Kansas Municipal News
New Kansas law mandates safe driving around garbage trucks
Kansas has joined 18 other states in adopting a law requiring motorists to use caution around garbage trucks by making driver carelessness a fineable offense.
A ticket for what is now known as “unlawful passing of a waste collection vehicle” will cost an offender $45 starting July 1, 2019. Until then, police will hand out warnings.
The Kansas law took effect this month. Motorists are required to treat stopped garbage trucks with “due caution,” meaning they must slow down when nearing the truck and give it space when passing.
Exactly what constitutes “due caution” will depend on the given circumstances and the judgment of the enforcing police officer. The same standards are in place for emergency vehicles.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Break It Down: More than a Paperweight, Using an Emergency Management Plan
Most people begin the new year with hope and wishes. In 2015, however, senior staff at the City of Raymore, Missouri, started the year with an intense session focused on doom and gloom. Our resolution for the year was to get prepared for an emergency. Not just say we would do it, or deal with it “later,” but to actually pull the emergency response plan off the shelf and spend some time getting up close and personal with it.
(Read more: ELGL)
‘The power of convening’: Topeka mayor absorbs Harvard, Bloomberg leadership opportunity
Mayor Michelle De La Isla recently spent three days in New York City exploring the dynamics of leadership, tough challenges facing local governments, best-practices being utilized in other communities and creating a network of support that she believes will change the way she leads Topeka.
De La Isla was selected as one of 40 mayors from around the world to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. A one-year program, the opportunity launched with three days in New York City that she could only assess as being “stupid, ridiculously amazing.”
The program, De La Isla said, was founded by New York City billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg who, after being elected mayor of New York City realized “there was no mayors’ school.”
In an opening address to the 40 mayors gathered two weeks ago, Bloomberg told the group he thought it was important to start building competencies in community mayors, she said.
“Because at this point in time, there is this big belief that what’s happening at the federal and at the state level is so toxic in the eyes of our constituency, that we really are depending on mayors being that one place you can see, hey, your government is at work for you, and you have access to us and we’re here,” De La Isla said.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Deal resolves water use dispute between Kansas, Colorado
Colorado has agreed to pay Kansas $2 million in a settlement resolving claims regarding Colorado’s past use of water under the Republican River Compact.
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a news release Friday that the settlement is an investment in the basin to ensure a better future for Kansas water users.
The Republican River Compact allocates the waters of the basins between the states of Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.
Under the provisions of the settlement , Kansas agreed to pursue “a good faith effort” to spend the money Colorado paid for the benefit of the South Fork of the Republican River Basin within Kansas.
Colorado also agreed to pursue an effort to spend an additional $2 million by 2027 in the basin within Colorado.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
City of Wichita looking for ice rink fix
The floors are still dry at the Wichita Ice Center, which leaves many people wondering what the plan is for the facility.
“The ice was actually literally melting under our skates, said hockey player James Carpenter. “We were playing the last game before they shut things down. We were dropping the puck in puddles of water wondering what the heck is going on.”
Last week, the chiller that keeps the ice frozen had an ammonia leak, causing the ice to melt. Even though no on was ever in any danger from the gas, Public Works Director Alan King says that after the damage was evaluated, they realized it was going to be much more than a quick repair.
“In the meantime, we’re trying to secure a trailer mounted chiller, like on a semi trailer, that we can use temporarily to get the sheets of ice back in place…refrozen again…to buy us some time to figure out what we want to do ultimately,” King said.
They’re now waiting for final bid for the temporary chiller. But if the city decides to go this route, they could have the ice back within a couple of weeks.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Wind farm reps update Neosho County on project
Representatives of a wind farm planned for southwest Neosho County met with county commissioners Thursday evening to update them on the project.
Senior Development Manager Jade Scheele and Julianna Pianelle of Apex Clean Energy met with Neosho County commissioners and discussed agreements for road use and other aspects of the Neosho Ridge wind project.
“We’re excited that the community has been so welcoming,” Scheele said.
The project is planned for 40,000 acres between Thayer and Erie. She said the Charlottesville, Va.-based company has leased 35,000.
They are still determining the turbine design, which could determine the number needed to generate 300 megawatts, but it could have up to 130.
Scheele said the project has created a lot of interest, which has accelerated the timeline a little bit. Construction could begin in either the fall of 2019 or spring of 2020 and take nine months.
Bryan Coover, a resident south of Galesburg, raised concerns about the noise the turbines would create.
He also is a board member of Twin Valley Electric and is with the Kansas Power Electric Cooperative.
