Unified Government of Wyandotte County, KC, KS 
ENews Source    
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
 
This Week In Kansas City, Kansas
KCK is a Major National Sports and Leisure Destination
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Coming Up
Residents Turnout to Celebrate Opening of New Holliday Drive
Reardon Welcomes African Trade Ministers to KC/AGOA Forum
UG Plant's Receive NACWA Awards
Parks Department Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Playgrounds
Kansas City Wizards Offer Discounted Initial Payments for 2011 Season Tickets
Emergency Management Holds Communications Exercise
Child Passenger Saftey Excercise
Annual Fall Quilt Show
Road Construction
UG is Now on Twitter
Upcoming Meetings
Your Kansas City
3-1-1 Call Center

KCK is a Major National Sports and Leisure Destination

Village West is beefing-up its resume as a world-class tourist destination. The latest accomplishment is the announcement that Kansas Speedway will host two NASCAR Sprint Cup Races in 2011.

 

The first race will be staged June 4-5 and the second event weekend will be October 8-9. The additional race weekend is projected to have a $100-million economic impact for the Kansas City metro.

 

"The Kansas City region is an important one for theLesa France Kennedy ISC CEO NASCAR racing teams and marketing partners, and the Hollywood Casino project will make Kansas Speedway two of the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule," stated Lesa France Kennedy, Chief Executive of International Speedway Corporation, which owns Kansas Speedway.

 

Kennedy called Village West a "major sports and leisure destination" in the country.

 

The second Sprint Cup race was pledged as part of the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway project. The $380-million casino is now under construction along Turn 2 of the racetrack. It will open in 2012, adding several hundred million dollars in additional economic benefits to the community.

 

Pat Warren Kansas Speeway President"This is an exciting announcement for Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas, and the state of Kansas," said Speedway President Pat Warren. "Our fan support for the past 10 years has been tremendous and as a result of that support and the new Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, we are fortunate enough to gain an additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race starting in 2011. We will continue to offer our fans the best guest experience in motorsports."

 

Besides the additional race weekend, Kansas Speedway is installing lights to allow for night racing in the future. Both 2011 NASCAR races will be held during the day, but track officials say it's possible an Indy League racing event could be held at night.

 

"Kansas Speedway is our icon, the centerpiece of an unbelievable tourism district," said Mayor Joe Reardon. Reardon pointed out Village West is not only a huge tourism draw generating millions of dollars in revenue for the community, but has created thousands of jobs for citizens.   

 

In addition to NASCAR and Indy League racing, Village West is home to the new Kansas City Wizards Major League Soccer Stadium, the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team, Great Wolf Lodge, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Cabela's, The Legends shopping center and  dozens of destination restaurants. 

 

"We can truly say Kansas City is booming for sports enthusiasts, tourists and residents alike, declared Kansas Lt. Governor Troy Findley. " We understand in these economic times, how  significant all of this is. It takes vision and leadership."

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Coming Up

The second major race weekend of 2010 at Kansas Speedway is just a few weeks away.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods is set for October 3, while the NASCAR Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300 will run October 2.

 

The racing weekend includes the Kansas Lottery 150 ARCA Racing Series on September 30 and qualifying races on October 1. Fans can bring a non-winning Kansas Lottery ticket for free admission to the September 30 ARCA race.

 

For more ticket information go to www.kansasspeedway.com.

Residents Turnout to Celebrate Opening of New Holliday Drive

Holliday Drive Ribbon CuttingThe Unified Government will held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, August 10th, to officially mark the reopening of Holliday Drive.

 

The ceremony began at 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Holliday Drive and Inland Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. Commissioner Pat Pettey and Public Works Director Bob Roddy provided remarks about the repair project that has taken some time to repair.

 

Contractors have been working on the roadway project since 2004 injecting 160,000 cubic yards of fly ash (approximately 6,400 semi-truck loads) into the mine chambers beneath the road.

 

Rob Roddy Public Works Director"I had hair on my head when this project began," said Roddy to the laughter from residents. Despite the scorching heat, many turned out to celebrate the opening of this road.  

 

Public Works had photos of the work done on the roady displayed on each side of the podium. Holliday Drive liesPhoto of Work Displayed on Holliday Drive on top of old limestone mines in the area and was closed when portions of the mines beneath began collapsing.  The fly ash is enough to fill a football field sized hole to a depth of 90 feet.  When mixed with water, the fly ash sets like concrete. The fly ash used to fill the chambers under the roadway comes from left-over ash from burning coal used to produce electricity.  Most of the fly ash used in this project came from the nearby Quindaro Power Plant. 
 
Holliday Drive is now open!
Holliday Drive Reopening Ceremony

Reardon Welcomes African Trade Ministers to KC/AGOA Forum

African Business Women Visit KCBusiness men and women from various African countries were in town last week to explore investment and trade opportunities between local businesses in Kansas City.

