If you are heading to the Sedgwick County Tag office on Douglas next month, more parking will be available.
At Wednesday's county commission meeting, the board approved a 2-year lease to expand the parking lot.
A vacant lot south of the tag office will be re-paved, costing the county over $31 thousand. After the striping is complete, the capacity will increase by 85 stalls.
The county could purchase the lot outright for $260 thousand, but Chairman Ryan Baty says the county will wait to see if the Kansas Legislature acts on county tag office funding.
The lease will cost the county $17,460 per year.
In other news, the county will contribute $1 million to WSU Tech to help expand the National Center for Aviation Training building.
WSU Tech's capital campaign goal is $8 million, with a $2 million contribution secured from Textron Aviation. A $1.5 million grant was recently awarded to WSU Tech for the project, which will total $48 million.
Enrollment has jumped from 1,200 to nearly 9,000 students in recent years, highlighting the critical need for skilled workers in aviation and advanced manufacturing.