MANHATTAN MAKING MOVES IN THE LITTLE APPLE
PLUS: New retail, IMAX theater, NBAF’s high-tech influence, Kansas State University building boom and adventure sports
2G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal
Development
Across Manhattan area, growth surges By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
Manhattan’s east-end retail development is obvious as people drive into the city, but the entire area is growing. Eric Cattell, assistant director of planning for the city, said Manhattan updated its comprehensive plan in 2015, which was a joint project with Riley and Pottawatomie counties. The east edge of Manhattan, where a lot of commercial development occurs, is in Pottawatomie County. “That whole Pottawatomie County corridor from Manhattan all the way toward Wamego is growing a lot, and it has for a number of years. Pottawatomie County — they were part of our previous comprehensive plan update in 2003, but they wanted a larger area to be included this time around,” Cattell said. That larger area included Blue Township, where significant urban development is happening, he said. Also in Pottawatomie County, east along US-24 highway, is an island annexation, meaning an area not geographically connected to the city limits has been annexed. Businesses there include the Ramblers Steak House & Saloon, Dollar General, Tractor Supply Co. and others. Retail growth also has occurred along Seth Childs Boulevard on the west edge of Manhattan. Longtime shopping areas, including West Loop Shopping Center and Plaza West Shopping Center, also are home to new businesses. Marshalls, a discount clothing and home store, opened in West Loop in recent years. Devin Schuster, vice president at LANE4 Property Group in Kansas City, Mo., said Plaza West was
the first property his company acquired in Manhattan. It now also owns an apartment complex near the university. “The university continues to grow and add to the community, along with NBAF and some of the other things going on,” he said, noting the upcoming National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. “We’re drawn to the community as the place to invest. That’s what drew us to the property — a lot of the residential growth is on the west side, and we felt it is a little bit underserved. Most of the retail is on the east side around the mall, but we saw an opportunity to add retail, restaurants.” Schuster said a new restaurant, Viva Pizza, will go in the Plaza West location where an Italian restaurant had been. Right now, he’s working to fill the space that Ray’s Apple Market vacated. His company wouldn’t be against acquiring retail space on the east side. “It’s a very tight market,” Schuster said. “There’s not a lot of space available. It’s difficult to come across opportunities, but we’re always keeping our eyes peeled.” Cattell said Manhattan sits in an area that makes it difficult to spread out, except down that US-24 highway corridor. “Manhattan has some challenges, in that we’ve got flood plains along the Blue River as well as the Kansas River; there’s the confluence of those two rivers right east of our downtown area, so it’s kind of a bottleneck,” he said. Fort Riley is to the west, which has some restrictions because of noise issues, Cattell said. “Despite that, there is still a lot of growth on the western portions of Man-
More manhattan
Stories: See today’s Business section for further coverage of the Little Apple: Manhattan. Video: For information from the Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau, go to CJOnline.
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The Manhattan area has seen strong growth, and planners expect more to come. hattan, and we’ve worked with Fort Riley on how to deal with that in the way of noise disclosure and noise attenuation development techniques,” he said. The Manhattan Business Park, in the Eureka Valley area along the K-18 highway corridor, offers industrial and commercial expansion opportunities.
“We’re hoping if there are any spin-off companies that might be coming that are associated with NBAF, that might be one location that they might want to go,” he said. Tallgrass Brewing Co. is in that area, along with the Manhattan Regional Airport, which is undergoing an expansion, and other
businesses, including some K-State buildings. Cattell said the comprehensive plan estimates that Manhattan’s population will grow to about 80,000 people over the next 20 years. In looking at options, one thing the city is doing is writing a new zoning district, the Urban Core Residential District, to al-
low 85-foot-tall mixed-used structures closer to campus in the area north of Aggieville and east of K-State. Responsiveness to the changing industries and needs in Manhattan is key to its planning. Rich Seidler, a broker at Commercial Real Estate Services LLC, has been in the community about 45 years. He’s served as mayor and city commissioner, and stays actively involved in Manhattan’s development. Seidler said he well remembers the time when retail sales went out of Riley County because of the lack of choice there; today, as a regional shopping district, the area has changed significantly. He sees future growth occurring along US-24 highway toward Wamego. “I tease my friends over in Pottawatomie County, they should put up a sign in the middle of the bridge that says, ‘Thanks, Manhattan,’ ” he said, adding that in the distant future he expects the two communities to blend together, much as Kansas City-area cities have done. While there are challenges related to growth, including housing and commercial real estate prices, Seidler said the city is capably led and positioned well for future growth. “We have to look to our elected officials to have the vision to allow the community to grow in places that it needs to grow and wants to grow,” he said.
