District III Newsletter from the 
Office of Community Services
  
March 18, 2016
Let Us Know What You Think....

The City has developed a preliminary 2016-17 spending plan,  it is available for public comment from March 16, 2016 through April 15, 2016. Comments may be made in writing and mailed/delivered to Housing and Community Services Department, 332 N. Riverview, Wichita, KS 67203 or electronically to LLank@wichita.gov . Oral comments may be made at the May 3rd City Council meeting which begins at 9:00 am. The meeting is held at City Hall, 455 N. Main, in the Council Chambers.
View the preliminary 2016-2017 Third Program Year Action Plan   click here .
Stormwater ERU Updates
 
The Stormwater Utility is tasked with protecting property by providing adequate drainage and flood control within the City, as well as reducing the amount of pollutants  that make it to waterways via runoff. Customers are charged an ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit) for stormwater services, regardless of whether the property has water and/or sewer service. An ERU is equal to 2,139 sqf. Residential properties are charged one ERU and commercial properties are charged per every 2,139 sqf of impervious area the site has. 
 
Due to ongoing property development, Stormwater staff uses aerial photography to ensure that commercial properties are being charged correctly for the amount of impervious area the site has. This means that some commercial properties may see a change in the number of ERUs billed, if any development has occurred or changes have been made to the property. This is an ongoing activity performed by staff. The ERU rate helps fund the drainage system throughout all of Wichita. 
Wichita Transit is Offering Free Fare Week...March 26 - April 2

Get to know the City of Wichita Transit's new routes by trying the bus during Free Fare Week... March 26 - April 2!  Consider taking your staff on a "mini-retreat" or your next family's adventure on the bus!  To learn more about the new routes, visit the City of Wichita Transit website!



FLY NONSTOP TO ORLANDO MAY 25
 
Allegiant Air will begin nonstop service from Wichita to Orlando Sanford International Airport starting May 25.  The service will be operated twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays and run through August 13.  Allegiant will use a mix of MD80 aircraft with 166 seats, and Airbus 320 aircraft with 177 seats to operate the service. 
 
Wichita travelers can take advantage of everyday low fares when they book air, hotel and car reservations together.  Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found only at  Allegiant.com .
 
"We are thrilled that Allegiant will offer nonstop service to this popular destination," said Valerie Wise, Air Service and Business Development Manager. "Families traveling to Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, or other attractions will enjoy the nonstop flight and the convenience of the Orlando Sanford International Airport, which provides a simpler, faster and better airport experience for visitors to Central Florida.  It is conveniently located midway between Orlando's world class attractions and Daytona Beach.  And with the hotel, attraction and flight packages Allegiant offers, families can afford a much-needed vacation."

Upkeep of City Bridges above Average
 
City-owned bridges have been in the spotlight recently with repeated media coverage of possible earthquake damage and KSN's recently aired special report, "Crumbling Kansas Bridges."  A recent biennial inspection of the City's 278 bridges resulted in an average sufficiency rating of 82.6 on a 0-100 scale.  Sufficiency ratings provide an initial idea of a bridge's overall condition.  The inspection identified five City-owned bridges as structurally deficient, two of which are due to deteriorating conditions, while the remaining three are because of current load ratings.  The two bridges with structural deficiencies are currently under design for construction or rehabilitation over the next 2-3 years.  With just 1.8% of its total inventory falling into the structurally deficient category, Wichita is well below the state and national rates of 9.6% and 10%, respectively.



 
 
S poofing is when a spammer sends out emails using your email address in the From: field. The idea is to make it seem like the message is from you - in order to trick people into opening it.
 
Most of us know spam when we see it, but seeing a strange email from a friend-or worse, from ourselves-in our inbox is pretty disconcerting. If you've seen an email that looks like it's from a friend, it doesn't mean they've been hacked. Spammers spoof addresses all the time, and it's not hard to do.  Today's data thieves choose their targets carefully, and phish them with messages that look like they came from friends, trustworthy sources, or even their own account. It turns out that spoofing real email addresses is surprisingly easy, and part of why phishing is such a problem. Even with the City's tools a few of these still get through.**
 
How to View an E-mail header to determine if an e-mail is not from the actual sender.
In Outlook: Double-click the message and open it in a new window. Click File > Info > Properties. The header is displayed under "Internet Headers."  There is a lot of information to look through which is why this part of the e-mail is hidden from view but it's available to us for diagnostics.

Look for the following entries:  From, X-Sender, Reply-To, and To.  If you see something suspicious in these entries you may decide that the email is spam/phishing/malware of some sort and should just be deleted.


Water Conservation Rebate Program
 
The City dedicated another $100,000 to the Water Conservation Program this year. Beginning February 1, water customers became eligible to receive a rebate for switching to high efficiency appliances and other water efficient devices: such as HE washing machines, dishwashers, toilets and smart irrigation controls, rain sensors and rain barrels. In the first 30 days of the program, nearly $30,000 in rebates have been awarded.
 
