Category: Business

Amazon to open second facility in KCK at former Woodlands racetrack

Amazon today announced it will open another $110 million fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Amazon announced two new facilities for Kansas today, one in Kansas City, Kansas, and the other in Park City, Kansas, a suburban area of Wichita. Together, they will create at least 1,000 new jobs in Kansas, according to the announcement.

While the address of the new building was not mentioned at an online news conference, the new facility here will be at the former Woodlands horse and dog racing facility at 9700 Leavenworth Road, according to a news release sent out by Amazon. The new facilities will launch in 2021, according to the news release.

Mark Marzano, director of operations for Amazon, said during the news conference that Amazon workers at the new facility will pick, pack and ship bulky and larger-sized customer items, including outdoor equipment, patio furniture and rugs. The jobs will have full health benefits, and also vision coverage, he said. Amazon has created more than 4,500 jobs in Kansas since 2010, according to Marzano.

Each of the facilities will be about 1 million square feet, according to Amazon officials.

Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey said during the statewide online news conference with Gov. Laura Kelly Friday morning that the new facility would have more than 750 jobs. Amazon officials confirmed that each new facility would have 500 or more new jobs.

The announcement is important because Kansas City, Kansas, has a population that is looking for jobs, Mayor Alvey said.

“In all these economic development projects, we are simply trying to expand our tax base, so we can provide more revenues and services to our residents and also to help us take pressures off property taxes,” Mayor Alvey said. “This is an awesome announcement that Amazon is coming to Kansas City, Kansas.”

They were able to track improvements in household median incomes from projects like this, he said.

The logistics in Kansas City, Kansas, are excellent with I-35 and I-70 and other highways that link to them, he said. Kansas City, Kansas, has an excellent work force who know how to work and to be at work, he said.

As they move out of COVID-19, these facilities are important as industries are shifting to logistics, he said.

Mayor Alvey pointed out that no economic incentives were asked for or applied for in this latest Amazon project here. There will be an immediate boost to the revenues of the county, city and school districts, he said. It is important for the community to grow its tax base to improve the quality of life for residents, he said.

The available jobs will start at a minimum of $15 an hour, according to Amazon officials.

“Today’s Amazon announcement further proves why Kansas can offer prospective businesses the kind of workforce, infrastructure, and central location that can compete with anywhere in the country,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This project will bring more than 1,000 good-paying jobs and significant capital investment to our state and sends a clear message to prospective companies – Kansas is open for business.”

Officials from Wichita, Park City and Sedgwick County also were part of the news conference, along with Amazon officials, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the Kansas secretary of commerce and the governor.

“This truly is an exciting day for Kansas, as we celebrate a tremendous economic development win for our state,” Secretary David Toland said. “Even for a huge company like Amazon, announcing two facilities in one day is extraordinary.”

“This partnership with Amazon will bring more than a thousand new, quality jobs to Kansas, and I have no doubt Amazon will greatly benefit from the talented workforce available in Kansas City, Park City and Wichita,” U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran said. “I recently visited Amazon’s current facility in Kansas City to see their operation first-hand, and I am pleased to see companies like Amazon continue to bring jobs to Kansas, opening up new opportunities for further economic growth and expansion.”

UG spokesman Mike Taylor confirmed the location is at the former Woodlands racetrack at 97th and Leavenworth Road. The Amazon building will be where the former horse track was located.

The development has been moving through the UG’s planning and zoning process. A full industrial park with office buildings is planned, and there also are plans for retail space at the site, according to the UG.

Scannell is paying the UG $2 million for frontage land that the local government owns along the fringes of the Woodlands’ property, Taylor stated. The developer also is donating land on the other side of the property, close to Wyandotte County Lake, for walking trails. There are no tax abatements or incentives involved in the project.

The governor’s news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/686745025279743.

The Amazon news release is at https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-announces-two-new-fulfillment-centers-kansas

Gov. Kelly’s news release is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-announces-1000-new-jobs-in-kansas-city-park-city/.

For an earlier story, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/woodlands-redevelopment-project-approved-by-ug-commission/.

Opinion column: Predictions indicate more conservative legislature

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

What will the makeup of the Kansas Legislature look like when it opens for its next session in early January next year?

That question was on the mind of members of the Legislative Committee as it met, via Zoom, Friday morning, Oct. 9. The Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the committee.

Those who study the Legislature see a swing to a more conservative side after the recent primary elections as certain key moderate Republicans were defeated or chose not to run. However, there is a chance, as slim as it might be, that if enough Democrat challengers are elected, the overall temper of the Legislature could be somewhat moderate.

The chamber’s Legislative Committee is working on its annual Legislative Agenda which will determine the organization’s position on key issues. One issue that is to come up is the expansion of Medicaid. Hospitals and medical professionals across the state have supported this issue; supporters point out that expansion could provide services to more than 120,000 uninsured persons.

Conservative legislators and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposing expanded Medicaid said it could end up costing the state an excessive amount of money on the long run.

Committee members learned that the state of Kansas is slightly ahead of estimates in tax revenue received, based on September receipts.

The chamber here is hoping to sponsor a candidates’ forum for the Third District Congressional race. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, is scheduled to appear at noon Friday, Oct. 16, at the normal time for the Congressional Forum. The Republican opponent, Amanda Adkins, is scheduled to appear at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. Both forums will be via Zoom.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Wyandotte County project included in new statewide high-speed internet effort

High-speed internet effort launched for rural, underserved communities in Kansas

Kansas launched a new effort to provide broadband service to rural and underserved communities today.

Gov. Laura Kelly established the Office of Broadband Development, which is receiving about $50 million in federal funding that will enable rural and underserved communities to have internet connections for telehealth visits, for remote learning and also to allow more people to work from homes. The office will be in the Kansas Department of Commerce.

It is expected to stimulate economic development in some rural and underserved areas, also, according to officials. Stanley Adams was named to head the new office.

In all, there are 67 projects statewide, many at anchor locations such as schools, health departments, libraries and local governments.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County will receive a $2.8 million grant for providing fiber to premises and fiber to curb, according to the grant announcement. The project would connect existing UG fiber infrastructure with the cities of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Kansas City, Kansas.

According to the grant information, the project would connect fiber to curb at countywide public safety and emergency management locations, supply backbone infrastructure to municipal facilities in Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, connect the three major cities in the county to leverage shared functions, extend capacity to an underserved area of the county, and strengthen the county and state’s regional connectivity to the Greater Kansas City metro area for the Next Gen 9-1-1 dispatch connections and Operation Green Light.

Also in the announcement is a grant of just over $3 million for statewide telehealth efforts at the University of Kansas Health System.

According to the announcement, the grant would fund broadband infrastructure enhancements at 27 Care Collaborative member locations across the state to enable telehealth and telemedicine services for patients. It also would support 250 devices with connectivity for patients who do not have access to telehealth.

Sixty-seven projects were awarded a share of nearly $50 million for broadband infrastructure improvements. The projects are funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the federal CARES Act and are part of the connectivity program approved by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce and the State Finance Council.

To see the governor’s news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/1265303990488900.