Retail development changes face of city By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
In the late 1980s, Manhattan’s leadership made a decision, after contentious debate, to locate the city’s new mall at the east end of the downtown. It was an era when retail areas were developing away from downtowns, and it began a mass exodus from what had been the heart of the city for decades. Today, Manhattan boasts a booming retail district to the east of Manhattan Town Center Mall, justifying for many the decision to put the mall there. That extensive retail development to the north and in other areas south of downtown began about 2006, and continued through the midst of the economic downturn, said Eric Cattell, assistant director of planning for the city. One of the first to land in that area was Best Buy, which opened in 2006, he said. At one time, the area now dotted with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Orange Leaf, Olive Garden and other popular stores was an industrial part of town. Driving through the area put visitors in sight of warehouses lined with chainlink fencing and steel and pipe stored on the ground. The newer developments, which also feature residential buildings, contain about 300,000 square feet of retail, said John Pagen, vice president and economic development director at the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. More retail is coming, too. Academy Sports+Outdoors announced in June that it would open a Manhattan
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Manhattan now sees more than a billion dollars a year in retail sales, according to its chamber of commerce. store at US-24 highway and Sarber Lane. The 63,000square-foot store will hire 100 employees when it opens in 2017. “We do about $1.1 billion a year in retail sales now,” Pagen said, pointing out that retail sales are just about “the purest barometer there is.” “For comparison, in 2000, we were about $550 million,” he added. “We are really a regional shopping service hub for about eight or nine counties, including our medical services and our shopping and entertainment. We’re just that good size now, where we’ve got a lot of shopping, but it’s still not like a gridlock traffic situation.” Lyle Butler, chamber CEO and president, agreed that the city has become a regional hub, bringing about other changes along with added retail. “I’ve been in Manhattan for 16 years, and we’ve seen a great evolution of vision for the community and leaders that have wanted to continue to have Manhattan grow and change,” he said. “Some of the excitement and the growth of the community is due to job creation that
has occurred by everything from Fort Riley and Kansas State University to private business sectors in the community and in the region.” The placement in the last three to five years of a conference center downtown, flanked by the Flint Hills Discovery Center, was purposeful, Butler said. “We wanted people when they came to meetings and conferences in our community to have access to not just retail, but also local and regional restaurants and some national chains,” he said. All the growth has built a strong economy in the Little Apple. Butler said Manhattan has created a little more than 9,600 jobs since 2002. Growing industries, such as GTM Sportswear, Manko Window Systems Inc., CivicPlus and Tallgrass Brewing Co. — which launched in 2007 and then in 2014 expanded with a $7 million renovation of a 60,000square-foot brewery near Manhattan Regional Airport — account for much of that growth. Contact Morgan Chilson at (785) 295-5659.
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | 3G
4G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal
Technology
In biosafety lab, tremendous potential
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility could bring in billions of dollars for region
By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
A $1.25 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is under construction in Manhattan, and almost no one talks economic development in the area without mentioning its effect. Manhattan and Kansas State University beat out 29 other cities vying for the federal project, a biosafety level 4 lab that will be the nation’s top animal disease research facility, replacing New York’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center. BSL 4 labs have the highest safety precautions, which allows staff to work with transmittable pathogens. The potential for the Manhattan area is vast, said John Pagen, vice president at the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. “Homeland Security’s numbers to us were $3.6 billion in economic impact over its first 20 years; $180 million a year for 20 years,” Pagen said, adding that while the research to be conducted at NBAF is important, the businesses that will move to Manhattan to be near the federal lab are also critical. “I think our town right now is just in a really sweet spot, both growth and opportunity,” Pagen said. “Opportunity to do a lot of great things for not only this region, but really for the whole Midwest. Getting NBAF was far bigger than just what one community did. It was the Midwest region really helping get it.” Ron Trewyn is serving as K-State’s liaison to NBAF. He began working in the position in 2014, before site excavation work began. It will be 2023 before NBAF is up and running.
