Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Neosho County Commissioners hear from 911 dispatchers

Dispatchers may be the “spokes” people of emergency services.

While law enforcement, firefighters or ambulance crews are the ones visible on the scene, like the outer rim of a wheel, the dispatchers are at the center.

“We’re the little hub in that wheel,” 14-year dispatcher Barbara Stich told Neosho County commissioners Friday morning.

Incoming 911 Director Lori Nally has introduced five of the county’s eight dispatchers to county commissioners, and Stich, Kim Wilson and Alicia Myers met the board Friday morning.

“Our voice is at the dark,” Stich said. She answered questions from the commission about how the dispatch center works.

Two people work the center each shift, and Stich explained how they take an emergency call, locate the caller, and notify the proper agency. The 911 system is able to locate emergency callers, often even those on cell phones.

When asked what surprises her the most, Stich bluntly said public stupidity. She said parenting has become a greater issue over the past decade.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Parsons to talk about smoke-free park areas

Parsons city commissioners on Monday evening again will discuss making most of the parks smoke-free.

The commissioners have talked about smoke-free parks for the last several weeks after Commissioner Bill Hogelin introduced the idea about a year ago.

The commission at first wanted to designate a certain distance around play equipment as smoke-free areas, but Parsons Police Chief Jason Sharp said it would be easier to enforce an ordinance that created areas where smoking would be permitted.

In their last regular meeting and the work session preceding it, the commissioners informally agreed to create a couple of smoking sections in Forest Park as well as a smoking section in each of the smaller parks that have playgrounds. Not all of the commissioners were present for both of those meetings, however.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Neosho County discusses effect of Neighborhood Revitalization

Neosho County’s budget forecast looked mixed after Appraiser Bob McElroy gave county commissioners the preliminary valuation figures Friday morning.

The overall taxable property is up $2.7 million, but that does not count the impact of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. McElroy said a lot of the new construction is under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and that worried Commissioner David Bideau. He said the NRP might cause a net decrease in the tax base.

“We’re underwater,” he said.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program provides development incentives by rebating a percentage of the tax increase caused by improvements. The county collects the increase, then refunds it, and the program lasts up to 10 years, with the rebate percentage decreasing over that time.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Hays City Band to kick off summer season under new director

The Hays City Band is organizing for the summer season on the direction of new Fort Hays State University professor Peter Lillpopp.

The band accepts community members high school age and older of all skill levels. The band will play a range of music, including Sousa marches, jazz, movie scores and tunes from Broadway musicals.

“I really like it when I go into to communities and they have something going on downtown, and if it is great music, even better,” Lillpopp said during an interview this week on the KAYS Morning Show. “It really showcases the community and community pride. It is patriotism really. Short of going into the military, there is nothing more patriotic than you can do than join a community band.”

(Read more: Hays Post)

Salina city manager takes job in Springfield

The longtime city manager in Salina will take over the top administrative job in the city of Springfield, Missouri. Gage has been city manager in Salina for 13 years. Before that he was city manager in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and De Soto, Missouri.

Gage is a graduate of Missouri Southern State College in Joplin. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the selection of Jason Gage as city manager was announced Friday.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

Cowley County Administrator gets new job contract

Cowley County commissioners on Tuesday approved a four-year contract for Cowley County Administrator Lucas Goff …

Goff said his previous contract was for two years, but he requested this one be for four years because “I didn’t want to go anywhere. I think a lot of good things can be done. Four years is security for the board and for me.”

The four-year contract does not include a pay increase but has some minor changes to it, Goff said.

He was hired in January 2017, replacing former administrator Jeremy Willmoth, who is now city manager of Winfield.

Commissioner Wayne Wilt said Goff is doing a great job.

“We wanted him not to worry about losing his job, to make sure he could get things going,” Wilt said. “We gave him the same amount of time as an elected official.”

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Salina to hear proposed changes to incentive districts

Salina city commissioners will hold a public hearing on whether to adopt changes to the Neighborhood Revitalization Area when they meet in regular session at 4 p.m. Monday in Room 107 of the City-County Building. Changes include some boundaries and the addition of a new classification, Projects of Exceptional Community Significance. That classification would allow the developers of Lee Hardware Lofts to take advantage of additional tax incentives.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Law enforcement is family tradition for new Emporia ACO

“I’m just kind of testing the waters,” Emporia Police Department Animal Control Officer Reagan McClellan said.

