Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Roeland Park Aquatic Center closed for winter. Consulting firm seeks solutions

It hasn’t been easy managing the Roeland Park Aquatic Center lately, and residents will have a chance next week to advise the city on how to upgrade its pool complex.

Officials have been dealing with leaks, pump failures that temporarily closed the slide-and-catch pool, the collapse of two light poles, the closure of the whale slide in the children’s area and a delayed reinstallation of diving boards after one leak was fixed.

And in a blow to sports teams and individual athletes that need a pool in the winter, after a storm last fall heavily damaged the inflatable dome that allowed indoor swimming, the city decided against replacing it. They brought in the Water’s Edge Aquatic Design form to consult on long-term development of the aquatic center.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

City of Hays files suit against local companies

The City of Hays has filed suit against Nex-Tech, LLC; Big River Telephone Company, LLC; and Eagle Communications, Inc., related to the imposition of franchise fees for services provided to customers in the city.

The suit, which was filed July 9 in Ellis County, seeks a court order requiring Big River to enter into a franchise agreement with the city intended to collect city franchise fees for Big River’s service to Eagle Communications for Eagle Communications’ IP-delivered telephone service. Cities with franchising authority currently collect franchise fees on traditional switched telephone service delivered through traditional methods, but not IP-based service, which is delivered entirely via internet.

The suit also asks the court to make a determination as to whether or not Eagle Communications, with or without services from Big River, should be required to enter into a franchise agreement to provide its internet-based telephone service. And, the suit seeks to establish that the city can continue to require Nex-Tech to enter into a franchise agreement to provide its service in Hays based on the technology Nex-Tech utilities.

(Read more: Hays Post)

From site of Prairie Village church, a 3-acre park with garden, play area will emerge

For more than 60 years, Faith Lutheran Church was a cherished spiritual gathering spot at 67th Street and Roe Avenue in Prairie Village.

But it fell on hard times, closed last year and has been demolished. Still, city officials hope the former church grounds will soon be home to another vibrant community gathering spot.

The city bought the property for $1.1 million and is now making plans for North Park on the 3-acre site.

“Our village vision has pointed out that there wasn’t much parkland in the northern part of the city,” said Alley Porter, assistant to the city administrator, who is part of a steering committee exploring concepts for the park. She said the goal is to alleviate that shortcoming with this new park. The church demolition and park construction are expected to cost roughly $1 million, and Porter said that funding is available within the city’s budget.

Current plans call for a garden, bocce ball court, picnic shelters, an open grass area, play area and 37-space parking lot. Porter said the exact design of the garden and play area is not complete. BBN Architects is working with the city to design the park. The city also plans a marker to commemorate the church’s history.

City of Neodesha Requests Assistance from Community on Addressing

The City of Neodesha is asking for assistance from all residents and business owners in providing addresses to assist emergency Fire/EMS or Police services in locating structures.

On March 8, 2017 the City of Neodesha Commission adopted an Ordinance requiring that all home and business owners put addressing numbers on their building in a prominent location. The purpose of this ordinance is for safety and protection of the community. If a 911 call goes out and the crew responding cannot find the address because there is no numbers on it then crucial emergency care can be delayed. This is especially dangerous if immediate help is needed.

The numbers shall be placed on the front of the building, door, post or transom or other place in such a manner that the numbers are conspicuous and can be seen and read from the street or avenue. The numbers shall be at least (4) inches in height, made of non-rusting material and colors to contrast with the material on which the numbers are placed.

Please help the City help you. Although there is a penalty up to $200 for non compliance we hope that this action will not be necessary.

(Read more: Neodesha, KS news)

Wilson named Peabody city clerk

Peabody is getting its fifth city clerk in 19 months, and this one is a familiar face.

After two executive sessions, City Council members voted last week to hire council member Travis Wilson’s wife, Jylle, as clerk.

The vote July 2 was 4-0, with Travis Wilson abstaining.

Wilson has been Peabody’s municipal court clerk and police secretary for the past 2½ years.

She agreed to take the new position with the understanding that she would help find a suitable replacement for the court and police position.

“I’m looking forward to being down at the city office,” she said. “I really want to make a difference to better the city.”

Mayor Larry Larsen said Wilson will be trained this week in the city office this week in QuickBooks to do the city’s payroll.

The court/police secretary position will be advertised immediately.

“Jylle and Chief Burke will assist with interviews for the new position,” Larson said.

Burke said he was sad to lose her.

“She’s done a great job in the clerk/secretary position,” he said.

(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)

Area fire departments get relief funds from Kansas Insurance Department

County firefighters will benefit from $77,154.92 soon to be distributed by Kansas Insurance Department.

The money is designated for firefighter relief funds, used to purchase accident, health, disability, and life insurance for firefighters in the event of injury or death in the line of duty.

