Category: Business

Development projects on Thursday’s UG Commission agenda

Several planning and zoning items are on the Unified Government Commission agenda at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25.

The former Woodlands property at 9700 Leavenworth Road, being converted to warehouses, is on the agenda for vacating right-of-way at the entrances.

Also on the agenda is a public hearing to consider the creation of a redevelopment at 6700 Kaw Drive, Kansas City, Kansas. The Kaw Fresh Market grocery store, formerly Happy Foods West, is in the redevelopment project, along with several other businesses.

The agenda also includes an acknowledgment and assumption agreement with Legend Hotel LLC to develop an 87-room hotel. The location is between 94th and I-435, from Parallel to State Avenue, according to the resolution. It is at the location of the Homefield development on the former Schlitterbahn property.

A development agreement with HFS KCK was earlier approved for this project on Nov. 19. HFS is selling a portion of the project site to Legend Hotel, according to the resolution.

Also on the 7 p.m. agenda is approval for a grant application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for a $923,365 COVID-19 infrastructure expansion grant for the UG Health Department. The item was fast-tracked from the Monday night committee meeting.Funding is for testing, contract tracing, surveillance, containment and mitigation to stop the spread of COVID-19, according to agenda information.

Other items on the 7 p.m. agenda include:

  • 200 S. James St., change of zone from heavy industrial district to traditional neighborhood design district for a mixed use residential and commercial development, KC with Yards 2.
  • 4439 Shawnee Drive, renewal of special use permit for an automotive repair business, XM Automotive.
  • 3834 Bell Crossing, ordinance rezoning property from single family district to agriculture district.
  • 12525 Leavenworth Road, ordinance rezoning property from county agriculture district to city agriculture district.
  • 411 and 415 Stine Ave., ordinance authorizing special use permit to keep two goats.
  • 4220 Leavenworth Road, ordinance authorizing special use permit for continuation of a drinking establishment with live entertainment, Lounge 42.
  • 915 N. 69th St., an ordinance rezoning property from single-family district to planned general industrial district, Turner Logistics Center, NP Turner Industrial.
  • 837 Central Ave., change of zone from single-family district to commercial district for sale of appliances, Gomez Appliances.
  • 837 Central Ave., master plan amendment from urban density to commercial, Gomez Appliances.

The UG Commission also will meet in a special session at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 25, to hear a COVID-19 vaccination update, a presentation by the Youth Fatality Review Board and an update by the Tax Administration Coordination Committee.

The public will not be able to attend in person because of the risk of COVID-19. The public will be able to listen to the meeting on YouTube, UGTV cable television or through Zoom on the internet.

To join the Zoom meeting, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87392652938?pwd=ZTlLMEVUUlowUHA4dXRUcDNJdXRSZz09.
The passcode is 112360.

To join by telephone, dial 877-853-5257 (toll free) or 888-475-4499 (toll free).

The webinar ID is 873 9265 2938.

The agendas are online at https://www.wycokck.org/Clerk/Agendas.aspx.

Almost $57 million went to Kansas small businesses through Coronavirus Relief Fund

Nearly 3,000 Kansas small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic received nearly $57 million in Small Business Working Capital grants, according to Gov. Laura Kelly.

The Coronavirus Relief Fund assisted some of the hardest-hit businesses in the state when they needed it most, according to the governor.

“We’ll use every resource we can to support small businesses as we recover from COVID-19,” Gov. Kelly said. “SBWC is just one of many programs we mobilized over the last year to strengthen and protect our businesses affected by COVID-19, so our businesses and our economy emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.”

Kansas businesses with fewer than 500 employees were eligible to apply for SBWC grant funding made available by Governor Kelly’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce through the federal CARES Act. Grant funds could be used to pay working capital expenses such as payroll, insurance, rent, mortgage payments, utilities, inventory and more.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the Kansas economy,” Lt. Gov. and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “Our small business community has been valiant in weathering this unprecedented economic storm, and the Kelly administration will continue to do everything in its power to see them recover and grow. I’m pleased that this funding played a significant role in providing relief to so many businesses, but I know that there is still much work to do. We are here to support Kansas businesses and will continue to be a strong partner for them during this crisis and beyond.”

Nearly 3,000 small businesses across Kansas moved forward with critical support from SBWC grants.

Sixty-seven Wyandotte County businesses and nonprofit organizations received the Small Business Working Capital grants. To see a list of recipients, visit https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SBWC-Grant-Awardees.pdf.

As Kansas continues to see the benefit of the SBWC grants, the state is expecting an additional investment of small business funds through the recent passage of the American Recovery Plan, according to the governor’s office. From restaurant revitalization to an expanded paycheck protection program, these dollars will support hard hit small businesses and lift up the communities they serve, a spokesman stated.

Former insurance agent sentenced to probation, nearly $86,000 in restitution

A former Johnson County insurance agent has been sentenced to 24 months of probation on insurance fraud charges and ordered to repay nearly $86,000 in restitution, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

Armond R. Peghee, 42, pleaded guilty in January in Johnson County District Court to one count of fraudulent insurance act, one count of theft, one count of unlawful acts concerning computers, and three counts of identity theft. Peghee also agreed to repay $85,897.87 in restitution.

Johnson County District Court Chief Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan on Wednesday sentenced Peghee to the terms of the plea agreement reached in January, and additionally imposed a $5,000 fine.

An investigation by the Kansas Insurance Department determined that Peghee engaged in a fraudulent scheme where he submitted false applications for insurance policies for his customers without his customers’ knowledge. Peghee would receive the commission for the sale of the policies. The customers were unaware of the policies and the premiums went unpaid, according to the attorney general’s office. The policies were eventually canceled for nonpayment, but investigators found Peghee kept the commissions.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Paul Brothers of the Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division in Schmidt’s office.