The City of Topeka’s Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions will be closed to the public on Monday, October 16.
The closure is out of an abundance of caution, and will allow the city to investigate possible security concerns with one of the court’s systems.
During the closure, no in-person dockets or trials will be held, and walk-ins will not be accepted at the court or at the probation and prosecution divisions.
The city is working to notify those impacted by Monday’s closure.
The city expects to be able to provide an update Monday afternoon on the status of the court’s system.
At this time, it is unknown if the possible security concern is associated with the Kansas Supreme Court’s network security incident.
The City of Topeka is taking steps to finalize the purchase of Hotel Topeka at City Center, and multiple public discussions are expected in October.
During the October 17 Topeka City Council Meeting, the Governing Body will consider approving a resolution to create a not-for-profit entity known as the Topeka Development Corporation. The purpose of the corporation is to hold title to Hotel Topeka, and enables the entity to contract with a management company who will oversee day to day hotel operations. It also allows the corporation to obtain necessary licenses and property insurance.
“The formation of the Topeka Development Corporation allows us to engage in regular business operations, such as contracting with the management company to ensure a seamless transition, and to ensure hotel operations continue as normal. We want the public to know that throughout this entire transition period, and beyond, the hotel will remain open for business,” said Braxton Copley, Public Works Director and Project Manager for the City of Topeka. “We are excited about these next steps to ensure the redevelopment of this important asset, and we look forward to seeing the hotel become a vibrant attraction that will positively impact our tourism economy for years to come.”
If approved on Tuesday, documents for the corporation will be filed with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office for official formation. Upon formation, the corporation will include a 10-person Board of Directors, consisting of the current Governing Body members.
The corporation will hold a virtual organizational meeting on October 19 at 3 p.m. to approve bylaws and necessary corporate resolutions. These steps will allow the corporation to take ownership of the hotel on October 31.
Both the October 17 and October 19 meetings are open to the public. To learn more about the meetings, including how to attend, and information on how to sign up to make public comment, visit https://www.topeka.org/calendar/.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the City of Topeka are joining forces to host a listening session for stakeholder agencies on the topic of broadband access on Thursday.
The listening session is part of the FCC’s efforts to gain additional information and understanding from affected communities, state, local, and Tribal governments, public interest advocates, and providers about challenges, barriers and experiences in ensuring all people of the United States benefit from equal access to broadband.
The FCC has made similar stops in Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C.
The event, which coincides with Digital Inclusion Week, will be held on Thursday, October 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sunflower Foundation located 5820 SW 6th Ave.
During the listening session, a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Michael Padilla’s Office will be read by Deputy Mayor Neil Dobler in recognition of Digital Inclusion Week. Deputy Mayor Dobler has been a champion for digital equity initiatives locally.
Around 40 representatives from federal, state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other interested stakeholders are expected to be in attendance, including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Kansas Office of Broadband Development and the TSC – Get Digital Coalition, among others.
While the listening session is intended to be for stakeholders, members of the public are welcome to attend. Those who wish to attend are asked to RSVP to Monique Glaudeˊ, Director of Community Engagement at mglaude@topeka.org by noon on Wednesday. Members of the media are also invited to attend and audit the session. Media representatives who wish to attend are asked to RSVP to Gretchen Spiker at gspiker@topeka.org no later than noon on Wednesday. Lunch is being provided to attendees.
Learn more about the listening session on the FCC’s website.
The City of Topeka’s homeless initiative is getting underway this week, with the convening of the working group alongside Coach Brianna Sylver with Sylver Consulting.
In February 2023, the city hired Sylver to facilitate a team of individuals who will develop effective solutions to address homelessness in Topeka in a proactive and thoughtful way.
Who’s involved
During the August 15 City Council meeting, the Governing Body approved the working group, made up of a core and auxiliary team. The group is comprised of representatives from the City of Topeka, local residents, a previously unsheltered homeless individual, and the following organizations:
- AIM Strategies
- Compassion Strategies
- Habitat for Humanity
- Shawnee County
- Shawnee County Department of Corrections
- Shawnee County Landlords Association
- Topeka Housing Authority
- Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries
- Valeo Behavioral Health Care
- YWCA Northeast Kansas
Next steps
The group will convene first in late August and again in mid-September. During this time the group will work to understand and define the problem. Next steps will include conducting in-depth research with subject matter experts, collecting and reviewing the data, generating and testing possible solutions, and much more.