Coover said he is pro-quiet, and just wants to hear the birds in his yard again. He urged commissioners to talk to people who live near wind projects.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
City to look at updating ordinances, including school bus fines
Changes in traffic ordinances for Kansas cities will introduce stiffer fines for passing a stopped school bus.
“This is a huge problem across the state and in our community,” said Hays Chief of Police Don Scheibler in comments to the Hays city commissioners during their work session Thursday evening. “We tend to have people drive around school buses with the stop sign extended.”
Scheibler briefed the commissioners on the 2018 changes to traffic ordinances by the Kansas Legislature for Kansas cities. He and city staff recommend the commissioners at their next regular meeting Aug. 9 adopt the new ordinances. They cover a variety of offenses, from littering and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, to passing a stationary trash truck.
Overtaking and passing a school bus is not a new ordinance, Scheibler said, but the change in the ordinance increases the fine.
“They’ve increased that fine,” he said. “It’s $375 for the first one, which is the same, but $750 for the next one, and $1,000 for the third. The unique thing about this, is that’s over a five-year period that you can get the increased fine.”
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)
Next steps underway to bring Edwards County water to Hays and Russell
Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty expects to see more progress the end of August in the city’s decades-long effort to ease its water shortage by drawing groundwater from its R9 ranch in Edwards County.
That’s when the Kansas Division of Water Resources is expected to make official the city’s application to use the water for municipal purposes instead of its current use for crop irrigation.
The move is one tiny, but critical, baby step in the lengthy process for Hays and the city of Russell to win state approval to use the water from land Hays purchased in 1994 for the water rights. Once the application is official, it goes before a three-person panel to hold public hearings and decide whether to approve the change. How long that process takes is anybody’s guess since Hays and Russell are the first to apply under the state’s Water Transfer Act.
“We don’t know,” Dougherty said. “It’s never been tested. …but we’ve estimated maybe 14 to 24 months.”
The act is a series of statutes that kick in to regulate the transfer of water when it involves more than 2,000 acre feet over more than 35 miles. The Hays-Russell application covers 4,800-acre feet of water over 67 miles.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)
Software in Sedgwick County’s new voting machines confusing
software design issue with Sedgwick County’s new voting machines is confusing some early voters.
The Wichita Eagle reports that not all the candidates’ names appear on the first screen of the gubernatorial race.
To see all the names, a voter has to touch “more” at the bottom of the screen to open another page with the rest of the candidates.
The main reason is there are so many candidates running for governor. State law also requires each ballot line to include the names of the candidate and running mate and the cities where they live. The machine can only handle four candidates per page.
Whose names a voter sees on the opening page depends on where they live because the order is changed at random from precinct to precinct.
(Read more: Politics & Government News |)
Butler County considers shutdown of business with acres of junk: ‘It’s just going to get worse’
Butler County officials are moving toward shutting down a plastics recycling business they say has become such an eyesore that other industrial companies don’t want to be around it.
The commission may take the rare step of revoking the business permit of Integrated Plastics Solutions, a company that recycles plastic and other industrial waste.
Without that permit, the company can’t legally continue to operate and would have to shut down, officials said.
“IPS has ignored the county and allowed the condition of the property to continue to be an eyesore,” said a staff report on the situation.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Wichita Police Department takes part in viral lip sync challenge
The Wichita Police Department is joining in on social media’s latest craze.
The department filmed the last part of a lip sync video in Old Town Thursday night.
You’ve seen the clips on social media: police departments lip syncing to popular songs.
The Salina Police Department made its own last week, challenging the Wichita Police Department to create one.
WPD chose the song Seven Nation Army, by the White Stripes, with its Wichita mention.
All of the officers were there on their own time.
“There’s a term in law enforcement called ‘humanizing the badge,’ and that’s something we’re really trying to focus on,” said Officer Anthony Villegas.
On Thursday night, the community was invited to participate.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Dog situation in Chanute affects mail delivery to neighborhood
A Chanute family, asked to relocate its mailbox to the curb because of a dangerous dog, has questioned why the city has not picked up the dog.
“Why isn’t it the person with the dog that is being dealt with?” homeowner Connie Vance said.
Vance’s daughter, Marsha Stipp, said the post office requested residents of Vance’s neighborhood place curbside mailboxes. Stipp said she is concerned about her parents, who are in their upper 60s and her father is in poor health, going for the mail when the weather is icy.
“I just don’t understand,” Stipp said, adding that many of the residents are being inconvenienced because of the dog owner. “Animal Control Officer Penner is aware of the situation,” Chief Hale said. “He has talked with the postmaster along with the mail carrier. He is working the case and has tried several times to make contact with the individuals believed to be the owners of the dog in question and handle it accordingly with the city ordinance. At this time he has been unsuccessful making contact with them.”
