Category: Unified Government Commission

STAR bond district changes in Homefield development area on Monday night’s UG committee agenda

Changes to the STAR bond district in the redeveloped Schlitterbahn area are on tonight’s Unified Government committee agenda. (Drawing from UG agenda documents)
The eastern part of the STAR bond district, between State and Parallel east of 94th Street, includes project areas 4 and 5. (Drawing from UG agenda documents)

Changes to the STAR Bond District in the redeveloped Schlitterbahn area on tonight’s Unified Government committee agenda.

Two Unified Government committees are scheduled to meet tonight, starting at 5 p.m.

The Neighborhood and Community Development Committee meets at 5 p.m., with several Land Bank items on the agenda. That meeting will be followed by the Economic Development and Finance Committee.

On the agenda for the Economic Development and Finance Committee will be an ordinance approving the second expansion and amendment to the STAR bond district plan for the Village East STAR Bond District.

Also on the agenda is the approval of an ordinance on the amended project plans for areas 2B, 3 and 5 within the Village East STAR Bond District.

Included in the agenda is a feasibility study for the additional STAR bond areas.

It stated that besides the multi-sport athletic complex, the Homefield complex, other additions planned include restaurant, bar and entertainment spaces, as well as destination retailers, retail shops, automobile dealerships, hotels, multi-family housing and other uses.

There are several auto dealers already in the Legends Auto Plaza, with three slots still open, according to the feasibility study, which says Chevrolet and Jeep dealerships were scheded to open in mid-2022.

Three hotel sites are in the project area, according to the feasibility study. Also, 620,000 square feet of additional retail space is planned for development, according to the study. A luxury RV park is listed in project areas 4 and 5.

The estimated development costs of the Homefield project were $694.5 million, according to the study.

A supplemental indenture for industrial revenue bonds for the Dairy Farmers of America project also is on the agenda.

In addition, the committee will hear the first quarter 2021 budget to actuals financial report.

From the NCD agenda at 5 p.m.:
The Land Bank applications include:


New construction – 12 total single-family homes:
Jeff Johnson, City Spaces Real Estate Development, three homes, 27 S. Cherokee St., 101 S. Cherokee St.; and 747 Seminary St.
Steve Miller (Miller Property Development Inc.), two homes, 8708 Yecker Ave. and 10740 Miller Lane.
Nathaniel McCormack, one home, 645 Sandusky Ave.
Zachary Jones (Zygomatic Innovations LLC), one home, 2219 S. Ferree St.
Frank Pipoer, one home, 2806 Wood Ave.
Taylor Miller (Miller Construction KC), one home, 1835 S. 5th St.
Juan Mendoza, one home, 105 S. 14th St.
Ken Hinds (Silverlake Properties LLC), one home, 2600 Yates Ave.
Chris Garcia (JC Keys LLC), one home, 1268 Pennsylvania Ave.
Two garages:
Yuridia Arana, 2024 N. Tremont Ave.; and Guadalupe Adrian Rubio, 1206 Rowland Ave.
One commercial building: Oliver Tanner, 3119 Strong Ave.

Land Bank property transfer applications:
Two yard extension requests: Mike Dixon, 3061 Cissna St.; and William Weaver, 1034 Everett Ave.
Transfer into the Land Bank from BPU and UG: 1901 S. 14th St.

The public will be able to listen to the meetings on UGTV, on YouTube and on a Zoom internet link.

The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89184351329?pwd=VnZJZEVxdTY5Zmt2dWloYmhPcWdrQT09.
The passcode is 692256.
To connect by telephone, call toll free 888-475-4499 or 877-853-5257.
The webinar ID number is 891 8435 1329.

A cool, rainy start for summer and water activities

The weather took a cool and rainy turn for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of summer swimming and water activities.

In Wyandotte County, three spray parks were scheduled to open on Memorial Day weekend, but the only Unified Government swimming pool, the Parkwood Pool, 950 Quindaro Blvd., will not open this summer, according to UG officials.

Angel Obert of the UG Parks and Recreation Department said at the 5 p.m. April 29 meeting that they were working closely with the UG Health Department to make sure they are operating safely.

Spray parks will be open Memorial Day weekend, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, Obert said.

Social distancing of 6 feet, with masks on, was required, except for people in the same household. Children can remove masks when actively playing in the water but otherwise should wear masks.

Parkwood Pool was expected to remain closed to the public for the summer 2021 season, Obert said. The pool will be filled to perform some routine maintenance, but not for public swimming.

A lifeguard training “work study” program will be offered to youth who are 16 and older, she said. This program, a six-week paid training program, was scheduled to start June 14, according to a social media post.

“I know that we are not the only organization, every aquatic department across the metro area has experienced a lack of lifeguards, and we lost a whole year of aquatics,” she said.

They are trying to rebuild the program to offer the community and youth something and be ready for the 2022 season, she said.

As things continue to change, they will make adjustments, she added.

She said the UG parks department was working on rebuilding youth sports, after not having many activities during the pandemic. Sports were introduced slowly in mid-March, and were building up to larger participation afterward.

The spray parks’ locations include: Eisenhower Park, 2901 N. 72nd St.; Pierson Park, 1800 S. 55th; and Heathwood Park, 1021 Parallel Parkway.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education recently heard a report that district staff are working on a plan to open some district facilities to community groups again. School swimming pools would not be included, however. In recent years there was some criticism from groups that said the fee was too high to use district facilities.

The Turner Aquatic Center, which is through the Turner Recreation Commission and Turner school district, has been operating under pandemic restrictions for the past year. The aquatic center is inside Turner High School. For information about rules and hours, visit https://www.turnerrecreation.org/departments/aquatics/index.php.

