Kansas Municipal News
As Kansas, Missouri keep building wind, some communities look to regulate
Austin Cline is the third generation to farm his family’s land in Marshall County. His home, added onto many times over, sits at the edge of 1,000 acres where he raises cattle and bales hay. From his driveway, he has a more than 180-degree view of neighbors’ land and native prairie grass. But by next year, he expects the horizon to be dominated by commercial wind turbines, some as close as 4,000 feet. He and his neighbors will be in the shadow of the 300-megawatt Irish Creek Wind Farm, which is set to begin operation late this year. Neighbors who didn’t sell land to the wind farm developer, NextEra Energy Resources, are dreading the day the towering structures appear, erupting from their treasured horizon.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Community steps in to help following fire at Altoona-Midway Elementary School
Following a fire at Altoona-Midway Elementary on Saturday that damaged the building, many from across the community came out to begin boarding up and securing the school. “In a small rural community like this, a school is kind of a center point, it’s where a lot of activities happen, it’s where people have a lot of memories, when that special place get’s damaged or maybe destroyed, as much as this building has been, it’s gonna have some impact on the whole community,” said Steve Parson, Interim Superintendent of Altoona-Midway School District. The damage is extensive, with two classrooms, a storage room, and the cafeteria completely destroyed and the entire building facing smoke and water damage.
Source: KOAMKOAM
Neighbors excited for renovated Wichita pools to open on Monday
For the first time in two years, city pools will open on Monday. People who live close to the Minisa and McAfee pools say they are thrilled to have a place to hang out this summer but are happier that neighborhood kids can still make a splash this summer. Wichita swimmers will have two renovated spots to cool off in. McAfee and Minisa were set to be closed, but the city council saved them. “I thought, ‘Well, they’ve taken away some other pools, so this one—because of its age—could be the same thing happening,’” Cecilia Palta, who lives in the Minisa Park area said. “But I’m really glad that they decided with certain districts to keep those neighborhood pools open.”
Source: KSN-TV
A Southeast Kansas community project is about to get an upgrade
A Southeast Kansas community project is about to get an upgrade. The Arma Community Garden has been named one of the 21 winners of the Gardens For Good Grant. It beat out over 300 other projects across North America in the grant competition. The garden received $5,000 from the grant and hopes to use it to expand it’s resources.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Kansas now has no counties with mask mandates
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County’s Board of Commissioners will allow its health order to expire at midnight on Thursday. Wyandotte County was the last county in the State of Kansas to have a mask mandate. The order will expire at midnight. A vote to extend the order 30 more days was held. Two commissioners voted in favor of the order, while seven voted against extending it.
Source: KAKE – News
New life was given to one community attraction in Baxter Springs
New life was given to one community attraction in Baxter Springs. This weekend marked the launch of the newly designed pool in Baxter Springs. Accessibility was a major goal in the pool’s renovations. It now includes ADA accessible ramps going into the pool. Pool Manager, Casi Shaw plans on hosting pool times for individuals with special needs to help make sure it’s something the whole community can enjoy.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Winchester Fire Department trains rescue dogs, assist larger agencies all with volunteers
While small towns are known for their quiet charm, one northeast Kansas rural town is training big dogs to tackle the responsibilities fit for towns big and small. The Winchester Fire Department is a volunteer organization, with a total town population of around 500 people. While the squad is made up of good Samaritans, there are good boys on the team too, also known as the search and rescue dogs. This is a unique feature of this small fire department. Typically, dogs of this caliber are only part of larger law enforcement agencies and fire departments.
Source: KSNT News
Buhler schools consider solar energy savings by looking at Maize’s example
Buhler saw a spike in energy costs after the state’s February cold snap, but now, the school district is thinking big. Kansas schools are looking to incorporate solar energy to reduce energy expenses. Buhler leadership called in a teacher who started the largest solar energy system for a school in Kansas and began to accumulate information. “We want to save money, be more efficient and use it as an educational tool,” said Laura Meyer Dick, president of Buhler’s Board of Education, and the person who came up with the idea. “We want to use it to benefit the district.”
Source: Salina Journal.
Main Street Chanute receives 2021 national accreditation
Main Street Chanute has once again been designated as an accredited Main Street™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. … Main Street Chanute’s performance is evaluated annually by Kansas Main Street, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
Source: www.chanute.com
Salina’s ‘Gathering place since 1881’
Located at the center of Salina, Oakdale Park has a history that goes back over 100 years, and Thursday, the Smoky Hill Museum is hosting a Zoom presentation about some of this history. Former Salina Parks Superintendent Bob Ash will present “Oak Dale Park: Salina’s gathering place since 1881” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on Zoom as part of the museum’s First Thursday Presentations. “He is the expert,” said Nona Miller about Ash’s knowledge of the park. Miller is the curator of education for the museum and said she is happy to see the history of the park as a gathering place for people in Salina and what events in the area like the Smoky Hill River Festival will bring to the continued legacy of the park.
Source: Salina Journal.