Growing up, the Lyon County native said she wanted to be a game warden, but had many family members in law enforcement. She has a degree in Criminal Justice, so finding herself working for her hometown police department is not a huge twist in her life story.

For about two months now, McClellan has been training as an animal control officer with Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputy Felipe Perez and Emporia Police Officer Jaffar Agha.

“Through college, I always talked about becoming a cop or something like that,” she said. “I was just never in the position to apply.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Black bears sighted in Southeast Kansas

Black bears have been spotted in Southeast Kansas in recent years and most recently in southern Crawford County.

Crawford County Sheriff Dan Peak announced this week that the public recently turned in multiple sightings of a black bear in the county. He reported that black bears have been seen in neighboring counties as well.

Peak said the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism indicates these sightings are likely to increase. He said his office will respond to sightings but will not take action unless the bear poses a serious threat to public safety or property.

Matt Peek, a surveyor biologist with KDWPT in Emporia, said black bears were seen near Weir in June 2015, but he wasn’t aware of the more recent sightings. The KDWPT identified a juvenile bear as one seen in 2015 in Weir and near Galena in Cherokee County.

He thinks the recent sightings could be a juvenile bear as well, likely a male, that is age 1 or 2. These bears are smaller, 150 to 200 pounds, and spring is when they extend their food foraging territory. “If bears become more common in Kansas, people have to be a lot more careful about where they’re leaving trash and food, potential food sources.”

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Sears to close Topeka store as part of national plans

Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close its store in Topeka as part of a nationwide reorganization.

The store is expected to close in September.

That will leave the Wichita store as the only remaining traditional Sears store in Kansas.

(Read more: KOAM – Local News)

Construction to start soon on children’s golf campus at Wichita golf course

A $1.5 million addition to the western edge of MacDonald Park Golf Course will be a new hub for children’s golf in Wichita. The project should take about a year to finish.

The planned campus is being created by The First Tee of Greater Wichita, which aims to give children the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of golf while building character.

The children’s campus will include a driving range with a 10,300-square-foot practice tee, 17 all-weather tees, a 6,000-square-foot putting green, a 3,000-square-foot chipping green, and a practice bunker. Although the campus will be open to the general public, Compton said junior golfers will have priority, and the learning center will be for golfers between 5 and 17 years old. Since its incorporation in 2016, the nonprofit The First Tee of Greater Wichita has grown to work with 52 area schools to help physical education teachers integrate golf lessons into their curricula. So far, the program has reached 21,000 children in the region. The chapter’s six-week summer session starts June 5.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

City of Augusta celebrates pool re-opening

The Augusta Municipal Swimming Pool is officially ready and open for the summer season following some needed improvements.
City officials, staff and residents attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday evening.
Augusta Mayor Mike Rawlings spoke briefly before cutting the ribbon.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Trail at Fort Larned historic site designated as national recreation trail

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has designated the nature trail at the Fort Larned Historic Site as a national recreation trail.

The trail was among 19 trails in 17 states — and the only one in Kansas — receiving the designation this week, according to release from the agency.

On the grounds of Fort Larned National Historic Site, which is located six miles west of Larned on K-156, the 1.1-mile loop trail highlights both history and nature.

Fort Larned is located on the historic Santa Fe Trail and is also on the Central Flyway, a major bird migration corridor.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Themes From ‘State of the City’ Addresses

Now in its 5th year, the National League of Cities’ annual State of the Cities report provides an in-depth analysis of mayoral speeches. The analysis pinpoints specific tactics and policies, as well as broader policy directions, and finds that:

Economic development is the most prevalent major policy issue across mayoral speeches (58%) and has been for the past 5 years.
Infrastructure, budgets and housing rise in importance this year, overtaking public safety. Mayors offered more detailed infrastructure plans this year, while presenting a narrower scope of discussion on public safety.
Economic development, infrastructure, budgets, housing and public safety are consistently the top issues for the 5th year in a row.

(Read more: NLC)

Tonganoxie Planning Commission to hear proposal today for $30 million luxury RV resort

The Tonganoxie Planning Commission will decide whether to approve plans for two projects that could have major implications on the Tonganoxie landscape.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Council Chambers to decide whether to approve plans for a proposed luxury RV resort just east of Tonganoxie and a new Casey’s General Store south of the U.S. Highway 24-40 and Kansas Highway 16 intersection. The resort portion of the development would be an estimated $30 million project completed in two phases and would be the only of its kind in any direction for 700 miles. The gated community would be open to luxury RV owners who lease varying levels of spaces, some that come with small cottages. A private golf course also is planned.

