Voters will decide: Wichita school board sets date for $450 million bond issue election

The Wichita school board has approved a special election for a $450 million bond issue that would pay for a plan to significantly reshape the state’s largest school district — a plan filled with school closings, consolidations and new “right-sized” buildings as the district braces for shrinking future enrollment. The election will be held Feb. 25, 2025. If it passes, the bond issue would extend a 7.5 mill levy for 20 years, a similar rate to what property taxpayers pay now based on a bond issue that passed narrowly in 2008 and was set to expire in 2029. If it fails, homeowners would see an approximately 7.5 mill reduction to their property taxes by 2029. On a $200,000 house, 7.5 mills is $172.50 in annual property taxes. Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld has said the “newer and fewer” plan is necessary because the district has $1.2 billion in future deferred maintenance needs that it can’t afford. School board member Kathy Bond was the lone dissenting vote. She voted for the $450 million master plan at a previous meeting but has said she would rather find a funding source other than property taxes. Voters will decide in February whether to fund a plan that would close at least 10 schools; tear down and rebuild seven others; and convert two elementary schools to K-8 buildings. It also would build a new early childhood center, a new Future Ready Center for construction trades and outdoor athletic fields at Northeast Magnet.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

info2024-09-12T10:05:07-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Lawrence City Commission to vote next month on purchase of building to move city hall

Lawrence city commissioners will vote next month on an agreement to purchase a building near Sixth and Iowa streets to serve as the new city hall. The proposed building, at 2000 Bluffs Drive, would provide about 50,000 square feet of space and would require an estimated $11.7 million in remodeling on top of a $4.2 million purchase agreement. That’s $15.9 million total. The current City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., was dedicated in 1980. At 35,544 square feet, it’s no longer big enough to hold the city workforce, according to presenters during the meeting. Commissioners have included $12 million in their capital improvement plan for city hall updates, whether that be the current site or a different building. The city has contracted with local design studio Multistudio for $130,000 for preliminary work to evaluate sites and spaces and complete predesign work. Gwen Gigous and Katie Pohlman with Multistudio told commissioners the building on Bluffs Drive would give space for current and future needs, as well as provide safe and secure space for city staff. The city is leasing space at Riverfront Mall for Lawrence Municipal Court and Planning and Development Services for $300,000 annually. That lease ends in 2028, and there is an option to purchase in the contract. The Bluffs Drive building would give space for the city to move those two functions under the same roof as most of the rest of city staff.
Source: The Lawrence Times

info2024-09-12T10:02:38-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Wonderful Wamego: A Trip to the Wamego Historical Society

On Friday, August 23, 2024, Dr. Mary Kohn, director of the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, Kim Wescott, and Hannah Palsa traveled to the Wamego Historical Society and Museum. The purpose of the visit was to introduce ourselves and the Chapman Center more broadly to newly hired curator, Michele Johnson. We explained that the Chapman Center helps small museums and institutions throughout the state of Kansas by assisting on digitization projects, preserving lost town history, and creating digital history projects to showcase on the Chapman Center’s website. While there, we received a tour lovely from Michele Johnson and one of the volunteer docents named Jessie. The Wamego Historical Society and Museum is situated in the middle of Wamego City Park which offers a beautiful view and breathtaking grounds. In 1973, the museum opened in the old Union Pacific Railroad stone building which was constructed in 1866. In the mid-1990s, the Historical Society created a replica of the first city hall of Wamego which currently houses the Wamego Historical Society and Museum.
Source: The Rural Telegraph

info2024-09-12T10:01:17-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

City commission favors 5% contingency to cover unexpected construction costs

Manhattan city commissioners are looking at setting aside funds to cover unexpected costs for construction projects. The commission on Tuesday discussed adding a 5% contingency to all construction contracts to allow more efficiency in project management. The issue centers around change orders, which are amendments to the base contract between the city and an outside construction company. Currently, the city doesn’t have a set policy for how to address change orders, but the city commission typically has approved them if the total project cost exceeds $50,000. However, city engineer Brian Johnson said that process typically takes 4-6 weeks and can cause construction delays. The contingency commissioners discussed would reserve funds to direct toward changes to the construction contract and allow city administrators the flexibility to address changes as they arise in the field. Commissioners generally favored a 5% contingency but won’t vote officially on a policy change until incoming city manager Danielle Dulin can provide input. “I would like to charge Danielle to see if she couldn’t expedite the 4-6-week process because I hear a lot of people say that the city takes enough time as it is, “ said commissioner Karen McCulloh. Commissioner John Matta supported the change as long as the commission continues to receive reports on construction projects. “I’m probably fine with the 5% contingency as long as we have a way to review what’s happening,” said Matta. “As long as the numbers come in, fine. I don’t think there’s a problem.” City staffers will use the commission’s input as they craft a full policy manual resolution, which could take six months or longer to return to commissioners. The engineering department will continue working on drafting a formal change order and present it to commissioners later. Johnson added that the city is facing a significant shortage of engineers, inspectors and project managers, which is impacting project delivery. To address this, the city has hired more consultants, but that is more expensive than having dedicated staff. Evaluating and updating procedures related to change orders is one part of the city administration’s overall project management improvement efforts. The last policy manual resolution passed in 2020.
Source: themercury.com

info2024-09-12T10:00:10-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Peete asks public to ‘let us do our jobs’ following recent incidents