The entire process is expected to last eight months. The city expects to walk away from the process with multiple solutions to address homelessness in Topeka, including at least two that have been tested in the community. Multiple community engagement points will occur throughout the process, especially in the research phase.
“The issue of homelessness is one that is impacting all of our residents. It’s a complex issue and one that must be understood and addressed in a humane way. I’m pleased that the working group is getting underway, and I know citizens are eager to learn about next steps and to see progress. I encourage citizens to be patient and to allow the process to work. Citizens should know that the Governing Body will continue to evaluate our camping ordinances in the coming weeks separate, but related to this process,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla.
How to engage during the process
In addition to the community engagement opportunities directly related to the process, residents and representatives of local businesses and organizations can engage with the working group through an email address.
Those with feedback, ideas and thoughts about how the city and partners can address homelessness are encouraged to email homelessinitiative@topeka.org. The email address will be periodically monitored, however, criminal activity and emergencies should not be reported here.
The city has also compiled some frequently asked questions related to homelessness, which can be viewed at https://www.topeka.org/housing-services/homelessness-faq/.
Last Friday, City of Topeka crews successfully completed their storm debris clean-up operation from the July 14 storm that caused city-wide damage.
Crews spent four consecutive weeks cleaning up debris from city residents’ curbs free of charge. The city has an estimated 1,600 lane miles of roadway, all of which were covered in the operation. During the operation, customer service staff from the city’s call center helped generate more than 500 service requests related to storm debris.
The city would like to thank residents for the gratitude and patience they showed over the last month. City leaders are exceptionally proud of the crews and staff who worked tirelessly to make these efforts possible.
The City of Topeka continues to move forward with the process to purchase Hotel Topeka at City Center, and involved parties have agreed to a tentative closing date.
“The process to purchase Hotel Topeka is very much in the works, and we want the community to know that the city is committed to the purchase of the hotel. The hotel remains open for business, and the Governing Body has been very clear that they intend to keep the hotel open for business after the city’s purchase has been finalized,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla.
Because Hotel Topeka is in receivership, the purchase of the hotel has to be approved by the court. Following a recent Shawnee County District Court hearing on July 25, the court is reviewing the sale and an order approving the sale is expected soon. Once the court’s order is entered, the parties will proceed with closing. The parties have scheduled a tentative closing date for October 31.
“Hotel Topeka at City Center continues to operate at the court’s direction under receivership, and expects to continue booking reservations and events. The hotel will remain open to service guests throughout the entire transition to city ownership with the same level of hospitality patrons have come to expect,” said Jason Dinkens, a representative of the hotel’s current management company.
In June, the city released two requests for proposals (RFP) related to the hotel; the first for an asset manager who would oversee the hotel and any future operator, and the second, for an evaluation of the hotel’s existing facilities and systems. The RFPs have since closed, and the city received 14 responses related to the asset manager, and four responses related to the assessment. The city is currently evaluating the responses, and in the coming weeks will look to conduct interviews with finalists before negotiating and awarding contracts.
The city is meeting regularly with key stakeholders including Visit Topeka, Shawnee County and others as it works to collaboratively determine how to best re-develop the hotel.
“I applaud the City of Topeka for their proactive efforts to purchase this hotel property and keep it fully operational during a period of transition,” said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka. “Thanks to the city’s work, Topeka’s future as a convention destination remains viable and is bound to exceed our expectations. Visit Topeka is committed to helping the city keep Hotel Topeka’s doors open, all while opening new doors of possibility for this community. The future of Topeka’s full-service convention hotel is looking brighter than ever.”
At the end of business on Friday, the City of Topeka will release its contractors following two-full weeks of vegetative storm debris clean-up.
City crews and contractors on Friday are expected to finish their first pass throughout the city, with many areas having already received a second pass. To date, nearly 30,000 cubic yards by volume of vegetative debris have been collected.
During the week of Monday, July 31, city crews will be picking up any remaining debris. The city’s storm debris removal efforts are expected to conclude within the next two weeks.
City residents who still have debris on their curbs are asked to please call the city’s Customer Service Center at 785-368-3111 and request to speak to a Customer Service Representative (Press option 0). Customer service representatives will be inputting information into an internal tracking system in order to ensure all storm debris is picked up.
