Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County Zoo has a brand new identity
The Sedgwick County Zoo has announced a new brand identity as part of the ongoing implementation of the Zoo’s Strategic Master Plan.
The new logo was created by branding firm Gardner Design.
“Sedgwick County Zoo is such an amazing asset to the region. We are so excited to be their strategic branding partner as they get ready to evolve even further, as a local attraction and a conservation organization,” said Bill Gardner, owner and president of Gardner Design. “This new visual brand identity conveys all of the energy, positivity, and dedication they currently possess and will grow with them as they accomplish big things in the years to come.”
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Historic Preservation Commission casualty of budget says City Manager
Under a draft agreement between the city and the state, the Newton Historical Preservation Commission will likely dissolve in an official capacity.
With its previous agreement expiring and the city moving to not fund a position responsible for overseeing local historic preservation, as well as city planning, the city and state had to draft a new agreement regarding historic preservation.
The Newton City Commission reviewed that agreement draft at its meeting Tuesday night. The agreement delegates local administrative review of projects done on historical buildings or buildings in the city’s historical district to the Newton City Manager, who then can delegate the review to staff.
(Read more: Newton Now)
Lenexa to keep Ad Astra Pool open next year while city staff collect public input on next steps for site
Lenexa city leaders have agreed to keep Ad Astra Pool open for one more year while they decide what to do with the site in the future.
The pool at 83rd Street and Maurer Road was scheduled to permanently close at the end of this past summer. However, after residents raised objections — and some organized a coalition in opposition to the closure — city staff and leaders embarked on a public engagement process to determine next steps.
The Lenexa city council on Oct. 15 voted to reallocate funds from the city’s capital improvement plan for 2020 (originally budgeted at $3.9 million) to open and operate the pool in 2020. The council also directed staff to hire Lenexa-based Waters Edge Aquatic Design in the public input process regarding future aquatics plans in the city.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Wichita Water Treatment Plant proposal to be final, public soon
Wichita officials consider ways to grow the areas workforce at the proposed water treatment plant Thursday afternoon.
Currently the city is working alongside eleven companies on the project and the leader of the “Wichita Water Partners” group believes that number will continue to grow.
Final proposal with the expected price for the project will be presented to the city on Monday.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
3.4 magnitude earthquake near Hutchinson is Reno County’s third quake of the day
A 3.4 magnitude earthquake centered near Hutchinson was the third quake of the day to shake the ground in Reno County, geologists say.
The 3.4 magnitude quake struck at around 4:39 p.m. Wednesday just southwest of Hutchinson, according to Kansas Geological Survey reports. Two earthquakes struck the same area overnight.
The first was a 2.0 magnitude at around 1:14 a.m., and the second was a 2.4 magnitude at around 2:04 a.m.
(Read more: Local News |)
Renewable energy prospects to blow through county
An energy expert came to town Tuesday, to introduce herself to county leaders in hopes to get their blessings concerning the possibility of a new energy line passing through.
Brittany Bruce, associate project manager, representing NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a Juno Beach, Florida-based company, presented packets and some maps before she advised commissioners about the Soldier Creek Project that entails a proposed energizing route from a wind farm in Nemaha County through Jackson and Jefferson counties, via a western portion of Atchison County through Kapioma, Benton and Center townships, linking it through to Leavenworth County along the way to its destination point.
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
New Indian Creek Library welcomes public with bright spaces, kid-pleasing features
Hundreds of people turned out on a drizzly morning Oct. 19 for the long-awaited opening of the new Indian Creek Library at 16100 W. 135th St. The $19 million library, designed by Gould Evans, is packed with some of the latest technology and features.
It’s been 3 1/2 years since the Indian Creek Library building at 127th Street and Black Bob Road flooded. In the interim, the library inhabited a small strip mall space at 13511 S. Mur-Len Road. The 47,000-square-foot building, the former site of a Hy-Vee, is about half a mile northeast of that temporary space.
“We are just excited to have our library back,” said Olathe resident Maggie Chang, who came to Saturday’s opening event with her 9-year-old son Jonah.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
As recycling costs climb, officials weigh options
One Butler County community has already stopped its recycling program. Another is weighing its options.