The investigation is still ongoing at this time, Hale said.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune – news,news/)
Ford County facing noise complaints due to concert venue
Ford County resident Greg Winkler’s property sits on the edge of Dodge City.
Pointing to a large metal overhang in the distance, Winkler says “that’s where the concerts are held.” It’s called the Palomino Ranch, and during the summer it holds large music concerts. “You’ll get constant thumping that will rattle the windows and the floor,” said Winkler.
Despite dozens of calls to the Ford County Sheriff’s Department the concerts have been allowed to go forward. Ford County Sheriff Bill Carr said his deputies couldn’t shut down the concerts based solely on a violation of a county ordinance.
According to the Palomino’s 2006 conditional use permit, outdoor events should end by 10 pm during the summer months. It also states they should install noise suppression, such as a bandshell to prevent the music from traveling.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Thanks to feedback from residents, Lenexa has vibrant vision for its future
They take a hands-on approach in Lenexa.
Called Vision 2040, dozens of volunteers are canvassing neighborhoods, going to parades and other events, asking citizens what they want Lenexa to look like 20 years from now.
“We need some more microbreweries, restaurant-type things to draw more crowds here maybe for the evening hours,” Lenexa resident Beverly Silvers said.
“Schools for the new subdivisions that are moving out west,” Tom VanCompernolle suggested.
“Local shops that are locally owned. I`d love to see that out in Lenexa,” Mackenzie Kautzi said.
The ultimate goal is to turn this into a plan, a long-range vision. Lenexa was one of the first cities in the metro to undergo a visioning process with its citizens. Back in the late 1990s, they created Project 2020 and asked citizens to imagine what Lenexa might look like in the future.
(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)
Topeka Police reveal results of community climate survey
Homicides, gang activity and drug crimes topped the list of concerns from just over 800 community members who filled out a Topeka Police Department survey.
The survey, which the police department labled “non-scientific” in a press release put out Thursday evening, was an effort by police to get community feedback.
The community climate survey was put out in May.
Questions on the survey varied, from whether people felt safe in their neighborhoods — 64 percent said yes, 21 percent said no, and 15 percent were unsure — to what community members believe the focus of the police department is.
On that last question, 20 percent said working for the community, 43 percent said perception and politics and 37 percent said both.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Haysville police sergeant buys hotel room for family in need
A routine check at a Haysville gas station resulted in a good deed by one police sergeant.
Sgt. Randy Nowak says he noticed some people sleeping in a car in the parking lot near 71st and Broadway just before midnight Wednesday. He soon learned it was a family of four traveling from Texas to Iowa.
“We checked to make sure they were okay, nothing was wrong. Making sure everyone is safe that’s the main reason we’re out here,” said Sgt. Nowak.
Sgt. Nowak says the family ran into some car trouble in Texas before stumbling upon an accident in the same area.
“A lady was trapped and he ran over there and assisted with her to get her out of the car,” said Sgt. Nowak.
The family was going to get a bit of rest in the car before continuing on to Iowa. But Sgt. Nowak decided to take them to the hotel next door and bought them a room for the night with his own money.
“They were pretty excited. It would be nice to lay down in a bed after the long day that they had driving and get their little ones stretched out in a bed instead of the back seat of a car,” said Sgt. Nowak.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Shawnee County commissioners speak positively of planned Expocentre look
Shawnee County Commissioners Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer both used the word “professional” Thursday to describe the planned new look of the front of the building that houses the Kansas Expocentre’s Landon Arena and Exhibition Hall.
Commission Chairman Kevin Cook described the design put forth by Topeka-based HTK Architects PA as being “clean and comfortable.”
“Overall, it’s a good start,” Cook said. “Keep moving forward.”
Commissioners heard a presentation Thursday morning from Chuck Smith, a partner in HTK, which is the county’s architect for a high-dollar project to renovate the Expocentre. Commissioners spoke positively of that design, though they took no action regarding it.
The commission voted 3-0 soon afterward to approve an amendment finalizing the county’s contract with HTK to carry out the Expocentre project’s schematic design.
The agreement’s revised version calls for the county to pay HTK $3,098,000, compared to a cost of $2,932,900 outlined in the initial agreement commissioners approved in February.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
City of Pittsburg to host training seminar for first responders and spouses
On August 23, 2018, the City of Pittsburg Police Department will host The Pain Behind the Badge – Winning the Battle, a powerful training seminar designed to help first responders combat personal and professional stress. This one-day seminar takes place 8:00 am – 3:30 pm Thursday, August 23, at the Memorial Auditorium.