The Kansas State Firefighters Association will give area departments the following amounts:

(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)

Accountant gives creative option to Marion County Commissioners in dealing with new state-imposed tax lid

Battle lines as being drawn as county commissioners begin to debate whether to use a one-time reassessment windfall to cut taxes or increase spending.

At stake appears to be what to do with a consultant’s report preliminarily concluding that county employees are underpaid an average of four percent.

Assessed value of property in the county is expected to increase by close to $8.2 million this year.

If it weren’t for a state-imposed tax lid, the same property tax rate would generate considerably more revenue.

Because of the lid, however, the county will have to cut its general fund tax rate by a little more than 3 percent to keep overall spending under the lid. Maintaining current tax rates would require voter approval — unless the county takes advantage of exceptions that tax accountant Scot Loyd seemed to take pains not to describe as loopholes when he itemized them for commissioners Friday.

One exception would be creation of a new budgetary item for storm contingency. Such a fund might be tapped not just in an emergency but also for more routine things like road repairs after the types of storms that tend to happen most years.

Although state law excludes from the tax lid money tucked away for emergencies, it does not evaluate whether what county actually uses the money to buy is an emergency expenditure, Loyd said.

“I’m just throwing that to you out front to think about if you’re forward-thinking and thinking outside the box and not so tied to what can we do to reduce the budget,” he told commissioners.

(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

‘Newton would lose train service’

Barth Hague is losing hope. He is starting to believe that a decades long effort to preserve the Southwest Chief has been in vain, and that the death of the long distance train from Chicago to Los Angeles with a daily stop in Newton is just around the corner.

“I canceled a reservation I had because it appears I am not going to be able to use the train” Hague said.

He said friends and acquaintances have been asking him if they should do the same in the wake of an announcement this month that Amtrak plans to stub the train — ending the westward run at Dodge City and eastward run at Albeuque, New Mexico. In between, Amtrak plans to use charter buses. Amtrak spokesmen state that a final decision on the future of the Chief has not been made.

“I think if this service is stubbed I think ridership will decline dramatically,” Hague said. “The history is in this kind of a situation ridership drops off by at least 50 percent. I think eventually the service will be eliminated. I can imagine a time where Newton would lose train service over this.”

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

A real bell-ringer at Marion County courthouse

No need to wonder for whom the courthouse bell tolls. As of now, it tolls for no one.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, the clock chime seemingly performed its swan song when it rang continuously for 20 minutes before falling silent.

County clerk Tina Spencer was working in her office at the time.

“There was really no way to stop it,” Spencer said.

She called an employee who winds the clock weekly, and he inspected the clock Monday.

“The part of the mechanism that controls the chiming broke over the weekend,” Spencer said. “The clock should still keep time, but the chime will be silent until we can get someone out to make repairs.”

The last time the 110-year-old clock needed repairs was in 2013, when Regulator Time Co. of Manhattan repaired the clock’s hands and dials, and replaced its faces and rotted wood surrounding them for $29,683.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Prairie Village church is razed to make way for a new park

Faith Lutheran Church in Prairie Village is being razed to make way for a new 3-acre park, North Park, which the city hopes will open to the public in 2019. The city purchased the property for $1.1 million from the church last year.

Miami County Commission supports property owners in denial of conditional-use permit for concrete company

Miami County commissioners recently agreed with members of the Miami County Planning Commission when they voted unanimously to deny a requested conditional-use permit for Concrete Strategies, which is located on Cedar Niles Road south of 231st Street and north of Hillsdale Lake.

The issue has bounced back and forth between the Planning Commission and County Commission as the business owner worked to modify the permit request, hoping that the changes would appease surrounding property owners.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the requested CUP following a public hearing March 6. A group of neighbors raised concerns about noise, lights, dust, roads and other issues, while Bruce Stahl, the previous property owner and proprietor of Stahl Excavating, and several employees of Concrete Strategies spoke in favor of the requested CUP, according to planning documents. Some of the specific concerns of the Planning Commission included the fact that the request included a heavy industrial use that did not conform to the Rural Residential designation of the Miami County Comprehensive Plan. The planned heavy truck traffic also raised concerns about gravel road maintenance.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Kiowa city voters want term limits

In a special election Tuesday in the city of Kiowa, voters resoundingly told their city leaders they favor term limits.

Earlier this year, the Kiowas City Council voted to lift term limits first adopted in the 1970s. A petition forced a special election and a “no” vote Tuesday was against the charter ordinance ending term limits. The unofficial tally was 157 voting no and 38 voting yes, according to the Barber County Clerk’s office. There is one provisional ballot. Canvassing of election returns will take place Monday.

Councilmembers and the mayor have been limited to two consecutive four-year terms.