Less than two months after El Dorado end- ed its recycling program citing rising market costs, Augusta officials are deep in discus- sion about what to do with their current automated curbside program. The Augusta city council hosted a work session Monday to deliberate the issue.
Augusta launched single-stream recycling in 2015, making it so citizens did not have to sort recycling, according to Monday’s meet- ing packet. The city contracted with Waste Connections in Wichita to accept and process its recycling. That contract is set to expire August 31, 2020, according to the original agreement documents attached to the pack- et. City officials have already reached out to renew the contract, but Waste Connections declined.
(Read more: Augusta Gazette)
FSCC looks to save money with refinancing certificates
Fort Scott Community College officials are looking to save money through refinancing of debt service.
The FSCC Board of Trustees and college administrators on Monday discussed the benefits of refinancing certificates of participation used to fund the building of the Boileau dorm on the college campus.
(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)
Geary County Fish & Game Association will explore interest in forming a school trap shooting team in Junction City
The Geary County Fish & Game Association has scheduled a meeting for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 to explore the level of interest in forming a school trap shooting team in Junction City. The meeting will be held at Sportsman’s Acres, the Geary County Fish & Game range facility on K-244 Spur near Milford Lake.
According to Association Board Member Larry George the initial meeting is informal and will simply start the discussion to see if there is sufficient support for the effort to move forward in approaching the local schools about the possibility.
The Fish & Game Association has hosted the Chapman High School Clays Trap Team for the last two years, and provides coaches and the shooting facility. Now they are interested in expanding the opportunity to other area schools. Active parent and community support would be needed to expand the program.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
County honors two Deputies for their life saving efforts
Geary County officials have honored two Deputies, James Garcia and Cayla Da Giau, for their life saving efforts at Milford Lake in the early morning hours of June 8th.
The Sheriff’s Department said the Deputies were dispatched to Auld Road and Brinkley Road for a man and woman who had driven their car into the water. The man and woman were standing on top of their vehicle as it was sinking into flood waters.
Garcia stated the two subjects were hanging onto some trees when the officers arrived on the scene. “We advised them to stand by, we had a boat enroute to pick them up. But they ignored our request and started swimming towards us. While swimming towards us they started sinking.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Adding a wind farm to Marion County still concerns landowners
A fight against a wind farm in Marion County continues after some residents said they were not notified of changes to the zoning or updates on the project.
Amy Stutzman built her log cabin in 2016 just feet away from where a potential wind turbine could be installed. At the time of building, she was unaware of zoning changes. Stutzman said a Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) overlay map was changed to include the entire county.
“Had those maps of been updated when I walked int he planning and zoning office in 2016 for my building permit, I would’ve seen on those maps the WECS overlay,” said Stutzman. “I would’v walked out of there and never built.”
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Nickerson hires new city clerk
Nickerson City Clerk Robin Schmitt is resigning after working at City Hall for more than eight years, to take a job in the Rice County Treasurer Rita Smith’s office.
The Nickerson City Council accepted Schmitt’s resignation Monday night and hired Deputy City Clerk April Beshears as city clerk. The council also raised the salary of the full-time job to approximately $20 an hour.
The city is seeking applicants for utility clerk and the person hired potentially could become deputy clerk. Beshears held the title of utility clerk before becoming deputy clerk and handling utilities. There is no utility clerk currently.
A resignation also left the city with an opening for maintenance tech II. City Councilman Jon Rohling was among the applicants, and he did not participate in the executive session where the council considered applicants. In open session, the council hired Joe Keffer for the job, which will pay approximately $17 an hour.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Conference to promote Kansas tourism, showcase Sumner County
Representatives from communities throughout Kansas have been in Sumner County this week to see how tourism is promoted here, share ideas and take that information to their own local economies.
The TIAK (Tourism Industry Association of Kansas) conference started Aug. 21 and runs through Aug. 23 at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane. The conference will draw in representatives from chambers of commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureaus and DMOs (Designated Marketing Organizations), Stacy Davis, director of the Sumner Economic Development Commission, said before the conference started.
″This big event will give our counterparts across the state a chance to see how we do tourism and business because retail is big,” Davis said.” It’s destination retail.”
(Read more: News – Wellington Daily News – Wellington, KS)