Allen County has been awarded a transportation grant in excess of $70,000. Jessica Thompson, director of development for Thrive Allen County, confirmed the state’s award of the 5311 grant, and said it would “allow us to move forward and establish a public transportation system in Allen County.” The program will launch in July, and set the groundwork for a more “permanent” system moving forward. Thompson also said that surveys had been distributed regarding potential fares, and noted that so far residents would mostly prefer either donations or a $1 fee. Source: The Iola Register

In recent years, a group of steely determined volunteers, equipped with various grants and an occasional assist from the city helped convert empty industrial land and an abandoned railroad right-of-way near Iola into one of the region’s signature trails complexes. The Lehigh Portland and Southwind Trails systems have since drawn hikers and bikers from near and far. Now, Thrive Allen County has set its sights on turning city-owned property at the old Cedarbrook Golf Course into another recreational mecca. Jon Castrella, left, and Jonathan Goering of Thrive Allen County speak with Iola City Council members Monday about their vision for a [...]

Allen County Regional Airport may soon be expanding. But what does that mean exactly? To find out more, this Register reporter sat down with Jonathon Goering, economic development director at Thrive Allen County, and Allen County Commissioner, Jerry Daniels, both of whom have been closely involved with the project. To begin, they suggested that the phrase “airport expansion” is a bit tricky, since the primary goal at this stage is to simply have utilities installed on 24 acres in the northwest corner of the airport property (which is owned by the county). Bids are currently being sought to see what those utilities might cost, [...]

Add LaHarpe to the growing list of communities that were socked by exorbitant electric costs following last month’s’ bitterly cold weather. City Council members have declared a state of financial emergency, necessary to apply for a low-interest loan made available by the state to pay the city’s $157,615.70 electric bill for February. The February bill was nearly 10 times the amount LaHarpe normally pays each month (a shade under $17,000 monthly.) The loan would be repaid by reinstating a portion of the fuel cost adjustment the city adds to the base electric rates LaHarpe customers pay each month. Source: The Iola [...]

Critically needed broadband will soon be available to more than a dozen Kansas communities after the first-round recipients of a state grant program were announced Thursday. The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, created in fall 2020, aims to increase broadband access across the state through a 10-year, $85 million investment. The program is operated through the office of broadband development in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy transportation program. The initial round provided $5 million in total grant awards to 14 projects in 18 communities; each recipient company matched the state grant it received. Source: The Iola Register

Humboldt school officials are creating a strategic plan on how to use $366,000 in federal relief funds. The district recently received $366,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds as part of the federal CAREs Act. Now the challenge is to create a strategic plan for how to spend it. On Monday, Superintendent Kay Lewis shared with board members an intricate color-coded “map” of the plan thus far, which included feedback from staff. Some possible items include increasing community engagement post-COVID, hiring literacy specialists, developing curriculum, improving internet and boosting student social and emotional health. Source: The Iola Register

A small Kansas town is fighting natural gas prices charged by BP Energy during last month’s extreme cold, accusing the multinational oil and gas giant of “unconscionable profiteering” under state statute. A lawsuit filed Tuesday by the city of Mulberry says BP inflated prices for natural gas from $2.98 per mmbtu on Feb. 9 to $329.615 from Feb. 13-16. The city is asking for bills to be recalculated at a reasonable rate. Jim Zakoura, an attorney representing the city in the lawsuit, said BP took advantage of Mulberry and other Kansas towns that operate their own utilities at a moment when [...]

Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder breathed a sigh of relief last week when Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation that issued $100 million to help municipalities pay sky-high utility bills incurred from the arctic blast in February. Because cities can neither take out commercial loans nor go into debt, they have little latitude but to pay their bills in a timely manner. Humboldt has been warned to expect a bill for $1.6 million for natural gas usage during the Jan. 20 to Feb. 20 billing cycle. Typically, the charge is $35,000. The city’s entire annual budget for natural gas is $375,000. The [...]

Help is on the way. A bill signed by Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday could ease the immediate burden Humboldt faces from its utilities-based financial crisis. Recall, rate increases on natural gas during the recent cold snap slammed cities across Kansas, including Ellinwood, Pratt, Altamont, Winfield, Lyons, Burlingame and Humboldt, with unmanageable utility costs. Humboldt’s total bill was $1.6 million, a wallop to both the city and residents. City administrator Cole Herder said, “I have an example of one family whose bill is typically under $200 a month. Their bill for this month would have been $5,400. That’s an exceptional case, but I [...]

There’s a lot to like about the concept of a bike trail along the Kansas River, from Junction City to Wamego. There are also some major bumps on the path forward, if you’ll pardon the wordplay. The concept surfaced this week in public meetings; among other things, the Riley County Commission agreed to support the concept, without committing any money. The idea is to build a trail along the river, the origin of which is at Junction City. (History lesson: The reason for that city’s name is that it’s the location of the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers. [...]