District II Newsletter
from the
Office of Community Services
|
|
A Message from Council Member
Pete Meitzner...
|
2016 is off to a roaring start. I have been honored to be a part of numerous new business openings and remodels. There is a spirit of investment and job growth happening in our city and in District II.
The City of Wichita's paved street network is comprised of more than 5,000 lane-miles of residential, collector and arterial streets and expressways, representing a total paved area in excess of 322 million square feet. In order to cost effectively maintain this vast network of assets, the City supplements the critical preventive, corrective and emergency maintenance efforts of its internal staff by leveraging the resources and expertise of private contractors. Each year outsourced pavement maintenance efforts are proposed and submitted for approval in the Outsourced Pavement Preservation Program (OP3).
At a recent City Council meeting, we approved a very thorough street maintenance program. After careful evaluation of best practices, best materials, and most efficient uses of our tax money, the OP3 plan was unanimously approved.
It is important to realize there is a big difference in materials and costs when evaluating concrete roads (many miles built years ago) versus asphalt roads (which are primarily our arterial main roads). Also consideration to storm water run-off, and other infrastructure is important to evaluate.
The complete list of roads in District II that are scheduled for repair and resurfacing during the coming year can be found
here. To view the full report which details the evaluation process and materials used in various road maintenance projects throughout the City, follow this
link.
Don't forget that Wichita Restaurant Week kicks off Jan. 22 and runs through Jan. 31. It's a benefit fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas. Wichita has a long history of entrepreneurship and the restaurant industry is big part of our City's success. I want to thank the sponsors and Visit Wichita for embracing and promoting this celebration, and I encourage you all to enjoy a lunch or dinner at any of
these restaurants... and don't forget to thank them for being a part of our city.
I look forward to the balance of 2016, and hope it will be as successful as January has been so far.
Pete Meitzner
Wichita City Council
District II Council Member
Ph: 316.268.4331
|
District II
Breakfast
Join Council Member Pete Meitzner and Mayor Jeff Longwell
for breakfast!
All are invited!
When: Saturday, Feb. 6, at 8:30 a.m.
Where: The Regent
2050 N. Webb Rd
Wichita, KS 67206
|
INTRUST BANK ARENA RANKED AS 35th BUSIEST
ARENA IN THE U.S. IN
YEAR-END RANKINGS
The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena finished as the 35th busiest arena in the United States and 73rd in the world in Pollstar Magazine's 2015 Year-End Top 200 Arena Rankings. Rankings are based on tickets sold worldwide for shows played between 1/1/15 and 12/31/15.
"2015 was an incredible year for INTRUST Bank Arena," said A.J. Boleski, SMG General Manager.
"In addition to celebrating the milestone of our 5th Anniversary which included a 5th Anniversary Concert Series, we successfully hosted our first ever rap and hip hop concert in conjunction with Power 93.5 featuring Lil Wayne and our first ever pop concert featuring Ariana Grande. Rounding out the year with six record-breaking Garth Brooks concerts was the perfect ending to this landmark year. We are extremely appreciative of the continual support from the entire community as we strive to bring a diverse lineup of events to our state-of-the-art facility."
Additionally, INTRUST Bank Arena has hosted 13 of the Top 100 Tours, including Foo Fighters, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, Ariana Grande, Garth Brooks, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Cirque du Soleil, Winter Jam, The Harlem Globetrotters and Trans-Siberian Orchestra
.
Upcoming events at INTRUST Bank Arena include Monster Jam (Jan. 15-16), PBR (Jan. 30), The Harlem Globetrotters (Feb. 6), Barry Manilow (Feb. 19), Brad Paisley (Feb. 25) and more. For a full list of upcoming events, please visit
www.intrustbankarena.com
|
$1 Million Gift from
Naftzger Fund
for Fine Arts
The Wichita Public Library Foundation announced a $1 million gift from the Naftzger Fund for Fine Arts as part of its "Margin of Excellence Campaign" to build Wichita's proposed new Advanced Learning Library.
"The Naftzger family has a history of supporting community projects," said Wichita Public Library Foundation Chairman Don Barry. "We are grateful that Caesar and Michelle Naftzger are making this substantial investment in Wichita's new Advanced Learning Library. Their commitment to building an ever greater more vibrant Wichita community cannot be overstated. They believe in this great city."