(Read more: TonganoxieMirror.com stories)

Augusta’s new police chief sworn in

Monday’s City Council meeting

Police officers and firefighters attended Monday’s Augusta City Council meeting to watch Robert Sage take the official oath of office as the new Director of Public Safety for the City of Augusta.
Sage has more than 30 years experience and is replacing Tyler Brewer who retired last October.
Following the ceremony Chief Sage shared that he had started his career in public service at 13, when he became a junior firefighter with the Augusta Department of Safety, and that he is looking forward to leading the department.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Mission residents renew calls to reject Martway apartment building despite developer’s tweaks

The Mission city council on Wednesday got a preview of an updated plan for a new apartment building on Martway, with a group of neighborhood homeowners again coming forward to say the project isn’t appropriate for the site.

Since the proposal was introduced last summer, the idea of building a multi-story apartment complex on the site of three aging single-story office buildings has drawn pushback from people who live in the vicinity of the Martway site.

Despite the fact that it had gained the support of the planning commission, Mission’s city council did not approve developer Christian Arnold’s scaled-back version of the project earlier this year.

Want a say on what the Wichita area will look like in 10 years? Here’s your chance

Does your book club like to digress into what Wichita needs to do to become a better city?

Does your softball team grumble about how many swings and misses community leaders commit as they strive to move Wichita forward?

You’ve got an opportunity to weigh in with your recommendations as Project Wichita launches the “listening” portion of its action plan. Project Wichita is a collaboration of business, education and government leaders with a goal to learn what people think about their city and the region — and where they want it to be in 10 years. “Any group, anywhere, any time” can share their thoughts by discussing six focus group questions, which can be found on the Project Wichita web site, and then send their input to the Public Policy and Management Center at Wichita State University.

“Our goal is to seek diverse, multi-generational participation from high school students to retirees,” Misty Bruckner, director of WSU’s Public Policy and Management Center, said in a prepared statement.

About 75 private businesses, including hard-to-reach minority business interests, have committed funding to Project Wichita. The group had raised $300,000 from private and public sources, according to a slide presented at this week’s Sedgwick County Commission meeting.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Mr. Haysville, Tim Norton named Admiral Windwagon Smith

Mr. Haysville will be the face of this year’s Wichita River Festival.

Haysville’s most visible resident, Tim Norton – who spent nine years as Haysville city council member, four years as Haysville mayor, and 16 years as a Sedgwick County Commissioner – was revealed last Friday as Admiral Windwagon Smith XLV, Riverfest’s official ambassador. The announcement was made at the Bracket Bash, one of the events held in conjunction with last week’s NCAA Tournament at INTRUST Bank Arena in downtown Wichita.

“It’s very humbling and quite an honor. I’ve been involved in River Festival since the first year I came here with Target,” Norton said from his home on Sunday.

That was 1980.

Baldwin City Council approves $345,000 trail easement agreement with Midland Railway

The Baldwin City Council on Tuesday approved a $345,000 agreement with the Midland Railway Historical Association that provides the city with a trail easement along the railroad from Baldwin City to Ottawa.

Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said the easement would allow the installation of a 15-foot-wide trail along the Midland Railway line that would link to the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park in Ottawa. The 51-mile crushed limestone Prairie Spirit Trail connects Ottawa to Iola. The Midland Railway and the Prairie Spirit Trail were part of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Fort Gibson Railroad built in the 1860s from Leavenworth south to the Oklahoma line. In exchange for the easement, the city agrees to pay Midland $172,500 on the signing of the agreement and another $172,500 when the easements are filed with the registers of deeds in Douglas and Franklin counties.

(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)

How often are ambulances needed in Marion County?

In the first three months of 2018, predominantly full-time ambulance crews in Marion and Hillsboro handled nearly three-fourths of all county ambulance calls.

Of the 328 times in which radio dispatches for ambulances were recorded, Hillsboro crews handled 38.1 percent of the calls, and Marion crews handled 35.7 percent.

Predominantly pay-per-call crews in Peabody handled 18.0 percent of the calls, while similar crews in Tampa handled 5.8 percent and in Florence handled 2.4 percent.