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The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility now under construction will replace New York’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center. It will have the highest safety precautions, allowing work with transmittable pathogens. The selection of Manhattan as the site put the community on the radar of companies around the world, he said. A few already decided to open small labs or offices in the Little Apple, in preparation for working with the lab. One of those is Orion Integrated Biosciences, a Larchmont, N.Y., biodefense company that announced in May it would open an office to be near both NBAF and work already being done by KState scientists. CEO Willy Valdivia told KSU that moving to the area early would help his company respond to “cycles of innovation that must happen very quickly.” The Veterinary and Biomedical Research Center,
in the K-State Office Park, was another organization that wanted to capitalize on the synergies of animal health research that happen at the university, both in the future NBAF and the Biosecurity Research Institute already operating on campus. The VBRC moved its BSL 2 lab, building an $8 million facility, to be the “first company to come to Manhattan in that realm relative to NBAF,” Trewyn said. The sizeable facility is just 10 minutes from the NBAF site, in Pottawatomie County. CEO Kelly Lectenberg has been in the business for 25 years and “interacts with every large animal health and even human pharmaceutical com-
panies around the world,” Trewyn added. Not only is there potential in what NBAF will do and the 40 projected companies that will move to Manhattan to be near the research institution, but Trewyn said the massive, five-year construction project will also eventually draw about 900 construction workers to the community. The Department of Homeland Security already is hiring people, he said, including a security director. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an office in Manhattan, but beginning in 2017, it’s expected to move the first staff from Plum Island to that office. “Federal employee-wise, those numbers are going to continue to grow over the
next few years, until the full operating numbers are somewhere around 400, from security guards to administrative assistants and all the scientific staff,” Trewyn said. Growth in the community will come from supporting industries, he added, along with companies hoping to team up on NBAF research. People will supply livestock and livestock nutritional components, for instance. “We have a lot of companies that show up to visit, large ones and small ones,” Trewyn said. After K-State was shortlisted as the site in 2008, he said hundreds of calls came in from companies from around the world wanting to know where they could
open an office or build a satellite lab. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “Because there were all of the delays, a lot of that initial interest went away. It’s starting to build up again. We’re in contact with a number of companies, large and small. One of our big problems right now is facilities to handle them.” Trewyn said many companies seem to want a facility already in existence, rather than building themselves. Investor interest in building hasn’t been significant, and he said the KSU Foundation has been serving somewhat in that role. The foundation built the facility where the Kansas Department of Agriculture is now, for instance. Another building is planned for that development in the remaining 14 acres, Trewyn said, once they get a commitment from businesses to reach 50-percent occupancy. It’s exciting to be part of what’s happening, Trewyn said, and he believes many people don’t understand exactly what could happen in the community. “I firmly believe in my heart that 20 years on down the road, people are going to look back at NBAF as the small part of what’s happened,” he said. “The other thing is to think about this, this will really be in my view the first U.S. facility that will actually cross the animal health to public health margin in a big way. They will be working on diseases that can have public health implications. If you can stop the spread in the animal host, you’ve done a lot to protect human health.”
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | 5G
Gigantic IMAX screen to make debut this fall By Delaney Hiegert
delaney.hiegert@cjonline.com
Topeka-area moviegoers seeking out the immersive atmosphere of an IMAX theater will no longer have to make the trip to Kansas City or Wichita to have their cinematic cravings filled. A 13-screen movie theater is opening in Manhattan this fall, and one of those screens is a 575-seat auditorium IMAX theater. Five of them are dine-in theaters. IMAX theaters are known for their enveloping sound systems and giant cinema screens. The theater, owned by Carmike Cinemas, is under construction on the southeast side of the city, in Manhattan Town Center where the Sears Auto Center was before closing in November. The new cinema will be
one of only five locations in the state with an IMAX theater, and the only one of its kind within 75 miles of town, according to the IMAX website. Jeff Sutton, marketing manager for Manhattan Town Center, said the theater is approaching the end of construction. It will soon be taken over by Carmike Cinemas and IMAX to complete the building process. “It’d be awesome if we could open in early September, but it’s hard to say when,” he said. “Construction went really well. I’d say we’re definitely still on schedule, but we haven’t been told a specific opening date.” Carmike Cinemas, which owns the only other movie theater in Manhattan, Seth Childs 12, will install its Ovation Cinema Grill to serve the location’s five dine-in theaters.