 

Mayor Joe Reardon provided welcoming remarks during an evening reception at the 10th Annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City was selected to hold the second portion of this year's forum because of agribusiness and agricultural development opportunities in the area. This was the first time the forum has been held out of Washington, D.C.

 

"I love Washington D.C. It's a beautiful city, it's ourReardon Speaking at AGOA Conference nation's capitol, and a lot of work gets done there. But you're in Kansas City now and I hope we can get down to business with you in the next couple of days," Mayor Joe Reardon said.

 

The first half of the forum was held in D.C. for two days beginning on Monday August 2nd. The second portion began in Kansas City on Wednesday, August 4th through Friday, August 6th with the focus on opportunities for U.S. businesses to invest in and develop trade relationships with African nations with special emphasis on agribusiness and agricultural development.

 

"So like the settlers who came here before us and saw the opportunities and vision of a promising future, the opportunities for success remains in this area today. The State of Kansas and Kansas City, Kansas stands ready to expand trade and investment opportunities among our local businesses with you," said Reardon.

 

The agenda consisted of site tours to area companies, the Kansas City Board of Trade and networking sessions that included exhibits with local businesses displaying information. Some of the topics discussed during the roundtable sessions focused on efforts to improve productivity of African agribusinesses through the application of US technologies and equipment and also areas of investment with each African nation. 

 

Some of the African nations represented at the forum were from Swaziland, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Benin to name a few. There were a host of speakers throughout the day.

 

"As part of my new responsibilities at the Department of State to open up doors for our state and local leaders to build relationships globally between their cities, counties, and states, taking the AGOA Forum outside of Washington, D.C. this year for the first time offered a wonderful opportunity to engage our state and local leaders. And because of Kansas City's central location, over 30 states' businesses were represented," Reta Jo Lewis, Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs said. "The Forum and collaboration among the cities, states, federal, and 31 foreign governments was a glowing success. We will continue to be advocates for unified regions to network with global leaders in future forums."

 

Reta Lewis and Joe ReardonLewis presented Reardon and Kansas Secretary of Commerce Bill Thorton with a special gift of appreciation for their support and efforts towards hosting the event in Kansas City.

 

For more information about this forum, please visit the AGOA website at: www.agoa.gov

UG Plant's Receive NACWA Awards

The UG's Water Pollution Control Division was recognized recently by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACAW) with a combination of Gold and Silver Peak Performance Awards for four of its facilities.

 

         Kaw Point - Gold Award for perfect 

     Compliance

         Plant #20 - Silver Award

         Plant #3 - Silver Award

         Plant #14 - Silver Award

         Estates of Connor Creek - Silver Award

 

"These awards reflect the dedication and hard work by WPCD staff in the 24/7, 356 days a year operation," Jim Larkin Director of Water Pollution Control Division said. "Their collective efforts ensure that our wastewater treatment facilities meet their compliance limits as required by state and federal laws."

 

The Gold Awards represent 100% compliance with a facility's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for and year while the Silver Awards celebrates facilities for achieving no more than five violations within a calendar year.

 

Kaw Point is the main plant and Plant #20 is the UG's second largest plant.

 
 Kaw Point Water Treatment Plant
 
Ariel of Kaw Point Water Plant
Photo Courtesy of
P-TN/Eric Berndt

Parks Department Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Playgrounds

ADA Accessible Playground

  Kensington Playground
 
The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, August 30th at 2:00 pm in Emerson Park 29th and Strong Avenue to celebrate the construction of new playgrounds in four area parks.

 

The new playgrounds are part of the Parks Foundation's fund raising efforts to build playgrounds throughout Wyandotte County that are accessible to all children.

 

"All children deserve a place to play together, regardless of their ability," said Parks and Recreation Director, Gary Salva.

 

The Foundation's goal for 2010 is to replace eight existing facilities with modern playgrounds. The anticipated replacement cost for the eight playgrounds is $400,000. Emerson, City Park, Quindaro, and Shawnee will be the first four of the eight parks identified to receive the new playground equipment. The T-Bones are a major contributor and supporter of the Foundation's goal to improve the park system. The ball club contributed $200,000 for the construction of the first four playgrounds through the "T-Bones Uncommitted Recreation Fund."

 

Also in addition to the T-Bones fundraising efforts, The Kansas City Renaissance Festival is co-sponsoring the 2010 Annual Fund Raising Dinner to help raise funds for the installation of new playgrounds.

 

This is the kind of partnership and support the Parks Foundation is seeking to assist with this major-fund raising effort for our young residents. The Foundation is hoping other organizations, churches, and residents will step forward to support this great project, Salva said.

 

The Foundation has created an information video that announces the Accessible Playground Project.  To request a copy of this video, simply e-mail your request to [email protected]. The Foundation invites the community to come out to the event.

 

The first four playgrounds are expected to be completed by October of this year.

