Shunga Glen Skatepark and Skyline Park as part of a pilot project commissioners approved last December.

Salina City Commission violates Kansas Open Records Act

Following a complaint filed to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office by former Salina City Commissioner John Blanchard, the attorney general’s office ruled that the Salina City Commission violated the Kansas Open Records Act.

The finding comes after Blanchard in November requested copies of documents concerning a contract between the city and the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce for economic development services.

Blanchard said he received some of the requested documents but one contained redacted information.

“While we did not find a violation of the KOMA, for the reasons more fully described in our letter, we determined there was a KORA violation,” the attorney general’s ruling said.

The ruling also said the attorney general’s office has declined to pursue formal enforcement action, but requested the city commission release the unredacted copy of the letter Blanchard requested.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Pratt county estimates $250,000 in uninsured losses from Labor Day flood

Uninsured county losses from the Sept. 3 Labor Day flood in Pratt could reach $250,000. Tim Branscom, Pratt County Emergency Manager, presented the damage assessment to the Pratt County Commissioners at their Sept. 17 meeting.

Branscom said the damage assessment ranges from $225,000 to $250,000 and includes all non-insured losses to the county. Most of the damage was to country roads, Pratt County Veteran’s Memorial Lake and Lemon Park Lake that is part of the fish hatchery water system. The Lemon Park Lake will have to be drained and dredged because of pollutants from the flood.

The county threshold for submitting uninsured losses for financial assistance is $34,000 and the county will have no trouble meeting that, Branscom said.

Branscom said the estimated damage to Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism was $2 million. That included damage to the headquarters building and contents, fish hatchery, vehicles, fishing ponds, hatchery ponds and loss of fish. The fish loss was estimated at $50,000, Branscom said.

Butler Community College responds to Andover Mayor’s veto

Butler Community College issued a formal statement early Friday morning in response to Thursday’s announcement from Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence. Lawrence shared that he had formerly vetoed Ordinance 1679, concerning the Special Use Permit for the expansion of Butler Community College in Andover.

The statement reads, “Butler Community College leadership and Gravity Works Architects were surprised to learn of the veto on Thursday by Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence. The veto was issued following approval by the Andover Planning Commission on Tuesday. We are gathering information to work toward a resolution.
This process of a special use permit is related to a relocation of programs and services. It is not an expansion. The college needs to vacate the Andover High School premises because of the school district’s own construction projects which will include the demolition of Butler’s current space.”

Debate on wind energy project continues in Neosho County

Debate continued Friday at the Neosho County Commission meeting between opponents and supporters of the proposed Neosho Ridge wind energy project.

As many as two dozen people attended and discussed the project for about 2 ½ hours. Some opponents said Apex Clean Energy, the company developing the project, was not forthcoming with information or was misleading. Opponent Dustie Elsworth said efforts have started for a petition against the project, including among residents near Stark. The Neosho Ridge project is proposed for southwest Neosho County in the area near Thayer, Erie and Galesburg, while the Jayhawk wind energy project is proposed for southwest Bourbon and northwest Crawford counties, with some landowners in northeast Neosho County.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Golf course springing back to life financially in Ark City

Struggling with a temporary cash flow problem, board members of the Spring Hill Golf and Recreation Association asked for help from the City of Arkansas City.

They got it — $1,000. But not all commissioners approved. The course, which operates on city owned property, was nearly closed in August 2016 due to major financial problems. The Spring Hill board approached the city at that time, requesting a minimum of $23,000 to help the organization get back on its feet. The commission had previously given the organization $3,600 to help cover its expenses through August of that year.

Commissioners met with the organization again in September to review its current needs, and agreed to cover the golf course’s bills for December, then cover all operational costs with the exception of wages, through January 2017.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Tennis group, city volley over indoor court fees

Arkansas City commissioners, Cowley College and school district officials, along with an indoor tennis association are struggling to agree on how to make the best use of the Agri-Business building, a community-event center that hosts everything from mixed-martial arts to daddy-daughter dances.

The debate centers on the future of the tennis courts inside the facility and the fees being charged for usage. One option involves removing the tennis court surface and replacing it with a more durable one.

