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City of Wichita District V Newsletter |
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A Message from Council Member
Bryan Frye...
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Hard to believe it was a year ago that I was elected to serve District 5 as your city councilperson. So much has happened since and yet it still feels like it was just yesterday I was knocking on doors. I'm very honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve this city.
Some major highlights in the last year include:
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Photo Courtesy of The Wichita Eagle |
- Wichita Eisenhower Airport opens to rave reviews and record setting numbers;
- West Wichita's first splash pad is under construction at Buffalo Park;
- Pracht Wetlands Park is approved for 29th & Maize Road;
- New commercial and residential projects are underway across the city;
- A state of the art Advanced Learning Library is approved to replace the Central Branch;
- Downtown continues to surge with remodels, renovations and new construction;
- Significant additional dollars are dedicated for residential streets & pavement preservation;
- Kellogg freeway improvements on both sides of town;
- Transit ridership grew for first time since 2011;
- Outfitting every Wichita Police field officer with a body camera;
- And last, but not least, Gordon Ramsay is hired as Wichita's new Chief of Police. (More on this later in the article)
Whew, that's quite a list! And there's so much I didn't include. It's been a tremendous, fulfilling first year. From the Mayor to the rest of the council to all the employees at City Hall, we're working every day to serve you in so many ways. Please stay connected and let us know how we're doing.
Don't forget to join me at the District 5 Breakfast on Saturday, April 16 at the Security First
Title hospitality room, 3515 N. Ridge Road, Ste. 100. Chief Gordon Ramsay is our featured guest and we'll have Chris Cakes serving up a complimentary fresh breakfast of pancakes and sausage. To RSVP, please call 316-352-4886 or email [email protected].
Have a great weekend!
Bryan Frye
District V City Council Member
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Save the Date and Join Us for Breakfast!
Council Member Bryan Frye invites the District V community to a complimentary breakfast to meet and welcome Wichita's new Police Chief, Gordon Ramsey.
Please call 316-352-4886 or email [email protected] to RSVP.
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Walk Kansas Kick-Off at Farmers Market
Spring has sprung and that means the Kansas-grown Farmers Market at 21st Street and Ridge Road will be opening soon!
Kansas Trails, The Best Hiking, Biking and Riding in the Sunflower State,
will be featured at the opening day of the Kansas-grown Farmers Market, on Saturday April 2, 8am to noon. The author, Jonathan Conard, wrote about great places he researched throughout Kansas.
And this is also the kickoff for Walk Kansas, April 3 and May 28. Form a 6-person team online at www.walkkansas.org to walk for fun, safety and health in Wichita neighborhoods and parks. Check the Bike Walk Wichita website at www.Bikewalkwichita.org
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City of Wichita
Street Lighting
I know most of you have seen this link in our Newsletter, but here's the rest of the story...
There are more than 25,000 street lights in the Wichita area, a majority of which are maintained through a lease agreement with Westar Energy. Of these 25,000, less than 2,300 are city-owned street lights which require inspection and maintenance by City staff.
City-owned lights are primarily found along frontage roads, within the downtown corridor, and at or beneath bridges. City staff inspects all of the city-owned street lights on a monthly basis and initiates maintenance activities when these lights are burned out, vandalized or malfunctioning. Westar Energy maintains the leased street lights and dictates the maintenance and repair schedule of these lights. Citizens can report street light outages via the Westar website.
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.
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Wichita District V Facebook Page
Stay up-to-date with news and events in our District.
Click here to visit our Facebook page. Send us a message or request or simply "like" our posts.
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Mayor Urges Community to Take Action on Ozone
With the annual ozone season starting on Friday, Mayor Jeff Longwell said new federal guidelines designed to protect air quality will require citizens and businesses to work together to develop action plans, reduce emissions, and avoid millions in federal penalties.
High ozone levels especially affect the health of sensitive groups including youth, asthmatics, seniors, and those with chronic respiratory disease. There are nearly 300,000 people residing in South Central Kansas who may be sensitive to elevated ozone levels.
"It's important for citizens to help reduce emissions and for businesses to collaborate with local government and other regional stakeholders on ozone action plans," Longwell said on Thursday morning during his weekly news briefing at City Hall. He added that exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) - which is set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - could result in increased regulations and cost the region tens of millions of dollars.