Manhattan is a “safe community,” Riley County Police director Brian Peete said in a town hall addressing concerns about some recent events. Peete on Saturday spoke with members of the community to answer questions about a pair of incidents, including one that occurred Sept. 3 in which a woman said she was attacked near Aggieville as well as reports of a man walking around with firearms strapped to himself. “We want to make sure everyone takes care of each other,” Peete said. “This is a safe community, and I would walk anywhere in this county at any time of day. “With that being said, we fully understand that crime is a very personal issue with folks.” Peete then addressed online rumors, particularly about the Sept. 3 incident near Aggieville in which a K-State student, Kenna Hibbs, sustained severe head injuries. The police have not made arrests in that case and have not confirmed it was an attack. “All we’re asking the community at this time is to let us do our jobs and our conclusions,” he said. Peete also addressed concerns about the two incidents being connected. “These two incidents do not correlate with one another,” he said. Peete said the police can’t do anything about someone carrying weapons in public because that is legal. “We need to respect the right he has to defend himself,” he said. “But also, at the same time, we need to be providing protection for ourselves but not doing things that may lead to him causing an issue in the community that could get people hurt.” He also further emphasized that there is no crime wave currently ongoing in the community. The town hall lasted about an hour, with Peete taking questions for citizens in attendance.
Source: themercury.com

info2024-09-12T09:57:58-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Riley County jail population sees no sign of decreasing soon

The Riley County jail has had high population numbers in recent months, and officials who previously anticipated a decrease in incarcerations now say that hasn’t happened. Jail captain Mark French on Monday told Riley County commissioners there are 124 inmates in the jail. There are 29 female inmates in Riley County custody, but some have gone elsewhere because the jail facility is set up for a maximum of 18 female inmates. “We are not seeing the downturn that we were anticipating,” French said. French said the Washington County jail has taken on some of the incarcerated women in Riley County custody. “The female population, I thought would drop, I honestly did,” French said. “There is no reason for this high of a spike. Nationwide, it’s 10%, and we’re over almost 100% from a couple years ago.” French told commissioners that county jails are not designed to hold inmates for long-term stays, and that on average, inmates are in jail for about four months before release. However, because many of the women in Riley County custody are there for more severe crimes, French said they’re having a longer incarceration rate because of longer court proceedings and fewer plea deals. “The reality is long-term, we’re going to evaluate cost-effectiveness,” French said. “We’re housing so many inmates outside our facility now because the facility is not set up to deal with them.”
Source: themercury.com

info2024-09-12T09:56:21-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Kansas election official says nearly 1,000 primary ballots tossed due to mail processing issues

The Kansas secretary of state said in a letter to the U.S. postmaster general that approximately 1,000 August primary voters in Kansas were disenfranchised because ballots mailed before Election Day in August arrived in county offices more than three days after the deadline or without an essential postmark. Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who serves as the state’s chief elections officer, told Postmaster General Louis DeJoy there was cause to be “extremely concerned” about “a troubling pattern that persists in the U.S. Postal Service’s processing and handling of ballots.” He send the same letter to the six members of the Kansas congressional delegation. During the August primary, Schwab said, 18% of Kansans exercised the constitutional right to vote by sending ballots through the mail. Nearly 1,000 of those individuals, or 2% of ballots transmitted by mail in Kansas, weren’t counted “due to USPS administrative failures,” he said.
Source: The Lawrence Times

info2024-09-12T09:55:13-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Police officer reads to students, answers questions

Police officers are associated with donuts, but not for the reason audience members might think, School Resource Officer Charles Jefferis told second-graders and their teachers on Friday morning at South Breeze Elementary School The reason is that in the 1930s, donut shops were the only places open all night, so police officers spent more time at night watching donut shops because they were more likely to be robbed. He said the robbers liked to do their work at night, so they picked donut shops. Police officers aren’t associated with donuts because they might like to eat them or gather at the shops. He told the audience this information during a question-and-answer time where the children were allowed to raise their hands and give their inquiries when called upon but were instructed not to tell stories—just to ask questions. This was right after Jefferis read the book “Officer Buckle and Gloria” to them. Questions ranged in depth from “How long does a Taser go?” to “How did you become a police?” to “Do you have any stickers?” The answer to the Taser question was 40 feet, and the answer to the stickers question was, “I might.” (He did.) To become a police officer, Jefferis said he had to apply for the job, which he did when he was in Germany. Another student inquired if he liked being a police officer. “Yes, I do,” Jefferis responded, adding he gets to be a bicycle police officer in the summer.
Source: Harvey County Now

info2024-09-12T09:53:46-05:00September 12, 2024|News|

Mission may add first-ever bike-ped study to its comprehensive plan

The city of Mission is envisioning a more connected future. Next week, the Mission City Council will consider amending its comprehensive plan to include Mission Connections, the city’s first-ever citywide bike-pedestrian study that calls for adding or enhancing 15 different routes including the existing Rock Creek Trail. The city developed Mission Connections over the past year with the help of a Mid-America Regional Council Planning Sustainable Places grant. Here’s a look at the Mission Connections plan and the ways the city hopes to connect residents throughout the city and the region.
Source: Johnson County Post

info2024-09-11T10:18:33-05:00September 11, 2024|News|

Lenexa joins the hype for the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City

A new group comprised of businesses and organizations in Lenexa hopes to capitalize on the FIFA World Cup coming to Kansas City in 2026. Pitch Lenexa intends to show off Lenexa to tourists during the World Cup with a series of inclusive community events and activities at venues around the city, including Lenexa City Center. Its ultimate plans go beyond that event, said Mark McFarland, organizer of the group. “The goal of the group is to have a big celebration for the World Cup. But that’s just an interim goal,” he said. “Ultimately, the idea is for the group to stay together and help get Lenexa involved intimately with lots of these types of events that come to the Kansas City metropolitan area.” Businesses and organizations involved with the group include Hinkle Law Firm LLC, AdventHealth Lenexa City Center and Quest Diagnostics, among others.
Source: Johnson County Post

info2024-09-11T10:17:35-05:00September 11, 2024|News|

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