[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6602804,"mediaKeyId","3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a","parentId",3024232,"title","Steering committee forwards six Build Kansas Fund applications, accepts one revision for federal review","audioSeconds",90,"startMs",1357000,"endMs",1447000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a&start=1357&end=1447","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a/thumbnail_1357000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6602804/Kansas/Steering-committee-forwards-six-Build-Kansas-Fund-applications-accepts-one-revision-for-federal-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6602804-f85e89b3a91f67509c2707030ad54edf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770678637&Signature=DZ5x5jEAAE-1lPhZxeVSbShHX8Dhi~vSF1s-nrMsoJHATMJ-O5VkOaAVP5rvAgludcjfMQs~Mjg5JksAwC54d5ZBjmNbDwAjIYUMC2IfPAglDaRUviwBu4G-RAU3vzQ~dsk75b-WzneT9Vh72nv0Ly6-wU~Iyx-yQb7NqCQKgjOIzskIx3Qt716VASDGBVUrDx~JemkKEX88N0BhR5ESXkFin6MRXz5u-uwzPOPm0VizzQjBqZxxcben6JczF17dLTPiBNhfkiVdruUarwIkWSnMbSvVN8gvtT49uEJ4rwKiTsprbyL5Kkukdft4YkInEjShV4KLzImFT6q7ypyDLw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Legislature","date","2025-04-16T18:45:23.51Z","article","The Kansas Build Kansas steering committee on April 9 reviewed six applications for state Build Kansas Fund support and accepted one requested adjustment to a previously approved award, advising staff to forward the new and revised applications to the relevant federal grant programs for consideration.

Matthew Volz, executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, opened the meeting saying, \"Our agenda today is gonna focus on Build Kansas Fund, application review. We have 6 of them to review today. We also have 1 modification request, and then we will do some hub updates, towards the end.\" The items reviewed included three Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) applications, one WaterSMART-style water infrastructure request, and two projects tied to FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

Why it matters: Build Kansas Fund awards are intended to help local applicants meet federal match requirements and unlock federal grant dollars. Committee advice to forward these applications moves them on to federal agencies; final federal awards and use of Build Kansas dollars remain contingent on federal grant decisions.

Key items reviewed

- Wichita Airport Authority — Jabara Airport land acquisition (application id in the packet: \"2020Five-zero82\"). The request: $51,750 from the Build Kansas Fund; local contribution $5,750 (reported as 5% of the match); applicant contribution $450,000; federal funding unlocked stated as $1,092,500; total project cost $1,600,000. Volz noted the parcel is shown in the application materials and that the acquisition would support hangar expansion on the east side of Jabara Airport. The application states 25.69 acres for the tract. The committee had reviewed this project at its March 26 steering-committee meeting and advised forwarding to federal review.

- Great Plains Development Authority (Parsons / Labette County) — regional water pipeline and tower rehabilitation (application id: \"2020Five-eighty9\"). The request: $1,413,264 Build Kansas contribution; local contribution $74,382 (listed as 5% of the match); federal funding unlocked $4,462,938; total cost $5,950,584. The project would install about 8 miles of 12-inch PVC pipeline to connect Parsons to a rural water district treatment plant (creating redundancy), rehabilitate a water tower and add 18 hydrants. Volz described the plan as improving system redundancy for Parsons and growth capacity for the industrial park (which the application identifies as hosting Day & Zimmerman).

- Nemaha (Neemaha/Niemaha) Marshall Electric Cooperative — BRIC request for installation of oil-free automatic reclosers (application id shown in packet as \"202-5095\"). The request: $427,500 Build Kansas Fund; local contribution $22,500; federal funding unlocked $1,350,000; total cost $1,800,000. Volz described reclosers as automatic devices that interrupt faults and attempt to restore power, improving reliability and wildfire mitigation. Committee members asked for clarifying details (number of reclosers and line miles covered); Volz said staff would follow up with the applicant.

- City of Garnett — Garnett Municipal Airport runway reconstruction and land acquisition to support runway 1/19 improvements (application id: \"2025-096\"). The request: $15,331 Build Kansas Fund; local contribution $15,332; federal funding unlocked $275,960; total cost $306,005. Volz said land and easements on the north and west sides of the airport are needed for runway relocation, lighting and navigation aids.

