General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

An interesting development that I'm not sure anyone saw coming.

Eagle - Following eviction notice, Wichita Hoops files emergency bankruptcy to save events

Eron said Wichita Hoops co-founder Evan McCorry had tried talking to the partners about some financial issues regarding abatement on the property.

“It looks like there was a dispute . . . about certain additional charges,” Eron said.

He said when McCorry questioned the charges, that’s when Webb Industrial served the eviction notice.

“Instead of talking, they turned around and filed an eviction action, which for two months of arrears is surprising,” Eron said.

This venue is in use quite a bit. I don't know what kind of overhead they have or what rent is, but I'm surprised there were any issues there.

Apparently had that not filed for Chapter 11, a number of events would be in jeopardy, including the National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship taking place this week.

They also make is sound like being two months behind is no big deal. I've never had to pay any kind of rent, business or residential, but it seems questionable to me.

Though they also make it sound like the eviction was retaliatory based on some questions about charges. But we only know the one side of the story at the moment.

[1972Shocker]

An interesting development that I'm not sure anyone saw coming.

Eagle - Following eviction notice, Wichita Hoops files emergency bankruptcy to save events

This venue is in use quite a bit. I don't know what kind of overhead they have or what rent is, but I'm surprised there were any issues there.

Apparently had that not filed for Chapter 11, a number of events would be in jeopardy, including the National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship taking place this week.

They also make is sound like being two months behind is no big deal. I've never had to pay any kind of rent, business or residential, but it seems questionable to me.

Though they also make it sound like the eviction was retaliatory based on some questions about charges. But we only know the one side of the story at the moment.

This was Jason Perez' deal originally in 2014. I did not realize he was no longer involved. It appears he left in 2016 and then his Dad and Evan McCorry expanded the facility. About the same time they lost their marketing director and then in 2020 Covid hit them hard and at the end of 2020, the lender Legacy Bank, took ownership of the property. Legacy Bank then sold it to Webb Industrial Partners who then leased the property to Wichita Hoops.

[SubGod22]

A solar farm may be coming to the area in the near future. Energy generated will be sent to Oklahoma from what I'm reading.

KAKE - NW Sedgwick County homeowners concerned about potential solar development near Colwich

William Podlena has lived in his house in northwest Sedgwick county, near Colwich, for 20 years. Across the street from him right now is a wheat field, just north of the 135th and 53rd intersection. He could soon be getting a new neighbor in that spot, a solar farm.

“(Invenergy) been out here doing work for I think since 2019, stunning soil samples and stuff like that. They first contacted us about a month ago.”

The Chisholm Trail solar energy center is a project being developed by Invenergy, a green energy company headquartered in Chicago.

Podlena says he was told it is looking to lease around 1,500 acres between 135 and 151st and 45th to 69th.

“The conversation was, 'hi, we want to be good neighbors'. Other than that, we don't know very much about what they have in mind" Podlena told KAKE.

[Shockm]

A solar farm may be coming to the area in the near future. Energy generated will be sent to Oklahoma from what I'm reading.

KAKE - NW Sedgwick County homeowners concerned about potential solar development near Colwich

It is pretty perplexing, why Oklahoma isn't creating a solar farm on their own soil. This can't bring a lot of money, and solar farms are an eye sore.

[ShockTalk]

It is pretty perplexing, why Oklahoma isn't creating a solar farm on their own soil. This can't bring a lot of money, and solar farms are an eye sore.

I agree. Saw this yesterday. These panels are an eyesore. I would demand a "green space" of evergreen trees mixed with other trees in front of them around the whole project.

Wind turbines are worse and have other natural problems besides their look and noise. We were staying overnight in Colby last fall and the motel and other businesses were inundated with birds roosting in the trees. We were told they no long go further south for the winter after all of the wind turbines were erected.

[SHOCKvalue]

I agree. Saw this yesterday. These panels are an eyesore. I would demand a "green space" of evergreen trees mixed with other trees in front of them around the whole project.

Wind turbines are worse and have other natural problems besides their look and noise. We were staying overnight in Colby last fall and the motel and other businesses were inundated with birds roosting in the trees. We were told they no long go further south for the winter after all of the wind turbines were erected.

Strange how the production facilities of so-called "green energy" are never near the homes of those who promote them. Weird, that.

[NCAABound]

A solar farm may be coming to the area in the near future. Energy generated will be sent to Oklahoma from what I'm reading.

KAKE - NW Sedgwick County homeowners concerned about potential solar development near Colwich

That seems awfully close to Maize and future development.

[SubGod22]

Something new and potentially fun coming to the east side....eventually.