"The Wichita Public Library is one of our city's most treasured assets," said Caesar Naftzger. "Libraries continue to play important roles in supporting lifelong learning and engagement with art, music and literature. This gift will contribute to the modernization program and will ensure that our community is well served by its public library for decades to come. We are pleased to play a small role in making the Advanced Learning Library a reality."
Caesar Naftzger is the son of the late John and Elsie Naftzger of Wichita. He is the President/Owner of Riedl First Securities Company of Kansas. The Naftzger Fund for Fine Arts was established by Caesar's grandfather, M.C. Naftzger, in 1956 and is managed by Southwest National Bank as Trustee. Caesar and his wife, Michelle, have two children.
The Naftzger Family has a long commitment to the City of Wichita and has made generous gifts over the years for the benefit of its citizens, including: Naftzger Memorial Park located at 102 South St. Francis, a collection of Charles M. Russell works at the Wichita Art Museum, preservation of the Covey Mural from the City Carnegie Library depicting the "Spirit of Kansas" (currently displayed at the Southwest National Bank 400 E. Douglas), the Annual Naftzger Young Artists Auditions at Wichita State University and the Lee Southwell Naftzger II Scholarships at Wichita State University, Friends University and Newman University.
"This gift is a wonderful demonstration of Naftzger's commitment to the future of Wichita. The vision of this project depends on those who cherish the advancement of education, opportunity and preservation of our collective community history," said Library Campaign Chairperson, Mary Lynn Oliver.
The Advanced Learning Library Capital Campaign serves to augment the City's $30 million investment in what is being called "a community keystone project." The campaign has secured $5.5 million toward its $8 million goal.
|
Community
Needs Survey
Every three years, United Way of the Plains conducts a Community Needs Assessment to help in making funding decisions. Local nonprofit and government agencies use the information to better fulfill their missions. Via Christi Health and the Sedgwick County Health Department are also partnering in this Community Needs Assessment to help their organizations make informed decisions.
We want to hear from you. What do you see are the most pressing social and health needs of our community? Let us know by taking the survey
here. Your input will be considered along with surveys of random households and community leaders (businesses, nonprofits and government agencies).
|
Wichita Street Safety Education Initiative
The City of Wichita is working on a Street Safety Education Initiative to develop a strategy for future safety outreach efforts. The project has identified the top ten priority behaviors for the City to focus on and campaign icons. Check out the project webpage for more information.
More Info...
|
Portofino Apartments
Now Open
On January 14, the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cutting and grand opening event at Wichita's newest upscale apartments. Portofino Apartments, owned and managed by Case and Associates, are located at 12526 E. Central.
Stop by and check out this beautiful, first-class complex or visit their website for more information.
Luxury living is in the details!
|
Ribbon Cutting for Wichita Marriott's Fireside Grille
Before Ruffin Properties embarked on a $5 million renovation of most of the ground floor of the Wichita Marriott Hotel at 9100 Corporate Hills Drive in 2014, the hotel closed its Black Angus Grille.
With the renovation, the hotel opened a multipurpose Greatroom, a Marriott concept, which is a combination bar and restaurant and place for guests and others to simply hang out. Since then, the former Black Angus space has been used for private events.
"We felt like it was underutilized," says general manager Michelle Ruffin-Stein.
She says the Black Angus had a loyal following with locals who just missed the steakhouse concept. Ruffin-Stein has decided to now open Fireside Grille in its place.
She expects that like with the previous restaurant, Fireside will attract an equal mix of locals and guests who are staying at the 11-story, 294-room hotel. The steakhouse menu will feature steaks from Creekstone Farms along with seafood and other dishes.
There's also an official Marriott bourbon program that Fireside will offer that features flights so guests can try multiple bourbons. The 1,100-square-foot space is an intimate setting with not quite 50 seats.
Fireside will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
|
Wichita Sports Forum
Grand Opening
The Wichita Sports Forum, Wichita's only premier multi-sport facility and extreme air sports trampoline park held a grand opening celebration on Friday, Jan. 15. The $14 million facility expects to draw 350,000 visitors a year.
The facility has six basketball courts which convert into ten volleyball courts. There are also six sand volleyball courts where beach volleyball matches won't get rained out. There's a full-size soccer field, eight batting cages, a weight room and more. Besides all that, there's a trampoline park called "Aviate" based on the Wichita aviation industry theme.
