Topeka, KS is now Google, KS

Today, Mayor Bill Bunten issued a proclamation temporarily changing the name of our city from Topeka, KS to Google, KS in the hopes of differentiating us from other cities competing to be Google’s test market for a new fiber optic network.  Think Big Topeka has taken the community by storm with more than 10,000 members of its Facebook group.  TransformTopeka is encouraged to see such a surge of community support.  Topeka, KS, oops, I mean Google, KS has not secured our place atop Google’s list yet.  Think Big Topeka needs your help.  Please become a member of the Facebook group and check back often for things you can do to support their effort.  Please also, submit a nomination as a member of this community to Google.  Let’s do everything possible to ensure Google chooses Google, KS for its test market, truly making Topeka, KS the Capital City of Fiber Optics.

Topeka.org: MacVicar Project Completion Celebrated

The completion of the MacVicar Avenue widening project was celebrated Monday during a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony at the MacVicar and Story Street intersection.

The $6.9 million project was completed 15 working days early and on budget. The project included widening the street from two to five lanes and relocating a major water main. Two lanes of traffic were maintained for all but five days during the nearly 19 months it was under reconstruction. Read the rest of this entry »

City Manager for the Day

In April, my family (Aaron, Travis, Denise, Ryan, and Gwen) and I attended an event to raise money for The Capper Foundation called An Evening As A Child.  This event, at the Expocentre, was a fun event filled with food, games, wine, live auctions, and silent auctions.  It was at this fundraiser, that the events of June 12, 2009 were set in motion.

I was walking through the silent auction, wanting to see what auction items were available, when I saw it… It was the chance to bid on an item called, Spend a Day with the City Manager.  How awesome was this for an auditor and TransformTopeka board member, like myself?  I wrote in a bid with less than 5 minutes left in the auction.  A nominal donation to The Capper Foundation, and it was done.  Little did Norton Bonaparte know what he was getting himself into by placing this item on the auction block… Read the rest of this entry »

Topeka Transit: To raise the mill levy?

Tomorrow night, May 12, 2009, our City Council along with our Mayor will have a very tough decision to make.  They have to decide whether or not to vote to add a charter ordinance which will increase the mill levy cap for Topeka Transit.  It essentially is a two-mill increase which would raise the property tax on a $100,000 house by $23 a year (CJOnline: Council to vote on TMTA Proposal).  There is no denying that Transit is essential to the economic development of our city.  There needs to be easy access to public transportation for its residents to get to and from their jobs and for tourists who want to easily navigate the cities attractions.

TransformTopeka has in the past asked guest bloggers to post an argument for each side of these type of important issues, but due to the time constraints (the charter ordinance will be voted on tomorrow night), we felt it best to just present as much information about the issue and allow for comments to argue both sides.  I have a very strong opinion on this issue, but will try and keep my opinion to myself as I share the information about the issue. Read the rest of this entry »

A Thankless Job

I personally know 7 active duty police officers (5 of them are with the Topeka Police Department).  On a personal note, I wanted to be an Law Enforcement Officer for many years, but dreams changed through the years.  Following some of the recent negative press that the Topeka Police Department has received, I thought it would be a great opportunity to ride-a-long with an officer and talk about the positive.  I contacted my friend’s husband (an officer with TPD) and was told that anyone can do this, and to contact the shift commander to schedule one.

On Friday April 17, 2009, I had the opportunity to ride-a-long with an officer in the Topeka Police Department during the 2nd shift.  Our day began in the Shawnee County Courthouse.  Occasionally, officers are subpoenaed to testify in cases that they responded to.  The officers were there to testify in a domestic disturbance case, but were relieved of their duty when the victim didn’t show up.  We, then went to the station (3rd and Monroe) to get me signed in and start the shift.  During the 8 hour shift, we pulled over two speeders (and issued citations), responded to two domestic disputes, responded to a shoplifting call, filed a dog bite report, and set up a speed trap.  But there were three related calls that were most intriguing. Read the rest of this entry »

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