County improvements coming your way in 2025

There are many exciting updates happening all over Johnson County! Here are some of the major projects coming up and some updates on current projects from several Johnson County Government departments.

Sunflower Fire Station

Rendering of Sunflower Fire Station building with three garage doors

Construction kicked off in June 2024 for the Sunflower Fire Station, located south of De Soto off Lexington Avenue near 102nd Street. The nine-acre site, donated by the Sunflower Redevelopment Group, is just north of the Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery Facility currently under construction.

The new 19,355-square-foot station will house personnel from the Northwest Consolidated Fire District and Johnson County MED-ACT. The site will have 40 parking spaces, 10 responder bunks and four vehicle apparatus bays. Additional features will include a community room, office spaces and a kitchen. Johnson County allocated $7.5 million to build the station as part of a $15 million infrastructure improvement plan in the area.

A roadway created for access to the facility presented some challenges because of the terrain, but the project remains on time with substantial construction expected to be complete by late 2025.

MED-ACT Station 1156

Rendering of Olathe MED-ACT station garage doors and courtyard

Work has begun on the new MED-ACT facility in Olathe, located south of Spruce Street on Monroe Street. This facility will help improve coverage response times in this area of western Olathe. The station will house one 24-hour ambulance with additional bay space for future MED-ACT operational needs.

Construction began in early October and will continue into January 2025. The project remains on time and on budget. Refer to bit.ly/Med-Act-Station-1156 for monthly updates on this project.

Health Services Building

Rendering of new Health Services Building front circle drive and glass entrance

Preparation for the new Health Services Building is now in the planning stage, but work begins on the site in early 2025. The new building has an estimated budget of $113.5 million and will house the Johnson County Mental Health Center and the Department of Health and Environment under one roof. It also will contain a commercial kitchen to support the Department of Aging and Human Services’ nutrition program. Having all these programs housed together will allow for greater collaboration between departments and more integrated services for Johnson County residents.

The health facility will be approximately 135,000 square feet and built in the county-owned Sunset Drive campus at 119th Street and Ridgeview Road in Olathe. It will replace the Johnson County Mental Health facility at 1125 W. Spruce St., Olathe, and the existing Health Services Building at 11875 S. Sunset Drive, Olathe. The building will be built southwest of the current Health Services Building.

Moving into the new building will occur in phases  through 2027, and demolition of the old HSB is slated for 2027.

Mid-America West Sports Complex Upgrades

Mid-America West Sports Complex fields under renovation

Following the completion of three phases of renovations at the Mid-America Sports Complex between 2020 and 2023, improvements recently began at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s other nearby facility, the Mid-America West Sports Complex. MAWSC improvements are being made over two years and will include a new entry gate and Fan Zone building, restrooms and concessions, LED sports field lighting, conversion of 12 softball fields to synthetic playing surfaces, and warm-up and batting cages.

Spectator improvements include re-configured parking, shade structures, a playground, pedestrian lighting, improved walkways, drainage, and landscaping. Phase one will be completed in time for tournament play in April 2025, and will be followed by a second phase running from August 2025 to April 2026. Phase one addresses the two fields closest to the entry gate and the four fields closest to Johnson Drive. The remaining six fields will be completed in the second phase.

JCPRD’s Theatre in the Park Improvements

Rendering of new building at Theatre in the Park facility

In preparation for its 2025 season, major improvements got underway in August at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s Theatre in the Park outdoor facility in Shawnee Mission Park. The theatre’s northernmost restroom structure was demolished to make room for a new accessible restroom facility to be located on the north side of the TIP complex. Other improvements will address parking, pedestrian paths, and a variety of additional accessibility improvements.

This is the first major improvement project at TIP since dressing rooms were redone in 2014. In 2023, JCPRD accepted $2 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements at TIP. Keep an eye on the project page at JCPRD.com/2028/Theatre-in-the-Park-ADAImprovements as updates are posted throughout construction. The theatre’s 2025 outdoor summer productions get underway on May 30 with “James and the Giant Peach.” For more on TIP’s upcoming season, visit theatreinthepark.org.

Heritage Park Lake Improvements

Heritage Park Lake view along the shoreline

Heritage Park Lake in Olathe is in the rain-dependent process of refilling with water again following the substantial completion late this summer of more than a year’s worth of improvements. The project involved dredging sediment and earthen materials from the lake, as well as from about 1,500 feet of stream at the lake’s north end.

The improvements also included removal of Black Bob Island to increase the lake’s overall storage capacity, addition of deep water fish refuge areas, and the construction of a 10-acre sediment forebay and wetland area in the upper third of the lake to improve water quality within the lake.

When the lake initially opened in 1980, it had an estimated water storage capacity of 272 acre-feet. Before renovations began in June of 2023, silt had diminished that to 130 acre-feet, but with the project complete, the storage capacity has been increased to 305 acre-feet.

More excitement ahead for Johnson County!

In addition to all of these county projects completed this year or on tap for next year, Johnson County has some other excitement just around the horizon.

 

To kick off the year in 2025, we will swear in our newly elected officials. As the first quarter continues, the Board of County Commissioners will start working on its new list of priorities to help navigate the organization through the next two years.

 

Excitement across the county and region will continue to build next year as the Panasonic Energy plant in De Soto approaches its opening day. Note some of these numbers:

  • 4.7 million square-foot facility will be the biggest EV battery plant in the world.
  • $4 billion dollar investment.
  • Will employ 4,000 people and create another 4,000 jobs for supporting suppliers and businesses.

Panasonic Energy broke ground In Nov. 2022 and since then it has led to other new businesses, new housing projects, infrastructure improvements and many layers of collaboration…creating lasting benefit for our county.

 

Planning for the world’s biggest-ever sporting event will continue into 2025 as Johnson County joins the entire metro in preparing for the FIFA World Cup™ coming to Kansas City in 2026. Excitement is growing for the opportunity to showcase Johnson County, along with the rest of our region, on the world stage. Together, we are making plans to “wow” visitors and residents alike, striving to create engagement opportunities, plus legacy improvements that will benefit our community into the future.

 

Board Chairman Mike Kelly serves on the KC2026 Board of Directors, and he and his colleagues have been hard at work on plans for a successful event. County staff have formed committees and will continue to work on issues such as security, transportation, infrastructure, communication and community outreach and more.

Merriam Plaza Library

Front entrance and walkway of Merriam Plaza Library

Johnson County Library’s newest location, Merriam Plaza Library (6120 Slater St., Merriam), opened in March 2024. Merriam Plaza replaced Antioch Library, which opened in 1956 as Johnson County’s first official Library branch. The 15,000 sq. ft facility was built with community input and features colorful public art, an eco-friendly green roof, and a new drive-thru window for holds pickup.

The meeting room pays tribute to the Webb Family, Merriam residents whose 1949 lawsuit to desegregate local schools laid the groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education. Merriam Plaza Library received silver LEED certification this fall, recognizing Johnson County’s commitment to sustainability in building design, construction, and operation.

De Soto and Spring Hill Libraries Updates

Front entrances of De Soto and Spring Hill libraries

De Soto and Spring Hill Libraries will receive much-anticipated updates beginning in the second half of 2025, and anticipated to complete in 2026. A 2022 conceptual design study and community survey indicated a need for modernization at the two facilities, which have not seen major renovations since they opened in 1982.

In 2023, the Library Board and Board of County Commissioners approved budgets for renovation work, which would replace building systems, refresh collection layouts, and provide for more community meetings spaces and modern technology. Library staff continue to work closely with professional staff from the cities of De Soto and Spring Hill to balance the more immediate needs of their residents with each city’s long-term development plans.