Local and regional air quality officials are educating residents and engaging stakeholders on the effort to reduce ozone-forming emissions across South Central Kansas. Officials are assisting with developing ozone action plans in Sedgwick, Sumner, Harvey and Butler counties, said Baylee Cunningham, the City's Air Quality Specialist.
"Plans will produce measurable outcomes that will be reported to the EPA," Cunningham said. "Reducing emissions will help maintain compliance with the new standard and with getting the region back into compliance should the area have a high ozone season."
During the ozone season, which runs April 1 through Oct. 31, the City of Wichita's Air Quality Division monitors and predicts high ozone days for South Central Kansas. Ozone alerts will be issued on electronic message boards along strategic commuter routes and via social media when high ozone days are expected. When ozone alerts are issued, City officials will adjust local government operations and ask residents and businesses to change daily habits that affect ozone levels. Actions that can reduce ozone-forming emissions on Ozone Alert days include:
- Using Wichita Transit or other public transportation;
- Carpooling;
- Reducing energy use;
- Reducing idling time at drive-thru restaurants, pharmacies, banks and railroad crossings;
- Postponing errands, mowing, painting and solvent use until after 6PM and;
- Fueling up after the sun goes down instead of earlier in the day.
To develop and implement an Ozone Action Plan, Please contact Baylee Cunningham at 268-8351 or [email protected].
The community will be advised of Ozone Alert Days through the City's Facebook page; local media outlets; the City's web site (www.wichita.gov), Cox Cable Channel 7; the Intelligent Transportation System message boards located along major highways; Ozone Alert emails (sign up at www.wichita.gov/ozone) and by following beairawareks on Twitter and Instagram.
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15th ANNUAL
TREE FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 2nd
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sponsored by Sedgwick County Extension Master
Gardener Volunteers
and K-State Research & Extension - Sedgwick County
Trees are an investment in our landscape, for both financial and aesthetic reasons, and choosing, planting, and maintaining the best trees for our local conditions is important. Tree Fest will feature information on choosing, planting and maintaining trees that provide an important element for our quality of life and that are well-suited for our area of Kansas.
Tree care professionals will be on hand at the 2016 Tree Festival to share their advice on these topics, and more, on Saturday, April 2nd at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center located at 21st and Ridge Road north in Wichita.
Seminars include appropriate topics for both the homeowner and commercial audience. Plant vendors from around the region will have unique trees an plants for sale. Admission is FREE. Click on the link below for more information.
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DOWNTOWN CLEANUP
April 9th - 9:00 am
Location: Wichita Downtown Development - 505 E. Douglas
Phone: 316-264-6005
Join the WDDC and City of Wichita Park and Recreation Department and Public Works, to help keep Downtown beautiful at Downtown Clean Up on April 9!
Cleanup projects include, painting the Douglas underpass, curb and parking stall painting, sidewalk sweeping, landscaping at Naftzger Park, landscaping at A. Price Woodard Park, graffiti and sticker removal, and trash pick-up.
If you plan to attend, please register with your choice of task by Wednesday, April 6 to [email protected] or 316-264-6005. Choice of CleanUp task will be on a first come, first serve basis when registering. All other volunteers will be responsible for trash pick-up. Register now to get your choice of project!
Please wear work clothes and bring work gloves if you have them. In the event of rain, the Downtown CleanUp will be postponed for a later date. If applicable, cancellation notification will be provided via email, Facebook and Twitter. A full event schedule will be sent to volunteers prior to Downtown CleanUp.
Tentative event schedule:
9am-9:30am - Check-in at WDDC at 505 E. Douglas
9:30am-11:45am - Volunteers work on tasks
12pm - Lunch
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Wichita Public Library seeks Community Input to Improve Technology Resources
Starting April 1st, the Wichita Public Library will be conducting an online survey to collect information about how people in the community use and benefit from public technology resources and services.
This information will help the Library evaluate its current services to enable better outcomes and to determine the value of public access technology and services. The Impact Survey collects data across the following domains: general use of library and online resources, education, employment, entrepreneurship, health & wellness, eGovernment, civic engagement, eCommerce, and social inclusion.
Customers will access the online survey through computer workstations at the Library as well as at the Library's website www.wichitalibrary.org. The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and is available in English and Spanish.