(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

Miami County, Louisburg ready go after grant to improve Metcalf Road

When Metcalf Road was built in the 1940s and 50s, it was a 20-foot wide swath of pavement bordered by gravel shoulders and ditches. Not much has changed since then, but the time could be nearing for an upgrade.

Miami County and the city of Louisburg have partnered to apply for a federal grant to improve Metcalf Road south of Kansas Highway 68. The two face a rough road ahead, but officials are hopeful they will be successful.

“It is a very competitive grant process,” said J.R. McMahon, county road and bridge director. “Our goal is to go in there and get the grant, but the trouble is we will be competing against larger cities such as Overland Park and Olathe, all of the metro area on the Kansas side. That being said, we think we have a pretty good chance of picking up some grant money.”

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

USDA designates 10 counties as primary natural disaster areas for farm emergency loans

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Butler, Chase, Cowley, Ellsworth, Harvey, McPherson, Marion, Morris, Rush and Saline counties in Kansas as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought.

Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties in Kansas also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Barton, Chautauqua, Dickinson, Elk, Ellis, Geary, Greenwood, Lincoln, Lyon, Ness, Ottawa, Pawnee, Reno, Rice, Russell, Sedgwick, Sumner and Wabaunsee.

Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties of Kay and Osage in Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance.

Qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s) emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration of March 30, to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Clay Center to reclaim lots to extend life of cemetery

Faced with running out of space at Greenwood Cemetery, the Clay Center City Council is looking at a policy on reclaiming un-used burial lots within the cemetery to extend its life.

City Attorney Dusty Mullin reported to the council that he is looking at policy on how to accomplish that, which would involve notifying the current owners of unused lots by certified letter, public notices and through publication — assuming owners or their descendants can be found, and going through a process or reverting ownership back to the city if no one with a valid claim comes forward. There are provisions for family to claim the lots, if they can be found.

Mayor Jimmy Thatcher said this primarily affects lots purchased several decades ago to as old as 100 years ago. Cemetery Sexton Karen Buckner said that includes several hundred lots that could be reclaimed by the city, and that would go a long way in extending the life of the cemetery, Thatcher said.

Lenexa to consider public finance incentives for renovation of office building into Home2 Suites by Hilton

The Lenexa City Council will hold a May 15 public hearing to consider whether to approve a redevelopment tax-increment financing project plan for a proposed Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel and office project on the southwest corner of Rosehill Road and 96th Terrace.

The project would comprise renovation of a two-story, roughly 19,000-square-foot office building and related improvements in a first phase, and construction of a four-story, 99-room Home2 Suites hotel and related improvements in a second phase. The roughly 5.63-acre site of the proposed project is within the I-35 and 95th Street TIF District.

The council unanimously approved holding the hearing as part of its consent agenda at its Tuesday night meeting. The Lenexa Planning Commission approved the final plan for the proposed office redevelopment and recommended rezoning and the preliminary plan for the hotel at its Monday night meeting. City staff also recommended approval for the project.

Leavenworth City Commissioners discuss goals

Leavenworth city commissioners met Wednesday to discuss goals.

Lobbying for another federal prison, trying to attract a grocery store in the northern half of the city and rental property inspections were among the topics discussed.

Commissioners reviewed goals they made a year ago and discussed possible new goals. A document with updated goals will be brought back to the commission for formal adoption later this month.

One of the old goals reviewed is lobbying and advocating for federal funding for a new medium-security prison and increased maintenance funding for the existing U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth.

“This remains on our radar, very high on our radar,” Mayor Mark Preisinger said.

Officials with the federal Bureau of Prisons have looked at building an additional prison on the grounds of the existing USP in Leavenworth. But construction for the new prison has never been funded.

Preisinger said the project will be brought up when he and City Manager Paul Kramer visit Washington, D.C. in the coming days.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Flexibility and project learning part of school experiment in Wellington

The community of Wellington was ready to redesign its public schools before the state school board picked it as one of the “Mercury Seven” pilot communities in a statewide program for school redesign.

This was the opening message of a talk Tuesday evening on the subject of school redesign by Mark Whitener, Superintendent of USD 353 at Wellington. Whitener spoke at the Winfield High School cafeteria.

Conversations about redesign had been going on for a year before the Wellington community applied for the statewide program, said Whitener, a former Ark City Middle School principal.

Business, industry, teachers, parents and students were involved in the conversations. Some 800 people responded to a survey asking about the future of the community’s schools. “We asked ourselves ‘What direction should the district go?’”

