Tony Burr, Edwardsville Emergency Medical Services director, was named the Kansas EMS Administrator of the Year.
The award was given by the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association at its annual banquet, held this year at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kan.
It is a great honor for someone from a city with fewer than 5,000 residents to win a statewide award, according to Zack Daniel, assistant to the city manager of Edwardsville.
Burr was one of 12 finalists from across the state for the award, and usually, there are only three to four finalists, Daniel said.
Burr joined the Edwardsville EMS in 2014, at a time when it was in a transition, according to Daniel. The EMS supervisor had resigned and the fire chief positions was not yet permanently filled.
Burr faced a mass resignation of volunteer EMS responders because of a disagreement about compensation. He addressed issues while preparing for future development in the EMS division, according to Daniel.
Burr is an Army veteran who was previously a paramedic and shift supervisor with the Atchison County EMS and an assistant EMS director for Leavenworth County EMS. He is certified as a driver operator, instructor and safety officer, and is currently enrolled in the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program.
A motorcyclist was injured in a crash at 10:42 a.m. July 5 on I-435 northpound on the ramp to K-32 in Edwardsville, Kan., according to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report.
The Harley-Davidson motorcycle was northbound, exiting to K-32, when it took the curve too fast and hit the exit sign, according to the trooper’s report.
A 33-year-old man from Overland Park, Kan., was injured and taken to the hospital, according to the report. He was wearing a helmet and eye protection.
A preliminary artist’s rendering of the new Village South development near I-70 and the Kansas Speedway in Edwardsville, Kan.
The Village South at Edwardsville development project has moved ahead with the creation of a redevelopment district.
According to Zack Daniel, assistant to the Edwardsville city manager, the 27-acre redevelopment district was created by the city council on Wednesday night. The developer of the project is Compass Commodity Group III LLC, which is being represented by Lane4 Property Group.
The new $60 million development will be at 110th Street from about Riverview to I-70, he said. The area generally is south of Village West, the Kansas Speedway and The Legends Outlets. It will include two hotels, a sit-down restaurant, a power sports retail location and conference and meeting space, he added. The two hotels, which earlier were identified as possibly LaQuinta and Holiday Inn, will have a total of 185 rooms, located near the small conference area. There will be some pad sites available.
According to Edwardsville officials, the project also includes an area that will be available for development in the future. So far there are no plans for that area.
If the project develops in the way it is currently envisioned, it will become a substantial sales tax contributor to the city, Daniel said.
“It would be a substantial economic development boom for the city, if the studies we’ve looked at and the figures the developers presented to us are moving in the direction we think they are,” Daniel said.
If it goes into operation by 2017 and 2018, then the assessed real property value of that area would be estimated at $5 million, and would grow by 1 percent annually, he said.
The projected visitor spending for the site would be more than $8 million, Daniel said, and it would create 146 full-time and part-time positions. The project also would create a small number of new residents, he believes.
An apartment complex originally planned for the development, when it was announced in February, now is not part of the plan, he added, so the population is not expected to grow much from the project.
As part of the redevelopment district effort, on Wednesday the council designated the area as “blighted.” That will make it eligible for improvements, Daniel said.
The project is proposed to be funded by tax increment financing, Daniel said. TIF is usually used to finance land acquisition, site improvements and infrastructure in eligible areas, he added. Daniel said TIF financing for the project has not yet been approved by the council, and that is one of the future steps in the project.
The developer will submit information to the city to outline the improvements, he said, and then a redevelopment plan will be developed.
Tentatively, a public hearing on the redevelopment plan will be held on Sept. 20, he said. The Edwardsville Planning Commission will review the initial redevelopment plan to make sure it conforms with the city’s comprehensive plan, with July 20 being the earliest date that review could take place, he said.