- Nemaha (Neemaha/Niemaha) Marshall Electric Cooperative — BRIC request for load centers and transmission-line poles (application id: \"2025-098\"). The request: $950,000 Build Kansas Fund; local contribution $50,000; federal funding unlocked $3,000,000; total project $4,000,000. The project would install spun-concrete and steel poles and modern pad-mounted load centers to improve wind resilience serving roughly 3,300 customer homes, according to the application. Volz noted the concrete poles are manufactured in Kansas (Ashland) and steel poles by Valmont in Salina.

- City of Newton — Newton City-County Airport runway rehabilitation (application id: \"2025-099\"). The request: $73,150 Build Kansas Fund; local contribution $3,850; federal funding unlocked $1,463,000; total project $1,540,000. The application proposes pavement patching and crack repairs to the east–west runway (Runway 8/26), with an eventual plan to upgrade it to an instrument approach.

Modification request accepted

- Stevens County / Hugoton Municipal Airport — an adjustment to a previously approved Build Kansas Fund award (packet references original and revised Build Kansas amounts). The county reported a calculation error (they had applied 5% to total project cost rather than 5% of the federal match). The revised Build Kansas Fund request increased from $18,249 to $34,673 (difference $16,424) while the federal totals and overall project cost remained unchanged. The committee accepted the correction and recorded advice to proceed with the revised allocation.

Committee process and next steps

Committee members asked clarifying questions on acreage for the Jabara parcel (Volz referenced the application page listing 25.69 acres), whether the Parsons pipeline could enable future regionalization (Volz said interconnects would allow that in principle but the application did not propose new lines to other towns), and for the Nemaha Marshall recloser project, how many reclosers or miles of line would be covered (Volz said the application did not specify and staff would follow up). Where the committee raised no objection, members advised staff to forward the applications to the relevant federal agencies for award consideration.

Quotes and attributions in this article come directly from meeting remarks by Matthew Volz, Chair Waymaster, Senator Schallenberger, Representative Vaughn, Senator Billinger and Representative Hoffman as recorded in the meeting transcript.

The applications and the accepted revision will now await federal-award decisions; if federal programs authorize awards, Build Kansas Fund allocations would be used as the state-side match as specified in the applications.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Build Kansas Advisory 04/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Kansas Build Kansas steering committee on April 9 reviewed six Build Kansas Fund applications and accepted one requested revision, advising staff to forward the applications to federal grant programs for consideration.","taxTitle","Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",15103,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6602795,"Kansas Infrastructure Hub reports rapid growth in grant activity; executive director Matthew Volz announces departure",429,1520000,1949000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a&start=1520&end=1949","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a/thumbnail_1520000.jpg","/articles/6602795/Kansas/Kansas-Infrastructure-Hub-reports-rapid-growth-in-grant-activity-executive-director-Matthew-Volz-announces-departure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6602795-c4478ffb33280d65ce13c08faacefb9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770678637&Signature=nXs0mKhgfBsvtnaa-sfZscpaaFQvRxFSeq-NyuyHj-mMcG3sFwI8RMonguZReUA7WXmrM6a7SGI~ygkjqaGNRogbsknI7gc2ymu~Um0FbknjPOrXvsd6~BavnSrBJy85u7qKkzauWzYxy6fx0sCbtLnQ7sZY234dpReK4F61~pYi86sgQdnObTZ0VVEazsgg9S319MTME~skeW3sLpKlHDQMrgjK0L6KMZ318S60liiclefu5EjwiUnET-vjPUSYf4RSOWFmrLhlYiJKZIQX9hcHrgLyYx3ykLvOYQ9CDlyj0ga4ymbQwmyIsyHKOkTLkmJgwQRKrKN~k3OUHiL0Vg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Matthew Volz, executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, updated the Build Kansas steering committee on hub activities, staffing and program metrics and said that the April 9 meeting would be his last in that role due to family-care responsibilities.

Volz summarized the hub's first-year metrics since the office was staffed in April 2024: the hub has approved dozens of Build Kansas Fund applications (Volz said 79 approved previously and that with the six items considered at this meeting the total would be 85), reported roughly $34.63 million committed from the Build Kansas Fund to date and said the combined federal, local and state total project value approaches $140 million. Volz told the committee, \"This would be my last time addressing you as the executive director of the infrastructure hub. I have some family, member care issues that I'm gonna be addressing that take priority for me. So I wish you the best of luck moving forward, and thank you very much.\" Committee members thanked him for his service.