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Kansas House kills bill that supporters said would have made HOAs more accountable

Kansas lawmakers have rejected a bill that supporters said would have made homeowners associations more accountable by placing their oversight under the Kansas Attorney General’s office.

Lawmakers shot down House Bill 2629 after a 36-minute debate on the House floor, followed by an unrecorded voice vote.

“I just don’t get it,” said Scott Wircenske, an Olathe homeowner who sued his HOA to see its financial documents, then went to authorities after discovering the property manager was mishandling the funds. “Why would you not want this level of protection if you’re a homeowner? If I’m a homeowner, I want to know that the books are clean through and through and that I don’t have to worry about it because there’s this oversight.” House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican who proposed the bill, told how Wircenske, a constituent, was forced to take his HOA to court because board members wouldn’t let him see the financial records or meeting minutes.

“These are mini-governments. And the city can’t stop it. The county can’t stop it. The township can’t stop it. The only way to hold them accountable is you’ve got to sue yourself and your neighbors for people who aren’t obeying existing law,” Schwab said.

But Rep. Russ Jennings, R-Lakin, said homeowners know what they’re getting into when they buy in an HOA.

“People who buy property that have restrictions or covenants on that property do so at the time of the purchase knowing that it exists,” he said. “I’m not sure why the state should provide counsel for folks who have a complaint about an HOA when they entered into a contract to do it with them in the first place.”

(Read more: Government & Politics News |)

Russell Water Judged Second-Best Tasting Water in Kansas

The best tasting water in Kansas is produced by WaterOne of Johnson County according to a recent contest, and the City of Russell’s water placed second.
So says the team of professionals who judged water during the 51st Annual Conference and Exhibition for water and wastewater utilities sponsored by the Kansas Rural Water Association held at the Century II Convention Center in Wichita.
…
The City of Russell serves 2,400 customers and has a production capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day to meet customers’ needs. City Manager Jon Quinday comments the City of Russell is proud to have placed second in the contest as nearly 30 samples were submitted by cities and rural water districts. This is the first year the City of Russell has participated in the contest.

Parsons works with Labette Community College for possible tornado shelter

The city of Parsons is working with Labette Community College on the possible construction of a new storm shelter.

City Manager Debbie Lamb told city commissioners Monday evening that she and her staff have been brainstorming for ideas on how a new community tornado shelter could be built. The staff wants to discontinue the use of the Parsons Municipal Building basement as a storm shelter because it doesn’t meet Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. Parsons USD 503 has FEMA-approved community storm shelters at its three elementary schools and Parsons High School, but those aren’t available to the general public during school hours.

Lamb said Laura Moore, community development director, has discovered that FEMA will pay 75 percent of the costs for a community storm shelter. LCC is getting ready to build an addition to its gymnasium, and city staff is interested in possibly incorporating a safe room into the addition.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

County Commission declines to make grant application because of sales tax referendum uncertainty

Douglas County commissioners reluctantly declined Wednesday a staff request to apply for a grant that would help pay for a viewing site and shelter at Wells Overlook Park because of uncertainty about the fate of the half-cent sale tax referendum before voters this spring.

Keith Browning, county public works director, said the county developed plans for an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant viewing platform about 30 feet north of the Wells Overlook tower.

The project was not on the county’s capital improvement list, but it was developed after Ken Lassman, a member of the family who donated the Wells Overlook property on County Route 458 just east of U.S. Highway 59 to the county, expressed interest in improving viewing opportunities at the site for those with mobility limitations.

(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)

Section of sewer line to be replaced in Holton

The Holton City Commission on Monday evening approved a bid to replace a problematic section of the city’s sewer line in order to prepare the line for an upgrade.

A 70-foot section of a north-south main sewer line in the 600 block between New York and Pennsylvania avenues — “the one that we’ve had so much trouble with,” Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee said — will be replaced by Haug Construction of Holton, which bid $17,355 for the work, commissioners noted.

(Read more: Holton Recorder)

Hays firefighters train for airplane fires

City of Hays firefighters conducted practical fire attack training April 3 to requalify as airport firefighters.

The practical firefighting training was presented by the University of Missouri Fire & Rescue Training Institute and conducted at the Hays Regional Airport.

The University of Missouri’s mobile aircraft fire trainer was used to simulate various aircraft firefighting and rescue situations.

