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Vol. 1, Issue 3 August 2016
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The new home for the Child Advocacy Center and all its co-located partners is now occupied. The ribbon cutting and open house will be on August 30th. There is an extremely important and ongoing mission and community need that will be served by this project. We expect safety for our kids and know full well that they hold our greatest hope for the future. But that demands a commitment of time, energy, political will, community awareness and action, and money.
At the end of 2014, the Board of County Commissioners voted 4-0 to invest a million dollars in the renovation of the former Lincoln Elementary school in to a one-stop, multi-disciplinary Child Advocacy Center. This action indicated the dedication of the Commission to serving the victims and families of child abuse and neglect in our community. And reveals our support for the law enforcement, prosecutors, investigators, social workers, medical professionals, etc. that deal with the upwards to 4000 cases a year with unfortunately the potential for many more. Both Sheriff Jeff Easter and District Attorney Marc Bennett have been loyal and vocal proponents for the need of this facility.
Over a year ago a press conference was held at the former Lincoln Elementary school to announce the capital campaign to re-purpose, upgrade and re-vitalize that facility to the new Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County. It was a bell weather day for the ongoing mission and positive outcomes of this umbrella organization that works so hard with the District Attorney’s office, the Exploited and Missing Child Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children’s team, the Human Trafficking group, the Department for Children and Families and other government and non-profit groups.
Diana Schunn and her board are continuing to advocate and work hard to take this system working for abused and neglected children to a new level of service provision and collaboration. District Attorney Marc Bennett and pediatrician Dr. Kathyrn Melhorn both spoke at the announcement about their years of work with abused and neglected kids in our community. While they described the gut-wretching work that has been done, they also described the imperative for new facilities, co-location of all the key players and the importance of this kind of multi-disciplinary entity in creating the most effective and efficient system to deal with this pervasive and complicated issue in our community
I challenge all who read this to find out more about child abuse and neglect and the insidious ways that it affects families, children and our society. I urge everyone to understand the prevalence of internet crimes against children. I implore our community to recognize the rise of human trafficking and the adverse affects on our community and region. These underpinnings of abuse in our society and the harm that latent, un-addressed, un-resolved or un-reported abuse has on the lives of future adults makes for a compelling case for this new facility that brings to bear all the agencies and professionals that work tirelessly to protect and nurture our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
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95th St. South Study Asks for Public Input: Meetings in Derby and Haysville
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Public meetings for the Arkansas River Crossing – 95th Street South (ARC95) Study have been scheduled in Derby and Haysville. The transportation study is looking at the needs and feasibility of improving the 95th Street corridor in southern Sedgwick County.
In Derby, the meeting will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 16, at the Derby Public Library, 1600 E. Walnut Grove.
In Haysville, the meeting will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, at the Haysville Public Library, 210 S. Hays. Formal comments will be made at 5:15 p.m. at both meetings.
The study area encompasses 95th Street South between Greenwich Road and Meridian Avenue. The initial focus for projects is on the section between Woodlawn Boulevard and Broadway Avenue. Several earlier studies identified this area as having the most potential to improve mobility and access to support future growth needs. The study also will consider previous recommendations for a new bridge over the Arkansas River.
The goal here is to refine what those recommendations mean, in terms of impact and cost. Much of the proposed infrastructure would be in District 2 so I would like to see if improvements in this part of the County could lead to increased economic growth and quality of life, like it has in other areas.
The 95th Street South study follows up on other smaller studies to look at the needs of the south part of the County. I would urge all interested to attend one of the meetings or post your thoughts and questions on the website.
For more information, go to
www.arc95study.com or follow the project on Twitter and Facebook.
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The Board of County Commissioners have complete budget information gathering sessions, public hearings and deliberations. While there are parts of the budget with which I do not agree, I have been dedicated to remaining open-minded and listen to and engage with citizens that may have a viewpoint or stance on a particular budget item or expenditure. It has always been part of the process and should be integrated into the final decision. The County Manager processed all of the departmental requests and commissioners budget concerns and presented his proposed budget on Wednesday July 13th and that started the real debate in earnest.
Our first public hearing on the budget was Wednesday, July 27th. This year our second public hearing was an evening meeting that made it more conducive for the general public to participate. Information about the 2017 budget can be found on our webpage.
www.sedgwickcounty.org.
Budget preparation and adoption is critical processes to the delivery of services to the citizens of Sedgwick County. The ability to pave roads, protect the safety of the public, deliver needed mental health, disability and senior services, fund quality of life entities like the Zoo and Exploration Place, and partner with the City of Wichita on Planning, Code Enforcement, etc. are all embedded in the budget. More input is better than no feedback.
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Want to be able to navigate Sedgwick County from your phone? That’s just an App away now. It’s simple and easy to stay informed and hook up to Sedgwick County wherever you are. There is wealth of information right at your fingertips and more to come.
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Contact Public Information Officer:
Kate Flavin, 316-660-9370
525 N. Main, Ste 343, Wichita, KS 67203
Contact Corporate Communications Manager:
316-660-9370
525 N. Main, Ste 343, Wichita, KS 67203
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Connect with Sedgwick County
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