General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

Well, I was back on the Downtown Wichita website looking at the interactive map and clicked on the "In Planning" option. This will give you little flags on what's in the works. We all know about the recently announced Ballpark District with the hotel, office space and all that comes with it. I've wondered about what will happen north of there at what they're calling Riverfront Village. No specifics there yet, but the little tell me more section does say it's a 7-acre mixed-use development that could include residential, hotel, retail or shops along with office space. This is the currently unused area near Douglas along the river.

It will be interesting to see if they go with another hotel over there, but I could definitely see value in some residential offerings and then hopefully a focus on shopping and dining. I thought it had an expected start date, but that must have been one of the others I've been looking at. One would guess it probably won't start until the construction at the Ballpark District is complete, but one can hope that they'll start sooner than that. The quicker it all develops the quicker it becomes a place to be. But it's not my money.

They show the Office Tower portion of the Fidelity Bank Expansion being completed sometime in '23. It's an estimate and I'm not sure what the current status is off the top of my head.

A project expected to begin in '23 is Arena Pointe East. It's expected to be a mixed-use building with retail space on ground level, office space on the 2nd level and residential space on the third level. It appears to be a smaller development with only 10,000sqft at each level. The rendering shows something on the rooftop so time will tell. But this would be directly south of the Arena on Waterman.

More office space is imagined at the southwest corner of Douglas and Emporia. More ground floor retail space with office space in the other two floors. I do wonder if any of this will change to residential if things look stronger in that department compared to office space in the near future. I'm not opposed to office space at all, but the larger the residential population the more likely we are to see shopping and dining options more available and successful in some of these areas.

I sometimes have a little too much free time.

[SubGod22]

US Economic Development Administration - PRESS RELEASE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INVESTS $1.3 MILLION IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS TO EXPAND SCIENCE AND DISCOVERY CENTER AND BOOST TOURISM IN WICHITA, KANSAS

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.3 million grant to Exploration Place, Inc., Wichita, Kansas, to create an outdoor riverfront park at Exploration Place. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

This project will provide the Exploration Place science and discovery center a space for new and expanded events, bringing new visitors to the city, its businesses, and attractions. This EDA grant will be matched with $313,997 in local funds and is expected to create 21 jobs, according to grantee estimates.
.....
“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “The expanded outdoor space at Exploration Place will provide new opportunities to attract more tourists to Wichita, boosting the regional economy.”

“The outdoor riverfront park at Exploration Place will attract tourists to Wichita, create high-quality jobs for local residents, and provide more educational opportunities to our students,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “This investment will help our state’s economy continue to grow in a way that benefits every Kansan.”

[SubGod22]

Well, here's an alternative option for entertainment.

KSN - Alpacas, goats, oh my! Kansas farm open for visitors

Jerramy and his wife, Erin, registered the ranch as an agritourism spot in 2021, officially welcoming the public to their 10-acre oasis.

“That opened up a lot of interest,” Jerramy said. “We started to get people reaching out, even out of state. They were interested in just coming out and visiting, so that’s where a lot of people, most it has been word-of-mouth or social media for us is how it has kind of spread.”

In recent months, the ranch has started hosting private parties, painting with alpaca events, and even family reunions.

“Just anybody that reaches out to us, they can come out and just experience animals, and it’s just neat to see, you know, adults and kids how their faces light up when they see an animal and just seeing that animal may help them open up about maybe something that they’re going through. It becomes a doorway for people to maybe get in touch with their community and maybe make another connection with somebody,” said Erin.

[SubGod22]

It's already started, but... KSN - 6 hour closure Wednesday at Wichita's North Junction

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – There will be a temporary closure at Wichita’s North Junction on Wednesday.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says the northbound I-235 exit to northbound I-135 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

I want to say we're getting closer, and we are, but full completion of this project is still a couple years away. Though once they get these new on/off ramps completed, traffic will begin to move much smoother along the 135/235/254 interchange. Then they'll move onto the 135 and 96 ramps and rework that flow.

[SubGod22]

I'm a big fan of the Sedgwick County Zoo and think it's an absolute treasure for the community/region. It's one of the best in the country and I wish I made it out more often. With that said, Twilight Tuesday's are coming in July. Extended hours and $3 entry all day. Zoo will be open from 9am to 830pm and their will be an evening concert each night with a different band.

July 5 - Annie Up
July 12 - Llew Brown Band
July 19 - Across the Pond
July 26 - Jared Brown and the Dirt Road Misfits

Live music will start at 530 each night.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Music Theatre Wichita to present 'Kinky Boots' with Drew Lachey

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Music Theatre Wichita will present “Kinky Boots.” The Tony-winning best musical opens Wednesday, July 6 and runs until Sunday, July 10.

The show tells the true story of a faltering shoe factory that saved itself from bankruptcy by embracing a fabulous new clientele.

“Kinky Boots” is directed and choreographed by MTWichita alumni Nathan Peck, a member of the original Broadway cast. The production features 98 Degrees member and “Dancing with The Stars” champion Drew Lachey as Charlie Price and the star of the “Kinky Boots” Broadway National Tour, Kenneth Mosely as Lola.

Tickets start at $25.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Special report: What the latest Census data tells us about Wichita's growth

There are clear signs that Wichita is growing more diverse — the city's Hispanic population is the fastest growing, increasing by 24% between 2010 and 2020 — and the data also shows while more people are living downtown, Wichita's suburban communities are also thriving.

Banks added that the 2021 Census release shows Wichita has great potential for continued for growth. Altogether, Wichita's population grew by about 15,000 people — a 4% increase — between 2010 and 2020. Wichita's population is now estimated to be 397,532 people — enough to move Wichita to the 49th-largest city in the U.S.

"We're in the top 50 cities in terms of population now, so that puts us a little bit more on the radar," he said, adding that Wichita overtook Cleveland and New Orleans.

In Wichita, the greatest number of new homes were built east of Webb Road in District 2, and of Sedgwick County's smaller cities, Maize saw the highest number of new homes built, followed by Derby.

I hadn't realized there had been that much new housing growth in Maize. Though I'm also not entirely sure where Maize begins and Wichita ends.

Not surprised by the growth on the eastern edge of the city. That's going to continue.

My hometown has grown by about 15% over the last decade.

[SubGod22]

I hadn't heard about this, but it seems interesting. And the partnership also caught me off guard.

AOL - Wichita food truckers expandiing with brick-and-mortar presence inside new esports venue

Glas Haus Racing will open to the public on July 13, and the Brazita Bites food truck will be set up and serving food from the trailer outside. Because their July calendar is booked with food truck events, the Ciriacos likely won’t get moved in and set up inside Glas Haus until the first or second week of August, Rodrigo said.

They’ll continue to operate the food truck, too, he said. And once they’re all moved into their new commercial kitchen, they’ll be able to start on another project: selling frozen coxinhas that people can buy in bulk and serve at home.

Glas Haus Racing is a sim racing facility with eight high-end simulators that offer everyday drivers an opportunity to try out some of the top race tracks around the world. English, who partnered with Tevin Manuel on the business, also will offer a bar stocked with bottled and canned beers as well as twisted teas.

This racing sim is an interesting concept and it will be interesting to see how it does. But the German focused owners partnering with the Brazilian food truck was not what I was expecting when I first started reading this. Good on both of them and I hope this works out.

[WuDrWu]

The demo-ing of the large pharmacy building in front of Normandie helped it out a great deal. The new McDonald's that replaced it is far more aesthetically-pleasing, and more importantly since the McD's is much narrower in width it opened up the shopping center to a good deal more street exposure from Central.

Wish Prairie Village one mile to the north would get the same love, although it is admittedly doing far better since Walter Morris bought it.

Man back in the day.....check out the latest 3 color basketballs at the sports store (does ANYONE remember that store name?? Could it have been Wichita Sports?), go get a trim from the barber, drop off a pair of shoes to get resoled, maybe a small stack with 2 eggs at Georgie Porgie's,pick up your meds at Gesslers, grab a double dip cone at 31 Flavors, reload your car travel games at TG&Y then pick up a few items at Safeway and the day was GONE.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Textron Aviation Defense lands $90.6M modification to T-6C contract

The modification includes procurement of eight T-6C aircraft, spare parts, spare engines, aircraft support equipment, ground-based training system, operational flight trainer and computer-based training lab, among other items.

Work will be performed in Wichita, the Textron Inc division's home, with an anticipated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026.

The total cumulative face value of the contract is now $105.4 million.

In June 2021, Textron Aviation Defense received a $12.5 million contract to support T-6 deliveries to Tunisia.

Good news for the aviation sector.

[SubGod22]

KAKE - Evolve Wichita offers fun summer activities

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - A summer program for affordable summer activities for Wichitans is turning two years old.

This summer may be the first time that many people are being able to take advantage of "Evolve Wichita," but what can it offer families?

Parks and Rec, Cultural Arts and the Wichita Public Library have teamed up to create "Evolve Wichita" to help create a summer of fun for people of all ages. It gives people the opportunity to get outside and learn.

Superintendent of Recreation Reginald Davidson is one of the many people supporting the program.

Evolve Activity Guide

[SubGod22]

Wichitan's can get a $50 rebate by switching to electric lawn care devices

KWCH - City of Wichita approves $50 rebate for lawnmower switch

Through air quality modeling, Public Works & Utilities has determined that approximately 95% of emissions that contribute to the Wichita metropolitan area’s monitored ozone are transported from other regions. Non-road mobile sources make up between 25% to 36% of local emissions. Lawnmowers and other lawn equipment are estimated to account for 50%-90% of non-road mobile sources. Thus, the pilot is an effort to mitigate the ozone emissions within the City’s control.

The pilot program will allow the City to extend education and awareness efforts surrounding air quality as an activity under the air quality program while also working to reduce emissions generated locally. The program will assist in maintaining local and state air quality objectives and supporting air quality grant contract obligations. As a pilot, this program will seek to assess the interest and awareness of the public on emissions reduction efforts, with the potential to continue the program in future years.

Not a fan of this, especially considering that according to their data, Wichita has very little control over the air quality in the city. I have zero issues with people opting for electric devices, but not sure how I feel about government bribing people to do it when it has such a tiny impact on what they're trying to accomplish. Seems wasteful, even if it is a relatively small amount.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Progress moving quickly on Top Golf in Wichita

The construction on Topgolf is moving along quickly. A Top Golf spokesperson says it is slated to open in the early spring of 2023.

Whipple says city leaders, planners and council members love adding destination attractions.

“We want to create that next Wichita,” said Whipple. “That people want to see from a top 50 city. That includes positioning ourselves.”

[SubGod22]

Any Derby residents with thoughts on this one? I know some previous work done pissed some people off as I believe it led to at least one business having to close permanently. Others I believe have simply had issues with what the city says is better. But it's been a while so my memory may be a bit foggy.

Derby Informer - Agreement reached to help pave way for K-15 improvements

Knowing that land acquisition will be a crucial part of the realignment plan for K-15 and Nelson Drive in Derby, a contract was brought forward and approved by the City Council at its June 28 meeting to secure services for that aspect of the project.

The city is entering an agreement with SMH Consultants for land acquisition and relocation services at a total cost of $55,500. While the designs are still being finalized, purchase of right-of-way and at least one business relocation is expected through the preliminary stages.

Part of the K-15 Area Plan, the realignment of K-15 and Nelson Drive is a multi-tiered project seeking to improve traffic flow and safety as well as expand circulation through the K-15 corridor, providing more access between K-15 and Buckner Street south of Patriot Avenue. Additionally, the project seeks to add at least one signalized intersection between Patriot and Meadowlark Boulevard to create safer access to the Walmart store located off of K-15, which the acquisition services would help facilitate.

Knowing that land acquisition will be a crucial part of the realignment plan for K-15 and Nelson Drive in Derby, a contract was brought forward and approved by the City Council at its June 28 meeting to secure services for that aspect of the project.

The city is entering an agreement with SMH Consultants for land acquisition and relocation services at a total cost of $55,500. While the designs are still being finalized, purchase of right-of-way and at least one business relocation is expected through the preliminary stages.

Part of the K-15 Area Plan, the realignment of K-15 and Nelson Drive is a multi-tiered project seeking to improve traffic flow and safety as well as expand circulation through the K-15 corridor, providing more access between K-15 and Buckner Street south of Patriot Avenue. Additionally, the project seeks to add at least one signalized intersection between Patriot and Meadowlark Boulevard to create safer access to the Walmart store located off of K-15, which the acquisition services would help facilitate.

[WstateU]

Wichitan's can get a $50 rebate by switching to electric lawn care devices

KWCH - City of Wichita approves $50 rebate for lawnmower switch



Not a fan of this, especially considering that according to their data, Wichita has very little control over the air quality in the city. I have zero issues with people opting for electric devices, but not sure how I feel about government bribing people to do it when it has such a tiny impact on what they're trying to accomplish. Seems wasteful, even if it is a relatively small amount.

That's a "C'mon man"... 99% of Wichita emissions end up in Nebraska; just ask MoValley John