DAVID MAYES/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
According to Jeff Sutton of the Manhattan Town Center, construction on the IMAX theater is nearly complete. According to the Carmike Cinemas’ website, the five theaters will boast “an innovative full-service cinematic dining experience that brings convenience of dinner and a movie to ev-
ery oversized luxury seat.” Ovation Cinema Grill offers a complete restaurant menu, full bar and seat-side service. There are only three other Ovation theaters in the
country with four more on the way, including the Manhattan installation. Carmike Cinemas owns 276 theaters in 41 states. As far as what to expect from the theater, Sutton said it will show first-run films. “Viewers can expect the same theatrical productions of the typical IMAX experience,” he said. Since the announcement of the Manhattan IMAX last summer, Sutton said, Little Apple citizens have been eager to experience it. “The community is very excited about it. I get questions every day about when it’s going to open,” he said. The addition of a topof-the-line theater, Sutton said, only adds to the mall’s diversity. “Whether people are coming for the dining or the IMAX or just with the kids to see a regular mov-
ie, the theater will have something to offer everyone,” he said. “We like to say we’re a part of the family, and this addition helps to offer everyone here a different opportunity in entertainment. We’re really excited to add this to our tenant list.” Not only does Sutton think the cinematic installation will improve the experience for the community, but it also will provide quality entertainment for surrounding areas as well. “We’ll pull folks that just want to come have that IMAX experience, and I think we’ll pull them from a significant distance away,” he said. As theater completion nears, Sutton, who has never seen an IMAX movie, said he’s also anticipating the opening. “Oh, I’m super pumped,” he said.
6G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal
What to do
A Manhattan Top 10
There’s always something to do or see in the Little Apple, just 55 miles from Topeka such as Sticky Toffee Pudding and Pinot Noir Blackberry Duck. Coco Bolos, Bourbon & Baker, Della Voce, 4 Olives Restaurant & Wine Bar — it’s a long list designed to tantalize foodies.
By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
Manhattan’s growing, thriving community has become a regional shopping and entertainment center, a sports draw with winning K-State teams and a national and even international player in biosciences with the upcoming National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. A few miles off Interstate 70 and about 55 miles west of Topeka, Manhattan is an easy drive that offers Topekans a change of pace for a day or weekend away. Here are 10 of the top reasons to check out The Little Apple:
1. Hills discovery Opened in Manhattan’s downtown in 2012, the Flint Hills Discovery Center encourages the exploration of the Flint Hills. The Horizon Ranch Flint Hills Immersive Theater brings four-dimensional experiences to a film about the prairie, including snow and wind that will ruffle the audience’s hair. The movie has moved people to tears, discovery center employees said. Through Sept. 11, visitors can see “Amazing Dinosaurs!” along with the permanent exhibits. 2. Bottoms up Manhattan is home to a brand-new winery, Liquid
Art, 1745 Wildcat Creek Road, and several breweries that offer specialty drinks and entertaining environments. Liquid Art is perched atop a rolling hill that lays out the Flint Hills as a background. The Tallgrass Tap House opened at 320 Poyntz Ave. in June; you can grab a seat on the rooftop for a view of downtown Manhattan. The Little Apple Brewing Co. has been around since 1995, brewing up Wildcat Wheat Ale and Prairie Pale Ale. In the Westloop Shopping Center, it’s also known for steaks, receiving the Kansas and the National Beef Backer award.
3. Chowing down Along with favorite national chains, Manhattan is dotted with unique specialty restaurants that draw people from surrounding communities. Check out Harry’s, in the historic Wareham Hotel on Poyntz Avenue, for award-winning dishes
4. Building blocks If it’s not enough to gawk at the historical limestone buildings that dominate the beautiful Kansas State University campus, visit to check out all the new construction. K-State has been investing heavily in its campus, including the newly opened Berney Family Welcome Center, which was created in the historic Memorial Stadium by saving the façade but doing an internal remodel. The K-State Student Union is undergoing a significant revamp, too, entirely led by students who designed their wish list for the space.
5. Zip and hike You’ll get up close and personal with nature
when you venture onto the seven-course zipline Wildwood Outdoor Adventure Park, complete with a free-fall tower at the end. Opened in 2015, the park has hiking trails and an opportunity to see the Flint Hills.
6. Naturally speaking Western Kansas is known for its somewhat flat terrain, but the beautiful Flint Hills in northeastern Kansas are a treasure many who live here don’t appreciate. But spend an afternoon at Deep Creek Waterfall at Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area, just off K-177 highway on the way into Manhattan. The area has long drawn Manhattan residents, and a lot of students, to wade in the waters and enjoy Kansas sunshine. You’ll also find Tuttle Creek Lake just north of Manhattan on US-24 highway, where you can swim, rent kayaks or canoes, or enjoy a disk golf course. 7. Shop ’til you drop If you haven’t been to Manhattan in a while, your jaw will drop when you approach the east side, near Manhattan Town Center Mall. This retail shopping district has grown since about 2007, featuring most of the
top retail stores shoppers want. With a shopping district spread on both sides of US-24 highway, or Tuttle Creek Boulevard, it will take you more than an afternoon to explore. But don’t forget the west side of town, where you’ll find Pier I Imports, Target, Marshalls and specialty shops.