Spectators will have the luxury of watching their favorite athlete from atop two mezzanine-level viewing decks totaling over 6,150 square feet. In addition, an 18,500 square-foot Extreme Air Sports Trampoline Park will round out the total athletic / entertainment experience.
General Manager, Matt Baty, says the facility is already filling up on week nights with numerous teams practicing in the new facility. He says there are typically 1,200 kids and adults a night on the courts.
"Bringing a facility of this kind into Wichita is a destination-type facility. With the trampoline park, now when a team in Des Moines or Kansas City is looking to come down to Wichita, they don't second guess that anymore."
"We believe we can bring world class events into Wichita, Kansas based on the facility that we have," he said.
The weekends are booked through September with various sports tournaments.
|
Wichita Restaurant Week starts
Jan. 22,
offers three-course specials
The third Wichita Restaurant Week, a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of South Central Kansas, invites diners to visit a list of 25 local restaurants. At ea
ch one, they'll find special menus, most offering three-course meals for a single price. The meals range from $9 for lunch at Molino's to $35 for dinner at Wine Dive.
More info...
|
Networking at Noon
Noon to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 26
GLMV Architecture (1525 E. Douglas)
The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce is bringing back
this popular networking event in 2016!
Designed with their members' busy schedules in mind, you can stop in for
a bite to eat and an hour of making contacts before heading to afternoon appointments. Cost to attend this members-only event is $10.
|
|
Wichita Film Series Returns for 30th Year: Library Presents Academy Award® Shorts
This year marks the 30th year the Wichita Public Library will screen Academy Award short subject films, free and open to the public. Since 1986 the Library has annually previewed the short films nominated in the animated, live action and documentary categories. Wichita is one of the first in the nation to provide a way for the community to see these films. The Library will provide opportunities at various times, dates and locations for people to see the films in advance of the live televised broadcast of the Academy Awards on Sunday, February 28. Screenings of the films in all shorts categories will happen on Saturday, February 20 at the Orpheum and also on Saturday, February 27 at the 21st Street Warren Theatre, both starting at 10:00 a.m. Between February 21 and 25, the Library will host 6 other screenings at the Central Library and four of its branch libraries. To qualify as a short subject for Academy Award consideration, films must be less than 40 minutes in running time (including all credits). Shorts are typically not rated and may not be suitable for all audiences. Some nominated films may not be available for screening due to rights limitations. The full schedule of Academy Award screenings can be found on the Library's event calendar at www.wichitalibrary.org.
All Categories:
- 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 20, Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway Ave.
- 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 27, Warren Theatre, 9150 W. 21st St.
Documentary Category:
- 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24, Central Library, 223 S. Main
- 1:00 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25, Rockwell Library, 5939 E. 9th
Live-Action and Animated Categories:
- 1:15 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian
- 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23, Westlink Branch Library, 8515 Bekemeyer
- 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24, Central Library, 223 S. Main
- 4:00 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25, Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
For more information about the Wichita Public Library's Academy Award® Shorts programs, please contact the Art, Music and Video section at (316) 261-8506 or visit the Library's website, www.wichitalibrary.org.
|
Get Healthy!
The Heath & Wellness Coalition of Wichita is
now accepting registrations for the 2016 Think Tank series. Think Tank is designed to motivate wellness professionals to dig deep to uncover what success means for a worksite wellness program. Participants will network with other human resource and health promotion professionals to explore solutions for challenging issues surrounding health in the workplace.
This year's Think Tank series will be four sessions and healthy lunch is included in the cost of registration. The cost of the four-session series is $60 and individual sessions are $20. All sessions will be held in the Community Room at the Downtown YMCA located at 402 North Market. The 2016 Think Tank series will meet from 11:30am - 1:00pm on February 16, April 19, June 21, and October 18.
If you prefer to pay by check, please send the completed registration form and check to Shelley Rich at Health ICT, 1102 South Hillside, Wichita, KS 67211.
If more than one person is attending from your worksite, please make sure that each person attending registers in order to ensure an accurate count for lunch!
Registration deadline is February 9.
|
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.
|
Citizens Police Academy Accepting Applications
Applications are being accepted for the academy
that will run from February 22 to May 16, 2016.
