Piper’s Devon Marshall crossed the finish in the boys 4 x 100-meter dash preliminaries. The team took second place in the Sunflower Showdown, a race among the top Kansas high school teams in the meet. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The 92nd Kansas Relays held Wednesday through Saturday at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, attracted some Wyandotte County athletes.
The Relays draws high school and college athletes from across the Midwest.
Participation is highly selective, and athletes have to obtain a qualifying mark in their event to enter.
Top 10 finishers included:
Piper High School, 2nd place, boys 4 x 100-meter Sunflower Showdown, 43.56 seconds
The preliminary development plan and plat for Bonner Crossing, a mixed-use arts and entertainment district proposed for the southwest corner of 118th and State Avenue in Bonner Springs.
A $500 million arts and entertainment project is proposed for 118th and State Avenue in Bonner Springs.
The 180-acre Bonner Crossing project for the southwest corner of 118th and State, which is near the Kansas Speedway, moved forward at the Bonner Springs Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
Amber McCullough, Bonner Springs community and economic development director, said the project was approved and next will go to the Bonner Springs City Council for approval. It will be either the April 22 meeting or the May 13 meeting.
McCullough said the preliminary plat, rezoning and special use permit for a subdivision, Bonner Crossing, a mixed-use arts and entertainment district with some residential, was considered on Tuesday night.
The project includes a concert pavilion, e-sports venue, performing arts venue, as well as a technology component. It also includes a for-profit college and arts and entertainment campus.
The developer is The Solutions Group from Shawnee, Kansas, and the project’s engineer is CFS Engineers of Kansas City, Missouri. The architects are HOK Group and NSPJ Architects.
The performing arts campus is shown on the plat as Velocity Arts, an Atlanta college.
Currently, the land is undeveloped, zoned agricultural, and the proposed use is mixed use, according to planning documents. The project is in keeping with the mixed-use zoning recommended for future developments at that location.
The Kansas Speedway, in Kansas City, Kansas, is nearby. To the east is the city of Edwardsville. To the west of the proposed project are some apartments, and Wyandotte County Park at Bonner Springs. The existing Providence Medical Center amphitheater is located west of Wyandotte County Park.
The northern part of the development would be the arts and entertainment campus, according to planning documents.
The southern part of the development would have townhomes, multi-family apartments, assisted living and memory care facilities, as well as an independent living community, according to planning documents. About 1,000 total dwelling units are planned.
There also is space in the development for retail shops, professional offices, medical office building, and restaurants, according to the planning documents.
The development lists a total of two hotels. Some dormitories would be included in the campus planning.
The proposed concert pavilion is about 14.54 acres, planning documents stated. It would have 14,800 seats and is described in planning documents as the region’s first “indoor-outdoor venue.” It would have retractable walls.
There are still some details to be worked out in this project, with some variance requests granted and a parking reduction request pending, McCullough said.
Plans for this new development are contained in the agenda online at https://www.bonnersprings.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/706.
Water will be turned back on today at this fountain during a Fountain Day celebration at the Wyandotte County Museum, 126th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs. The event at 11 a.m. is open to the public.
The Wyandotte County Museum will celebrate Fountain Day with an event at 11 a.m. today, April 9, at the museum, 126th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs.
According to David Hartman, curator at the museum, a fountain that formerly was installed at the intersection of 4th and Minnesota in 1904 in Kansas City, Kansas, will be the focal point of the event.
The fountain’s purpose then was to provide water for horses. At that time, horses drank out of the top of the fountain, while cats and dogs could drink out of the bottom, he said.
When cars became popular, and the need declined for the fountain, it was moved to 18th and Parallel, where it was a monument for a number of years, Hartman said.
When that intersection was redone, the fountain was donated to the Wyandotte County Museum in 1967, he said.
The fountain was refurbished at the museum, but later, water lines were cut. This horse trough fountain will be turned back on today, after being off for about 10 years, Hartman said.
Hartman said this is the only public fountain in Wyandotte County. Others may be located at hotels or The Legends, but they are privately owned, he added.
The event today will be open to the public and light refreshments will be provided.