8. Simply Aggieville No visit to Manhattan is complete without exploring Aggieville, the historic shopping and entertainment district that offers a variety of restaurants, bars, stores and fun. Yes, it’s the hang-out spot for college students on Friday and Saturday nights, but it’s also ideal for an afternoon shopping trip or a weekend getaway. You’ll find everything from The Dusty Bookshelf, every bookworm’s dream store, to Varsity Donuts, where you can splurge on specialty flavors. (Be sure to check out the Maple Bacon.)
9. Getting artsy The arts scene in Manhattan is active and varied, befitting the energy and enthusiasm of a university town. The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Arts and McCain Auditorium on the K-State campus will please all your artistic senses. The McCain Performance Series is an exciting list of Broadway shows, top performers and diverse cultural experiences. The Manhattan Arts Center, 1520 Poyntz Ave., offers galleries and productions, along with art classes for all ages.
10. Fore! The PGA-sanctioned Colbert Hills has ranked as one of the 50 toughest courses in the country by Golf Digest, and its elevation changes over the rolling Flint Hills will challenge the most experienced golfers. It’s open to the public, and if you’re not a golfer, you can check out the restaurant and event venue.
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | 7G
Airport spreads its wings By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
The Manhattan Regional Airport is in the midst of a $15.8 million expansion, building on the 2009 decision of American Eagle to provide regional jet service to Dallas. “We started adding flights; now we have five flights a day, two to Dallas, three to Chicago, 65,000 deployments,” said Jesse Romo, airport director. “Once those flights took off, it really demonstrated the lack of capacity for current activity, as well as future activity at the airport with the old 12,500-squarefoot facility.” With financial support from the City of Manhattan and a Federal Aviation Administration grant, the airport is enlarging that facility to about 42,000
square feet. The new space includes two enclosed passenger boarding bridges. Phase one of the project was completed last year, Romo said, and phase two is underway, with all construction expected to be completed at the end of next year. Travelers will find new ticket counters, baggage systems, rental car counters and the boarding bridges that keep them out of the weather. The phase two portion is adding 22,000 square feet to the terminal area built as part of phase one, Romo said. The airport has stayed open during the project, using signs and online directions to help travelers know where to park and how to negotiate construction. John Pagan, vice president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, said the expansion
‘‘
Now we have five flights a day, two to Dallas, three to Chicago, 65,000 deployments.” JESSE ROMO
Manhattan Regional Airport director
is important for Manhattan as it grows. “Flights are going to Chicago O’Hare and DallasFort Worth nonstop, two of the biggest hubs in the world,” he said. “From either of those two, of course, you can get anywhere. It’s really cool that people can go to Manhattan, park, fly to O’Hare and then fly to Europe.” Romo said a Kansas Department of Transporta-
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Manhattan Regional Airport is expanding into a 42,000-square-foot facility. tion study in 2010 looked at the economic impact of airports. At that time, he said, Manhattan was considered to have about a $20 million impact. In 2012, a consul-
tant looked at the updates and estimated the impact would be $46.3 million. That economic effect includes supporting 489 jobs in the area with people
who travel for work; Romo also said many Fort Riley soldiers use the airport. Contact Morgan Chilson at (785) 295-5659.
8G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal
College
K-State revamps with $530M in projects By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
The Kansas State University campus has been dotted with construction orange for months, a visual symbol of the physical growth occurring there. Newly completed buildings include the Berney Family Welcome Center, the Wefald Hall and Dining Center, and the College of Business Administration building. Ryan Swanson is the university architect, and as the master planner on campus, he’s responsible for “knitting together all of the projects,” he said. “I’m making sure everything works together in concert to accomplish the greater goals of the campus,” Swanson said. It’s more than a full-time job, because construction on the campus in the last three years is valued at more than $530 million. Here’s a look at the big projects: Chilled Water Project One of the important ongoing projects is probably one of the least known and the least “architectural,” he said. The $56 million project creates a chilled water plant and piping to transport water for cooling buildings. Two 48-inch pipes leave the chilled water plant and loop around the campus for about a mile and a half. The challenge of the project has been coordinating street and sidewalk closings. But the potential of the project is exciting. Swanson said it gives the campus the ability to bring air conditioning via chilled water to campus buildings for the next 30 to 40 years, and to renovate older buildings and attach them to the chilled water loop. As part of the construction done to bury the pipes, campus layout changes are being made to make the school more of a walking campus. Several areas will become pedestrian malls and be closed to vehicles. Extensive landscaping projects are
being incorporated too, Swanson said. “We’ve brought a lot of the Konza Prairie back into campus, with a lot of flowers and tallgrasses,” he said.
