Ingram's April 2023

IN THE NEWS

Tidbits of Business News from Around the Region

MISSOURI BUCHANAN COUNTY Work Force Center Funding

fund-raising, with companies like H&R Block, JE Dunn Construction, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and the Cordish Companies carrying much of the load. The biggest chunk of that, $10 million, came from H&R Block, working with the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and the corporate founda- tion. The project goal is to create a 4½- acre destination park connecting the central business district with the Cross roads neighborhood. Another Downtown Tower The multifamily building boom con tinues Downtown, with plans filed for a 300-unit, 30-story apartment building at 14th and Wyandotte, across from Bartle Hall. Lux Living, the developer, also

proposes a 200-room hotel at the northeast corner of that intersection. Assuming the project is approved, the new tower would be among the tallest buildings Downtown. Affordability Ambitions Arnold Development Group has un veiled plans to convert a 12-story building at Independence and Hardesty avenues into a mixed-use development with 500 affordable-rate apartments. The project calls for 414 units, ranging from studio to four-bedroom, priced for households making 30 to 80 percent of the Metro Area Median Income. It would include a 30,000-square-foot daycare facility, up to 80,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and nearly 95,000 square feet of office space.

The St, Joseph City Council has unanimously approved using federal funds to help pay for a workforce training center at Missouri Western State University. The planned Convergent Technology Alliance Center would receive $1.5 million from the city, part of a $12 million collaboration by state and local governments. Covering 20,000 square feet, it would be built near the Kit Bond Science and Technology Incu- bator and will provide training in con- struction, skilled manufacturing, IT and cybersecurity. Responding to surging demand for both its Transit model vans, Ford Motor Co., the region’s largest manufacturing site, is adding a third shift of 1,100 employees at the Claycomo assembly plant. Ford has committed to a $95 million upgrade at the facility, which has an existing third shift producing its popular F-150 pickup trucks. The company said sales of the Transit surged 86 percent over Q1 2022, while the all-electric model sales jumped 62.7 percent. Bond Issues Approved Voters in the Liberty and Smithville school districts approved bond issues totaling more than $137 million in this month’s elections. In Liberty, a $120 mil. bond issue secured overwhelming approval, with 80 percent of voters backing the mea sure. By a lesser margin, still 2-1, voter signed off on transferring funds from the district debt service levy operating budget. In Smithville, a $17 mil. bond issue for general upgrades passed by a 69-31 percent margin. CLAY COUNTY Claycomo Third Shift

Correspondent News Updates from the Capital cities

Washington | Moran Leads Call for Oracle Cerner Pause Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced legislation to block further deployment of the VA’s $10 billion Oracle Cerner electronic health record system until certain improvement goals are met. Rollout of the system has run into both cost overruns and technical/training issues that critics say have created health risks for thou sands of veterans. The VA, after halting implementation in the fall, had planned to resume work on the system in June; it has been installed in only five of the system’s 171 medical centers. Jefferson City | State Issuing $94 Million in ARPA Grants Gov. Mike Parson has announced that the state’s Department of Economic Development will distribute more than $94 million in federal funding for 70 projects across the state, the bulk of the $100 million received from the American Rescue Plan Act. The funds, through the Community Revitalization Grant Program launched in September 2022, were awarded to cities, counties, and non-profit organizations to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the projects to be funded, Grant awards will fund a variety of projects, such as downtown property renovations, business skills training, homelessness prevention, and more. Topeka | Statehouse Battle Over Surplus The Republican supermajority in the Kansas Senate has set up a confrontation with Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly over the best uses for a state surplus estimated at $2 billion, with the upper chamber’s approval of two bills that would slash taxes on income and retirement payments, as well as the elimination of state and local sales tax on some groceries. Assuming the Republican-controlled House does likewise Kelly is expected to veto the measures, but has indicated support for reducing the levy on grocery shoppers.

JACKSON COUNTY South Loop Milestone

Efforts to place a “lid” over Down town’s Interstate 70 South Loop have now secured $45 million in federal, cor porate, philanthropic, and other private

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Kansas City’s Business Media

April 2023