The new floor would allow a larger variety of activities and be easier to clean and maintain, according to city officials. It would cost $65,000, but last 30-40 years.

A second option would be to keep the current flooring and increase usage fees for the indoor courts to help defray expenses.

City Manager Nick Hernandez said the courts need resurfacing, which would cost approximately $13,000. Depending on usage, the court floor could require a resurface every five years.

Hernandez proposed that the tennis association pay a fee of $1,250 per year, then pay $2 per court per hour, if the courts remained.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Roeland Park’s new leaf pickup truck is ready to hit the streets this fall — along with changes to city’s program

Roeland Park’s one-of-a-kind leaf pickup program is getting a new look this fall.

The city recently purchased a new leaf pickup truck that vacuums up leaves instead of scooping them. Jose Leon, Roeland Park public works director, said Roeland Park was “in dire need” of replacing the equipment because it incurred hefty maintenance expenses last fall.

During pickup season in 2017, several bricks, landscape rocks, yard tools and other heavy objects hidden in leaf piles got picked up by the machine and broke the leaf shredder. Those issues cost thousands of dollars and “a lot of downtime” to fix.

“Over the last couple of years, having to deal with that and the age of the equipment, all of that combined just really made us look at other options,” Leon said.

The new truck is expected to mitigate some of those issues — but it will also require a change to the way residents must prepare the leaves for pick up.

“No longer are leaves allowed to be placed in the street,” read a message from the city to residents last week. “The leaves are now required to be placed behind the curb in front of your home for pickup.”

Questions remain as Lawrence considers raising age to buy tobacco products

Lawrence city commissioners will soon consider a measure that would raise the age to purchase tobacco products in the city from 18 to 21.

Both the Lawrence school district and the Douglas County Commission have voiced support for the Tobacco 21 initiative, which would ban the sale of all tobacco-related products, including electronic cigarettes and vaping devices used to inhale nicotine, for those under 21. However, the city government would be the body in charge of creating, enforcing and legally defending such an ordinance, and city leaders have questions.
Though Mayor Stuart Boley is undecided on the topic, he said the measure is an issue he is looking forward to learning more about and one the commission needs to consider. Boley said one of the questions is whether city government could legally defend such an ordinance if it were passed.

We’re getting a new baseball team, Wichita. What do you want to call it?

The Wichita Linemen, the Keepers; the Sky Kings; the Lightning, the Bombers, the Funnel Cakes, the Aviators.

Mayor Jeff Longwell and Vice Mayor Bryan Frye are hearing a lot of suggestions these days of potential names for the Triple-A Minor League Baseball team that will occupy the new ballpark that will be replacing the venerable Lawrence-Dumont Stadium at Maple and McLean. “I’ve heard so many great, creative imaginative names,” Frye said. “Wichitans are really pulling out all the stops. I like to think I’m a creative person, but I haven’t found one that I’m ready to push forward yet.

He has some time left. The team isn’t due to arrive in Wichita until 2020 at the earliest, but already, the town is talking about what to name it.

Clearly the team’s current name, the “Baby Cakes,” isn’t going to cut it.

(Read more: Local News |)

Building a legacy in Garden City

During his first month in Garden City, Steve Cottrell spent his evenings driving around town.

It was 1975 and the 23-year-old, going on 24, had just graduated from the University of Nebraska to take his first job as assistant city manager for the City of Garden City.

The city, with a population near 15,000, wasn’t too different from his western Nebraska hometown of Scottsbluff, he said. It was flatter, but still had ample feedlots, with wheat crops instead of sugar beat.

Steering through main roads and neighborhoods, Cottrell memorized the town. He learned address ranges, streets and block numbers. He got the feel for different areas.

Forty-three years later, the routes come second nature to Cottrell. He and his wife have tried leaving town twice since those early years, but something about Garden City and its people “made (him) feel home.” After over three decades as the city engineer, to say he’s taken ownership of the area is an understatement.

Trails set for Little Jerusalem, located south of Oakley

“They’re really stunning,” said Mike Goodwin on Tuesday of the towering chalk formations that stretch as far as the eye can see at Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park.

As part of the Kansas Trails Council, Goodwin was walking the badlands, scouting trail locations and setting pink flags to mark the route for two new trails at Kansas’ newest state park.