renovated for about $31 million, Swanson said. “The students decided which areas to renovate; the student governing body had a fee that they had on campus, and the fees raised from the students are what are paying for the renovation,” he said. Food service areas, the main atrium and the bookstore are all getting a facelift. New design elements will be scattered throughout. “We talk about sticky spaces, and it’s not Coca-Cola spilled on the floor,” Swanson said. “It’s a space where you walk through, and instead of buzzing through the building, you’re encouraged to stop and talk and sit, grab a bite to eat, grab a cup of coffee. We want the union to become this living-room space for campus. That’s the main intent behind a lot of the renovations going on there.” Creating a place to collaborate is part of many of the buildings; the atrium in the new business school is such a space, he added. “The term ‘sticky space’ is going to be so 2016 someday,” Swanson said, laughing.
College of Business Administration Building This 140,000-square-foot facility will have its formal dedication in October, celebrating the completion of a $50 million building paid for primarily by private donations. The difference between Calvin Hall, where business classes have been for years, and the new building is significant, Swanson said. “It’ll feel like a very professional environment for teaching and learning in there,” he said. “It’s much more transparent and open than some of the older buildings we have on campus. We teach differently, and the students study differently now. A lot of the building is patterned after those needs. It promotes all of these serendipitous conversations that happen outside the classroom; the building is very conducive to that.” The building includes financial trading rooms and space for student-run businesses. Berney Family Welcome Center Honoring the historic limestone façade of the Memorial Stadium, built in 1924, the new welcome center required gutting the inside of the stadium’s east side. At a cost of about $20 million, the new area will house a variety of campus services intended to help new students and their families find the information they need in one place, including new student services, student financial assistance and admissions. As part of the campus focus on nature and the environment, the welcome center has a green roof, Swanson said. This project was completed in April. K-State Union Renovations Using student funds and student input, the union is being
THAD ALLTON photos/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Scenes from the building boom on the Kansas State University campus (top three photos) and the new building for the College of Business Administration (above). For video from the ongoing K-State construction, go to CJOnline.com
Wefald Hall and Dining Center Named after former university president Jon Wefald, this new residence hall will house about 540 students in 129,000 square feet. It’s part of the Kramer Complex; it will connect with enclosed walkways to all four buildings there. In June, Swanson talked about being on an extremely tight deadline to get the building done by August when students moved in. As that time approached, work was moving at lightning speed, with Swanson determined to “have heads in the beds.” The business school timeline was closer than he liked, as well. Subcontractors were challenged to find enough workers for the projects, he said. The dining hall received a lot of attention during planning. “The food is absolutely cut-
ting edge in terms of culinary delight,” Swanson said. “Of all the universities I’ve visited recently, the focus is on variety, on cross-cultural foods. It’s not your normal grab a tray and get fries and meatloaf. It’s a see-and-be-seen place, a place to meet people. It’s a place to linger and study.” The space avoids the food court concept, instead combining “four or five of your favorite restaurants,” he said. Upcoming Projects The College of Engineering’s Durland Hall will receive a $40 million wing to house the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the student project spaces for nationally competitive design teams. The Seaton Complex, which houses the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, is being updated to include seven new studios, an art gallery, a 300-seat stadium, an outdoor, recessed amphitheater and other features. It’s expected to be completed in 2017, Swanson said. The Equine Performance Testing Facility recently broke ground, Swanson said, and the $2.8 million facility will include a soft-footing riding arena, a 140-foot-long runway for lameness examinations, four holding stalls and a farrier services area. A veterinary diagnostic building is on the drawing board, but funds still need to be raised for the project, Swanson said. A geosciences building also is planned and still in the fundraising stage. A “very large ag project” would include revamping every space, every lab, every office in the agriculture department, he said. The Food Systems Research and Education facility would be a $150 million project in the future, designed to fit into the university’s focus on becoming a top 50 research school by 2025, Swanson said.