The city would like to thank its residents for their patience during this process. The city extends its appreciation to the contractors who assisted with these efforts.
Construction is underway at Topeka’s City Hall for the HVAC replacement project.
The project calls for the replacement of the existing and aging HVAC system serving City Hall, located at 215 SE 7th St., and the adjacent Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC). The project was approved by Topeka’s Governing Body at the November 15, 2022 City Council Meeting.
In order to keep City Hall open with minimal disruptions to visitors and city staff, the project is slated to occur in three phases, with the first phase underway. The first phase has closed the third floor and basement of City Hall, resulting in the relocation of multiple city departments and divisions. The first and second floors, as well as the TPAC and Municipal Court side of the building currently remain fully open to visitors.
The following city departments and divisions have recently relocated to the city’s Holliday Building, 620 SE Madison St.
- City Manager’s Office
- Contracts and Procurement (Purchasing)
- Finance
- Legal
City departments and divisions that remain at City Hall include:
- City Clerk
- City Communications
- City Council Office
- Community Engagement
- Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Office
- Human Resources
- Mayor’s Office
- Municipal Court (TPAC side of Building)
- Probation
- Prosecution
The HVAC replacement project is estimated to be completed in 2024.
City leadership appreciates the patience of visitors and staff during the construction period.
The City of Topeka’s storm debris clean-up efforts are continuing city-wide.
City crews and contractors are working on making their first pass across Topeka this week, and will make their second pass city-wide upon completion of the first pass.
While crews and contactors are hard at work cleaning up vegetative debris as quickly and safely as possible, they want to share a few important reminders with citizens.
- Please do not park vehicles in front of debris piles. Blocking debris piles causes challenges for equipment and personnel, and delays their ability to remove debris.
- The city is not charging citizens to pick up vegetative debris at the curb. This is a free service and the city and its contractors will not ask for payment to haul limbs.
- The Kansas Attorney General’s Office issued a consumer alert on July 19, 2023, urging residents in areas damaged by recent storms to use caution and avoid scams by transient roofing contractors.
- In order to provide tree trimming services within city limits, a person must obtain a Tree, Shrub, and Vine Service License, which requires a Commercial Tree Permit from the City of Topeka’s Forestry Division, along with meeting insurance requirements. To find out if a person or business is licensed to do business in the City of Topeka, please call the City Clerk’s Office at 785-368-3941 or email cclerk@topeka.org.
The city will only pick up vegetative debris, such as limbs, leaves and trunks of trees, caused by the storm. Residents will be responsible for taking the debris down to the back of curb. Debris must be stacked up away from trees, power lines, mail boxes, gas meters, hydrants and other obstructions to allow the grapple trucks to pick the material up. Crews will not pick up trash, tires, construction debris or any item other than vegetative debris.
To report any areas of immediate concern, such as tree limbs or branches blocking the roadway, residents are asked to please call 785-368-3111.
City of Topeka crews and contractors worked 12-hour shifts on Monday cleaning up storm debris in the northern and central portions of Topeka, including the Oakland and Potwin neighborhoods. Storm debris clean-up will continue on Tuesday and throughout the rest of the week.
The city has received questions about when city residents can expect storm debris to be picked up from their curbs. While the city is unable to provide an exact pickup schedule, it aims to provide citizens with additional details related to this service that is being provided at no charge to the city resident.
- The city and its contractors have several crews working their way through the city.
- The city’s intent is to do two passes city-wide.
- The city anticipates the first pass will continue through Saturday, with the second pass beginning on Monday, July 24.
- After the second pass is complete, the city will complete its storm debris clean up.
- City residents who would like to have storm debris picked up are asked to place it on the curb as soon as possible, but no later than Monday morning, July 24.
The city will only pick up vegetative debris, such as limbs, leaves and trunks of trees, caused by the storm. Residents will be responsible for taking the debris down to the back of curb. Debris must be stacked up away from trees, power lines, mail boxes, gas meters, hydrants and other obstructions to allow the grapple trucks to pick the material up. Crews will not pick up trash, tires, construction debris or any item other than vegetative debris.
To report any areas of immediate concern, such as tree limbs or branches blocking the roadway, residents are asked to please call 785-368-3111.