City Administrator Lou Leone said city leaders have talked off and on in recent years about removing term limits. When another Barber County city – Medicine Lodge – failed to attract ballot candidates for city offices in the 2017 election cycle, that spurred Kiowa to take up the issue.

“The city of Kiowa has a hard time even filling positions,” Leone said. “We’ve had elections in the past where we have three open seats and three run,” he said.

It’s unusual for cities to have term limits, Leone said. His research found Kiowa, with an estimated 980 residents, is the smallest city to have limits.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Leavenworth Commission approves resolution for ballot question

When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth County commissioners approved a resolution to place a question concerning the expansion of the commission on the ballot for the November election.

But before the vote, Commissioner Doug Smith questioned comments made to the newspaper by a member of a group supporting the expansion.

A group known as Give Me Five collected signatures to have the question added to the November ballot. The question will ask voters if they approve of expanding the County Commission from three commissioners to five.

County Clerk Janet Klasinski said the group had to collect at least 2,153 signatures of Leavenworth County registered voters in order to have the question placed on the ballot.

“The committee did obtain the correct number of signatures,” she said.

She said the resolution voted on Tuesday by commissioners authorizes her to put the question on the ballot.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Penny Postoak Ferguson named new Johnson County manager

Penny Postoak Ferguson, who has been serving in the role on an interim basis the past six month, was today appointed Johnson County’s new county manager.
Postoak Ferguson is a veteran of county government, having started as an assistant county manager overseeing human services here in 2010. In 2012 she was promoted to deputy county manager. She became interim county manager in January following the board of county commissioner’s move not to renew the contract of Hannes Zacharias late last year.

Wichita transit looks to connect services to four neighboring cities

Wichita Transit is conducting a connecting communities study evaluating the demand and support for connected transit service to Andover, Derby, Haysville and Maize.
“It’s not just about connecting people into Wichita, it’s about connecting people to where they want to go,” said Wichita Transit Associate Planner Philip Zevenbergen.
The city created a comprehensive market analysis in May of 2018. In June, transit employees hosted several community meetings and stakeholder discussions to get an idea of what kind of transportation would be wanted and what would be feasible.
On Wednesday, Wichita Transit hosted a transit alternative community meeting in Maize showcasing the route options based on public feedback.

Kansas Commerce launches KansasCentral.com, an Online Business and Economic Development Magazine

The Kansas Department of Commerce announces the launch of a new online magazine loaded with news and feature articles on business and economic development topics in Kansas. KansasCentral.com is aimed to keep Kansans and anyone interested in starting, relocating or expanding a business in Kansas informed of topics and opportunities in the state.
“It has been exciting to see so many businesses decide to expand to Kansas or start new operations here in America’s heartland, creating thousands of new jobs,” said Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. “KansasCentral.com will not only keep everyone informed of breaking news of companies locating in Kansas but will share success stories of thriving businesses in our state.”
KansasCentral.com features three main content areas: News, Events and Features.
The News section will constantly be updated with breaking business and economic development news, such as business expansions throughout the state and new or updated programs to assist businesses of all sizes be successful in Kansas.
The Events section will highlight upcoming conferences, workshops, job fairs, etc. that will be beneficial to entrepreneurs, business executives, employers and job seekers across the state.
The Features section will include success stories, video interviews, and articles about programs available through the Department of Commerce and other agencies that will benefit Kansas businesses or those considering locating in the state.

Both the News and Features sections also offer the ability for readers to easily find information specific to industries they are interested in, such as Aviation, Agriculture, Bio-Science and Energy.
“There are many great stories to tell of why Kansas is the best place in the country to do business, along with a steady stream of good news to share,” said Robert North, Interim Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. “We hope KansasCentral will quickly become a must-visit website for anyone interested in business and economic opportunities in our state.”

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KansasCentral.com

Prairie Village residents focus on teardowns, new construction at first of 3 meetings

When Doug Klein heard that the Prairie Village City Council was considering a new round of guidelines designed to restrict some aspects of residential construction, he worried how they might affect the plans he and his wife had to expand their home.

Klein, who lives on a corner lot on 71st Street, said he wants to add a master bedroom, bathroom and two-car garage to his mid-century home. He said reading about the proposed changes online, particularly those controlling the location of garages and minimum amounts of green space, raised concerns.

On Monday, he was one of more than 50 people who attended the first of three open houses held to give Prairie Village residents more information about the proposed guidelines and collect public input.

“I got a lot of answers,” he said. “I think what they’ve proposed is great as it’s going to limit the size of the houses that are going in. There’s a couple near us that don’t look like they have any green space at all.”

Prairie Village officials, like those in other northern Johnson County communities, have spent the last few years wrestling with the issue of young and growing families buying older homes and replacing them with much larger structures that longtime residents complain go against the city’s homey charm.