“There are lots of canyons and rock towers,” Goodwin said. “Every time you turn a corner it’s an interesting view.”

Few people have seen the new state park. Not yet open to the public, Little Jerusalem has no public access infrastructure at all.

But that will most likely change by next summer, said Matt Bain, who works for the badlands’ owner, The Nature Conservancy of Kansas. And top of mind while designing the two new trails and parking lot is that the 85-million-year-old chalk is very fragile and highly erodible.

“If you concentrate foot traffic, it’s going to erode,” Bain said. “We’re trying to limit the public access infrastructure as much as we can and still accommodate users. So it’s a balance. We want people to enjoy it and learn from it, while keeping the area as pristine as it is today.”

Municipal Airport discussion continues in Gardner

If words were actions, Gardner would have a KCI-type airport in place of the city’s municipal airport.
Since taking Gardner Municipal Airport over in January 2016, untold hours have been spent discussing the airport’s future, although little action has been taken to improve or maintain the property.
According to the Aug. 20 city council meeting minutes, a report document prepared for the council by “Lee Moore’s spouse,” provided a timeline of council input regarding GMA. The document was reviewed by the city council and obtained under the Kansas Open Records Act.
According to the report, in Sept. 2015, Laura Gourley, finance director, said the condition of the airport building was a concern, and said the staff was not holding out on the project, but more concerned with setting priorities.
According to the reviewed document, it doesn’t indicate council members addressed building concerns again until Aug. 2017 when Michael Kramer, director, told council about sanitary sewer issues.
A porta potty was set at GMA in April 2016 when Kramer determined the septic system had failed.
Council has been discussing the GMA toilet since then; and according to the Aug. 13 airport advisory board minutes, a construction survey for an 8 inch PVC sanitary sewer to be gravity flow and located on the north side of 175th St, has been completed. Funds for the project will be available in 2019.

(Read more: Gardner News)

BNSF says Kansas can’t regulate how long trains block traffic; State calls that ‘absurd’

The BNSF Railroad is challenging a Kansas law limiting how long trains can block intersections and a lawyer for the state says if the railroad wins, the answer could be forever.
The case spins off a blockage of two crossings in a rural part of Chase County, but how the court decides it would have ramifications for railroad crossings throughout the state.
A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case Thursday at a special session held at Wichita State University.
The case revolves around lengthy blockage of two railroad crossings near the town of Bazaar in December of 2016.
The Chase County Sheriff’s Department cited BNSF saying it had parked a train on a siding for four hours, blocking the only two crossings that provide access to several farms.

Manhattan to use Wichita as guide for alcohol policy

The Manhattan City Commission wants to use Wichita as a guide to amend its policy on special events with alcohol.
The commission on Tuesday continued the discussion about making changes to allow for alcohol throughout an entire event area within the Aggieville Business District, the Downtown Business District (including Manhattan Town Center Plaza), and Blue Earth Plaza. The current policy only allows for fenced-in beer gardens where only people 21 or older can enter.
Wichita requires a special event applicant to notify adjacent businesses at least six weeks prior to the event and list on the permit application any drinking establishment that wants to participate.

Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus announces plans to resign in spring 2019

City Manager Tom Markus has announced that he plans to resign in spring 2019.
Markus, 67, made the announcement at the end of the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday evening. In a letter to the commission, which he read aloud, Markus said that he was clear during the hiring process that he would not likely be a long-term city manager in Lawrence. Markus stated that while he had hoped that his tenure might be longer, he had decided it was time for him to move on.
After reading the letter, Markus told commissioners that the decision had not been easy.
“And you can tell by my voice that this was a difficult decision for me to make, but I think it’s the right decision for me and my family,” Markus said. “And I’ll work with you going forward to make this transition as smooth as we can.”
After a nationwide search, the City Commission voted in January 2016 to hire Markus, who has more than 40 years of experience in municipal government. Markus began his position in March of that year.

Lawrence city leaders grateful for changes Markus made at City Hall, begin to consider next city manager

Though Lawrence city commissioners said they were sorry to hear City Manager Tom Markus’ announcement that he plans to resign, all said they are grateful for the changes he’s brought to City Hall.

