The City of Manhattan has had a very busy and productive year. I had the opportunity to attend the State of the City Address Power Lunch with Ron Fehr, Manhattan City Manager, on February 11, 2020. This meeting was well attended and very informative.

How many Manhattanites have been concerned with the conditions of the streets in Manhattan? I know I have been. My car could nearly fit into some of those potholes. The City of Manhattan has been making gains in their street improvements. North Manhattan Avenue and Kimball have seen some positive improvements. I live off of North Kimball, and the city has been working on this street improvement for quite some time. It is finally complete and moves traffic through so much more efficiently. The city has plans to complete 3 more projects on Kimball for this year. The city has received a KDOT grant to straighten the curve on Kimball between N. Manhattan Ave. and Denison. Also, be sure to check out the city plans for the North Campus Corridor project at the intersection of Kimball and College. This will include infrastructure, streetscape, landscaping, signage, pedestrian walkway, and bicycle lane improvements. Bill Snyder Family Stadium is located at this intersection, and this project will support K-State Athletics Master Plan as well as provide a gateway to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) located just East of this intersection at Kimball and Denison. The city website has a beautiful picture of what the proposed completed plan will look like. It will be a very nice attraction!
Speaking of NBAF, did you know that this past year there were 100 new hires? There are 100 new hires expected for this year also.

What are some other upcoming projects for this year? The city is continuing to research plans for Aggieville improvements. Improvements being considered are street designs, a 12th street pedestrian mall, and extra parking. Parks and Recreation will begin construction of 3 indoor recreation facilities. Cico Park baseball fields and trails will see improvements in a couple years as well. The Manhattan Conference Center is undergoing a $5,000,000, 14,000 sq. ft. expansion. This will help keep Manhattan a main conference center attraction for the state of Kansas.
The city has also initiated a city-wide flood levee improvement project for this next year. This will include an average 2-foot levee rise and makeover replacing the gates and other major components.

Does anyone fly MHK? Manhattan Regional Airport set a personal record with 77,533 passenger side enplanements in 2019! Did you know the main runway may be replaced in a couple of years and all efforts are planned to keep the runway at its current 150ft width. This is critical to meeting Ft. Riley’s needs as well as those of the KSU sports charters. The city continues to work on negotiations to accomplish this improvement.
These are just a few of the many ongoing projects and visions for the City of Manhattan. Check out the city website to learn more about Manhattan’s projects and plans.

I also would encourage you to attend a Power Lunch session through our local chamber of commerce. Why? Because Manhattan Matters. Links here to Ron Fehr’s presentation and podcast.

Until next time,
Barb Meitler, Foundation Realty