Taught by Sergeant Clarke Paris (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, retd.) and his wife Tracie Paris, RN, BSN, this seminar helps police personnel, fire personnel, hospital personnel, civilian employees and their families cope with tragedies, often referred to as “critical incidents.” These incidents can include terrorist attacks, mass-casualty incidents, active killer incidents, teen violence, school violence, violent acts that create a victim or violent situation, and personal and professional stress. Designed with first responders and their spouses in mind, this motivational event offers training and resources to combat stressors, which can result in career-ending actions. The seminar will address depression, PTSD, cumulative stress, progression of stress, perception protection, spousal and family involvement, suicide prevention and more.
(Read more: City of Pittsburg)
After complaints about lines, state to open driver’s license office in Overland Park
Responding to complaints about long lines and wait times at the two driver’s license offices in Johnson County, the Kansas Department of Revenue announced Thursday that it will open a third location, in Overland Park.
The new location will be at 7600 W. 119th St. Suite A, in the Rosana Square Shopping Center. The space will be adjacent to a taxpayer assistance center that the Revenue Department opened July 1.
The date for the opening is not yet available. Department spokeswoman Rachel Whitten said it should be sometime this fall, depending on the construction schedule to get the office ready.
(Read more: KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime |)
City of Wichita addresses plan to tackle street-maintenance projects using proceeds from Hyatt sale
The City of Wichita is taking action to repair more than 40 percent of its poorest-condition residential asphalt streets.
Thursday, the city says it is receiving about $1 million more than it did last year for street maintenance. The city is also using $10 million in proceeds from its 2016 sale of the Hyatt Hotel for the work on Wichita streets. The money will go toward fixing nearly 207 lane miles of neighborhood roads, the city says.
The city says there will be a two-step approach,starting with workers going out to asphalt roads in poor shape, cutting out chunks and fixing cracks. It says workers will then put another coat over the top of the repaired surface.
You can view a map showing streets that will be repaired with money from the Hyatt sale here: PLANNED street MAINTENANCE IN WICHITA
(Read more: KWCH News)
Galena police offer medication disposal site
The Galena Police Department now has a medication disposal safe for Cherokee County residents who wish to dispose of any expired or unwanted medication.
The safe is located in the lobby of the Municipal Building and can be accessed during normal business hours. The unit was provided by DCCCA Inc. through a federal grant.
DCCCA works to identify and provide resources to communities identified as high-risk by starting medication disposal programs. The grant was awarded to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
(Read more: www.joplinglobe.com)
Hospital request for sales tax vote fails again in Marshall County
Time is running out for a sales tax to benefit Community Memorial Healthcare to be put on the November ballot.
The deadline for the decision is Sept. 1 and on Monday a motion by Marshall County Board of Commissioners Chairman Dave Baier for a five-year, half-cent sales tax ballot question failed without a second.
Commissioner Bob Connell said his constituents were not in favor of the ballot question.
“I had a lot of phone calls yesterday, and none of them was in favor of letting it go to a vote,” Connell said.
Commissioner Lynn Feldhausen said he was in the same boat as Connell.
“I had people call me clear up to 9:30 last night, and they said no,” Feldhausen said. “I have to go with my constituents. I have to vote with how my people contacted me and what I’m feeling out there.” After the meeting a press release was issued by CMH to announce that the sales tax ballot question had failed.
The press release said this is the third year CMH has approached the Marshall County commissioners for their permission “to take this issue of economic sustainability to the people for a vote, and the third time that permission has been denied.”
According to the press release, CMH remains one of few critical access hospitals in the state that does not receive any kind of public tax support, and also one of few that has been nationally recognized for being fiscally efficient.
(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)
Judge to hear arguments in case against Kansas commissioner
A federal judge plans to hear oral arguments on whether the federal government has needlessly interjected itself in matters traditionally reserved for states when it charged a Sedgwick County commissioner Michael O’Donnell.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren set on Wednesday a hearing for Aug. 17 on two pending defense motions seeking to dismiss all or part of the indictment.
O’Donnell is accused of misspending more than $10,000 in campaign funds and then covering it up. He has pleaded not guilty to a 12-count indictment alleging wire fraud and money laundering.
The defense argued “over zealous prosecution” sometimes occurs when prosecutors throw a wide net. It contends O’Donnell came to law enforcement’s attention during an investigation of others.
Prosecutors countered the indictment alleges federal crimes properly brought before federal courts.
(Read more: KOAM – Local News)
Emporia discusses several grants at monthly meeting
The Emporia City Commission held a public hearing Wednesday at its weekly meeting concerning a potential project to help owners of low-to-moderate income homes on the southwest side of the city to improve their homes.