Rain barrels are often an overlooked possibility for conserving water. Studies suggest that one inch of rain dumps 500 gallons of water on the roof of a 2,000 square foot house. EPA estimates that a rain barrel can save nearly 1,300 gallons of water usage during peak summer months. This is a cost effective solution for gardening and irrigation and also reduces the City's demand for treated water.

AARP Tax-Aide helps low- and middle-income taxpayers file their personal income tax returns. Volunteers are trained to assist in filing the 1040 tax form and basic schedules. Taxpayers with complex tax returns are advised to seek paid tax assistance. Electronic filing (e-filing) is offered. E-filing ensures a more accurate tax return and faster processing of tax refunds.
 
Stop by Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center located at 2820 S Roosevelt or  call 303-8028 to schedule appointment.
 
Deadline to file Taxes is April 18, 2016

The 8th Annual Young Artists' Exhibit at the Wichita Public Library
Starting April 1st, the Wichita Public Library will display artwork created by hundreds of local preschool students. This is the 8th year the Library has hosted this unique exhibit. It occurs surrounding the Week of the Young Child, April 10 - 16, a national celebration of early learning, young children, their teachers and families.

The Wichita Public Library has partnered with early childhood programs across Wichita to challenge our City's youngest artists, ages 0-6, to create artwork based on books. 

Throughout the month of April, the Young Artist Exhibit can be seen at the Central Library and 5 library branches: Maya Angelou Northeast, Lionel D. Alford, Evergreen, Ford Rockwell, and Westlink.

Artist Receptions will be held at each of those locations for the artists and their families to enjoy a story time and mingle with fellow artists. The public is welcome to attend. 

The full schedule of the receptions and more information can be found at the Wichita Public Library's website www.wichitalibrary.org

Sign up for the Wichita Public Library's new newsletter! You will be emailed about every other week with the latest releases, events and library news.  Click here to sign up!
 
 

 
Remember to be cautious with all open burning, including fire pits and outdoor fireplaces. Be sure to fully extinguish Cigarettes.  
Fire Department Safety firemen_group_portrait.jpg
 
WFD is taking applications for the next Citizen's Fire Academy which starts in April.  If you would please share our Facebook &/or Twitter post on your pages to get the word out it would be greatly appreciated. More information and the online registration available by clicking the link below:


 Looking for things to do in Wichita?Click Here for a variety of things to do! 

Wichita First Friday Events
Kick Off Spring on the Green! Provide a work experience  opportunity for a youth!
 
The 2016 Jobs FORE Youth Golf tournament will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at Auburn Hills Golf Course in Wichita.

This will be the 4th fundraising golf tournament for  Jobs FORE Youth.  Last year, they raised approximately $10,000 to support Youth Work Experience and Internships.  They want to exceed last year's amount, and need sponsors and/or team registrations for the tournament.   

The tournament will begin with lunch at 11:30 a.m. and tee off at 12:30.  Awards are anticipated to begin at 5:00 p.m.   The cost to register a team of 4 is $360, and includes 18 hole green fees, cart, lunch, participant gift and unlimited warm up at the driving range.  Individual Registration is available as well for $95 per person. The registration deadline is  April 20 th , so get this on your calendar now and plan to register early to ensure that your team is in the running!

All funds raised from this event will go to support work experiences and summer jobs for youth!

   Details and registration
Sign up now for classes at City Arts by

Check out what's happening at the Library by
clicking here!

Seeking resources but unsure where to turn or what is available?  Stop by Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center located at 2820 S. Roosevelt in the Planeview Neighborhood or call 316 303-8028. Onsite staff can provide you with resources to help you overcome certain obstacles.   

Click here  to find up-to-date information regarding street maintenance in your area.

Resume building, resume reviews, job search tools and 1-on-1 assistance is available at Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center  Please call 303-8028 for more information 

Need to complete an Application, Review, Interim Report or Report a Change? Stop by Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center to see the on-site benefit worker or call 303-8082   
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
 

District III Advisory Board and Neighborhood Associations
The District III Advisory Board meets the first Wednesday of the month at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. For a listing of the 2016 meeting schedule, click here.
  
To find  DAB III agendas and minutes click here
  
 
More Helpful Information and Links
City Council Agendas, Minutes and streaming video link
  

Environmental Court dockets and dispositions
    
  
Click here to view content  
Don't be Left in the Dark
Help deter crime and keep our communities safe by reporting street light outages.  If you notice outages within your neighborhood, fill out this  simple form on Westar Energy's website.
 
 
Find out about Parks and Recreation Winter Classes by clicking here!

Join the District III Facebook Page
Please join us on the District III Facebook page to get news and updates about your community. You can join HERE! Or by searching for Wichita District III on Facebook. 
Stay up-to-date on City events, announcements and headlines by reading our daily News Releases
Become part  of the solution and tell us what's on your mind. Visit Activate Wichita today!

Have questions or concerns? E-mail Jclendenin@wichita.gov  or call 316-268-4331
City of Wichita, Office of Community Services | 316-303-8030 |
2820 S. Roosevelt
Wichita, KS 67210