Two years ago, the council approved a slate of changes designed to lower maximum home heights and expand the required distance from homes to side property lines.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Wichita City Council approves bonds for Cargill expansion

More than $38 million in industrial revenue bonds has been approved to help pay for Cargill’s new biodiesel plant in Wichita.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the city council approved the bonds on Tuesday. The plant is part of an $87 million project being built at Cargill’s facility. Mayor Jeff Longwell says the city is “thrilled” in the investment in the city.

Cargill currently has a soybean processing plant, a grain elevator and truck and rail bulk loadout operation at the site.

Cargill facility leader John White says the site has produced vegetable oil, but it will transition to making biodiesel. White says it’s a “great growth opportunity.” He says the new plant should be completed by early next year.

(Read more: Government & Politics News |)

Holton City Commission meets library halfway on mill levy request

Members of the Beck-Bookman Library Board of Directors asked the Holton City Commission for extra funds to cover operations costs at the Holton library — funds that would come from a special city property tax levy — for fiscal year 2019.

The commission responded by agreeing to meet the library board halfway.

During the commission’s Monday, July 2 meeting, commissioners agreed to up the mill levy for the library from five mills to six after library board members asked for an increase of two mills, which would generate about $40,000 to cover operations and maintenance costs at the library.

“We hate to do it, because nobody likes a tax increase,” library board treasurer Mark Will told commissioners.

But rather than granting the full two-mill increase, as the library is funded by city property taxes that are set by city ordinance, Commissioner Dan Brenner suggested the library follow in the footsteps of Holton Community Hospital and set up a foundation that would oversee fund-raising activities for the library.

(Read more: Holton Recorder)

Chanute plans energy audit for buildings

Chanute commissioners voted Monday evening to seek an energy audit for municipal buildings.

Energy Solutions Professionals from Overland Park was the only one that responded of three companies city officials asked to provide a request for proposals for an investment-grade energy audit. ESP presented a preliminary audit at the April 23 meeting.

Utilities Director Larry Gates said it may be difficult for the Memorial Building to have enough energy savings to pay for the needed improvements in efficiency. But he also said the building’s boiler, installed in 1984, is near the end of its useful life.

Dumpster fees about to change in Winfield

A new ordinance from the City of Winfield will simplify the fee schedule for rental of trailer dumpsters.

The new schedule will have two rates, for residential customers and for commercial customers and contractors.

The new fees, which take effect Aug. 1, are $50 for 24 hours or per dump for residential customers, and $100 for 24 hours or per dump for commercial customers and contractors.

Community improvements director Patrick Steward didn’t have exact numbers, but said the the four-cubic-yard dumpsters are well-utilized by citizens.

There are currently three rates: one for residential demolition materials, one for commercial demolition materials and one for yard waste.

The new structure will simplify the rates and also specifies which items are prohibited.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

July free-chlorine burn to disinfect water system in Augusta

The City of Augusta Water Department will be conducting a free-chlorine burn to disinfect the water distribution system July 9, 2018, through the end of the month.

Water utilities with chloramine disinfection use free-chlorine burns and system flushes to provide routine maintenance. Free-chlorine burns also reduce the potential for coliform or other types of bacteria in the system. During the free-chlorine burn, the water disinfection process will be changed from chloramines to free chlorine, which is a stronger and faster-acting disinfectant.

Fire hydrants will be open periodically to flush the distribution system, helping to remove sediment from pipes and distribute chlorine. After the free-chlorine burn, standard disinfection chemicals will be reintroduced to the system.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

11.1 percent sales tax at Edison District in downtown OP would be among highest in Kansas

A new four-level parking garage won’t solve the parking crunch in downtown Overland Park during the day, city officials said. In fact, daytime weekday parking for the public will stay about even with what it is now, said City Manager Bill Ebel.

But council members still agreed to a $14.4 million public financing package for the Edison office and retail development, saying the influx of office workers and entertainment will be good for business and bring more people to shop downtown.

The package includes $10.6 million in tax increment financing to build the parking garage and a two percent additional sales tax within the district to help the developer on other building expenses on the $54 million project at 80th and Marty Streets.

A rendering of the plan as approved by the city council earlier this year.
The 2 percent sales tax approved by the council is the highest ever for an Overland Park community improvement district and would bring the tax rate for that area to 11.1 percent. That is among the highest sales tax rates in Kansas, according to the state department of revenue. In Johnson County, Olathe’s Conference Center Hotel CID is higher, with an 11.475 rate. The higher rate would only apply within the Edison area and does not include existing downtown businesses.

City of Pratt hosts Kansas State Firefighters Association training session

The city of Pratt played host to more than 50 firefighters who were in town July 7 and 8 as part of Kansas State Firefighters Association training sessions.

Firefighters from Pratt, Larned State Hospital, Sawyer, Cullison, Barber County, Anthony, Harper, Pratt County Rescue, Township 12, Kingman County, Ellis County, Reno County, Argonia and Ford County participated.

Lessons covered included vehicle extraction, pump operations (running the fire truck), search and rescue, building construction and structural collapse, fire cause and determination, ventilation, burn trailer and wildfires.

Instructors and experienced firefighters from the Kansas State Firefighters Association offered constant support for people going through the training for the first time.

“We had a lot of people encouraging them and helping them along,” said Pratt Fire Chief David Kramer. “It was an opportunity for inexperienced people to learn. Everybody seemed to enjoy it. No matter what the class is, they always take something away from it.”

(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)

Council OKs Edison OP, despite complaints about changing character of Overland Park

Construction of a controversial downtown Overland Park office/entertainment complex is expected to begin this fall, after the City Council approved tax incentives and an unprecedented 2 percent sales tax to support the development.

“I’m really excited,” developer Tim Barton said after the Council’s votes Monday night to support financial incentives for the $53.8 million Edison OP project.

The proposal has generated considerable debate about the changing character in downtown Overland Park, especially over increased density, traffic, parking shortages and noise. But Barton said he has listened and responded to public suggestions and concerns that he thought led to a better project.

Edison OP calls for a five-story office building at the southwest corner of 80th and Marty streets, a first-floor food hall in that building, a public courtyard, a one-story renovated building for a restaurant on Marty Street, a surface parking lot, and a four-story parking garage at the northwest corner of 81st and Marty streets.

Wichita lets gravel pit get bigger despite complaints of violations, choking dust

A south Wichita dirt and sand-mining operation will be allowed to more than double in size and add a rock crusher, despite complaints from neighbors that dust from the existing operation already keeps them inside their homes during the day.

The Wichita City Council turned aside the neighbors’ protests and upheld a Planning Commission recommendation to allow Wichita home developer Jay Russell to expand a 20-acre topsoil operation into a 47-acre sand and gravel pit on the east bank of the Arkansas River south of East 55th Street South.

In addition, the council approved the use of a mobile crusher at the site to process salvaged asphalt and concrete into gravel for up to three months a year. The Planning Commission voted 8-1 to approve the plan; the District Advisory Board, which also heard from the neighbors, voted 7-0 for denial.

The council sided with the Planning Commission on a 6-1 vote, with Brandon Johnson in opposition.

Afterward, neighbors said they were disappointed in the council vote and expect things to get worse as mining operations expand.

“Dust. My kids can’t even play outside when they’re running trucks,” said Megan Miller, who lives adjacent to the site. “It’s summer. My kids want to be outside and play. We’re stuck inside until they’re done for the day.”

The mining generally starts between 6 and 7 a.m. and runs until about 6 p.m., said neighbor Rustin Atkeisson, who lives across the dirt street from the site.

(Read more: Local News |)

Salina obtains land for water treatment plant

The Salina City Commission Monday approved on a 5-0 vote the purchase by eminent domain of land and water rights for a new water treatment plant in south Salina.

The city is purchasing 41.9 acres at the southeast quadrant of South Ohio Street and Water Well Road and associated water rights for $503,170. Commissioners also agreed to pay appraiser’s fees of $6,000, for a total of $509,170. The price per acre for the land and water rights is about $12,000.

The city has 30 days to pay the clerk of Saline County District Court or the clerk will consider the purchase abandoned.

There will be a 30-day appeal period during which either the city or the landowner may appeal the appraiser’s assessment of the value of the land. If either side appeals, the matter will go to a jury trial.

The city wants to obtain the land and water rights for a new water treatment plant. Martha Tasker, the city’s director of utilities, said adding a well field and treatment plant will ensure the city has enough water, even in a drought.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Farmland Road, in Finney County rezoning to allow more livestock

The Finney County Commission on Monday approved a request to rezone a stretch of lots on Farmland Road as a rural residential district, giving property owners more flexibility in what kind of livestock they can keep on their land.

Kaleb Kentner, Neighborhood and Development services director, told commissioners that residents of properties on Farmland Road between Mary Street and Kansas Highway 156 had requested the zoning change.

Property owners on the road have faced many code violations for keeping animals — oftentimes horses — and the City of Garden City had worked with them to find solutions, according to Kentner’s proposal.

Before the approval, 18 lots spanning more than 42 acres on the stretch had been zoned as suburban estates, which allows property owners to keep horses and chickens on their land, or low density residential, which don’t allow for any animals.

With the change, the lots will be rezoned as rural residential, which allows for a certain amount of equine, bovine, swine, sheep or goats, poultry, rabbits and other small animals based on the size of the lot’s fenced acreage.