The Impact Survey is the result of a successful research initiative from the University of Washington with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To learn more about the research behind the survey, the logistics of running the survey, and what the patron experience is like, please visit http://impactsurvey.org or call (206) 543-4324.
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Young Artist Exhibit 2016
Starting Friday, April 1, 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.
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 storytime and mingle with fellow artists. The public is invited!
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Buying or Selling Online?
Learn how to search, post, bid and reply to posts safely on online auctions sites like eBay and Craigslist in this free, demonstration-style class.
Tuesday, April 12, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Westlink Branch Library
8515 Bekemeyer
Participants must have basic keyboard and mouse skills.
Registration is required; call 337-9456 or register online at www.wichitalibrary.org.
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FIRE CAMP IS COMING SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016
WHERE IS FIRE CAMP?
Wichita South High School (NE corner of campus) - 701 W. 33rd Street South, Wichita, Kansas
WHAT IS FIRE CAMP?
Fire camp is a one day camp giving a hands-on experience for youth into the world of firefighting.
You will have an opportunity to participate in hands-on activity stations that will give you a real feel for whether this career is the right one or you.
The stations are lead by real firefighters from multiple fire departments in our local area.
ACTIVITY STATIONS:
Search Maze, Water Rescue, High Angle Repelling, Hose Pull/Firefighter Hose Line Battle, Medical, Bucket Brigade,
Search & Rescue, Bunker Gear Race, Haz Mat Station, Combat Challenge, and more coming this year!
WHO IS IT FOR?
SPONSORS & FIREFIGHTERS
FIREFIGHTERS - Interested in helping at camp? Call us at (316) 648-3662.
POTENTIAL SPONSORS - We welcome businesses and private sponsors to join us in our effort to serve our community.
We are a non-profit organization. Call (316) 648-0563 to see how you can help us!
PLAN FOR AN INCREDIBLE, FUN-FILLED DAY!
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE:
8:00 Check In and Opening Ceremonies
9:00 - 12:10 Firefighter Station Activities
12:10 - 12:40 Lunch will be provided
12:50 - 4:00 Firefighter Station Activities
4:15 - 4:30 Closing
(10 minute breaks between stations)
Items to bring:
___Sunscreen ___Jacket or sweatshirt (Depending on the weather)
___Medications ___Change of Clothes
___Hat ___Tennis Shoes (NO open toe shoes or sandals)
___Towel ___Bug Spray
___Water Bottle ___Positive Attitude
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Submit Your Project Ideas
to Make Wichita
Even Better
Share your ideas for projects to make Wichita even better. Together Wichita is accepting ideas for projects that make a noticeable difference to those who chose Wichita as a place to live, work, play or visit.
Previous Together Wichita projects include the K-96 Path wayfinding improvements and the Keepers on Parade. Check out the
Together Wichita webpage
for more information.
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Life Happens Here!
From year-round to seasonal events, Downtown is the preferred location for Wichita to celebrate throughout the year. A variety of events cater to the diverse interests of Wichita residents and many visitors from Kansas and throughout the regional area.
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JOBS are here in Wichita!
The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce is proud to offer a job board with local, Wichita area, jobs only! A free service for job seekers, it will save you the time of searching through dozens of jobs outside of the area. Create a free account here
and you will be automatically signed up for all Wichita area updates and can customize the search further if you wish.
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Check out the latest information on job fairs and training courses. Click here.
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Kellogg/I235 Updates
Stay up-to-date with construction of the improvements to the Kellogg/I235 interchange. KDOT has established and is maintaining a website to keep citizens informed.
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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.
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Find out about spring
Park and Recreation classes
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| Westlink Branch Library
8515 Bekemeyer
Southwest of Central and Maize
1011 N. Maize Ct. |
District V Advisory Board and Neighborhood Associations
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The District V Advisory Board meets the first Monday of the month at Fire Station #21 at 2110 N. 135th St W. Wichita, KS 672235. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. For the 2015/16 meeting schedule, click
here.
To find DAB V agendas and minutes click
here.
To see a listing of the meeting schedule for District V's neighborhood associations, click
here
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Become part of the solution and tell us what's on your mind. Visit Activate Wichita today!
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Click here to find up-to-date
information regarding street
maintenance in your area.
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Stay up-to-date on City events, announcements and headlines by reading our daily News Releases
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City Manager's Office
455 N. Main, 13 Floor
Wichita, KS 67202
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