Ramp and lane closures are planned Friday on I-635. (KDOT map)
The right lane of southbound I-635 will be closed from 43rd Street to I-70 for pavement marking, tomorrow, Friday, May 22, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Work will occur from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, according to a spokesman. These ramps also will have short-term closures:
• Southbound I-635 to State Avenue, • Westbound State Avenue to southbound I-635, • Eastbound State Avenue to southbound I-635, • Southbound I-635 to westbound I-70.
Traffic will be diverted using mobile lane closures, signs and traffic cones, according to the spokesman.
The KDOT spokesman urged all motorists to be alert and obey the warning signs when approaching and driving through a highway work zone. To stay aware of all road construction projects across Kansas go to www.kandrive.org or call 5-1-1. Motorists were urged to drive safely and always wear their seat belts, according to the spokesman.
Wyandotte County health officials said on Thursday night that there has been improvement in the rolling average of positive cases in Wyandotte County. (UG COVID-19 hub webpage)A decline in the rolling average of COVID-19 related deaths was shown in this graph. (UG COVID-19 hub webpage)
As Wyandotte County prepares to enter Phase 2 of the governor’s Ad Astra reopening plan on Friday, May 22, Wyandotte County health officials reported on the state of COVID-19 here.
The county and surrounding area recently has seen decreasing trends in the rolling averages of cases and deaths, according to officials.
Wyandotte County still has a higher positive case and death rate per 100,000 than most of the surrounding area, at 716 compared to Johnson County’s 113, Kansas City, Missouri’s 187 and the state of Kansas’ 293 rate, according to Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Health Department. She made her remarks at a UG Commission meeting at 5 p.m.
However, the 14-day rolling average here is now down to 18 new cases a day on average, down from the mid-30s a few weeks ago, she said. They may see occasional spikes on certain days, but the rolling averages gives a good longer-term picture of trends.
Also, the rolling average of deaths here is down to about .5 a day, down from about 2.5 a month ago, Van Liew said.
The positivity percentage continued to improve, she said. They are seeing increased testing at hospitals of patients who are being screened for additional procedures and surgeries, which is why they are seeing some of the decrease in the percentage of positive cases.
Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy health officer for Wyandotte County, said the data is looking good and she feels confident they will be able to move safely into Phase 2 of the state’s Ad Astra reopening plan on Friday.
Originally, the UG was going to make the transition to its yellow zone on Monday, she said, but with the governor’s announcement about the start of Phase 2 on Friday, the health staff here felt that it would decrease confusion in the community to switch to the governor’s plan.
The state’s plan is broadly aligned with the UG’s “yellow zone” of its ReStart WyCo plan, she said. Businesses and individuals felt it was hard to understand why the county was going a different way, she said, so they decided to align with the state’s plan.
Dr. Allen Greiner, Wyandotte County chief medical officer, said the state originally had a plan with three phases, then a Phase 1.5 plan was enacted for a few short days. After seeing that numbers of high case counts in southwestern Kansas were not producing large numbers of hospitalizations, the governor moved into Phase 2, starting Friday, and Wyandotte County decided to do that as well.
Changes made to Phase 2 were that the mass gathering limit has been set at 15 individuals; previously it was going to be 30, he said. The change was made out of caution, so they can watch the data, he said.
Salons and personal services can now be open for Wyandotte County in Phase 2, with careful precautions and recommendations of mask-wearing and hygiene, he said.
Fitness centers, casinos and organized sports can open as well, with strong recommendations for social distancing, he said. Casinos will have specific plans in place with the state, he added, and the state is directing and reviewing everything in regard to the casinos.
Not allowed to open in Phase 2 are fairs, festivals, parade, swimming pools until June 8, bars and night clubs, and summer camps, he said.
Dr. Greiner said Phase 2 allows dine-in eating at restaurants, a big change for Wyandotte County, where it was previously just takeout.
The plan talks about preventing any groupings of more than 15 people in the interior environment, he said. Employees should not congregate in units of 15 in the kitchen, and patrons should not be in groups of more than 15 if 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained, he added. If 6-feet distancing can be maintained between individual groups of diners, there’s no restriction on how many people can be in the space, but the space will probably have to be adjusted in each restaurant to maintain that distance.