Markus, 67, announced Tuesday that he plans to resign in the spring of 2019, which will mark approximately three years since he began his position as the city’s top administrator. When Markus was interviewed, he said he planned to hold the position a maximum of five years, and Markus said on Tuesday that he felt it was time for him to move on and that he hopes to spend more time with his family, including his six grandchildren.
Vice Mayor Lisa Larsen said she was sorry to hear about Markus’ decision, but that she understands his desire to spend more time with family. Larsen said though the city didn’t get the maximum of five years, the commission has gotten the shakeup at City Hall that it sought when hiring Markus.
“One of the reasons to have somebody from the outside come in is it gives you an opportunity to have somebody look at it from a whole different point of view,” Larsen said. “He has shown us where some of our weaknesses are.”

After pushback from neighbors, Lenexa council rejects Vistas at Canyon Creek apartment project

A group of homeowners living near a proposed apartment complex in western Lenexa gathered nearly 200 petition signatures and sent a flurry of emails to City Council members in opposition to the project, and many showed up in force at Tuesday’s council meeting.

In the end, the council unanimously rejected the project.

The Vistas at Canyon Creek, proposed for the northwest corner of Canyon Creek Boulevard and Kansas Highway 10, would have required rezoning for the construction of 294 apartments in 12 buildings and a convenience store with gasoline pumps.

…

Kristin Kippes, a homeowner who lives near the proposed project, addressed the council Tuesday and expressed her and other nearby homeowners’ opposition to the project, including their belief that their property values would decrease and what she called “emotional concerns.”

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Overland Park moving forward with plan to install 37 new bike racks in downtown OP

Bicyclists stopping by downtown Overland Park will soon have many more places to hitch up. The city is in the process of getting 37 new racks to be distributed throughout the downtown area.

Three racks would go outside the Matt Ross Community Center.
“Downtown is a natural destination for bikes but there are really very few racks,” said Doug Johnson, of the city’s planning and development department.

That will change with the acceptance of a proposal from BikeWalkKC that the city council approved Monday night.

The bike racks come at no cost to the city. Instead, the $9,270 to install them will come through the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s LiveWell initiative, which provided the grant money. Maintenance will be done by the city parks department.

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Augusta hears about next generation of 9-1-1 call system

Augusta Department of Safety Director Bob Sage … explained that currently when someone calls 9-1-1, the phone will ring several times while the call processes through the system. With the transition to an ESINET system, the dispatcher may answer the call before the caller hears it ring. ESINET helps Kansas boost 9-1-1 reliability, speed emergency responsiveness and improve disaster recovery. For Kansans, this means a faster, more reliable 9-1-1 experience.

(Read more: andoveramerican.com)

Atchison weigh skatepark plans

Progress continues on Jeremy Watkins and Pam Cline’s project to provide a home for skaters around the region at Reisner Park.

The couple, parents to the late Joshua Kinsman, who died in January, met with city officials, supporters and local residents on Sept. 15 at the park to discuss the costs, benefits and implications of a new skatepark.

Kinsman had a lifelong dream of leading the construction of a skatepark in Atchison, which as been without a dedicated area for skaters for the last decade. After his tragic death, his parents formed the Skate High With Hope Joshua Kinsman Foundation to raise money for the project.
The City of Atchison is prepared to match up to $75,000 in fundraising. Watkins and Cline have been in contact with the Tony Hawk Foundation, which offers up to $25,000 for skatepark projects which demonstrate strong community support, and Pillar Design Studios of Phoenix, Arizona.

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

Manhattan estimates flood damage to be in the millions

The City of Manhattan has come out with estimates of the damage caused by the Labor Day Wildcat Creek flood — and the cost is in the millions.

Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr was on Tuesday’s edition of KMAN’s In Focus and said the flash flooding caused $17.2 million in damage. He broke that down into private and public real estate damage — $14.5 million of which was sustained by private structures while $2.7 million was sustained by city property.

Additionally, Fehr said that a dozen properties suffered damage amounting to “50 percent or more” of the property’s value or had suffered damage in successive storms amounting to 25 percent or more of their property’s value. Of those properties, eight were residential and four were commercial.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Earth is finally moving at Mission Gateway. But council is delaying one more thing

Preliminary site work is finally underway at the long-awaited Mission Gateway development, but the City Council has also approved a delay in the start of a tax incentive for the project.