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | 9G
AGGIEVILLE
Crafting a vision for entertainment district By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
The mere mention of Aggieville is likely to elicit a sigh and a smile from many Kansas State University alumi, even decades later. Just blocks from campus, the city’s bar and entertainment district has been the center of shopping, dancing and yes, drinking, for decades. Founded in 1889, historic buildings line the six-block area and although some businesses come and go, many have been there for years. The City of Manhattan is leading an initiative to capture a vision for the Aggieville district, working to gather opinions and develop a plan for improvement. “It’s a really exciting time for Aggieville right now,” said Leah Hyman, co-owner of Aggieville’s Varsity Donuts. “It’s been a cycle; back in the ’80s, the city revitalized downtown and then it was Aggieville’s turn, and a few years ago they redid downtown and now it’s our turn again.” The city sent out a survey about Aggieville, and Hyman said they have been surprised by the response not just from Manhattan, but from across the country. “They had the largest response that they’ve ever had to any sort of survey they’ve ever done,” said Tracy Taylor, who runs the Aggieville Business Association. “Folks have a love for Aggieville, whether you’re an alumni or a new student.” The announcement in June that Varney’s, a 126year-old Aggieville bookstore, would close drew an emotional reaction from across the country, Taylor
said. It renewed interest in the future of Aggieville. “We are all unified in working together to bring about some revitalization to Aggieville, and make sure it retains its historic flavor as an entertainment district,” she said. “There is a group of folks from the university, the community and the city that have been working on a revitalization plan so that we can all understand what we need to grow and sustain Aggieville. One of our major challenges is parking. Beyond parking, there are some infrastructure issues, so when we talk about not necessarily changes to infrastructure but supporting new infrastructure as cities do, we have to have the revitalization plan in mind.” Although known for bars and restaurants that spill music and laughter into the streets in the evenings, Aggieville actually has a diverse business community, Taylor said. “We have a night-andday difference in Aggieville,” she said. “Folks will come to the district early in the morning with their kids in tow for coffee or breakfast. Folks come for lunch, business meetings throughout the afternoon. Then we kind of switch up and do more entertainment in the evenings.” Taylor said they’re exploring what Aggieville needs to look like, including the percentage of retail and restaurants, as part of the city’s revitalization plan. “We would certainly like to have balance, so that’s why we work closely with our property owners,” she said. Doug Stigge has seen the evolution of Aggieville and heard stories
New tenant
The vacancy created by the June closing of the 126-year-old Varney’s bookstore was filled by another Kansas-grown company, Rally House and Kansas Sampler. Rally House–Aggieville opened Aug. 20 as K-State students poured back into town. The company, which has 60 retail outlets in nine states, sells Kansas-oriented products, gifts, products and food items grown in Kansas. recounted by his father. An optometrist, Stigge has practiced there since 1980. His dad started in the same business in Aggieville in 1953. “There’s a lot of hardworking people here trying to make successful businesses,” Stigge said. “It’s hard to be in business for yourself anymore.” While he was careful not to say anything negative about the district and respects the work being done to revitalize it, Stigge said he remembers multiple plans proposed over the years. “It seems like every 10 years or so they seem to be looking at a new vision for Aggieville, and sometimes that’s just dependent on what people can afford to do,” he said. “Sometimes you want the business spaces filled.” For Stigge, who has thought off and on of moving his business to another part of town, parking is critical. “I don’t think the city by itself wants to put in parking garages, but if they can partner with a private business to put in parking, that’s their goal or what they’re trying to look at,” he said. Efforts by the city to address neighborhoods to the north of Aggieville offer opportunities for the district, Taylor said.
THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
The Aggieville entertainment district in Manhattan is part of the city’s revitalization plan. Eric Cattell, Manhattan assistant director of planning, said the city is writing a new zoning district, the Urban Core Residential District. “That will allow 85foot-tall, mixed-use structures directly north of Aggieville and east of campus in just that first
tier of blocks,” he said. The plan is to allow more density for housing units, a need that comes up in comprehensive plans as part of projections that the Manhattan area will increase to about 80,000 people in the next 20 years, he said. The city’s population in the 2010
census was about 52,000, although that number doesn’t include some of the outlying areas that affect the city’s growth. “We’re going to need somewhere in the range of 11,000 (housing) units to serve those people,” Cattell said. “We’re really excited about this densely populated area we’re going to have adjacent to Aggieville,” Taylor said. In her position leading the business association for just a few months, Taylor said she’s anxious to see what the Aggieville plans will look like. “Aggieville just kind of needs a hug, I like to say.” Contact Morgan Chilson at (785) 295-5659.
10G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal
Fun for everyone
Zip, hike and free fall at adventure park By Morgan Chilson
morgan.chilson@cjonline.com
THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Guide Tucker Johansen zips along a line (top). After riding all seven zip lines at Wildwood Outdoor Adventure Park, riders have the chance to do a controlled free fall off the last tower to get to the ground (above).