Housing Specialist Jeff Lynch attended the meeting to talk about the project and get approval from the commission to apply for a community development block grant for the project. The grant totals $300,000. Commissioners accepted a 2018 Emergency Solutions grant totaling $67,758. Of this, $65,000 goes to emergency housing, $975 for reporting fees and $1,783 in administrative funds. This money will benefit SOS.
The Commission discussed a KDOT project on Road F from U.S. Highway 50 to Road 180 for access management. The city applied for $1.4 million in access management funds from KDOT for this project. Commissioners agreed to sign off on an agreement with KDOT, which will allow them to receive these funds.
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)
Beautiful new murals were just painted in north Wichita
Wichita’s North End was known for its murals way before they were en vogue.
The neighborhood, which is heavily populated by people of Latino and Southeast Asian descent, has for years been home to some of Wichita’s most impressive murals.
Count nine more among them.
Last week, artists with the Horizontes project painted nine new murals in north Wichita — including two near the historic Dunbar Theatre at 9th and Cleveland.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
In Sedgwick County, early-voter turnout is nearly double what it was in 2014
Early voter turnout in Sedgwick County is nearly double what it was in the 2014 primary election.
As of Wednesday, 1,478 Sedgwick County residents have voted early at the county courthouse.
By this date in the 2014 primary election, 739 people had voted early. The 2014 primary election saw a 19.2 percent turnout of eligible voters in Sedgwick County; there was a 25.7 percent turnout in 2010.
“I would expect to see it closer to 2010 (turnout),” Lehman wrote in an e-mailed statement. Her prediction for this year is based on early-voter turnout.
The 2010 primary election drew 905 early voters in Sedgwick County by Aug. 1, though nearly double the early mail-in votes — 6,527 ballots in 2010 compared to 3,360 this year.
The number of vote-by-mail ballots so far this year is slightly higher than the figure from 2014 — 3,360 votes this year vs. 3,097 in 2014.
Primary elections are Aug. 7.
(Read more: Politics & Government News |)
Harvey County wages growing, still behind
Low wages may be keeping area employers from recruiting highly-skilled workers, according to the Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research.
Wages in Harvey County are lower than other area counties, as well as the state average.
A worker in Harvey County made $36,918 on average in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is 18 percent lower than the state average of $45,117.
In Sedgwick County, the wages are even higher. In 2017, the average annual wage for a worker in Sedgwick County was $46,392 — 26 percent higher than Harvey County.
Jeremy Hill, Director of the Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research, said it poses a problem for Harvey County because it draws mostly from the same labor pool as Sedgwick County.
Hill’s numbers show that the problem is most magnified in the manufacturing industry, which is Harvey County’s largest private industry by a wide margin. The average manufacturing worker in Harvey County made $48,579 in 2017. While that is higher than the averages among other industries, it is still much lower than Sedgwick County.
Sedgwick County manufacturing workers made an average of $69,905 per year – or some 44 percent more than in Harvey County.
That may not be the case for much longer, however.
Over the last decade, wages in Harvey County have grown more than twice as fast as Sedgwick County.
(Read more: Newton Now)
Amtrak amendment sails through Senate
Although a vote wasn’t expected until Thursday, the amendment to maintain Amtrak train services along the established, long-distance passenger rail route of the Southwest Chief was included today in the 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 92-6 vote.
Amtrak’s SW Chief makes a stop in Newton July 27.
The amendment was introduced by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico. Moran commented on the passage of the bill. In addition, this amendment would effectively reverse Amtrak’s decision to substitute rail service with bus service over large segments of the route through fiscal year 2019.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Unusual quakes jolt Marion
What police initially thought were two explosions Monday night turned out to a pair of mild earthquakes, unusual in that they were close enough to the surface to be heard as well as felt.
The larger of the two measured 2.4 on the Richter scale and was centered three miles beneath the surface, east of US-77 between 170th and 180th Rds. on Victory Rd.
“We’ve been watching this area for some time,” senior scientist Rick Miller of the Kansas Geological Survey said Tuesday. “We’ve had a couple of dozen, maybe 15 events over the last couple of years in that general area.”
The quakes are nothing to worry about, Miller reassures. Most fall below the threshold the U.S. Geological Survey uses in reporting quakes, and many go unnoticed, even by people who live near them, because they produce very little ground motion. The sound Monday night made them more noticeable, Miller said.
The second one was the only one detected by automatic monitoring equipment. Only after seismologists went back and double-checked data did they discover the first quake, of slightly lesser magnitude, less than a mile east of the first quake.
