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Kansas City News Today Kansas City Front Page is a weekly news publication, with daily updates, spotlighting attractions, events, business and hospitality in Kansas City. |
KANSAS CITY NEWS TODAY - Sunday, October 1, 2009 
KANSAS CITY, MO, (kansascityfrontpage.com), October 1, 2009 - The state is awarding $3.5 million in economic incentives for construction of a new terminal building, hangars and other facilities at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in downtown Kansas City. The applicant for the funding, the city of Kansas City Aviation Department, is projecting that the Hangar Ten project will create 94 new jobs. "We are committed to using state incentives strategically and effectively to create jobs and boost economic development in Missouri," Gov. Nixon said. "An upgraded Wheeler Downtown Airport has the potential to serve as an exciting tool for economic development for Kansas City and the entire region, resulting in new jobs for hard-working Missourians. I am pleased that the state of Missouri is playing an important role in getting this pivotal project off the ground." The City of Kansas City had previously invested large sums of money to improve the runways and hangars at Wheeler Airport, but still needed additional upgrades before the site was considered an airport-related facility. An airport-related facility is defined as having a hangar, a facility housing a terminal and office space containing conference facilities, customer and pilot lounges, a flight planning area and overnight rooms. Due primarily to poor soil conditions, inadequate utilities and Federal Aviation Association regulations, the project became encumbered with approximately $3,500,000 in unexpected costs that threatened to cause significant delays in completion. James Stowers III, owner of Hangar Ten LLC, agreed to donate $7 million to the Missouri Development Finance Board in exchange for $3.5 million in economic incentives under the Tax Credit for Contribution Program, enough to defray the outstanding costs and allowing the project to move forward. Under the agreement, Stowers will serve as the developer and build the new terminal building, fueling facilities and hangars and lease them from the City of Kansas City while paying the city's standard ground rent, flowage and landing fees. "It is becoming increasingly rare to find large U.S. cities with serviceable airports in the heart of downtown," Gov. Nixon said. "As companies turn more and more to private aircraft and charters to do business, a significantly upgraded Wheeler Downtown Airport will be perfectly situated to take advantage of an array of exciting economic opportunities, to the benefit of Kansas City and the state of Missouri." The Tax Credit for Contribution Program, administered by the MDFB, is designed to assist in the funding of capital improvement costs for qualified public facilities and public infrastructure projects in Missouri. The Board is authorized to grant tax credits equal to 50 percent of a contribution from any taxpayer. The contributed funds are granted to local governments, state agencies or used by the MDFB to finance infrastructure improvements needed to facilitate an approved project. Public Meeting on Callaway Nuclear Power Plant KANSAS CITY, MO, (kansascityfrontpage.com), October 1, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII, has announced that a public meeting will be held Friday, October 23, 2009, to discuss the preliminary findings of a full-scale response exercise conducted by Federal, State, and local public-safety organizations and the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant, located near Reform in Callaway County, Missouri. Members of the public and the media are invited to attend this meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. (CT) in the main auditorium of the Headquarters of the Missouri National Guard, 2302 Militia Drive, Jefferson City. Representatives from FEMA Region VII will chair the meeting and explain the exercise process. A representative from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Region III office, located in Lisle, Illinois, will discuss activities conducted on-site at Callaway Nuclear Power Plant during the exercise. The state of Missouri, along with Callaway, Montgomery, Osage, and Gasconade counties, will participate with Ameren Corporation's Callaway Nuclear Power Plant in the two-day exercise on October 20-21, 2009. The exercise will require the activation of emergency facilities for the state of Missouri as well as the above listed counties. The activities of the State, counties, and local units of government will be observed and evaluated by the FEMA Region VII Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program. The Callaway Nuclear Power Plant on-site performance will be observed and evaluated by NRC.   The Kansas City Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Kansas City area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 2007 - 2009 Moore Design Group. |
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