To support airport operations, city of Hays firefighters are required to complete a comprehensive airport firefighter training program meeting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Lawrence City Commission to discuss raising tobacco age to 21

The discussion of whether the city of Lawrence should create a local ordinance to raise the age to purchase tobacco-related products to 21 will be coming to City Hall.

At the City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, Vice Mayor Lisa Larsen made a motion to add the topic to a future commission work session agenda. Larsen said she would like to have a discussion about the pros and cons and about what other cities are doing.

“There seems to be a big push,” Larsen said. “I think that there’s some merit to getting more details about what would be expected from that type of a program.”

City staff both said that a key element of that discussion would be the legality of such ordinances. City Attorney Toni Wheeler told the commission that the city of Topeka’s ordinance raising the age to 21 has been successfully challenged in court and that city staff would continue to review the case.

“We’ll have some more information on the legality here soon,” Wheeler said. “It’s not a closed question yet.”

Commissioner questions Project Wichita’s intentions toward Century II

A Sedgwick County commissioner publicly questioned Wednesday whether Project Wichita is a legitimate effort to gather input on the future of the community, or a pretext to generate public support for tearing down Century II and building a new convention and performing arts center.

A co-chairman of Project Wichita said Century II is likely to be part of the discussion, but the project’s goal is to take a much broader look at community wants and needs and how to handle them. And he assured the commission that any research done by Project Wichita will be on the up and up.

The issue arose during debate over whether Sedgwick County should spend $45,000 to be part of Project Wichita, which was approved 4-1 with Ranzau opposing it.

(Read more: Local News |)

Developer says parking is ‘last piece’ for downtown grocery plans; goal is to begin construction this fall

Developers leading the downtown grocery store project say they aim to begin construction by the fall and that the final detail that needs to be figured out is the parking.

“We’re excited that we’ve got almost all the pieces in place,” Lawrence businessman Mike Treanor, of Treanor HL, told attendees at the Downtown Lawrence Inc. meeting Wednesday. “That last piece is how we get that parking paid for.”

The plan is to construct a mixed-use building on the site of the former Borders building, 700 New Hampshire St., with a Price Chopper grocery store on the ground level and about 70 apartments above. Plans also call for an underground parking garage, and Treanor said that tax rebates requested from the city would help pay for that element of the project.

(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)

Hillsboro considering new dog ordinance

The Hillsboro City Council at its March 27 special meeting discussed a potential new ordinance for the city regarding dogs.

City Attorney Josh Boehm said the new ordinance leans toward addressing the behavior of dogs rather than banning a particular breed.

“This is driven by the police department having reoccurring issues regarding dogs—dogs at-large, aggressive dogs and complaints regarding pit bulls,” Boehm said with input from Police Chief Dan Kinning.

Boehm said the Kansas League of Municipalities, a nd most cities in the state, are moving away from using breed-specific bans or language.

“(Dog complaints aren’t) something that’s specific to Hillsboro—it’s been going around the last six months or so,” Boehm said. “Dan or another officer has called to ask me half a dozen times or more—and even 20 minutes before this meeting—regarding a dog issue.”

“This (draft) is an attempt to clean some of that (language) up, make it very straightforward, and just organize it better.”

(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)

National chain eyes Derby Marketplace site

A well-known national chain of beauty supplies and services is set to open in Derby.

Ulta Beauty officials want to have an outlet in the Derby Marketplace, the large commercial development on the east side of Rock Road.

Officials have submitted site plans to the Derby Planning Commission for the 10,012-square-foot store and commissioners will consider them at the April 5 meeting.

Unless there’s some outstanding reason not to, generally such plans are approved, which is the recommendation of the planning staff. There could be some suggestions and comments from the Commission, and the plans could be subject to them.

If the store’s plans are authorized, it would join three other locations in the Wichita metro area. They are: 8141 E. Kellogg Drive in the Eastgate Plaza Shopping Center; 2734 N. Greenwich Court in Greenwich Place; and 2441 N. Maize Road in the New Market Square Shopping Center. There also is one outlet in Hutchinson.

Goddard using community crime map

The city of Goddard has recently started to use an interactive online map to indicate areas of crime through the city. The map allows community members to sign up for email notifications for crimes that occur within a specific area.

Goddard police chief Fred Farris told the The Times Sentinel that the technology, which is provided by Lexis Nexis, was easy to set up and link with department management systems.