The location is on the west edge of what’s known as the Nemaha uplift, which skirts along the eastern portion of the county from near Peabody to near Burdick and continues beyond the depth of the state.
(Read more: Marion County RECORD)
Goessel City Council discusses water rates to attract valuable grant dollars
The council once again discussed the need to raise sewer rates in order to receive grant money for sewer system upgrades. Goessel’s sewer rates are too low; the city will not qualify for the grant if the rates are not raised to an appropriate amount.
City clerk Jennifer Whitehead reminded the council that the city currently charges $36.95 per month. It is possible that the city might need to raise the rates to $48.98 per month. However, the council decided to make several raises instead of one larger one. Therefore, the council proposed an incremental raise of $5 at this time, with additional raises in the future. The $5 rate increase will be presented to the council in an ordinance at next month’s meeting. The rate increase will not take effect until after the ordinance has been approved.
(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)
Hutchinson’s Westar Energy plant preparing for the future with $25M upgrade
The expansion of renewable energy in Kansas has led to a shift in the role of Westar’s Hutchinson Energy Center and a massive $25 million upgrade.
Most of the changes are not noticeable to motorists passing by the longtime electrical generation plant, since they involve primarily retrofitting diesel-powered turbines housed in relatively low-slung tan buildings near the back of the 144-acre property to run off natural gas and biofuels, The Hutchinson News reported.
However, they’ll become quite apparent in the coming months as the company works to demolish and remove the massive cooling towers and original steam generation plant closer to 30th Avenue. The Hutchinson plant, which first started in 1949, has undergone several expansions and upgrades over the decades. The current power units were installed in the 1970s. The center has served as a “peak energy” plant for years, only providing power during periods of highest electrical demand in the state.
Today, it serves as an instant-demand plant to provide power primarily when generation from Western Kansas wind farms is slowed, explained Casey Bough, senior director for Renewables, Gas and Oil Fleet for Westar Energy, during a ribbon-cutting last Wednesday, July 25, for new offices at the Hutchinson center.
Westar now draws about a third of its power from wind and solar.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
City of Newton releases full pool survey results
he official survey results are in and Newton residents want more features at the municipal pool.
A total of 1,100 residents responded to a City of Newton survey conducted June 27 through July 6 regarding the city pool. The final results, which the city released last week, will be discussed at a joint meeting at City Hall on Aug. 7, between the Newton Recreation Commission and Newton City Commission. The meeting is set for 7 p.m.
Of the 1,100 survey respondents, 58 percent said they used the Newton municipal pool. That was 21 percent lower than the number of respondents that said they visit pools or water parks in other cities, which was 79 percent.
The most popular water park was in Hesston with 434 responses. Another 416 said they visit McPherson, 395 visit Salina, 363 visit Derby and 329 visit Wichita.
A large majority of respondents, 91 percent said they would like to see more features at the pool as opposed to repairs.
(Read more: Newton Now)
Russell County farms eligible for industrial hemp pilot project
Russell County farmers Dean Haselhorst and Troy Waymaster are still trying to decide if they’ll participate in an industrial hemp pilot project led by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
“I am thinking about it. I’ve been attending the meetings,” said the 54-year-old Haselhorst, who grew up on a farm and has been a farmer all his life, growing wheat, milo and corn. “It’s all still very preliminary, but it’s potentially better than growing wheat. The price of wheat is so low.”
Waymaster, state representative for the 109th District, which includes Russell County, advocated before the Legislature for the pilot project research bill that was ultimately signed by Gov. Jeff Colyer in April.
The question of whether it will take new machinery is probably the biggest issue for Waymaster, who farms in Russell County with his father and uncle, growing wheat and milo and raising cattle. He’s heard differing opinions on whether the same planting and harvesting equipment for wheat will work for hemp.
(Read more: Kansas News – Topix)
University of Kansas Health System buys Great Bend Regional Hospital and affiliated clinics
The University of Kansas Health System announced Wednesday it had completed the purchase of Great Bend Regional Hospital and its affiliated clinics, including Central Kansas Family Practice and Heartland Regional.
Plans are to rename the hospital The University of Kansas Health System Great Bend Campus, but the current workforce will be “substantially remaining in place,” and patients will continue to receive care from their current doctors and practices, according to a news release from KU.
Officials did not disclose terms of the sale. Great Bend Regional historically competed with HaysMed, St. Rose and Pawnee Valley Community Hospital for patients and market share, but will now be part of one system, with complementary services and providers, officials noted the release.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Council reaches agreement with owners of Louisburg farm to pay for decade old sewer line
Louisburg city officials reached an agreement with the owners of a nearly 150-acre farm to pay for the installation of a sewer line more than a decade ago.