WBJ - FunCity Adventure Park purchases former east Wichita Sports Authority building

The acquisition of the 5.6-acre site includes the 52,259 square-foot building that held the now-defunct Sports Authority's east-side store until its bankruptcy in 2016. The building more recently has served as a Biomat USA plasma donation center.

FunCity has 18 locations (in states such as New Jersey and Massachusetts) across the U.S. and features activities for all ages, including laser tag, trampolines, foam pits, arcades, ninja course, party rooms and bumper cars.

Don Mace, KeyPoint's vice president of retail brokerage, consulted on the sale for FunCity, and Troy Farha of NAI Martens represented the seller.

No additional details on the transaction, FunCity's projected timeline for opening or other plan details were immediately available.

One would hope that something like this could draw some interest from Wichita and in turn help give Brittany Center a bit of a boost as well.

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

A solar farm may be coming to the area in the near future. Energy generated will be sent to Oklahoma from what I'm reading.

KAKE - NW Sedgwick County homeowners concerned about potential solar development near Colwich

There's already a small one out there on 45th between 135th and 151st. It's too bad the reporter didn't go out there and show it versus showing the one at Maize HS. All he had to do was go a mile and half further west to see it. But maybe he did see it and didn't want to show it on tv because he wanted to present the homeowner side only. It's on Google maps though - switch to satellite view and you'll see it. It's not very big though but you'll see 3 sections of panels with 10-11 rows apiece.

[SubGod22]

Local cybersecurity company stepping up its game.

WBJ - Knowmadics partners with Novacoast to boost personal security

Novacoast, which is headquartered in the Epic Center downtown, will provide continuous monitoring for customers using Knowmadics' 360° Aware tracking platform.

Available for Apple and Android, the platform allows government or corporate users to discreetly alert authorities in the event of a threatening situation.

The partnership will include participation by the federal division of Novacoast.

"Novacoast’s best-in-class incident monitoring and data center governance capabilities will be very valuable in delivering a complete solution that addresses the growing market demand for personal protective services we have seen over the last four years,” Claire Ostrum, Knowmadics president and co-founder, said in a news release. “It’s clear that our recent affiliation with the Wichita innovation community is already paying great dividends through enabling relationships like this.”

Sounds like a pretty good partnership

[SubGod22]

Growth continues at 96 and Oliver.

WBJ - K-96 and Oliver development adding strip center, new businesses

In late March, the Wichita-based company, which is working with Landmark Commercial Real Estate on the development, broke ground on a 9,800 square-foot strip center just north of K-96 at Oliver and 35th Street North.

It has lined up RNJ Liquor as its first tenant, and the project is set to wrap this summer, according to Landmark Commercial Real Estate's Brett Harris.

Not only is the center going up north of the QuikTrip, but Scooter's Coffee is also going to land adjacent to the center.

"The momentum out there is really, really cool," said Harris, who along with Landmark's Ted Branson is involved with marketing the project. "A year from now we might not recognize that intersection."

This is also the area that has the new restaurant Rail Hoppers (The Anchor) and the Aloft Hotel.

[SubGod22]

Riverfront Stadium busy this weekend.

KSN - Wichita Flea Market to be held at Riverfront Stadium on Saturday

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Wichita Flea Market will take over the home of the Wind Surge, Riverfront Stadium, this Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Wichita Flea Market says about 200 booths will be spread out on the concourse surrounding the whole field. It will include antiques, crafts, vintage items, comics, artwork, toys and more.

Tickets to the Flea Market will be $3, and kids 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the Delano entrance.

An Easter egg hunt will be held for the kids from berms past left field, and the Easter Bunny will be there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be bounce houses and yard games.

[SubGod22]

A massive change at Jabara Airport as my fellow Benton peeps keep growing.

Eagle - The only fixed-base operator at Jabara Airport for half a century sells to rival

In a bit of a twist, Midwest Corporate Aviation owner Barbara Autry has gone from suing the city of Wichita and its airports director over dealings at Jabara Airport to now selling her longtime business to the fixed-base operator she had tried to keep out.

Dwayne Clemens confirmed he and his family’s Clemens Aviation acquired Midwest.

He said the city already had awarded his company FBO status at the airport in December, “which means you sell fuel to the public instead of just ourselves.”

Previously, Midwest had been the only FBO at Jabara for half a century. Even though Clemens Aviation already had its own FBO status, Clemens said he was still excited to acquire Midwest.

I remember when they started at Stearman and helped grow what Benton has out there now. They are, in one way or another, responsible for the addition of the restaurant (Stearman Field Bar & Grill), the expanded runway (small jet aircraft can operate out of Stearman), and the housing development at the airport. Their move to Jabara was a big step and now they're taking over a long established entity.

