The Topeka City Council voted to allocate nearly $75,000,000 to fund a lead pipe replacement plan. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Topeka leaders passed a resolution to amend the 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Plan and 2025-2027 Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) to include the Lead Service Line Replacement Project. This vote approved the total budget of the project for the amount of $74,280,000. The council also voted to consider applying for a $74,280,000 loan from the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund by Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The loan will have an estimated $37,585,680 in loan forgiveness with payments to occur over a 20-year period.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Lake Shawnee will be stocked with more trout later this month. Shawnee County Parks + Rec (SCP+R) announced on social media Tuesday that annual fall trout stocking is scheduled for later in November. Members of the community are invited to watch 7,000 pounds of rainbow trout get released into Lake Shawnee. To give the fish time to acclimate to the Lake Shawnee’s water temperature, fishing will be closed from Nov. 22-29. The Lake will reopen for fishing Saturday, Nov. 30 and trout season will start on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Source: KSNT 27 News

The Riley County Police Department (RCPD) is stepping up enforcement efforts as a way to stop the increase of traffic collisions. The RCPD said its officers responded to a “concerning increase in traffic collisions” last month. The department posted on social media that October of 2024 registered the highest amount of traffic accidents of any month over the last five years.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Staff at the Topeka wastewater treatment plant took action after locals complained of bad smells in the Oakland neighborhood this past weekend. Amanda Knowland with the City of Topeka told 27 News that city staff made some adjustments to the plant on the weekend of Nov. 9-10 following complaints from locals of strong odors in the Oakland area, possibly coming from the nearby wastewater treatment plant at 1115 Northeast Poplar Street. She said the source of the odors may be tied to multiple different factors. “First, there was a larger number of high-strength waste deliveries due to the holiday,” Knowland said. “When these trucks dispose of their waste at the plant, it can cause a periodic uptick in odors, but that is generally short-lived.”
Source: KSNT 27 News

The City of Topeka is calling on small business owners to attend a workshop to grow their skills later this month. GO Topeka is working with city officials to host a Supplier Diversity Workshop, according to a news release from City of Topeka. This workshop will prepare small business owners with tools they might need to succeed, such as insight to work successfully with the government.
Source: KSNT 27 News