Volz described a new grant-assistance program the hub started in February to reimburse local applicants for hiring grant professionals for application writing and administration. He said two requests were already active: the Kickapoo Tribe (requesting about $25,000) for a rural and tribal assistance grant application and the Port Authority of Stafford County (seeking roughly $50,000) to support administration for a recently awarded $25 million Rebuild grant.

Volz also noted the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant publication and predicted a surge of Build Kansas Fund applications in the coming month, because SS4A requires a 20% local match and local applicants frequently seek Build Kansas support for that match. He described the hub staffing level (about 15 combined state and contract personnel) and outreach activities (monthly webinars, regional meetings and a Kansas Infrastructure Summit with more than 200 registrants).

Committee members discussed communications with local legislators and the public. Senator Schallenberger requested the hub develop a mechanism to notify local legislators when their districts receive awards; hub staff agreed that clearer communications at both the pending-application and awarded stages would be helpful. Members also cautioned that local press releases should avoid implying federal awards before official federal notices are received.

The hub said it will continue outreach and that staff will provide follow-up to the committee on federal award notifications and requested applicant clarifications.","Kansas Infrastructure Hub staff reported a large increase in Build Kansas Fund activity and technical assistance since April 2024, described grant-assistance requests and upcoming grant opportunities, and announced that executive director Matthew Volz will step down for family-care reasons.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6602800,"BRIC pause and court injunction leave FEMA applications uncertain; Kansas hub to keep processing requests",50,646000,696000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a&start=646&end=696","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3024232-993d127b87ae33e3bface6a7f246842a/thumbnail_646000.jpg","/articles/6602800/Kansas/BRIC-pause-and-court-injunction-leave-FEMA-applications-uncertain-Kansas-hub-to-keep-processing-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6602800-6e8c35f3ccc0b4ac02d160b41cbdb354/orig.mp4?Expires=1770678637&Signature=IVVWTlkCeXo7SWViaHdQiLs3jUCMdbWYTLYUFhV9muaoJAs25KCz2n2DBWXby8F57Cl5gEw-T8feZjxf7mYPSOuKVijBpVIMILpQK8SDahZbhtx33XhlfODWn3NYmsgiJwqYKbXDfdrlHdOkB72AKG7yGBvdByPyPvz8X3h39wi~V333mfUWTakhVeTdItn35AbG4yL3xy-pkf8DEVFFXUOrz2zqKQFK3KBqnveWF~x284Sk4opspkhPpRRwFwkNH~44-UlsBMgcgJTecbRwDane7Ec~I~AF2aCoWyBQlZio5-ifVXdwMN4Wx0xarKshfLB3XMa-M90eOz0rC2q0Ow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Matthew Volz, executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, told the steering committee that in early April FEMA issued an advisory indicating the administration intended to defund the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, but a U.S. district court issued an injunction the same day blocking that action.

\"Everything is essentially on pause,\" Volz said of the FEMA advisory, adding that the court injunction means the pause may not stand and that the matter will have to be resolved through the courts. Volz said the hub will continue to process Build Kansas Fund applications that rely on BRIC or other paused federal programs so that staff are not overwhelmed if the programs resume.

Committee members raised the practical consequence: if the hub held BRIC-related Build Kansas submissions now, a resumption of federal awards later could create a backlog. Volz said moving applications through the state review process preserves capacity to respond quickly once federal programs resolve their status.

Why it matters: As presented, several Build Kansas Fund applications reviewed at the meeting seek to unlock BRIC funding for electric-system resilience measures. Federal awards — and therefore the state match — remain contingent on the ultimate status of the BRIC program and any court rulings.

Volz and committee members urged staff to continue processing BRIC-linked applications and to track the status of federal guidance and litigation so applicants and local legislators can be notified when awards are confirmed.","The Kansas Infrastructure Hub told the Build Kansas steering committee that FEMA issued guidance pausing BRIC funding, then a U.S. district court issued an injunction blocking the pause. The hub said it will continue processing BRIC-linked Build Kansas Fund applications rather than hold them until federal guidance clears up.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Steering committee forwards six Build Kansas Fund applications, accepts one revision for federal review

Kansas Infrastructure Hub reports rapid growth in grant activity; executive director Matthew Volz announces departure

BRIC pause and court injunction leave FEMA applications uncertain; Kansas hub to keep processing requests