Sumner NewsCow

The Wellington City Council heard a proposal from the economic development commission that would provide incentives for college graduates to return to the community. The council tabled the matter to a later meeting to gather more input. At Tuesday’s council meeting, Sumner County Economic Development Director Stacy Davis said the city of Wellington is considered a “rural opportunity zone.” Wellington’s already been under that classification since 2014, and offers tax credits for five years to anyone who moves back to Wellington. Source: Sumner NewsCow

College dorms are a go at the Cowley College Sumner Campus in Wellington. The Cowley College Board of Trustees unanimously approved the purchase of 3.5 acres of land for the building of a 17-unit dormitory south of the current campus. The dormitory project will be financed through the sales tax funds designated for the Sumner campus and operations of the college. There will be no property tax increase in Sumner County for the project. The last hurdle will be negotiations with the City of Wellington concerning utilities, rezoning, and other developmental details. Source: Sumner NewsCow

Governor Laura Kelly today announced 36 Kansas cities will receive a combined total of $23 million to improve highways and intersections as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP). ... Highway Infrastructure Program funds coming to Kansas enabled this round of CCLIP funds to increase from $18 million to $23 million for use in fiscal years 2022-2024. A City Connecting Link is any routing of the State Highway System located within the corporate limits of a city. Demand for CCLIP funding was high with cities having dealt with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. [...]

Caldwell is celebrating its 150th Birthday on Friday and Saturday highlighted with a cattle drive up Main Street Caldwell on Saturday at 11 a.m. There will be 150 longhorns driven by a crew of drovers and guest drovers through Caldwell culminating a five-day, six-night adventure that started in Pond Creek, Okla. on Monday. Here is a schedule of the events for the 150th celebration in Caldwell... Source: Sumner NewsCow

Caldwell, Kansas was born on the Chisholm Trail in 1871 due to her location on the border of what was then called Indian Territory.  While only a dusty trail town for a decade, the Texas cowboys looked forward to reaching Caldwell for a little rest and replenishments. Nicknamed the “Border Queen” by these cowboys, this shantytown sprung up to cater to the herds and crew passing through with plenty of saloons, gambling halls, general supplies, and gunfire. After the trail slowed down to a crawl in 1875 due to barbed wire and range wars, the anticipation of a railroad began to [...]

The United States Department of Energy has chosen Sumner County and the City of Wellington to be recipients of a $1.4 million grant testing the use of ceiling tiles in hopes of reducing the cost of cooling, heating and electric demand in six public buildings throughout town. The Sumner County Economic Development Office announced that it is partnering with Insolcorp LLC in North Carolina, the University of Kansas Center for Research Inc., and others testing how passive thermal energy storage in roof and ceiling tiles can reduce energy costs in buildings by 20 percent. ... The hope is once these tiles [...]

“City Clerk/Finance Director Carol Mericle is retiring on December 31. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we are not able to have a traditional celebration for her but we do have a couple of ways for you to help celebrate her successful 20+ years with the City of Wellington: ... Mail cards to: City of Wellington, Attn: Carol Mericle, 317 S Washington, Wellington KS 67152. Let’s show her our appreciation for her service to the City and a job well done!” Source: Sumner NewsCow

The City of Wellington Public Utility Electric Department has received a national commendation from the American Public Power Association for its mutual aid support in electric power restoration efforts in Blackwell, Okla. On October 27, 2020, a powerful ice storm caused significant power outages in Blackwell, Okla. so the City of Wellington sent a crew of three and a bucket truck to assist efforts of restoring power to the city. The City of Wellington participates in the American Public Power Association’s Mutual Aid Network, which coordinates with utilities and authorities during widespread power outages. Mutual aid is at the heart of [...]

The community-based Strategic Plan for the city of Wellington was presented to the City Council on August 18 by LaShnoa Garnes, Community Development Manager for the public policy and management center for Wichita State University. In developing the plan, the city worked with a steering committee members, city staff, focus group participants, and all members of the Wellington community who provided feedback for the Plan. The Plan identifies four goal areas with objectives and strategies for each. The four goals are Marketing and Communication, Economic Diversity and Growth, Restoration and Revitalization, and Quality of Life. Source: Sumner NewsCow

While most of the discussion was about mask mandates, perhaps, the biggest story of the night was the one that received little discussion of all. The City of Wellington entered into a lease agreement for a portion of the former Sumner Regional Medical Center so that Ascension Via Christi in Wichita can build an emergency care center. Under the agreement approved by the Wellington City Council at its meeting yesterday, the ER will re-open in early 2021 as a department of Ascension which is the legal entity that operates Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph. The [...]