According to a Facebook note from the Turner Aquatics Center, there will be limited lap swimming and swim lessons beginning June 7.

The Bonner Springs Aquatic Park, 1200 S. 134th, was scheduled to begin lessons and swim team activities this week, with opening day on May 29.

However, the Bonner Springs Aquatic Park did not open on Memorial Day and the past few days because the temperature was below 70, with rain. For more information, visit https://www.bonnersprings.org/192/Aquatic-Park and https://www.facebook.com/BonnerSpringsPool/.

Season passes were available. Because of capacity limits, the Bonner Springs facility had sign-up sheets on its website at https://secure.rec1.com/KS/bonner-springs-ks/catalog?fbclid=IwAR00admgAQpzCHViueVAPxa1G0V5BHBIAVhMqpco9PqadIU2BTgiEdasQm0.

Proposal would provide identification cards to homeless persons in KCK

A program that would provide identification cards to homeless persons in the community was discussed Monday by Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department officials.

Deputy Chief Pam Waldeck with several police officials described the program, which is modeled on one currently in operation in Topeka, Kansas.

The police outreach team, in coordination with Cross-Lines Community outreach, identified a need, the difficulty that unsheltered people here have in getting identification cards, according to police officials.

Under the proposed program, identification cards would be issued by the Police Department and would be valid for one year. Police would verify the identity of persons applying for the cards.

After receiving the cards, it will make it easier for individuals to get a state identification card, increasing their access to medical care and financial services, according to police officials. The state will work with the police department’s identification card if the local program closely follows the Topeka program.

Without a state identification card, a birth certificate or Social Security card, it might be difficult or impossible for people to access their bank accounts, difficult to get a job, difficult to get a place to live and difficult to access prescriptions, according to police officials. Many homeless people do not have access to the documents necessary to obtain a state identification card, police officials said.

Some may have been through challenging times, losing identification in a home fire, or possibly identification was stolen or lost.

Currently, there are about 350 persons experiencing homelessness in Wyandotte County that the police department is aware of, and probably there are more than that estimate, according to police officials.

Cross-Lines and the Frank Williams Center are interested in scheduling remote application days for the homeless, according to police officials.

The cost of the program was estimated at $1,500 to $2,200, with the cost per year of maintaining it at about $100, police officials said. Officers in the COPPS unit are working with the homeless regularly and it was estimated they may spend one to two hours per person to confirm identity.

Commissioner Christian Ramirez said while he had an initial apprehension toward the program, he now is in support of it.

The program is different from the municipal ID program that Commissioners Ramirez, Melissa Bynum and Harold Johnson are working on, he said. The community municipal ID program would be open to a wider part of the community.

This program is very narrowly targeted for the homeless, he added.

The police department program would not be available for undocumented residents, according to Deputy Chief Waldeck.

Commissioner Johnson said this program is desperately needed. He is in favor of continuing the effort for municipal ID for undocumented residents, also.

Commissioner Bynum said she was not against the police department identification program, but her concern would be that there could be confusion when they get a broader community identification program started.

Deputy Chief Waldeck confirmed that the police department program does not require approval from the UG Commission to move forward, although the community ID program for undocumented residents requires approval.

Commissioner Bynum also asked if there had been any discussion about the program with new Police Chief Karl Oakman, who will start his job in around three weeks.

Deputy Chief Waldeck said while they have not talked with him about it yet, they are planning on discussing it with him. It will take a few weeks to move forward with the details of the program.

Commissioner Johnson asked Deputy Chief Waldeck to wait until the new police chief starts his job, and to get his opinion before rolling it out.

No action on the police ID program was taken at the Unified Government Public Works and Safety Committee meeting; the UG Commission will not be required to approve it.

Revisions to stormwater, wastewater and sewer ordinance

In other action, the Public Works and Safety Committee voted unanimously to approve an ordinance with revisions to the UG’s stormwater, wastewater and sewer ordinance. It amends the ordinance and creates nine new sections.

The UG has been under a consent decree with the EPA since 2013, and some changes were made to the plan in March. Many of the changes were minor and clarify language in the local ordinance. Some other changes were made to enhance enforcement, according to the UG. There were details added concerning the fat oils and grease program for food service facilities.

This ordinance next goes to the full Commission for final approval. The proposed changes are on the meeting agenda at https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/WYCOKCK/1ada1269ce.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=mMZgu8gRlTFz2GaUyBQTDap4wiEWAgw66qFt1eJiNKU%3D&st=2021-05-25T20%3A47%3A46Z&se=2022-05-25T20%3A52%3A46Z&sp=r&rscc=no-cache&rsct=application%2Fpdf.

Public hearing to be July 29 on Community Development budget

At the UG’s Administration and Human Services Committee meeting Monday night, the committee approved setting a public hearing for the Community Development annual action plan on July 29. The action plan is scheduled to be voted on by the UG Commission on July 29, after the public hearing.

Wilba Miller, director of Community Development, outlined the Community Development programs including the block grant program, which is budgeted for $3.36 million in 2021 and $2.32 million in 2022. She discussed the Home Investment Partnership Program and the Emergency Solutions Grant. She also discussed the Lead-Based Paint Grant, CARES Act funding to the CDBG and ESG programs, and American Rescue Plan funding for the Home grant program.

The Community Development budget is being approved at a different time this year than the UG budget.

The plan and the Community Development programs budget are online as part of the AHS Committee agenda at https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/WYCOKCK/15733c8e8d.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=IzysLLS3zYxWApbxfct9i8NYHeJT1ePo0Gl%2BDRpVyGA%3D&st=2021-05-25T21%3A03%3A58Z&se=2022-05-25T21%3A08%3A58Z&sp=r&rscc=no-cache&rsct=application%2Fpdf.

The committee meetings are on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4AC44IY8KI.