Labette County chooses bridge to repair

Labette County commissioners on Monday agreed to pursue funding for repair of a bridge near Mound Valley.

Bridge No. 109, built in 1950, is on 14500 Road near Harper Road. The long structure has 41-, 44- and 41-foot segments and has a weight limit of 10 tons. The sufficiency rating is listed at 49.8, and anything below 50 can be considered for replacement.

Commissioners considered a list of five bridges from an email from Public Works Director Sandy Krider before deciding on the bridge near Mound Valley. The county sought funding to replace Bridge No. 109 in 2016 from the pool of money available from the Kansas Department of Transportation for off-system bridges, such as those on many gravel roads. The project was not approved and the bridge’s condition continues to deteriorate.

The county formerly repaired more bridges each year when the state had a five-year bridge program, but a funding change through KDOT slowed bridge replacement to two bridges in the last five years.

In the off-system bridge program, the county is responsible for 20 percent of the cost of the replacement and also must pay to move utilities and purchase right of way for the work from property owners.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Hoisington pool running fine, more improvements expected

In 2014, there was talk amongst the Hoisington City Council to implement a city sales tax in Hoisington to help fund a new pool. At the time, Hoisington was going through another major leak that was difficult to identify and kept the pool closed for half of the summer. The City Council went away from the extra tax and instead added a charge to utility bills. Any customer using Hoisington utilities has free access to the pool all summer, but a $2 charge each month is assigned to the utility bill. Residents that do not use the pool are still charged the $2 fee, but Mitchell says those residents can take advantage of the guest passes. Mitchell says the pool that opened in 1962 is running fine now, but anticipated the City Council to consider making improvements to the building that houses the showers, restrooms and changing area.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Yes, the city knows what a straight line is

A Wichita bridge famous for its pigeon poop has a new reason to make Wichitans look up.

This past weekend, Wichitans, particularly those who like things in a certain order, went wonky over the new LED lights in the Douglas Ave. railroad bridge. Lights installed in the underpass veer to the left and right instead of being placed in a straight line.

A photo of the misaligned lights was tweeted by Jon Looney on July 6.

Looney captioned the photo, “The new LED lights under the @DowntownWichita railroad bridge are great! But….Come on @CityofWichita Was a straight line so hard? #mildlyinfuriating #notmyjob.” Assistant Director of Public Works and Utilities – City Engineer Gary Janzen said the project simply wasn’t done yet and the lights had just been roughed in late last week.

The new LED lights under the @DowntownWichita railroad bridge are great! But….Come on @CityofWichita Was a straight line so hard? #mildlyinfuriating #notmyjob pic.twitter.com/B9UXz0ELaO

— Jon Looney (@JonLooney) July 6, 2018

“When they first install them, they’re not in final position,” Janzen said late Monday afternoon. “If it’s not done now, it will be done by tomorrow.” KFDI’s JJ Hayes replied to the tweet, “OMG…my OCD is going crazy…I can’t deal!”

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Developers seek city help to renovate ‘eyesore’ in southeast Wichita

A pair of developers are asking the Wichita City Council for nearly $6 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds to renovate a southeast Wichita apartment complex.

Brent Hurst and Dave Murfin have formed Sandstone Apartments to purchase Eastwood Apartments, a six-building complex located just south of Kellogg on the east side of Oliver. The request for the industrial revenue bonds goes before the council on Tuesday.

The complex, built in the 1950s, “has come into disrepair and faces extensive deferred maintenance issues,” according to a city document. A plan for the project shared with city officials called the Eastwood Apartments an “increasing eye sore in a very visible and now improving area.”

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Shawnee upgrades 20-year-old water fountains, adds dog bowls, water bottle fillers

Park-goers and their canine counterparts have new water fountains and dog bowls in Shawnee’s parks this summer.

Swarner Park and Gum Springs Park each have new fountains with dog bowls and water bottle fillers. Herman Laird Park has a new fountain with a dog bowl.

Joe Overstreet, manager of parks and facilities, said the four drinking fountains, which were replaced in mid-June, cost approximately $1,300 each. The drinking fountains upgrades were a planned budgeted expense in the Land Improvement Maintenance account.

“The fountains being replaced have been in operation for as long as 20 years,” Overstreet said. “The new fountains allow staff to purchase replacement parts at local commercial plumbing vendors, as the old fountain parts could only be sourced online.”

Junction City Water Supply in Good Shape

It is hot and dry, and Geary County is in a drought emergency. But Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel confirmed Monday that the city’s water supply is good shape. “I think we’re lucky in the fact that even though the drought seems tremendous here is not spread out through the area.”

Dinkel noted there is still water coming into Milford Lake, there’s still water being released from Milford Lake, and of course our well fields ( are ) along the Republican River. “We have no issues at this point in time.”