Korb Maxwell, a Kansas City attorney working with the developer, told the City Council on Monday night that the required development milestones are being met. He said earth-moving equipment is working at the site bounded by Shawnee Mission Parkway, Johnson Drive and Roe Avenue. The development agreement required New York-based Cameron Group to start work by Oct. 31 on the first of three phases of the $200 million project. That first phase is 170 market-rate apartment units in three buildings along Johnson Drive and Roeland Drive, with first-floor retail shops. Completion of that phase is expected in April 2020. It’s the first tangible sign of progress after years of false starts. The former Mission Mall was demolished in 2005, but the 16-acre parcel has been vacant ever since.In October 2017, the city council adopted an ordinance establishing a community improvement district, which was to impose a 1-cent sales tax on retail activity within the district to help pay development costs. At the time, the CID was to take effect Jan. 1, 2019 and last for 22 years.

But on Monday night, the council agreed to push the start date of that tax to July 1, 2020, to correspond with the time when retail activity will have started.

(Read more: Government & Politics News |)

Pretty Prairie USD’s headcount surges; Haven USD’s numbers plummet

Two neighboring rural school districts in Reno County reported major swings in student numbers this year, as schools across the state conducted the annual student headcount Thursday.

Haven USD 312 experienced a drop of 52 students, as its headcount went from 813 a year ago to 761 this year. Haven USD closed Partridge Elementary School in May, and about 20 of 45 Partridge students are no longer attending Haven schools.

Pretty Prairie USD 311′s headcount jumped from about 259-260 a year ago to 295 students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

Pretty Prairie’s growth comes partly from the enrollment of former Partridge students but also from families that moved into the school district, according to Pretty Prairie School Superintendent Randy Hendrickson.

“That’s really good news. We’re very excited,” Hendrickson said of Pretty Prairie’s growth.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Shawnee County moves into next phase of Kansas Expocentre improvement project

Shawnee County on Thursday entered the construction document development phase of a high-dollar project to renovate the Kansas Expocentre. The planned $45 million Expocentre improvements are to be financed using revenue from the November 2014 approval by Shawnee County voters of a ballot question extending for 14 years — until Dec. 31, 2031 — a countywide half-cent sales tax used to raise revenue for economic development and infrastructure improvements. County Commissioner Archer made reference Thursday to the county continuing to lack a funding source for an estimated $3.5 million worth of costs for the project.

County counselor Jim Crowl responded that those figures weren’t firm, with the estimate having come about after county officials asked that it include “everything we would like to see.”

Crowl said the county would have an opportunity to refine those figures once a construction manager for the project is chosen.

Kansas River weir project costs turn out to be $2.5 million above estimate

Costs that turned out to be nearly $2.5 million higher than expected have held up work on a project by Topeka’s city government to improve the safety of its Kansas River weir, where three people have drowned since 2007.

Former Topeka Mayor Larry Wolgast, a member of the Topeka and Shawnee County Riverfront Authority, described the development Thursday as a “major setback” and said it was “extremely disappointing.”

City officials had intended last month to start work on the project at the concrete weir, located north of the city’s water treatment plant at 3245 N.W. Waterworks Drive.

But while the city’s estimate for costs to hire a company to carry out the project had been $1,979,000, the low bid the city received was $4,455,000, according to a city document.

“We will need to either change the scope or locate additional funding — or both,” Braxton Copley, the city’s deputy director of utilities, said Thursday.

Sedgwick County Election Office checks machines after water leak

The Sedgwick County Election Office is making sure the voting machines are working properly following a water leak Thursday.

Officials don’t believe any machines were damaged. They plan to work with the vendor to ensure proper functionality.

The city says the machines were properly stored so it is likely only the wheels at the bottom of the machines got wet.

(Read more: KWCH News)

After pushback from neighbors, Lenexa council rejects Vistas at Canyon Creek apartment project

A group of homeowners living near a proposed apartment complex in western Lenexa gathered nearly 200 petition signatures and sent a flurry of emails to City Council members in opposition to the project, and many showed up in force at Tuesday’s council meeting.