The Citizen Police Academy (CPA) is a 13-week program designed to provide a working knowledge and background of the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, and to foster a closer relationship between the agencies and the community. It provides an avenue for community involvement and provides firsthand experience of policing.
The Academy provides an opportunity for citizens to learn more about local law enforcement, ask questions, and gain a more thorough understanding of the inner workings of the Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office. The Academy is also a means for participants and police personnel to share information and ideas about the police profession. The Academy provides for improved community/police relationships, enhanced cooperation, and reduced stereotyping.
Some of the topics and activities Academy attendees will participate in include:
- Patrol operations including riding assignments with a Wichita Police Officer or Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy.
- Overview of Investigations.
- Presentations by the Gang Unit.
- Wichita/Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Firearms Training Facility tour.
- Exploited and Missing Child Unit, Homicide and Robbery Investigations.
- Tours of the Wichita Police Department Crime Lab, Records Bureau, Sheriff's Crime Lab and the 911 Emergency Communications Center.
- Tour of the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility including an opportunity to sample jail food.
- Overview of Community Affairs and Community Policing.
- Air Section helicopter "fly-in" and presentation.
- Traffic radar demonstration.
- SWAT Team demonstration.
- Bomb Squad demonstration.
Persons interested in attending a Citizen Police Academy must live, work, or attend school within Sedgwick County. Persons must be at least 20 years of age, have no prior felony convictions and no outstanding warrants. Applicants must provide two personal references.
The Citizen Police Academy is held at the Wichita - Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Center, 2235 W. 37th St. N. There is no cost to attend the Citizen Police Academy. Click
here to fill out an application, or call 660-3810 for more information.
|
Check out the latest job fairs and training courses. Click here.
|
Kellogg & Webb Update
Southbound Webb will have left turns prohibited sometime starting in early December and last for a few weeks while Wildcat works on ATT duct near the intersection. Message boards are already giving traffic a heads up. Exact start date will be advertised once we're closer.
Click here to stay up to date on East Kellogg construction.
|
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. |
2016 Neighborhood
Clean-Up Application
Now Available
Applications must be submitted by January 25
It's time to submit applications for the 2016 Neighborhood Clean-up program. If you have never applied before, all of the information is included in the application packet. Click here to access.
|
Follow the Snow Plows Guide
You can see where the City of Wichita snow plow/treatment trucks are on a Google map. This
map can be zoomed and panned as usual to see what ever area you desire.
Each of the 50 vehicles has a dot and a flag that shows the unit ID number. The color of the dot indicates the status of the vehicle.
If the vehicle is moving an arrow will give the general direction of travel.
The map also shows where each truck has been for the last hour. The color of each trail has no significance. They are selected just to make it easier to distinguish the trail of one vehicle from another. You can turn the trails feature off by unchecking the box at the top right of the map. Next to the trail check box, you can click on the length of time for the trails to change it from one hour to 15 minutes or one day and then back to one hour.
|
|
Find out
about winter
Park & Recreation classes
by
|
Stay up-to-date on City events, announcements and headlines by reading our daily News Releases
|
|
|
Comotara Branch Library
Inside Dillons Market, 2244 N. Rock
Rockwell Branch Library 5939 E. 9th Eastview Park Just South of Coleman Middle School Boston Park 6655 E. Zimmerly St. Cottonwood Park Located just East of Boston Park W.B. Harrison Park Located East of S. Webb, just South of E. Bayley St. |
District II Advisory Board and Neighborhood Associations
|
The District II Advisory Board meets the second Monday of the month at Fire Station #20 at 2255 S. Greenwich Rd. Wichita, KS 67207. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. For the 2015 meeting schedule, click
here
The District II Breakfast occurs the first Saturday of even months. The Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. at The Regent Senior Living Residence at 2050 N. Webb Rd. (In the theater on the second floor)
To find DAB II agendas and minutes click
here
To see a listing of the meeting schedule for District II's neighborhood associations, click
here
|
|
|
Become part of the solution and tell us what's on your mind. Visit Activate Wichita today!
|
Click here to find up-to-date
information regarding street
maintenance in your area.
|
|
|
|
City Manager's Office
455 N. Main, 13 Floor
Wichita, KS 67202
|
Stay Connected
|
|
|
|
|