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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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Labor Day weekend is always the official "end of summer". As we celebrate this Labor Day weekend, I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to all departments within the City who are dedicated to supporting our citizens and infrastructure to keep us growing as one of the top 50 cities in the USA.
Labor Day also signifies the official the start of school, and of course, football season along with many other fall sports and activities. As most of you are aware, the new Southeast High School opened at its new location at 127th and Pawnee. The location of the facility has created some new traffic flow challenges on our roads and intersections around this school. We gathered data last year from these feeder roads and intersections. We are currently monitoring traffic flow and we will do another data collection after Labor Day to compare and determine what the traffic patterns are.
We assume many students and parents are still trying to figure out their own best routes, so we want to allow for the traffic to settle into a consistent pattern before gathering the new data. We have designs and plans for intersection improvements, but we want to assure we are putting the resources toward the best impact for safety and traffic. You will see more activity in this area and along the supporting arterial streets in the future.
The traffic around this new high school is another reminder, that the start of the school year affects traffic at ALL the area schools and associated neighborhoods. This can be challenging to neighbors, especially during peak hours at the start and end of the school day. Please be careful, cautious, and aware of the students and traffic during these peak hours.
Best wishes for a safe Labor Day!
Pete Meitzner
Wichita City Council
District II Council Member
Ph: 316.268.4331
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City of Wichita Closures
In observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 5, the following City of Wichita facilities and operations will be closed: City Hall, Neighborhood Resource Centers, Wichita Public Library locations, Animal Shelter, Park & Recreation centers, Great Plains Nature Center, Old Cowtown Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Century II administrative offices, Transit administrative offices, Wichita Art Museum, CityArts, Water Center, Brooks C & D Landfill and Environmental Health offices. Additionally, there will be no food handler classes.
Wichita Transit bus service and Paratransit service will not operate on Monday.
OJ Watson Park will be open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday. Rides will run noon to 8 p.m.
Botanica Gardens, Riverside Tennis Center and municipal golf courses are open regular hours on Monday.
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KTA awards contract for East Kellogg
(Greenwich & I-35 interchanges)
The Kansas Turnpike Authority announces a bid has been approved
and a contract awarded on an upcoming Turnpike-managed construction project.
Project #5872 - East Kellogg (US-54/400) - Greenwich and I-35/KTA Interchanges was awarded to Wildcat Construction, Wichita, Kansas for $90,947,465.03. The letting took place on August 5, 2016, in Wichita, Kansas.
"This project is moving forward because three organizations came to the table at the right time," said KTA CEO Steve Hewitt. "KTA is proud to be partnering with the City and KDOT to provide this important connection in east Wichita."
This project is a partnership between the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), the City of Wichita and the Kansas Turnpike Authority.
Work will consist of constructing ramps on I-35/KTA from mile marker 50.9 to mile marker 52.3 and a six-lane freeway on Kellogg Avenue between Greenwich and K-96. The contract includes Kansas Department of Transportation Project No. 54-87 KA-2389-01, and City of Wichita Projects 472-85032 (Paving), 468-85099 (Sewer), and 448-90689 (Water).
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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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2016 State of Downtown Report
Annual report documenting progress in Downtown Wichita
Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita continues to drive investment and interest in the urban core. The Wichita Downtown Development Corporation (WDDC) is pleased to release the 2016 State of Downtown Report, which chronicles critical benchmark data and showcases progress that has occurred in Downtown in the previous year. The document covers activity within Downtown's major markets: residential, commercial, hospitality, retail and arts and culture, and is designed to be a resource for those who own, develop, market or invest in Downtown real estate.
Key highlights of the report include:
- $95M of private investment in 2015
- 724 units under construction or in planning
- 3.1M SF of occupied office space
- 600,000+ Downtown convention and tradeshow attendees in 2015
- 994 unique hotel rooms in Downtown
- 121 unique Downtown retailers
- $111M of retail sales in 2015
- 56 development projects completed since 2010
For a printed report, please contact the WDDC at 316-264-6005.
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Botanica to Host ZEN, An Alfresco Event
Join us in the gardens at 6:30 pm, on Saturday, September 9, for an evening full of entertainment, performances, gourmet food, signature cocktails and open bar. Experience the Chinese Garden of Friendship with a glass of champagne, appetizers and local cultural entertainment.
We invite you to join us for a harmonious blend of gardens and good company with live music, Asian-themed cocktails and a special dinner a chef will prepare a personalized hibachi dinner for all guests.
After Dinner be entertained by the St. Anthony Lion & Dragon dancers and dancing under the stars with the band, ANNIE UP.
This year guests will get to see live ninja flower arranging by Matt Dover from Beard's Floral. These unique arrangements will be available to guests for a $30 donation. All proceeds go to Botanica.
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A special event brings a variety of fun antics and a hip vibe to WAM at Night. This Third Night at the Museum honors all things wheels--roller skates, bikes, autos, and motors. Happenings feature live music from the Jenny Wood Band, a skating demo by Wichita's very own ICT Roller Girls, auto and moto show, and short films. Wheels up, and don't miss out!
Free admission for WAM members with advance reservations and $5 at the door. General admission is $10 in advance (online ticket sales end at 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 14) and $15 at the door.
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Wine Mosey at Old Cowtown Museum
Only at Cowtown could wine tasting and stagecoach rides make such
a perfect combination. The Museum is hosting its
8th Annual Wine Mosey from 4
PM - 8 PM on Sunday, Sept. 18. Tickets are $50, and are available for purchase in person at Cowtown, by phone at (316) 303-8100, or at
WichitaTIX.com. The event is sponsored by Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc., and it is a fundraiser for the Museum.