Kansas City Wizards Offer Discounted Initial Payments for 2011 Season Tickets to

Wyandotte County Residents, Workers

The Kansas City Wizards announced last Thursday that Wyandotte County residents and those who work within Wyandotte County can make discounted initial payments on 2011 season tickets. The offer will begin Friday and can be activated by calling the Wizards at 888-4KC-GOAL or by clicking this Ticketmaster link and using the promo code "WYCO2011". Through the offer, initial payments will be $25 instead of $50.

 

A limited number of initial season tickets remain available for the new state-of-the-art stadium being built in Village West in Wyandotte County and scheduled for a June 2011 opening. The discount is good for the initial payment only. All season ticket packages will remain at full price. An initial allotment of 2,011 season tickets was put on sale July 26, with less than 300 remaining.

 

Existing Kansas City Wizards season ticket holders who renew for the 2011 Major League Soccer season will remain atop the priority list based on their current position. The stadium will boast numerous modern features, including an 1800 square feet HD video board on the south end and a 250 square feet video board on the north end. The stadium's most distinguishing element will be a dramatic roof that will cover every section of the stadium and contain crowd noise for an improved game atmosphere.  

 

The stadium measures more than 340,000 square feet in size and will hold approximately 18,500 soccer spectators, including a carefully designed supporters section with a capacity of 2,000. In addition to the stadium seating, the venue features 36 suites and five clubs for an array of premium seating options.

 

The field itself is projected to be larger than every field in the English Premier League with dimensions of 75 yards by 120 yards, and will be a natural grass surface with SubAir™ under-soil heating and cooling system to maintain its quality in all conditions.

 

--www.KCWizards.com--

Communications Exercise

On Saturday, July 31, Emergency Management and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) participated in a four-state communications exercise with the Military Associated Radio System. The team utilized the Communications Trailer for this exercise sending and receiving simulated emergency messages throughout the four-state region.

Child Passenger Safety Exercise

On Saturday, July 31, the Public Health Department sponsored an event where nationally certified Child Safety Technicians (CPST's) checked or replaced 126 car seats and booster seats. 

 

Emergency Management Child Safety ExcerciseThe technicians checked seats for safety, replaced unsafe seats, and showed families how to use their car seats and booster seats correctly. 

 

The Emergency Management Department and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) assisted in the installations. 

Annual Fall Quilt Show

 Annual Quilt Show
 Wyandotte County Museum

Experience the continuing tradition of quilting at the Wyandotte County Museum's Annual Fall Quilt Show. Over 50 community quilts are on display.  In addition to traditional quilts, quilted purses, a table runner and placemats and Christmas stockings are featured.  This exhibition highlights the creativity and talent in the Wyandotte County community. The exhibit began July 26, 2010, and runs through September 25, 2010.

 

Annual Quilt Show PhotoFrom the collections of the museum, the Sesquicentennial Celebration Quilt is on display. The quilt features the 150 years of history of Wyandotte County, along with the signatures of well-wishers that attended the 150th birthday bash for Wyandotte County last June.

 

The Wyandotte County Museum is located in Wyandotte County Park at 126th Street and State Ave. Admission is free. Exhibit hours are Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 noon.  

Road Construction

 
Road Construction
Based on information provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation, the UG is able to provide motorist with a list of roads and highways that are scheduled for construction.
  
This information can be useful to prepare individuals, commuting to and from work, with early warnings on minor delays. This also encourages drivers to use alternate routes due to lane and ramp closures.
 
Visit the KDOT website for up to date information on lane and ramp closures:
www.ksdot.org/kcmetro/laneclose.asp
KDOT Logo

Unified Government of Wyandotte County, KC, KS

Agendas and Minutes
To view standing committee and full commission agendas and minutes, go to the Unified Government Website at www.wycokck.org.
 
Ordinances, meeting Agendas and Minutes are available and readily accessible on the Internet. So it's easy to find items and actions the Unified Government Commission and its Standing Committees are taking.
The UG is Now on  Twitter
Stay in touch and keep informed on what's going on with your local government on Twitter. Follow The Dotte on Twitter
 
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Upcoming Events
 Board of Commissioners meeting in Commission Chambers
Full Commission Meeting
on Thursday, August 5, has been canceled. The next meeting will be August 19 at 7 pm in the Commission Chambers
 
 Planning and Zoning Meeting 
 on Thursday, 
August 26, at 7 pm in the Commission Chambers
Don't Miss
Reardon on Your Kansas City Set
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with Mayor Joe Reardon
 
Tune in on the last Sunday of each month for a special edition of "Your Kansas City" featuring Mayor Joe Reardon on My KSMO channel 62 and Time Warner Cable Channel 10
 
My KSMO
Also
 
Mayor Joe Reardon 
 will appear on KCTV5's 
Mayoral
Monday segment beginning August 2nd at 6:45 am during the KCTV 5 News in the Morning Show. Catch the Mayor on the first Monday of every month on 
 
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Stay tuned and stay informed!
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