Garden City’s Garden Rapids opened Saturday
Garden Rapids at The Big Pool is now open. The Big Pool’s successor was constructed in the footprint of former aquatics facility after 10 months of construction, beginning in July 2020. It cost just under $14 million to construct and includes a renovated bathhouse, new concession area, green space, semi-private cabanas, new toddler area, splash park, zero depth entry, plunge pool, lazy river, pool with both a 5 meter and 25 yard options for competition swimmers and five slide tower with a tube slide, body flume, two Fly Time slide and a Slipstream stand-up slide.
Source: GC Telegram.
Sneath vs. Ellsworth County
This is a personal injury case arising from an incident in which Teresa Sneath was injured when she drove her automobile into waters flooding a road in Ellsworth County. Sneath filed a negligence lawsuit against the county’s board of commissioners and highway department. The district court granted the Defendants’ motion to dismiss, however, ruling that they were immune from liability under K.S.A. 75-6104(l), because Sneath’s damages were caused by the natural condition of a flooded street and not by any negligent affirmative act by the governmental defendants. Sneath appeals. Finding no error, we affirm the district court’s dismissal of the lawsuit.
Source: Kansas Court of Appeals.
A 4-year mayor and 6 Lawrence city commissioner districts among task force’s recommendations
The people of Lawrence should directly elect a mayor to serve a four-year term and six city commissioners broken down by districts, according to the city government study task force. The task force members voted Thursday evening to finalize their draft report, and they’ll present it to the Lawrence City Commission on a date yet to be determined. The short-term task force has met seven times over the past few months. Members have researched Lawrence’s form of municipal government and weighed it against other possible options. Currently, the mayor and vice mayor positions rotate each year to the commissioners who receive the most votes in elections. But the task force agreed that a four-year term for mayor would provide greater focus and continuity.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Wichita leaders go back to the drawing board for parts of the east-bank plan, but a vision remains
A years-long effort culminating in the creation of a Riverfront Legacy Master Plan was paused in an instant a year ago. Until a joint meeting among City Council members and Sedgwick County commissioners was canceled last March due to new gathering restrictions, the plan to transform the east bank of the Arkansas River had gathered considerable momentum. Since then, the world has changed, and some Wichitans argue now is not the time to move forward with a $1.2-billion project that’s expected to be funded at least partially by public tax dollars. But with the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine and case numbers on the decline, backers of the plan say they are ready to examine which parts of the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan should be reconsidered in a post-Covid world, and which parts are still necessary. For now, the public-private coalition behind the plan has hired four outside firms to study the pandemic’s impact and help shape a new draft.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Wyandotte County opts to let mask mandate expire after midnight
For the first time in over a year, by Friday there will be no mask mandates anywhere in the Kansas City area. Wyandotte County leaders have decided Thursday night to let the current health order requiring face masks expire. The order expires at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Wyandotte County was the only county in the Kansas City area — and the only county in the state of Kansas — to have a mask mandate after Douglas County also decided earlier this week to let its mask order expire. County commissioners are still urging people to get vaccinated and follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Tornado wipes away historic schoolhouse in northwest Kansas
Kansas communities are recovering after multiple thunderstorms and tornado warnings from Wednesday. One tornado did a lot of damage in Rawlins County, and it destroyed a historic schoolhouse. “That structure was actually built in 1898,” said Gary Kasten while talking about the historic schoolhouse. Kasten and his family own the land the Walsh schoolhouse sat on. His sister, June Hesterman, said it was one of two one-room schoolhouses that were left standing in the county. Back in 2014, the family refurbished the schoolhouse, but Wednesday’s tornado wiped away their countless hours of work. “That building is gone, it was removed from the foundation, and we hauled the remnants (Thursday),” Kastens said. “It’s pretty devastating, the power of a tornado is just unbelievable to me.”
Source: KSNT News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 27, 2021
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Kansas is considering a lottery for people who are vaccinated against COVID-19
A chance to win a $1 million prize has helped boost Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination rate by 45%, Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday. An now, Kansas is considering a similar incentive for residents to get the shot. Dr. Lee Norman with the KDHE said Thursday that Kansas is looking at some type of lottery open to vaccinated people. People who are already vaccinated would be eligible.He also warned that while the state legislature is looking to terminate the emergency declaration, it doesn’t mean the emergency is done.
Source: KAKE – News
Larned’s water tower light project in full swing
Since the Larned Water Tower lost its Christmas lights some years back, due to painting and restoring of the tank, the citizenry has not been happy. Alumni returning home for Christmas have missed the crown on the nostalgic Christmas tower. And ever since, there has been a move to restore the lights. Earlier this month the Larned City Council recommended proceeding with lighting plans for the water tower to replicate the crown as in the past. The attitude has been, “We will have Christmas lights on the tower again,” and the word spread quickly.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Lenexa considers what to do with 55 acres of land near Black Hoof Park — here are some options
Some city-owned woodland in Lenexa is back on the radar as city leaders and staff think of expanding Black Hoof Park. Back in 2007, the city bought roughly 55 acres just north of the 135-acre park and Lake Lenexa, which sits northeast of the junction between Kansas Highways 7 and 10. On Tuesday, the Lenexa City Council briefly discussed with city staff the options for uses for that property, including an option to dedicate the site as additional parkland and an expansion of Black Hoof Park.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post