December 2021 – Page 25 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

UG offers small business resiliency grants

A new KCK Small Business Resiliency Grant Program has been announced.

The grant is funded through the Unified Government’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, according to a spokesman.

The grant was created to help reduce the financial strain on local businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesman stated in a news release.

Businesses may use the funds to prepare for changes in the ways consumers are doing business, including funds for upgrading websites for e-commerce, buildings and physical plant remediation to comply with safety guidelines, software upgrades and professional service support, according to the spokesman.

The expenditure of the funds is subject to the eligibility requirements, rules and regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, according to the spokesman.

For more details, see www.wycokck.org/ARPA.

Local businesses wanting to apply for this grant are asked to submit the required documentation through the Economic Development’s online applicant registration form at KCK Small Business Resiliency Grant, the spokesman stated.

Grant applicants are for eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in funding, and if awarded are not required to accept the full amount of awarded funds. Priority will be given to businesses with fewer than 25 employees, but local businesses may have up to 100 employees. For a complete list of business, expense, and grant type eligibility requirements, review the Small Business Grant Program Overview document.

All businesses that receive grant funds are required to complete a business intake and two hours of business technical assistance training to assist with resiliency, sustainability and business planning.
Grant request applications will begin to be reviewed starting Jan. 4, 2022. The grant application process will remain open until all funds are distributed.

“Small businesses are at the heart of our local economy,” Unified Government Small Business Liaison Shaya Lockett said. “These grants will provide much-needed assistance to help small businesses in KCK adopt new technology and tools to navigate the impacts of the pandemic on our economy.”

For questions, any application accommodations, including technical assistance about the Small Business Grant Program, contact [email protected] or 1-913-386-7600. Phone hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rep. Davids releases new report on state of roads in 3rd District

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, center, Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz, right, and Unified Government Mayor-CEO Tyrone Garner announced the State of our Systems: Roads report.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., has released a new report examining the status and safety of roads in the 3rd District.

Her office’s “State of our Systems” series details the most pressing infrastructure needs in the district and how Rep. Davids is working to bring federal funds to those projects — including through the new bipartisan infrastructure law, which she helped lead into passage. Key findings include:

• At current funding levels, most streets in Kansas City, Kansas, will be in a state of poor or failed condition by 2031.

• Driving on deteriorated roads costs Kansas motorists $1.1 billion a year – $509 per driver – in the form of repairs, vehicle depreciation, and increased fuel consumption.

• The bipartisan infrastructure law’s investments in Kansas roads and transit systems will add $625 million in state gross domestic product each year.

• By 2050, the US 69-167th Street interchange—which is advancing due to the federal funding available from the new law—is expected to see a 450% increase in daily vehicle traffic.

Rep. Davids announced that the bipartisan infrastructure law has allocated $500 million to Kansas for federal-aid highway programs in 2022.

Over five years, Kansas will receive an estimated $2.8 billion in federal highway and bridge funding, $28 million for highway safety traffic programs to help reduce deaths and injuries from motor vehicle-related crashes, and $63 million to help reduce transportation-related emissions.

These funds will allow the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to address transportation needs identified through local consultation meetings sooner than they otherwise would have, bringing direct investment into communities for the projects they have been asking for—like modernizing one of the most congested stretches on I-35 between old US-56 and 119th Street, or expanding the US 69-167th St interchange to create a critical lifeline for emergency vehicles and patients visiting the new AdventHealth South Overland Park facility.

Another example detailed in Davids’ report is the 18th Street reconstruction in Wyandotte County, which would improve pedestrian, bike, and vehicle infrastructure for a greenway across the county. Both the I-35 project and the US69/167th St interchange have been advanced by KDOT due to the federal investment from the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“The bipartisan infrastructure law will do more for our roads than just fix potholes—it will save lives by making them safer, reduce transportation costs for people and goods, create good-paying jobs, and spur innovation and long-term economic growth in the Kansas Third,” Rep. Davids said. “My office’s latest report details a few of the projects and most pressing needs that we will work to tackle with help from the new federal funding.”

“Highways are more than just concrete and asphalt — they connect people, resources, and opportunities. This new report makes clear we need to be investing in these vital structures, so we can continue to foster critical connections,” said Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “That’s why I was pleased to announce earlier this week that through IKE and the new federal funds, KDOT is advancing $750 million in transportation improvements into the development pipeline, including $360 million for the Kansas City area.”

“We are very appreciative of the work Representative Davids and Secretary Lorenz are doing,” Unified Government Mayor-CEO Tyrone Garner said. “The bipartisan infrastructure law will help Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County make important investments both in our infrastructure and in historically disinvested areas in truly meaningful ways.”

The full “State of our Systems: Roads” report can be accessed at https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/The%20State%20of%20our%20Systems%20Roads-compressed.pdf. The previous report, “State of our Systems: Water,” can be accessed at https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/The%20State%20of%20our%20Systems%20Water%20%285%29_compressed.pdf.
The “State of our Systems: Bridges,” can be accessed at https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/The%20State%20of%20our%20Systems%20Bridges_October%202021_compressed%20%282%29.pdf.

Braves fall 56-49 to De Soto on 4th quarter run

Senior Trent Stimac avoided the De Soto defense on a shot in the lane. Stimac had 8 points and 8 rebounds in the 56-49 loss to the Wildcats. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Bonner Springs Braves made one comeback but couldn’t find a second one, losing 56-49 on the road to the De Soto Wildcats Thursday evening.

The Braves were up 24-20 at halftime thanks to a balanced attack that saw six players get on the board in the second quarter.

Out of the break, the teams briefly traded the lead, but then the Wildcats blasted out to a 35-26 lead with four minutes still remaining in the third quarter.

Bonner Springs coach Dan Streit called a timeout to regroup his team, and the Braves responded with an 11-3 burst that brought them back within 38-37 going into the fourth quarter.

De Soto found another surge in the fourth quarter that Bonner couldn’t answer. Taking advantage of the referees’ sudden strictness in policing the game, the Wildcats hit 8 of 11 free throws on their way to briefly building a 10-point cushion before the Braves hit a late three-pointer.

Jayce Smith led Bonner Springs in scoring, picking up 14 hard-fought points in and around the lane. Tavian Cruse added 11 points, hitting 2 of 5 3-point attempts. Trent Stimac led the team with 8 rebounds, including 4 offensive rebounds.

Bonner Springs doesn’t play again until the new year, as host of Shawnee Heights on Jan. 4, tipping off at 7:30 p.m.