On Tuesday afternoon, the Topeka Development Corporation officially retained ownership of Hotel Topeka at City Center. The hotel was purchased for just over $7.6 million.
The hotel remains open for business, and all services are expected to continue as normal.
The Topeka Development Corporation was formed mid-October to take ownership of the hotel, obtain the necessary licenses and insurance, and to contract with a management company to oversee day to day hotel operations.
The corporation has contracted with GF Hotels & Resorts to operate the hotel. GF Hotels & Resorts currently operates the hotel, which allows for continuity of hotel operations.
In recent weeks, the corporation awarded contracts to an asset manager and for a facilities assessment. The asset manager is helping the corporation identify an appropriate brand for the hotel, and will work to identify and help select a long-term private operator. The facilities assessment is underway and ongoing.
“We are excited about the purchase being finalized, and steadfast in our desire to see the hotel re-developed and eventually brought back to private ownership,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla, who also serves as president of the corporation’s board of directors. “In the coming months, the corporation, board of directors, and staff will be working closely with our asset manager and partners to develop a long-term plan for the hotel so that it can be a staple in our community for many years to come.”
To read more about the Topeka Development Corporation, visit www.topekadevelopmentcorporation.com.
The Topeka Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions have resumed customer-service facing operations on Thursday, October 19, following a temporary closure of the court.
Effective immediately, the court is resuming in-person and over-the-phone services to its customers, and will be working to reschedule dockets and trials that have been cancelled this week.
Dockets and trials remain cancelled for the week and will resume on Monday, October 23. All court, probation and prosecution operations will resume as normal that day.
The possible cyber security concern was thoroughly investigated, and court operations are able to resume.
The City of Topeka is extending the temporary closure of its Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions through Friday while it continues to investigate a possible cyber security concern with one of the court’s information systems. It remains unclear whether or not the incident is related to the Kansas Supreme Court’s security incident.
All impacted dockets and trials will be rescheduled. Court operations will open to the public on Monday, October 23.
“This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution. We understand the impact this closure has on the community, and we look forward to resuming Court operations on Monday, or sooner, if possible,” said Topeka Municipal Court Administrative Judge Karan Thadani.
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.