It took two years to plan, design and then carve the Wildwood Outdoor Adventure Park out of the Flint Hills. Just south of Manhattan, the park opened in 2015, with seven zip lines, hiking trails and a free-fall tower with a drop of about 45 feet. “You get up pretty high,” said Amber Petty, park manager. “You can see all of Manhattan, you can see Fort Riley, the football stadium, Jeffrey Energy Center, the Konza Prairie. You get to see what Kansas is about when you go up there.” Shouts, screams and trills of excitement ONLINE — and frankly, fear — Watch video echo through the Flint footage from Hills when groups the Wildwood Outdoor Adven- take to the Wildwood skies. With the longest ture Park at CJOnline.com zip line at more than a quarter of a mile, adventurers can get their adrenalin rush. Petty said the new business is hosting numerous groups, from companies doing team-building activities to high school basketball teams. Topeka groups are making their way west, too, she said. The course is open Thursday through Sunday, but other events can be booked during the week by appointment. After zipping, groups sometimes hike, have meetings on site, or have lunch or dinner around a campfire, she said. Ziplining can be scary for some people, and Petty said reactions vary. “You get people who do the whole course and think it’s amazing, and then you have a person who’s scared to death and shaking,” she said. “Ninety percent of the time, they finish the course and you can see how proud they are of themselves. Customers hug me and thank me for being there and supporting them.” The business is owned by Chris and Steve Springer. Their son, Dan Springer, did much of the construction required to create the course, Petty said. A Texas company that specializes in zipline courses helped build it, as well.
THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Mavrik Griffin, Minneapolis, Kan., takes off from zip line 6, the tallest and fastest zip line at Wildwood Outdoor Adventure Park. (top). Mikody Griffin, also of Minneapolis, Kan., takes the free-fall plunge (left). Zip line groups are given instruction before starting out (above).
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | 11G
Football stadium upgrades create community draw By Delaney Hiegert
delaney.hiegert@cjonline.com
The 48-year-old Kansas State University Bill Snyder Family Stadium, with a current total of 27 consecutive sellouts, is undergoing massive improvements as part of six-phase master plan to upgrade the facility. The construction started in 2010, with the addition of restrooms on the east side viewing level of the stadium and has expanded to include new seating, concession stands, additional locker rooms space, stateof-the-art strength and training recovery facilities, an academic learning center, a cafeteria for K-State athletes and more. A K-State website outlines the construction renovation process, which is in the midst of stage three.
The second half of phase three will be finished before the end of summer and include a 360-degree concourse and two massive video-boards on each end of the complex. Phase four, which will include more video and ribbon boards, a high-definition sound system and a field wall, is under development, the site said. Laird Veatch, deputy athletics director for KState, said the university has spent about $165 million on the first three steps of the plan that have been completed. “The investment is really about something bigger than the impact we might see from ticket sales or concessions. It’s really about the presentation of the university and the competition, where our place is in the Big 12 conference
and what maintaining that place means to the community,” Veatch said. “It brings in fans, and it will keep us at the high end of intercollegiate athletics.” Veatch, who said football Saturdays in Manhattan boost the economy and bring fans into the community from across the country, is eager to see the effect facility upgrades have on fans. “We are anticipating 33 straight sellouts by the end of this next season,” he said. “By improving facilities, we created a better draw in terms of fan experience.” The fan experience, Scott Garrett said, is what it is all about. Garrett, the senior associate athletics director for external operations at K-State, said the upgrades are targeted to what fans
‘‘
It’s really about the presentation of the university and the competition, where our place is in the Big 12 conference and what maintaining that place means to the community,.” LAIRD VEATCH
deputy athletics director for K-State
want. “We want to provide the best fan experience in the Big 12,” Garrett said. Not only are they looking to improve amenities for grassroots fans, but Garrett said they are trying to draw rookie K-State football fans too.
“I think we’ve been aggressively pursuing new fans,” he said. The stadium has ambassadors on duty during games to help first-time visitors with any questions and provide them the opportunity to give feedback, Veatch said. “We just want folks to feel welcome and safe and comfortable,” he said. Not only do the upgrades improve the fan experience, Veatch said, they provide a stronger connection with the community. “Within the west stadium center, it has large hospitality spaces for weddings or conventions, things like that. We get to use that a great deal,” Veatch said. Whether the conversation is focused on K-State’s status in Big 12 competition or the university’s ties to the community, Veatch
said the improved stadium has helped increase KState’s reach and draw in surrounding areas. The six-phase master plan for Bill Snyder Family Stadium does not have a projected completion date, Veatch said. However, the university is working on the development of phase four and will announce when it are ready to move forward. John Pagen, vice president and economic development director at the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, said an estimate from K-State “a long time ago” put the economic benefit for Manhattan for a home game at $2.3 million. That includes the multiplier effect, meaning that people tend to spend money on gas, food and hotels when they’re in town for an event.
12G | Sunday, August 28, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal