General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

KSN - Wichita designated as American World War II Heritage City

“World War II permeated every aspect of American life and resulted in a large migration of people within the United States. Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good paying war jobs and out of a sense of patriotic duty,” the National Park Service says. “Many industrial centers became “boom towns,” growing at phenomenal rates. Workers from around the nation had to intermingle with each other and overcome differences in order to meet war demands, forever changing the cultural landscape of the United States.”

In order to recognize the historical importance of the United States’ involvement in WWII, the National Park Service says the Secretary of the Interior may designate up to one city from each state and territory as an American WWII Heritage City.

“As the “Air Capitol of the World,” the City of Wichita, Kansas has a strong connection with World War II, with its greatest home front accomplishment being the development and production of military aircraft,” says the National Park Service. “In all nearly 26,000 planes of various types were produced: single and multi-engine training craft; cargo and transport planes; and more than 1600 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers.”

A nice piece that shows how much Wichita has done both during the war and since.

[SubGod22]

AOL - Wichita will sell riverbank land parcel to Hyatt unless someone makes better offer

A city-owned parcel of riverbank land will be sold to the Hyatt Hotel at a price of $15 per square foot, the Wichita City Council said in a tentative agreement Tuesday.

Proceeds from the sale would be used by the city to improve the east bank of the Arkansas River between Douglas and Waterman, including A. Price Woodard Park.

The Hyatt plans to use the space to expand meeting rooms and banquet facilities. The $217,440 purchasing agreement for the 14,496-square-foot parcel will go into effect unless another developer makes a better offer on the land in the next 30 days.

City Manager Robert Layton said it’s unlikely anyone else could make better use of the unimproved land, which is contiguous to the hotel and cut off from access to public streets.

“This parcel is limited. It cannot be developed by anyone other than the Hyatt,” Layton said. “Access could be granted to the driveway but there’s not sufficient parking for a stand-alone commercial use of this lot.”

[ShockerDropOut]

WBJ - Wind Surge owners sell baseball club - but keep land deal around stadium

F****** carpetbaggers!!! I now hate this franchise. I will never go to another Windsurge game again, nor will i do business with any business in that 4 acre footprint. The owners never wanted to be PART of the city, only there for the profit they could skim.

They had really aggravated me with their excise “tax” on sales last year. So much so that I wrote them telling them what I thought of it. Now this. They just proved me right. They cared nothing for Wichita beyond what they could fleece out of the community.

S*** like this is why people are so against different developments that could actually be beneficial to the community. I get making a profit and would never deny a person or company that opportunity, but what about civic responsibility back to the community? This just smells like corporate greed to me. I know that no laws were probably broken, but that doesnt change the fact that, in my mind at least, they were dishonest with the city and people of Wichita.

End rant.

[WuShock16]

F****** carpetbaggers!!! I now hate this franchise. I will never go to another Windsurge game again, nor will i do business with any business in that 4 acre footprint. The owners never wanted to be PART of the city, only there for the profit they could skim.

They had really aggravated me with their excise “tax” on sales last year. So much so that I wrote them telling them what I thought of it. Now this. They just proved me right. They cared nothing for Wichita beyond what they could fleece out of the community.

S*** like this is why people are so against different developments that could actually be beneficial to the community. I get making a profit and would never deny a person or company that opportunity, but what about civic responsibility back to the community? This just smells like corporate greed to me. I know that no laws were probably broken, but that doesnt change the fact that, in my mind at least, they were dishonest with the city and people of Wichita.

End rant.

You could probably see that it wasn't going to be as-advertised when Lou passed away. He seemed to be a sharp guy whose intentions were good and honest. I have only been to Riverfront once, which was the very first WSU game there. I know that there are benefits to being Double-A instead of Triple-A, but once that switch happened, the excitement I had about going to these games diminished quickly.

[WstateU]

F****** carpetbaggers!!! I now hate this franchise. I will never go to another Windsurge game again, nor will i do business with any business in that 4 acre footprint. The owners never wanted to be PART of the city, only there for the profit they could skim.

They had really aggravated me with their excise “tax” on sales last year. So much so that I wrote them telling them what I thought of it. Now this. They just proved me right. They cared nothing for Wichita beyond what they could fleece out of the community.

S*** like this is why people are so against different developments that could actually be beneficial to the community. I get making a profit and would never deny a person or company that opportunity, but what about civic responsibility back to the community? This just smells like corporate greed to me. I know that no laws were probably broken, but that doesnt change the fact that, in my mind at least, they were dishonest with the city and people of Wichita.

End rant.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - These 10 offices have moved to downtown Wichita in recent years. Who could be next?

Slideshow in link

Already, downtown has seen 450,000 square feet of office space added since 2010, and a 2021 market report indicates that the downtown market could support an additional 515,000 to 601,000 square feet of new office space between now and 2030.

The Downtown Wichita organization, an affiliate of the Greater Wichita Partnership, says each company it speaks with has different needs, but many have expressed a desire to be a part of the vibrant downtown area for talent recruitment and retention.

And that vibrancy is expected to substantially increase in 2026 with the much-anticipated opening of a planned biomedical campus shared by the University of Kansas School of Medicine and the health professions programs at Wichita State University and WSU Tech, noted Jason Gregory, executive vice president of Downtown Wichita.

“The potential for the KU, WSU, WSU Tech joint health sciences education center offers tremendous opportunity for the downtown office market, as well as housing, entertainment, retail and restaurant markets,” Gregory said in an email to the WBJ. “With over 3,000 students in downtown Wichita, it would truly be a transformational project for the urban core.”

There has been a lot of movement and as I mentioned previously, the new WSU-KU med school is going to draw more office and residential options downtown. Things will be much different in 2030 than they were in 2020.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Garvey Center adding Andover-based business as new tenant

ProHome recently signed a five-year lease for 4,600 square feet on the first floor of the Garvey Center's O.W. Garvey Building at 200 W. Douglas. Garvey Center manager Larry Weber, who ProHome worked directly with on the deal, said the center's commercial occupancy stands at around 96%.

McMahon assumed the CEO role in September for the company, founded in 1983, which was acquired in 2019 by Greybull Stewardship, a Wyoming-based private equity firm.

Beyond the centralized location, McMahon said the on-site parking for his employees and other amenities, including the fitness center and available banquet space, stood out.

"It's perfect for us and our needs," he said.

McMahon, who is from Atlanta but has been spending up to five days a week in Andover, said he's seeing Wichita's downtown move in the right direction, similar to other cities he visits in his business travel.

"I like the whole feel of downtown, and I can feel that it's evolving," he said.

My two best friends recently left ProHome for other opportunities, but from my understanding, the company has been doing very well and has an ambitious growth plan. My friends were in Sales/Business development and Marketing or some such. I knew they'd been looking for new office space for a while.

[SubGod22]

MSN - Country artist Elle King to play Dam Jam in 2023

Country artist Elle King will be performing at The Dam Jam in 2023 on Lake Afton, according to a news release.

“Elle King is a multi-genre award winning Singer-songwriter, who blends retro-blues with modern pop in a country world,” the news release said.

The performance will her first in the state of Kansas since 2016. Dam Jam Board President C.J. Wilson said she is excited to see King play at the event.

“It takes great entertainers like Elle King to really turn up the fun at The Dam Jam, and we are very excited to have her,” Wilson said.

Dam Jam is scheduled to take place from July 21 and 22 at Lake Afton.

I've never really associated her with country music as she popped up years ago on a Pandora station I use that's more blues/jazz/funk driven. If you're not familiar, I'd recommend checking her out and pull her up on YouTube or something.

Fun fact, she's the daughter of actor/comedian Rob Schneider.

[SubGod22]

More annexation for Wichita appears to be ahead.

WBJ - As a major Wichita development gets final zoning OK, another starts a similar path

This past week saw a separate proposed project just outside west Wichita get initial OKs on its zoning change request, but it has several steps to go.

Ohio-based Epcon Communities, whose local developments include The Courtyards at Auburn Lakes and The Courtyards at Auburn Hills, is seeking to change the zoning of 150 acres on the northwest corner of 4th Street and 135th West from single-family residential to a planned unit development (called Jacobs Farm) which would allow for a mix of multifamily uses in addition to single-family residences.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Who are the new owners of the Wichita Wind Surge?

Founded in 2021, DBH, owned by the California-based private equity firm Silver Lake, is now considered the largest operator of minor-league baseball teams, and will only get bigger with more announcements coming soon as private equity continues to take a growing interest in the minors.

DBH CEO Peter Freund has said the company expects to own more than 20 teams by opening day next spring.

“By elevating the experience that fans know and love, and by further activating other events at Riverfront Stadium to provide opportunities to engage the city and drive additional value for fans, players and local businesses, we are excited to deepen the Wind Surge commitment to Wichita,” Freund, the CEO, said in a news release.

The club will remain in Wichita as the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, and DBH has said it will consider renaming the Wind Surge.

[SubGod22]

The zoo is adding a new habitat for a previously thought extinct animal.

MSN - Black-Footed Ferret habitat to open at Sedgwick County Zoo

The Rogers Family Ferret Habitat, which will bring Black-footed ferrets to the zoo, opens Wednesday, Dec. 14. The species of ferret was thought to be extinct until 1981 when a population was discovered in Wyoming.

A disease nearly wiped out that population which saw its numbers drop to just 18 by 1987. Thanks to intervention, the species was saved and has started to be reintroduced into the wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reintroduced around 300 captive-bred Black-footed ferrets in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, New Mexico, Canada, and Mexico. The zoo has been assisting in the recovery program, including participating in annual surveys and providing funding for supplies.

The exhibit officially opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Admission to the zoo will be just $2 that day.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Eisenhower National Airport continues to see record travel

The airport announced that over 17% more passengers flew out of Wichita via Eisenhower in October compared to that same time period last year. The airport saw 144,616 total passengers in October, an increase of 17.58% compared to October 2021.

For the year so far, the airport says they have seen an increase in passengers of 22.58%. Part of that increased traffic is due to airlines switching to larger regional jets and narrowbody aircraft that can carry more passengers.

Inside the air terminal, food and gift sales increased 23.49%, revenue from rental cars is up 2.88%, and parking revenue increased 30.51%. Local general aviation has seen a massive increase of 222.52% over 2021.

[Veritas]

Any updates on the Riverfront Legacy Masterplan?
Last legit update I read was about 30 months ago indicating a wait until Covid was under control.

https://www.riverfrontlegacywichita.org

Well… a little bit of news on this.

https://www.kansas.com/opinion/opn-c...269823217.html

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Study: Wichita ranks among 20 cities with largest Gen Z workforce

Wichita has ranked among the 20 cities in the nation with the largest Gen Z workforce, according to a new study published last week that analyzed population and labor force data for the 100 largest U.S. cities.

The study from financial technology company SmartAsset looked at the number of Gen Z workers — born between 1997 and 2005 — as a percentage of total workers in the nation's largest cities.

By 2025, SmartAsset estimates that Gen Zers are expected to account for a quarter of the workforce in the U.S.

Wichita ranked 17th on the list, with 33,447 Gen Z workers, or 16.39% of the city's total workforce, according to the study. It was enough to pull ahead of cities such as St. Paul, Minn.; Boston; and El Paso, Texas.

The highest concentration of Gen Z workers were found in Lubbock, Texas.

A Business Journal analysis has found that the entire Gen Z generation, ages 5 through 24, represent 35.8% of Wichita's total population, which is more than the 33.1% Gen Z represents at the national level. That means Wichita should expect to see nearly 134,000 people aging into the workforce in the next 15 years.

[SubGod22]

A new addition coming to Cowtown.

KSN - Old Cowtown Museum to reconstruct old business to showcase buggies, wagons

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Old Cowtown Museum is planning to reconstruct an old business to showcase what it is calling its “rolling stock.”

“This is a really unique part of the collection that includes buggies, wagons, and currently, they lack adequate storage space, and they’ve actually never been on display to the public because of this,” the City of Wichita Director of Arts and Cultural Services Lindsay Benacka said.

A $250,000 donation from Historic Cowtown Inc.’s Board of Directors and Bob Curtright, a former movie critic for The Wichita Eagle, is allowing the reconstruction to happen, according to District 5 Council Member Bryan Frye.

“The proposed new donation will provide a solution to safely store and display the rolling stock collection and further advance the museum’s mission,” said Benacka.

The museum started working on designing the exhibit in 2018.