We'll Do It Live!

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We’ll Do It Live!

Happy Thursday, Kansas City! The South Loop project, which would add green space above the portion of 670 that cuts through downtown, could begin construction soon despite not having the funding entirely secured.

• New Renderings: New renderings this week offered the latest glimpse into what the new development could look like. With three main spaces, the park would be separated into a green space to the west, a playground in the center, and a dog park and pavilion to the east.

• Current Position: So far, only a portion of the funding has been completed for the project. After a meeting Tuesday night, the office of the city manager said they’d like to begin working on infrastructure to support the park above the highway soon and worry about the beautification later.

• Rising Prices: Perhaps the largest problem to securing funding for the project comes in the fact that the price has continued to rise. As inflation and material prices go up, so does the price tag of the South Loop Project, ballooning from $200M to $217M.

While only $86M of the budget has been pledged, look for construction to begin soon as city officials would like to see this project completed by late 2025/early 2026.

Work

Wellbeing Well Done

Two Kansas City-based companies made appearances on Indeed’s “Top Twenty Companies for Work Wellbeing”.

• #2 & #14: H&R Block and Hallmark both made appearances on this year’s list which scored the top 20 companies based on employee responses about their wellbeing. H&R Block came in second with a well-being score of 79.

• The Rest: The rest of the top 20 are all companies you are likely familiar with. Companies like FedEx, Nike, and Apple all made the top 20 after scoring above the 74 mark.

• The System: Companies that placed in the top 20 all graded out well on the Work Wellbeing Survey which measures the key outcomes of work wellbeing: happiness, purpose, satisfaction, and stress.

In a post-pandemic world, companies are scrambling to meet employee’s expectations of what a good workplace is. If you’d like to explore a career at either of our winners, check our H&R Block’s and Hallmark’s careers pages.

Opening

Fall Fest Fever

Overland Park’s Fall Festival returns to OP’s downtown next weekend, September 29th & 30th.

• Festivus for the Rest of Us: The Fall Festival is an annual event held in Downtown Overland Park with hands-on activities, live concerts, family fun, and local vendors.

• For The Fam: Kids can enjoy a day on the town with activities like face painting, Stonelion Puppet Theater, and a full schedule of kid-friendly entertainment.

• For Adults: Parents can enjoy shopping at the OP Farmer’s Market, local artisan vendors, live music, and live entertainment like last year’s acrobatics.

This year’s Fall Festival will take place in Downtown OP on Santa Fe and 80th, and starts September 29th from 5-8 pm, and will continue the next day from 8 am-5 pm.

KC Daily Picks

In Other News

• 🗑️What A Dump: KC’s annual city-wide drop-off is this Saturday in Hyde Park where you can declutter your home for free.

• 🦺Busy Season Is Here: Amazon announced this week that they are hiring 250,000 people nationwide and 2,500 in KC to meet seasonal demands.

• 📢Sound Off: KCI is asking for commuter input on what public transit to the airport could look like.

• 🍻LotaLager: This month, Lotawana Brewing Co officially opened its doors for business.

• 🛫Clearing Airspace: The Federal Aviation Administration is leasing 4 floors worth of office space in KC.

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