Lenexa gives green light to new 6-story regional headquarters building for Kiewit Corp.

BThe Lenexa City Council Approved The Final Plan Tuesday Night For A New, Six-Story Office Building And Expansion Of An Existing Two-Level Parking Garage In City Center For Omaha-Based Construction And Engineering Company Kiewit Corp.’S Regional Headquarters.

The New Building Will Contain 181,680 Square Feet And Will Be Built On An Undeveloped Parcel At The Southeast Corner Of Penrose Lane And West 88th Terrace. Kiewit Spokesman Bob Kula Said The Building Would Cost About $43 Million And The Parking Garage Expansion About $7.5 Million. JE Dunn Is The Project’s General Contractor.

Kiewit Expects To Break Ground On The Project In The Third Quarter Of This Year And Complete It By Jan. 1, 2020. The Company Intends To Seek Tax-Increment Financing For The Project From The City At A Later Time.

Kiewit Recently Bought Two Adjoining Buildings From Lexmark Properties At 89th And Renner For An Undisclosed Amount. These Buildings, Formerly The Headquarters For Perceptive Software, And The New Building Will Constitute Its Regional Headquarters Campus In Lenexa. Combined The Campus Will Contain About 385,000 Square Feet.

The Company Anticipates Adding Another Office Building, From Two To Five Stories High, On An Additional Lot On The Site At An Undetermined Time. The Lot Will Function In The Meantime As A Plaza And Green Space On The Campus.

Great Bend hoping to take advantage of “Opportunity Zones” for investments

Opportunity Zones are an economic development tool enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 designed to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities. This provides incentives to investors to move capital off the sidelines and into projects which will stimulate the Kansas economy.

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce CEO Jan Peters says she is confident that Great Bend will be identified for at least one of the 70 communities by Governor Jeff Colyer. The program provides deferral and reduction of capital gains taxes when the gain is invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund and maintained for at least five years.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Garden City Commission bans smoking at parks

The Garden City Commission passed an ordinance making smoking illegal at public parks Tuesday. The signs will be displayed near playgrounds to keep smoking away from children.

The ordinance will go into affect this week. During the meeting commissioners did discuss how the ordinance will be enforced. City Manager Matt Allen said after he would compare it to how the environmental code works.

“It’ll be enforced through heightened awareness like the signage and expectation that certain behaviors are allowed, certain behaviors aren’t allowed. If people see a violation of that it’s kind of a complaint based system,” said Allen.

(Read more: Western Kansas News)

Leavenworth City Commissioners discuss stormwater fee

Leavenworth city commissioners have not yet settled on a dollar amount for a stormwater maintenance fee. But during a meeting, commissioners discussed options that would charge annual fees ranging from $72 to $96 per year for single family residences.

For months, commissioners have been discussing the implementation of a fee to pay for maintenance of the city’s stormwater system, which carries rainwater away from buildings and roads. The water is channeled into creeks and watershed areas.

City officials say they have identified more than $83 million in needed maintenance to the stormwater system.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Kiowa City Council Discusses New Economic Development Group

In opening business, council approved joining the World Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) for a six month trial period at a cost of $2,900. The alliance, headquartered in Dallas, TX, has contacts throughout the country and world and is focused on promoting and working to find business possibilities for rural areas.

City Administrator Lou Leone said WEDA works as a “job/business broker”. He added that there are two areas he is already looking at- ammunition manufacturers and telemarketing. Councilman Wells said he has seen WEDA’s efforts in Dumas, TX and noted that it seemed to really work well for that community. The city has $14,000 budgeted for economic development since it no longer is a member of the county’s economic development group.

(Read more: The Kiowa News)

Cowley County begins to look at contract labor for juvenile intake positions

The fiscal year 2019 Juvenile Services block grant application for $488,431.07, approved Tuesday morning by the Cowley County Commission was “mostly the same as last year,” according to youth services director Melody Pappan.

But she brought out one potential change to hiring that directed conversation for a few minutes. Pappan suggested that two weekend part-time positions in juvenile intake could be listed as contract positions.

The conversation on the change — making some part-time positions into contract positions — is only just beginning, county administrator Lucas Goff said.

What the commissioners approved Tuesday was the grant application, he said, but they are not ready to approve the change to contract positions.

“They are just discussing it,” Goff said. “What using contract positions would mean, whether that would save the county money.”