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City of Wichita District II Newsletter |
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A Message from Council Member
Pete Meitzner...
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The steamy days of summer are here but I'm very thankful for continued occasional rains.
Summertime also means Music Theater of Wichita (MTWichita) begins its season of Broadway-quality musicals.
Last Saturday, my wife and I took in yet another fantastic performance of the classic "Nice Work If You Can Get It". Aside from us enjoying this high-quality performance, I was reminded of the contribution that Wayne Bryan and his Board have accomplished over the years, as one of the best quality-of-life venues for our city. This organization is dedicated to stimulating and nurturing interest in musical theatre by presenting musicals that not only entertain the community, but develop theatrical artists of all ages.
MTWichita annually provides employment, training, and invaluable business contacts for over 250 talented young people who work side by side leaders in their field. While producing its musicals, Music Theatre Wichita simultaneously conducts a specialized training program, geared to helping young Midwesterners prepare for professional careers. The advantages afforded by Century II (including a paint shop and a scene shop) allow for high-quality sets and costumes to be constructed each year in Wichita. Largely because of these unique programs, MTWichita can boast young alumni onstage or backstage at almost every Broadway musical currently running, and most of the national tours.
Cities are defined by their strengths. In Wichita, aviation and manufacturing are clearly a part of our identity. A strong medical community, and a community committed to non-profits and charities of all sizes are also positive attributes. Along with those cornerstones is the reality that performing arts and entertainment is a large part of our quality of life. Each summer, MTWichita brings over 65,000 visitors to downtown Wichita. Shows at historic Orpheum, the Wichita Grand Opera and the Wichita Symphony, further enhance our identity as a destination for professional and high quality performances.
My thanks to Wayne Bryan, his Officers and Board, and all the patrons of Music Theatre Wichita. Please take a break and enjoy one of their shows, or any of the other performing arts or music venues offered in our city.
Have a safe and happy 4th!
Pete Meitzner
Wichita City Council
District II Council Member
Ph: 316.268.4331
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Road Improvements Underway for the New Southeast High School
City of Wichita staff, Sedgwick County (SG) staff, and USD 259 staff have met with numerous association boards and hosted a public information meeting in March to discuss traffic flow concerns surrounding the opening of the new Southeast High School. The following items provide an update to the March meeting:
- Signage has been installed to reduce the speed limit during school hours adjacent to Christa McAuliffe Academy
- Larger stop signs with flashers have been installed at the intersection of Pawnee and Greenwich Road
- Construction of a right turn decel lane and east/west left turn lanes have been completed at the intersection of Pawnee and Tara Fall/SE High School Drive
- Paving of 127th Street south of Pawnee to the half mile line will begin soon. The project includes a northbound left turn lane at Pawnee and a southbound decel lane into one of the school's main entrances
- Paving of 127th Street where the City project ends south to 31st Street. SG County staff has designed the improvements and will complete the paving. Project schedules are being coordinated and both projects will be completed prior to school opening
- Traffic signals are being designed for Pawnee and 127th.The intersection does not meet warrants at this time, however, the plans will be completed and the project will be ready to bid/construct when warrants are met. If a four-way stop is warranted at this time, additional stop signs will be added to create a four-way stop and will be installed with the 127th Street paving project
- Traffic signals are being designed for the intersection of Harry and 143rd. This intersection did meet the four hour warrant. Traffic counts are being studied for lane configuration. Once plans are completed, the project will be put out to bid for construction
- The speed limit on Pawnee will be lowered from 55 mph to 45 mph east of 127th Street. This will match the 45 mph that is west of 127th Street
- Improvements to Greenwich Road from Harry to Pawnee. The project was approved the District II Advisory Board in May. Construction will include a three lane roadway with improvements to the Pawnee and Greenwich intersection, including signalization. Construction for the project is scheduled for 2018
In addition to the items above, traffic counts are being studied to determine if the Harry and 127th Street intersection meets warrants for a four-way stop sign or traffic signal.
Staff from the City and County will remain in contact with USD 259 representatives and traffic patterns will be assessed this fall after classes begin.
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Bradley Fair Celebrate America
Concert and Fireworks
Come enjoy a FREE concert on the Bradley Fair Plaza at
7:30 P.M. on Thursday, June 30.
Soul-jazz trumpeter, Lin Rountree, will be followed by a spectacular fireworks show.
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LOVE OR HATE,
READY OR NOT,
HERE THEY COME!
The non-emergency number for fireworks and nuisance complaints during the 4th of July weekend is
316-290-1011.
The non-emergency line will be staffed during the following times:
6:30 PM on Friday, July 1st through 3:00 AM
on Saturday,
July 2nd
6:30 PM Saturday, July 2nd through 3:00 AM on Sunday, July 3rd
6:30 PM on Sunday, July 3rd through 3:00 AM on Monday, July 4th
6:30 PM on Monday, July 4th through 3:00 AM on Tuesday, July 5th
Be kind to your neighbors who have pets, children, and/or
have to work on these days. Not everyone gets to stay up
and sleep in, so let's all be considerate of others.
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Outer space is a blast! Make water rockets, play cosmic games, hunt for moon rocks and more! Register by June 23.
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Have a dynamite day! Create art with clay, paints, charcoal and pastels. Also, learn to make soap and bead murals. Register by June 30.
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Click here to stay up to date on East Kellogg construction.