Larry Barker, Teresa Barker Sturm and Bill Barker own LTB Farm, 147.8 acres that stretch from Metcalf Road on the west close to Summerfield Drive on the east and 274th Street on the north to the United Methodist Church property on the south. The farm was passed down to the siblings after their mother died in 1988.
In 2005, the housing market was booming and it looked like a good time to try to sell the property, so the Barkers and other surrounding property owners, including the Louisburg school district, petitioned the city to establish a benefit district to install a sewer line. The work on the sewer line was completed in 2008, right in time for the collapse of the housing market. With the recession hitting in 2008, the city granted LTB Farm a 10-year deferment on its share of the sewer line, which comes to more than $575,000 or about $193,000 for each sibling, according to Nathan Law, city administrator. Figures provided by Sturm were slightly lower.
Law said the total cost of the sewer line project was $1,364,969, shared by LTB Farm, other property owners such as the Summerfield Farms and Harvest Glen developments, and the school district for the Rockville Elementary School property. All the other parties have paid their share, leaving the amount owed by LTB Farm, which includes interest.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
Zoning board considers new towers for windfarm
The county zoning board is pursuing a plan for two new meteorological towers, which could lead to new wind turbines.
The proposed sites lie midway between Marion and Peabody, with one between 140th Rd. and Old Mill Rd., and the other between 100th and Mustang.
Even if the towers are constructed, it does not mean wind turbines will follow.
“A met tower itself is just a data collection tower,” zoning board assistant Sharon Omstead said. “It doesn’t collect wind, it doesn’t do any of that. It just takes readings.”
If approved, National Renewable Solutions will build the structures and collect data under the Expedition Wind project. After data analysis, NRS will decide whether the amount of warrants building turbines.
The company has towers across the country and many are not on wind farms, Jesse Hopkins-Hoel, director of development said.
“There are met towers scattered across the U.S. that don’t have turbines set up,” he said. Before they can put up towers, NRS must acquire conditional use permits for each of the sites.
County commission approval would be needed and sites must be deemed suitable for the proposed use, Omstead said.
(Read more: Marion County RECORD)
City raises a stink over silage on edge of town
A mountain of silage delivered to property owned by a county commission candidate resulted in a letter from the city of Marion telling him remove the pile or file a written request for a hearing within 10 days.
Marion police delivered the notice July 24, the same day silage began arriving on Mike Beneke’s Marion property at 601 W. Main St., the former Straub’s International location.
“We served it, but it was issued by city hall,” Police Chief Tyler Mermis said.
City attorney Susan Robson said the situation was for “a nuisance issue.” The property is zoned for commercial use, not agricultural.
Depending on what Beneke does, the city could end up taking action to resolve the nuisance, such as removing the silage and charging costs to Beneke, Robson said. He said he planned to cover the silage and let it remain there until needed in the winter. Beneke appeared at Monday’s city council meeting to ask when the 10 days to request a hearing began. Robson told him they began the date he got the letter.
After the meeting Beneke said he will request a hearing.
Beneke, who bought the building in February, attempted to rent it to Marion County Community Economic Development Corp., of which he is treasurer, for $1,000 a month. He now uses the building as headquarters for his Double B Cattle operation.
(Read more: Marion County RECORD)
City offices to return to Civic Center this month in Spring Hill
After a stay in a historic downtown Spring Hill building, we’re returning to the Spring Hill Civic Center this month!
In the early months of 2017, construction to renovate the decades-old Civic Center — formerly an elementary school — began. Over the course of a year, the extensive renovation included a new City Council chamber and Municipal Courtroom, new rentable spaces including a completely-renovated gymnasium and performance stage paving the way for extended programming, new customer service areas, fresh landscaping and new City Hall offices.
While we’ve enjoyed our stay in the oldest building downtown, 102 S. Main St., with proximity to our police department and Public Works office and witnessed first-hand the enormous growth on Main Street, we’re eager to get back into our new digs.
(Read more: City of Spring Hill news)
Haysville residents oppose tiny home development
Around 40 people attended last week’s Haysville City Council meeting to express opposition to the idea of a tiny home development near Haysville or to support those expressing opposition.
Several speakers opposed the idea of a tiny home community for homeless people, many of whom presumably would come from Wichita or other surrounding areas.
Mayor Bruce Armstrong stressed at the meeting that while there are media reports about the idea of a tiny home committee, no plans have been presented to the City of Haysville. Armstrong noted at the meeting that the Haysville City Council would have no jurisdiction over a proposed development at Bergmann’s Corn Maze, which is outside of city limits near Meridian and 79th Street S.