Now, I'm not sure how this changes things as far as operations or scope of what is or will be offered at Jabara, but I'm personally excited about it. It's a good family. I wouldn't call them friends, but I know Dwayne and Julie well enough and know Lizzie and Alex a little bit. I haven't seen Austin since he was about 8 it seems. I enjoy seeing good people succeed and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

[SHOCKvalue]

A massive change at Jabara Airport as my fellow Benton peeps keep growing.

Eagle - The only fixed-base operator at Jabara Airport for half a century sells to rival



I remember when they started at Stearman and helped grow what Benton has out there now. They are, in one way or another, responsible for the addition of the restaurant (Stearman Field Bar & Grill), the expanded runway (small jet aircraft can operate out of Stearman), and the housing development at the airport. Their move to Jabara was a big step and now they're taking over a long established entity.

Now, I'm not sure how this changes things as far as operations or scope of what is or will be offered at Jabara, but I'm personally excited about it. It's a good family. I wouldn't call them friends, but I know Dwayne and Julie well enough and know Lizzie and Alex a little bit. I haven't seen Austin since he was about 8 it seems. I enjoy seeing good people succeed and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

I've dealt with Dwayne in several instances in a business context associated with his discombobulated attempt at being a real estate developer. Did not enjoy any of them. I'll leave it at that.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - These 6 medical providers are expanding in Wichita in 2023

Catholic Care Center behavioral health hospital for seniors


A $13-million expansion at the Catholic Care Center's Bel Aire campus is working to address an ongoing need for local behavioral health care for seniors. Expected to complete in June 2023, the new hospital will serve seniors in the Wichita region who are experiencing mental health challenges due to Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions in an acute-care setting. The Catholic Care Center, a not-for-profit senior living community owned by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, plans to treat its own residents at the 45th Street and Woodlawn campus, but also serve residents from peer nursing facilities in the region.

Read more about the project here.

Advanced Orthopaedic Associates clinic


One of the more noticeable construction projects taking shape along K-96 in northeast Wichita is Advanced Orthopaedic Associates' new $16-million clinic. The practice, which provides a range of orthopedic surgeries and replacements, has outgrown its location within the medical office park at Webb and K-96. Construction is underway on a new site just east of there. The new building, which will have 50 exam rooms, four X-ray rooms and new MRI equipment, is expected to open in August.

Read about the project here.


Corterra of Wichita

Work is progressing on a new 21,000 square-foot geriatric behavioral health hospital in northwest Wichita that will have 24 private rooms. Located near K-96 and Ridge Road, Corterra of Wichita is the vision of Erik Hatten, developed in partnership with the Overland Park-based Scenic Development LLC. It will be a similar model to the one planned at Catholic Care Center in Bel Aire; Corterra will specialize in recovery planning, stabilization and treatment for seniors experiencing a mental-health crisis most often related to Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Read about the project here.


Grene Vision Group expansion


Construction has nearly wrapped on a new medical office building for Grene Vision Group within Wilson Estates Medical Park in northeast Wichita. The new building, located at 1821 N. Webb Road, will be an extension of Grene Vision Group's existing facility that's just to the north of the site. The subsidiary of the St. Louis-based EyeCare Partners will operate an ambulatory surgery center on the main floor, along with a clinic and offices on the second floor. It's a nearly $6 million project.

Read about the project here.


Kansas Plastic Surgery office

Founded in 2016, Kansas Plastic Surgery has outgrown its east-side office and has started construction on a new $2.4-million location. The new office is going up on Greenwich Road between 21st and 13th streets, and will more than double the practice's current space near 21st and Webb. In addition to serving patients before and after surgeries, the new building will allow KPS to expand into the med-spa business and offer more in-office procedures. An opening is anticipated later this spring.
Read about the project here.


Wesley Medical Center rehabilitation hospital

A significant shortage of rehabilitation beds in the Wichita area spurred Wesley Medical Center to build its own 41-bed rehabilitation hospital to the north of its Hillside campus. Located on the site of the former Wichita Children's Home, the facility will feature state-of-the-art physical therapy services, as well as a specially designed courtyard where patients can exercise and receive therapy. It's slated to open in January 2025. A total project cost has not yet been disclosed for the project, nor site plan renderings.
Read about the project here.

Having a strong and robust medical community is good for the region. The fact that so many are needing to, and able to, expand is a good thing and should lead to better care and services overall for the metro area. Many of these also generally lead to more good paying jobs which never sucks.