He said Mayor David Alvey has been working with the zoning staff and restaurants on how expansions might be put in place for outdoor dining at restaurants. The primary issue is maintaining the 6-foot spacing and preventing any groups of more than 15 in enclosed areas.
The reason to limit the numbers of people in restaurants is that people are there for a long time, whereas in a grocery store, for example, they are moving past someone who could have the virus, and are not exposed for as long a time, according to the mayor.
Dr. Greiner said the state’s plan has specific guidelines about church and faith-based gatherings.
He said they need to have 6 feet of distance maintained between individuals and groups of family members who live in the same household, but there are no number limits and no percentage limits. Previously Wyandotte County had a plan with percentages of people, according to the capacity of the building, but that is now off the table, he said.
He said the state’s plan relies on each church to take its own responsibility to promote social distancing and other recommendations such as use of masks, limiting the choir or singing in large groups, providing hand sanitation or other facilities for hand washing, and limiting things passed from person to person, such as collection plates, handouts, books and materials. There have been health studies that traced outbreaks to choir singing, he added.
These measures will be up to the individual facilities and organizations to make a decision about, but there is guidance and recommendations on how it ought to be done, Dr. Greiner said.
Wyandotte County will be under the state’s Phase 2 plan starting Friday at covid.ks.gov.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, is contributing $175,000 in a partnership with financial firm AltCap to launch the KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund.
The funding was approved by the Board of Commissioners and will help support microloans in Wyandotte County for businesses affected by COVID-19. AltCap will begin accepting application Wednesday, May 27.
The contribution of $175,000 in loan loss reserve from the Unified Government will enable over $700,000 in loans for mom and pop sized businesses. The Unified Government enhancement will provide microloans of up to $25,000 for Wyandotte County-based small businesses (20 employees or less; $750,000 or less annual revenue) in industries experiencing significant loss of business due to COVID-19.
“The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, have stepped forward to not only support local businesses, but also to encourage others to find ways large and small to do the same,” Mayor David Alvey said. “The small businesses that are the backbone of our communities need the lifeline this fund may provide during this difficult time, and every contribution made helps more owners and their employees see a possible path forward.”
The collaboration among local government, civic organizations, community leaders and businesses in Kansas City has uniquely allowed our region to respond to the unprecedented challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has caused.
While federal disaster assistance efforts, including the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), has been able to help many businesses, many of our small businesses have been left out and locally supported efforts are critical.
The KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund is administered by AltCap, a local Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). CDFIs are often at the frontlines of disaster recovery efforts helping communities weather the effects of natural disasters, recessions, and other significant economic events.
Underwriting for the fund has prioritized sectors like retail, food service, personal services, arts, and hospitality, that were deemed “nonessential” during the pandemic but are vital to the overall health of our communities and economy.
The loan loss reserve provided by the Unified Government will further target those small businesses that have challenges when trying to take advantage of the State-wide and federal assistance programs.
The first round of funding saw unprecedented application volume from businesses across the region. One Wyandotte County business that has received a loan from the KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund because the federal programs did not fit their specific needs but the flexibility of the AltCap loan will allow them to pay rent and utilities until they open.
Mary Thurber of KC Bowl said, “l want to thank [the Unified Government] for helping small businesses in general, and specifically for helping us. We know that there are only so many dollars to give away and we are so grateful that UG had given them to a fund that helps businesses like ours. Everybody needs it right now, and we don’t know what we’d do without it.”
The next round of KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Funding opens on Wednesday, May 27. Wyandotte County small businesses will be prioritized due to the contribution by the UG. Interested small businesses should visit www.alt-cap.org for more information and to apply. The application and application assistance will be available in English and Spanish.
About the KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund
The KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund is a community-backed $5 million small business relief loan fund created to provide a financial lifeline to local small businesses experiencing extreme economic disruption and financial strain as a result of the necessary public health measures to combat the COVID-19 virus. The loan fund is administered by AltCap, and supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Civic Council of Great Kansas City, Port KC, the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, KCSourceLink, and KC Rise Fund, with very generous donations from local business and civic leaders listed at www.alt-cap.org/covid-relief-fund.