In the end, the council unanimously rejected the project.

The Vistas at Canyon Creek, proposed for the northwest corner of Canyon Creek Boulevard and Kansas Highway 10, would have required rezoning for the construction of 294 apartments in 12 buildings and a convenience store with gasoline pumps. At its July 17 meeting, the council remanded the proposal to the Lenexa Planning Commission, requiring the developer to submit a new design. The planning commission and city staff later recommended that the council approve the project.

Overland Park moving forward with plan to install 37 new bike racks in downtown OP

Bicyclists stopping by downtown Overland Park will soon have many more places to hitch up. The city is in the process of getting 37 new racks to be distributed throughout the downtown area. “Downtown is a natural destination for bikes but there are really very few racks,” said Doug Johnson, of the city’s planning and development department.

That will change with the acceptance of a proposal from BikeWalkKC that the city council approved Monday night.

The bike racks come at no cost to the city. Instead, the $9,270 to install them will come through the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s LiveWell initiative, which provided the grant money. Maintenance will be done by the city parks department.

Once the parks department approves the rack locations, the racks can be ordered. Johnson said they may be installed yet this fall.

New sports complex in Parsons still in planning stage

Planning is well underway for a sports complex on the north end of town, but the new fields probably won’t be ready for games until 2020.

Former NFL quarterback Shaun Hill, a Parsons High School alumnus, has pledged $250,000 through his charitable foundation for the sports complex that will include two multi-use fields. The fields will be large enough to divide into four youth soccer and flag football fields or used as two tackle football or adult soccer fields. The complex also will include a parking lot, a building for storage, concessions and restrooms, fencing and bleachers. Eventually lights and a scoreboard will be added.

The city of Parsons has committed a match of $250,000 in property and in-kind work. Jim Zaleski, economic development director for the city of Parsons, has been working with Gary Crissman, Parsons Recreation Commission executive director, who has taken over the day-to-day role of coordinating the project. The PRC will be responsible for maintenance and operation of the complex once completed. Hill, who came up with the idea, also has been involved, and Crissman said there has been a lot of assistance offered for free from local people as well.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Sedgwick County approves bond sale for Spirit AeroSystems expansion

The Sedgwick County Commission on Wednesday voted to approve the sale of general obligation bonds, that will help finance projects like the county’s portion of expansion funding for Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

The bulk of the $10 million total in Series B municipal bonds listed in county documents would reimburse the $7 million previously approved by the county for “Project Eclipse” over the next 10 years.

That project encompasses the partnership between the city of Wichita and the county with Spirit (NYSE: SPR) to help finance the construction of the company’s new 150,000-square-foot Global Digital Logistics Center in Wichita.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Rural Mainstreet still growing, but slower, survey says

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index was released on Thursday for September. The overall index declined to 51.5 from 54.8 in August.

“This is of course, a survey of Bank CEOs in rural areas of 10 states, including Kansas,” said economist Ernie Goss. “Average community size is 1300. It’s based a lot on agriculture and what happens in energy, those two sectors. The number was above growth neutral, but it did decline for the month. I won’t say we’re moving in the wrong direction, but we’re certainly, some of the growth is cooling out there.”

Kansas is included in the cooling. The state’s rate dropped from August’s 56.3 to 53.2.

“The tariffs are kicking in or at least having some negative impacts,” said Goss. “We’re seeing that in the agricultural sector. For example, agricultural commodity prices are still very weak. Of course, we can trace that to some of the tariffs and trade restrictions and some of the uncertainty surrounding what’s going on between the U.S. and China.”

(Read more: WIBW News Now!)

City of Salina to present new vision for Broadway

After several months of work, citizen meetings, and workshops, the City of Salina announces a public open house to present the results of this planning process – a plan for a new vision for Broadway Boulevard. A major focus is the street itself, as businesses and property owners along the street have long been concerned about access and circulation problems partially created by medians in Broadway.

Other issues have included poor bicycle and pedestrian facilities, the street’s visual image and appearance, speed concerns, and underused adjacent property. The plan, which included extensive public participation and two public design studios, is designed to respond to these issues and help create a revitalized Broadway Boulevard.

(Read more: The Salina Post)