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Wichita District II Facebook Page
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2015 Annual Financial
Report
City of Wichita officials on Tuesday, June 21, released local government's annual financial report,
showing good financial health, a strong reserve balance and sound management. Specifically,
City government's General Fund reflected an ending fund balance
of $36.1 million; the reserve
balance of the General Fund was 11.4% of the 2016 Adopted Budget, which exceeds the City's established minimum reserve level of 10% of budgeted expenditures for the following
year.
The City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the year ended December 31, 2015 was presented to the Mayor and City Council during the regular Council meeting. The CAFR includes the City's audited financial statements and provides other information on the
City's outstanding debt, the audit of federal programs, trend data and other information useful to rating agencies, grantor agencies, citizens and other interested parties.
The annual report also reflects that the City's total outstanding bonded indebtedness was just over $1 billion at the end of 2014 and increased slightly to nearly $1.1 billion at the end of 2015. During 2015, the City issued $240.6 million in new bonded debt, while
bonded debt totaling $193.9 million was retired. During 2015, the
City refinanced general obligation bonds and Water and Sewer Utility Revenue Bonds saving $11.3 million in financing costs over the
remaining life of the bonds.
The CAFR also includes 10-year trend data signifying that the
City's assessed valuation has remained flat since 2008 as a result of reappraisal and the legislative tax exemption of machinery and equipment. Even though valuations have remained flat for the
past several years, the City has maintained a stable mill levy to deliver services in alignment with Council priorities and in spite
of challenges experienced since the recession.
Relatedly, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded the City a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 2014 fiscal year. The 2014 award represents the 42nd consecutive year that the City earned this award.
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City Issues RFQ to Develop
Land Near New Library
The City of Wichita has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to develop approximately 7.2 acres adjacent to the new Advance Learning Library at McLean
and Sycamore and the River Vista apartment development.
"It is an exciting time for downtown Wichita and the Delano
district with numerous development projects rising up in these areas," said Scot Rigby, Assistant City Manager and Development Services Director. "These two adjacent properties, bounded by more than $70 million dollars in private/public investment, provide a
unique opportunity for development teams to propose mixed use projects that build upon those investments and excitement."
The City is marketing two parcels for redevelopment in an area considered a catalyst site for Downtown and the Arkansas River, according to Project Downtown, Master Plan for Wichita. The RFQ provides the opportunity to develop one or both parcels.
The RFQ is designed to provide a multi-story, mixed-use development consistent with the vision of Project Downtown and nearby Delano district, including providing a public gathering space and public greenway in the former railroad corridor.
RFQs are being mailed to local and regional developers and brokers. Please direct questions to Scot Rigby at [email protected] or (316) 268-4524. The RFQ is available online at Wichita.gov/RFQ.
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What Works? Wichita Works!
Mayor Jeff Longwell recently announced that Wichita has been selected as 1 of 12 new cities to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies' What Work Cities initiative - one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector.
Launched in April 2015, the initiative is now providing support to 39 cities in 25 states and will work with up to 100 mid-sized cities on a rolling basis through 2018.
Specific goals include establishing and improving open data practices in order
to make the city's data more accessible to the public, engage residents around government priorities and services, and increase transparency.
To learn more about the What Works Cities initiative, please visit
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Live music, food trucks and fireworks.
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Tuesdays on the Terrace at Botanica
Relax and unwind at Tuesdays On The Terrace, your favorite after-work party! Each Tuesday night from June to September, the Garden mixes things up with live music, happy hour and horticulture.
Enjoy cocktails, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages from The Bar's Open from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and view the summer garden until 8 p.m.
Clear your schedule, pack a picnic, call your friends and relax in the Gardens with Tuesdays on the Terrace. Food provided by Friends of Botanica and every 3rd Tuesday by Molino's.
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1. Attend any Wichita Park & Recreation class, athletic
league or special event and take your best selfie!
2. Follow @WichitaParkandRec on Instagram.
3. Post your selfie using #ICTSummerSelfie .
4. Be sure to check often and "like" your favorite photos.
5. The photo with the most likes will be featured in the 2016
Fall Activities Guide.
Winner will be notified on August 1st through Instagram.
All photos are subject to City of Wichita guidelines and will be removed if in violation.
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Get Fit Tip:
Walking Reduces the Risk of Diabetes
Adults with diabetes who walk at least a mile per day are half as likely to die as those who are inactive. Walking improves blood-sugar levels. And the best part is that WALKING IS FREE!
The best way to start walking is...to begin. Place it high on your priority list. If you plan to do it "when everything else is done" you will never start because there is always something more to do. Set a specific time to walk. Find a way to make it fun. Do you have a friend you could walk with? Do you have a dog? Your vet would agree that your dog needs to walk also! Does your neighborhood have a park where you could walk? Maybe you prefer to listen to music or a book on tape. Doesn't matter how you do it...just walk!
Aim for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. But if you can't walk that long, start at 10-15 minutes. That will help you as well. Then try to increase your time.
Brought to you by BikeWalkWichita.org.
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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 job fairs and
training courses. Click here.
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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 summer
Park & Recreation classes
by
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Stay up-to-date on City events, announcements and headlines by reading our daily News Releases
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| 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
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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
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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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City Manager's Office
455 N. Main, 13 Floor
Wichita, KS 67202
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Stay Connected
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