Rains in north central Kansas have resulted in water flowing into the Republican River in turn flows into Milford Lake.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Sales Tax to Fund Capital Improvement Fund for Infrastructure Improvements in Phillipsburg

The Phillipsburg City Council is asking residents to consider a .5% sales tax at the August 7th election which will replace the current .5% sales tax that is dedicated to the payment of debt for the wastewater improvements made in 2001. The debt for the wastewater improvements will be paid in its entirety on August 1, 2018 which is 4 years earlier than planned. Farmers State Bank, Farmers National Bank, and First National Bank had purchased the bonds and are allowing the City to pay them early. By paying the bonds off early the City has saved $34,423.00 in interest cost.

The .5% sales tax that will be voted on at the August election is dedicated towards city infrastructure improvements including streets, sewer system, and water system. At the July 3, 2018 City Council meeting, an ordinance establishing a Capital Improvement Fund was adopted. This ordinance will be effective on July 11, 2018. All of the .5% sales tax monies will be receipted directly into the Capital Improvement Fund. Kansas Law requires a capital improvement plan be developed and approved by the City Council prior to any expenditure from this fund. By placing this money in the new fund, it will insure transparency and accountability for the use of the money.

(Read more: Phillipsburg, KS news)

Overland Park receives settlement from insurance company after boy topples expensive sculpture

The insurance company for the family of a boy who toppled an expensive sculpture at an Overland Park community center has sent a large check to reimburse the city.

Overland Park spokesman Sean Reilly says the family’s insurance company sent the city a check for $107,000 after a 5-year-old boy knocked over the sculpture last month. The sculpture, known as the “Aphrodite di Kansas City” was on display with more than 150 other works of art at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center when it was broken.

“I cannot believe they allowed something so dangerous to be where kids play,” Sarah Goodman, mother of the boy who toppled sculpture, told KMBC 9 News.

Goodman said her family was there attending a wedding that day, and she was just around the corner from her son when the incident happened.

“That type of artwork had absolutely no business being in that community center,” said Goodman.

Video from that day showed Goodman’s son, Troy, reaching up and appearing to hug the statue before it crashes to the ground. Goodman said her son was cut by glass from that sculpture.

She believes a sculpture of that value should have been secured or roped off.

(Read more: KMBC)

A 130-year-old general store and memories keep Kansas ghost town of Banner alive

From a spring wagon pulled by mules, A.W. Purinton found his home.
It was fall 1878 and settlement was only beginning. Western Kansas was vast and empty. Trego County hadn’t been organized. The only community center was a small settlement north of the Smoky Hill River that would become WaKeeney.
Yet, for a few days on the sparsely settled prairie, the pioneer and a couple others from his native Vermont searched for the best free land to stake their hopes and dreams and build a future.
Purinton found it along the Hackberry Creek in the southwest part of the county, not far from Castle Rock. The settlers then marked a trail north so they would remember where to go when they returned with family that spring.
It was the beginning of a community they called Banner. Those first residents built sod homes, a sod church and established a post office.

Equine facilities impact communities in more ways than one

One facility has been in the same location for more than a 100 years. Another for close to 20 years and one more is just getting its feet wet. For three places that host equine events in southwest Kansas, the impact on their communities can be measured in a couple of ways.
Many equine enthusiasts and competitors travel to events around their local areas while others criss-cross the country competing. When they travel, they need food, fuel, feed for the horses and hotel rooms. Some bring shopping lists when they travel to bigger cities and stock up on necessities before or after they compete.

Topeka city manager drops request to raise sales tax, proposes keeping it the same

Public feedback has prompted city manager Brent Trout to drop his earlier request that Topekans be asked to raise the citywide sales tax to three-quarters of a cent.
A resolution he is sponsoring would arrange for Topekans to instead vote on whether to extend the current half-cent tax for another 10 years.
The city on Thursday made public a copy of the preliminary agenda for its governing body’s July 17 meeting, which shows that body plans to consider scheduling a citywide Nov. 6 ballot question election on whether to renew the current half-cent tax for 10 more years, through Oct. 1, 2029.

Governing bodies to consider labor contract, incentives for promoters

A proposed labor contract amendment and incentives for promoters to bring acts to the Kansas Expocentre are among matters local governing bodies plan to take up this coming week.
The Shawnee County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Monday in its chambers in Room B-11 of the county courthouse, 200 S.E. 7th. The Topeka City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th.
Commissioners plan to consider entering into an agreement through which Philadelphia-based Spectra Venue Management, which manages the Kansas Expocentre under contract for the county, would provide the county $200,000 to establish an “event show fund.”
The intent of the fund is to provide incentives for promoters to bring events to the facility and, in some cases, offset the financial risk they or the facility may incur in connection with those events.