With the purchase of a ticket, attendees may visit wine stations located inside Cowtown buildings to taste a varied assortment of red and white wines. Western/casual attire and comfortable shoes are recommended.
Dinner will be outdoors where visitors will be surrounded by the sounds of live entertainment. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided with a barbecue dinner courtesy of the Wagonmasters. There will also be gunfight reenactments, stagecoach rides and outdoor antique bowling - complete with a wooden bowling ball.
Rounding out the entertainment will be a live auction with fabulous goods and services.
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September 17 & 18
at O.J. Watson Park
Focus on family fun and taking time to PLAY! Enjoy kayaks, inflatables, disc golf, pedal boats, mini-golf, music, face painting, footgolf and much more!
Click here for more information...
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5th Annual JROTC Scholarship
Golf Tournament at Sand Creek Station
Each year, the Military Officers Association of America, Wichita Chapter, hosts a golf tournament to raise scholarship funds. Scholarships are awarded to deserving Wichita and Derby JROTC students to aid in their attending a college of their choice.
More than 2400 students are enrolled in the JROTC and Leadership programs at schools through out the local area. Scholarship winners are selected by a board of Chapter members and school officials. Each candidate must submit a detailed report of academic and leadership accomplishments with the endorsement of his/her JROTC instructor.
Our future community and business leaders often get their start with the exposure to JROTC and it's learned team building and leadership skills.
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City to Host 9th Annual Big Read Wichita
The City of Wichita is proud to announce Big Read Wichita will return for its ninth consecutive year. Big Read Wichita is a program providing residents opportunities to experience quality literary and arts programming throughout the community that is focused around one book and its themes.
This year's Big Read Wichita selection is Ray Bradbury's classic
Fahrenheit 451.
The book explores themes of censorship, message control, and the efforts some will go to preserve literature and the freedom of public information.
The Wichita Public Library joins with dozens of other local organizations and community groups to provide the community with a variety of programs throughout Big Read Wichita, which runs October 1 through November 15, 2016. This year's program offers events that are a first for Big Read Wichita, including a special production by the Wichita Community Theatre and symphony performances by the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Other featured events include a kick-off party on Saturday, October 1 at the Wichita Art Museum and a special presentation on November 5 by Ray Bradbury's official biographer, Sam Weller.
The community is encouraged to read the book, which is available for checkout in print, audio book, and as an e-book from the Wichita Public Library, as well as to attend any of the dozens of Big Read Wichita events happening throughout the community. Readers are invited to join the conversation at the
Big Read's Facebook page or on Twitter using #BigReadICT.
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Library to Host Local Author Day
Are you interested in learning about the depth of Wichita's writing community? Join us for Wichita Public Library's first ever
Local Author Day. Meet and talk with authors from Wichita and the surrounding area and discover your next favorite book!
If are a local author that would be interested in presenting your work at this program, please call 316-261-8580 to reserve your space today!
This program is funded in part by the South Central Kansas Library System. SCKLS serves 147 participating public libraries, school districts, academic libraries, and special libraries in twelve counties. The mission of the South Central Kansas Library System is to assist member libraries to provide excellent service to their communities.
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Senior Wednesday
Be informed. Be entertained. Be active.
Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of 12 institutions. Sponsored in part by Larksfield Place.
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Join us at
6:00pm on September 20 at the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport for the
first ever walk/run on the airport campus!
The Take Off To Health 1 Mile/5K Fun Run & Walk is held in conjunction with the 2016 KPHA Annual Conference and everyone is invited to participate in this festive, unique opportunity to be active and walk or run an exciting course through the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport campus (safely out of the way of flight paths!).
The cost to register is $25 and includes an inaugural event t-shirt.
The 5K Run will be timed with prizes awarded to winners in a variety of categories!
Take Off to Health General Information:
1. The race is open to any one of all ages.
2. The race starts at 6:00 pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
3. The registration fee is $25.00.
4. You can participate in the race without attending the KPHA conference!
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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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KANSEL,
a non-profit organization providing adult education services in Wichita, is offering a free seven-week construction training program for interested adults who are ready for employment in construction.
The KANSEL Construction Training Program teaches basic construction skills using the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) core curriculum. Students will receive instruction in construction math, materials handling, power tools, hand tools and construction drawings. The course also includes a 10-hour OSHA safety course plus training to obtain a Class B CDL instructional permit. Following the class, KANSEL staff assists students with job placement.
"When a student completes our program we strive to get them in the construction workforce. Working with construction companies like Cornejo, Conco, Eby and Dondlinger, gives our students an outstanding chance for employment," explained Linda Eaves, Executive Director at KANSEL.
Call 316-263-9620 for more information about the next orientation meeting and class session.
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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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Report An Issue
Use the smartphone app to report an issue
Wichita Report is a great tool for enabling Wichita residents to improve their neighborhood by reporting issues such as potholes, broken street lights, damaged signs, illegal dumping and more.
The reports are automatically fed into the City's work order system so that they can be tracked and assigned to service teams. Users can follow the status of their requests from their smartphone.
If you have an Apple or Android smartphone, you can download
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Energy at Your Fingertips
When severe weather knocks your power out, the MyWestar app is the fastest way to report an outage and see an outage map with real-time information about when your power will be restored even if your computer, phone and Wi-Fi are down. With the power of the MyWestar app you can manage your account anywhere
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- Sign up for text alerts on current and future outages
- Show outages by neighborhood, zip code, or county, and more
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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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Fall 2016
Park & Recreation Activities Guide is now available!
Get registered for 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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