Bergmann’s Corn Maze is currently for sale, with an asking price of $560,000. If able to raise the funds for the 78-acre field, Bob Johnson, founder of Let’s Rock & Roll and Change the Word, envisions a community of over 150 tiny homes, each with 200 to 400 square feet of floor space.
According to the Haysville Sun-Times, if there was a specific proposal, the Haysville Planning Commission would be responsible for considering it because the corn maze resides within the commission’s zone of influence. City planning commissions in Sedgwick County have a say in proposed development near their city limits.
Haysville resident Laura Adkins said she is working on a petition against any development and hopes to have it ready for the next Haysville City Council meeting.
(Read more: Area | derbyinformer.com)
Seven cool things about Johnson County’s newest library
Johnson County unveils its first new library of the 21st century, the Monticello branch in western Shawnee, at a grand opening from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The $18.1 million facility, designed by Clark Enersen Partners and built by McCownGordon Construction, aims to serve a booming western Johnson County area that has wanted a new library since the 1990s. As library director Sean Casserley surveyed crews putting the finishing touches Thursday on the first brand-new library built in the county since 2000, he said it reflects not the librarians’ wishes but the community’s vision. It’s designed to emphasize community gathering spaces, convenience and customer-friendly services.
“You get to see the library of the future,” Casserley said.
Here are seven cool features of the new facility at 22435 W. 66th St., just off Shawnee Mission Parkway and east of Kansas 7.
(Read more: Government & Politics News |)
Grant approved to help improve broadband coverage in Kansas
Plans for better broadband coverage across Kansas recently got a boost from the Information Network of Kansas.
The network has approved a $300,000 grant request from Gov. Jeff Colyer to complete a Statewide Broadband Mapping project. The map will be used by a state task force created by the Kansas legislature to identify and close broadband coverage gaps in Kansas.
A group called Connected Nation will produce the map in collaboration with the state’s broadband service providers.
(Read more: Government & Politics News |)
Spectacular new library set to open in JOCO
Johnson County’s new library has its grand opening from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in western Shawnee. It emphasizes community, convenience and customer-friendly features.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Fed leaves interest rates unchanged for now, increase is likely in September; upgrades view of the US economy to ‘strong’
The Federal Reserve upgraded its assessment of the U.S. economy Wednesday but decided to skip another interest rate increase for now.
In a widely expected move, the central bank’s policymaking Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to keep the target range for its benchmark rate at 1.75 percent to 2 percent.
However, the committee is widely expected to approve an increase at the September meeting and a tweak in the language from the post-meeting statement could be a nod toward more monetary policy normalization.
Read more: CNBC.
Temporary ambulance replacement necessary in Neosho County
The Neosho County ambulance department expects to have a temporary replacement later this week for a unit involved in a shooting incident Saturday.
Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center Ambulance Director Trace Hallack said he has not had a chance to assess the damage to the ambulance, which has been impounded by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. He said he has contacted Osage Industries, a company that supplies the county’s ambulances, and they have volunteered a loaner vehicle.
Hallack said he expects it will be 30 days before the county’s ambulance is returned. He will get the temporary ambulance this week from Linn, Mo.
The KBI is investigating the Saturday incident, where a Chanute man allegedly stole the ambulance from the parking lot of Walmart and a Chanute police officer fired at the vehicle. Hallack said he has experienced one other ambulance threat in 39 years, and that was in Hutchinson. He told members of the Neosho County Commission Monday evening that he has investigated and is installing devices on other ambulances that would prevent an unauthorized person from putting them in gear.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
Town of Eureka works to prepare for school year following tornado
It’s been one month since a tornado ripped through the town of Eureka.
Along with more than a dozen homes, the towns high school was damaged.
Lots of progress has been made since the EF3 tornado ripped through Eureka in late June but with it being so close to the school year, many people are left wondering, what’s next? Residents, neighbors and volunteers have spent the last few weeks working tirelessly to clean up the town in preparation for the school year, and the superintendent says the school will be up and running right on time.
“That doesn’t mean all our repairs will be done, but we believe it will be complete enough to go ahead and begin school on time,” said USD 389 Superintendent Scott Hoyt.
The majority of the problem the school was facing is damage to their sports facilities. In order for them to be able to use the football field again, they’ll have to completely remove and redo the surface, rebuild the bleachers, and put in all new lights.
Because of this, the team will have to get creative on where to practice, and all their games will be away games, challenges that players like Zach Hare aren’t afraid of.
(Read more: KAKE – News)