Cowley County officials hope to avoid property tax hike

Cowley County commissioners this week took a step toward approving next year’s budget.

Administrator Lucas Goff and county commissioners held a work session Tuesday on the proposed 2019 fiscal-year budget during a commission meeting. Among the challenges to the upcoming budget is a substantial increase in the cost of health insurance: 26.6 percent. The increased cost is based on how the insurance was used by employees in the last fiscal year.

Some years are good and some years are less good, Goff said. It depends on the amount of money the insured use for the services they receive.

Goff is working with the various departments to get them to set aside more money for reserves. His goal is for the departments to set aside 15 percent of their budget every year for long-range planning.

In the past, former commissioners and county administrators did not emphasize planning for the long term. For example, the Road and Bridge Department has about $2.7 million set aside, but that does not go far paying for all the bridge work that needs to be completed. Goff is working to develop a five-year plan for that department.

Capital improvements will also challenge the county. For example, it will shortly be looking at replacing air conditioning in the courthouse — an expense of about $250,000.

Budgets proposed by the various department heads changed little from last year, Goff said, as everyone is trying to keep the mill levy flat.

Goff praised Mary Read, director of community corrections, who has had her budget cut by the state more than once, but went out and found several grants to offset the losses.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

A small Kansas City bar plays host to generations of Croatian soccer fans

Hrvatska! Hrvatska! Hrvatska!

In a basement of the typically quiet Strawberry Hill neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., those words could be heard echoing repeatedly from over 200 strong over the course of three hours on Saturday afternoon.

Hrvatska means “Croatia” in the native tongue for a Croatian, and a strong band of Croatian soccer fans had gathered in the basement of St. John’s Catholic Club, where through an inauspicious set of doors down a spacious alleyway, a bar and bowling club played host to the hopes and dreams of generations of Croatian fans in the KC area, as their team competes in the 2018 World Cup. Hordes of Croatians made the long journey to America for the hope of a new life, like many of those before them. Kansas City was home at the time to a Swift Meat Packing factory, which brought in and gave work to many of the Croatians who arrived in the Midwest.

The small community in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood that has housed Croatians for over a century has a very European feel to it, too. Small streets with cars squeezed on either side are lined by tight, yet neatly kept houses.

Everybody also seems to know everybody else. On Saturday afternoon, there weren’t many people in the streets, because they were inside St. John’s Catholic Club. But inside the tightly cramped bar, there didn’t seem to be a face that was unknown by somebody else.

Even the beer being served in the bar was native to Croatia — a beer called Karlovačko, which translates roughly to ‘made in Karlovac.’

Clapp Golf Course in Wichita slated to close Sept. 30

Turning aside pleas from dozens of residents, the Wichita Park Board voted late Friday to close L.W. Clapp Golf Course in south Wichita at the end of the peak golf season Sept. 30.

But the closure passed with a stipulation that no land will be sold for development until a master plan can be prepared for the site, which could take the next year.

And some board members held out hope that Clapp could still be saved, if Wichita’s golf community rallies around the course and stanches course losses between now and the end of the summer. The 4-3 vote came after nearly four hours of meetings and two unsuccessful attempts at a vote to close the course.

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

Reno and surrounding counties still in drought emergency

On Friday, Gov. Jeff Colyer updated the Drought Declaration for Kansas counties with an executive order.

The update includes all 105 counties either in an emergency, warning, or watch status. This order places nearly half of Kansas counties in an emergency drought status.

Counties in the emergency stage are eligible for emergency use of water from certain state fishing lakes because of the KWO Memorandum of Understanding with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. They also become eligible for water in some federal reservoirs.

Reno County is included in the drought emergency. Others also under the emergency alert include Harvey, Kingman, McPherson, Pratt, Rice, Sedgwick, and Stafford counties.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

City and school sidewalk projects underway in El Dorado

Projects adding walkways and bike paths to Sixth Avenue and McCollum Road the City of El Dorado and USD 490 are partnering are in progess.

Sidewalks are in the process of being added to Sixth Avenue and the McCollum Road project has just started.

The 5-foot wide Sixth Avenue sidewalk will stretch from Orchard to Star Streets along the south side Sixth Street. The bid awarded to SPS was $97,912.50. Pearson Construction also submitted a bid of $226,955. The engineer’s estimate of the project was $149,655. The sidewalk is being paid for with excess sales tax dollars.

The 8-foot wide bike trail from North Main Street to Country Club Drive on McCollum Road will cost a total of $66,365 to complete through SPS. The engineer’s estimate was $106,225. Pearson Construction bid the job for $115,225. USD 490 and the City of El Dorado are co funding the project.

(Read more: andoveramerican.com)