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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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"Rain, rain go away...come again some other day."
This children's song has been a popular refrain this summer. Already one of the wettest years on record with over 45 inches for Wichita, more rain is expected this weekend. Many sections of Wichita are still recovering from last weekend's deluge and concerns are rising about the potential for flooding.
Our Public Works employees continue to monitor and manage drainage and flood control within the community. The council, city manager's office and several departments are working together to address infrastructure needs in Wichita. And public safety personnel stand ready to help keep people safe.
Flooding in Wichita has always been an issue. And we'll continue to plug away at ideas and solutions to provide relief. Can you imagine how much under water downtown Wichita would be without the Wichita-Valley Center Floodway...aka "The Big Ditch"? We should be forever grateful that past leaders had the vision and determination to build this public project.
But as recent rains and even earthquakes have demonstrated, our aging infrastructure needs attention and a commitment to repair. In the coming months, there will be a lot of discussion about storm water management and public utilities. I encourage you to listen, participate and contribute your thoughts and ideas.
One final thing - please stay safe. Don't drive into high water. Slow down when driving in raining conditions. Stay inside if lightning develops. Take precautions and reduce your risk.
Have a great weekend and stay dry if possible!
Bryan Frye
District V City Council Member
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Getting to Know DAB V:
J.V. Johnston
West-sider J.V. Johnston graduated from Kansas Newman College, now Newman University, in 1982. While at Newman, he met the love of his life, Veronica (also a Newman graduate), and they married later that same year.
Upon graduation, they both worked at their family-owned clothing store, Johnston's, at 21st Street and K-96. After 36 years (19 years as president) of managing the family business, J.V. followed a call from God to work at Newman as the Vice President for Advancement (fundraising), where he remains today.
They settled into life in west Wichita in 1991 where they raised their four sons; all graduating from Bishop Carroll High School. Ben is a surgeon in Portland, OR. Jake is a math teacher at Wichita North High School. Isaac is a family practice resident at KU Med-Wichita and Jordan is an operations manager for Rottinghaus (Subway franchisee) in Kansas City.
They enjoy many outdoor activities together but love to bike, walk and play golf. J.V. also competes in triathlons and Ironman competitions. He is very appreciative of the courtesy drivers give him and other cyclists along west 21st Street.
J.V. and Veronica love many things about west Wichita but they especially enjoy taking the grandkids to the new water splash park at Buffalo Park. A few of their favorite local west-side restaurants include Bella Luna, La Monde and Monterey Mexican food. They are members of St. Catherine of Siena Church and absolutely love living on the west side!
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Make plans now to attend the Westlink Neighborhood Association
bi-monthly meeting at
7:00 pm on September 20, at West Heights United Methodist Church, 745 N Westlink Ave.
Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, MPH, KUMS, will be giving a report on the Water Contamination Study for the west side of Wichita.
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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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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 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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HELP THE HOMELESS
AND
INTER-FAITH MINISTRIES
BY GOING OUT TO EAT
What could be more fun than a meal with friends at a great restaurant? What about a meal with friends at a great restaurant with some of the proceeds going to help the homeless?
Dine Out Help Out returns to Wichita on Tuesday, September 20. More than 35 restaurants have signed up to donate a portion of their proceeds from the day to Inter-Faith Ministries three homeless shelters. Pick a restaurant - or a different one for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and join in the fun.
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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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Wichita Wagonmaster's Chili Cook-off
Saturday, September 25 at Noon
It's always chili somewhere but the best place to be is the 2016 Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cook-off, Saturday, September 24, 2016 in Wichita, KS.
Not only will the contest decide the Kansas State champion, but teams are also competing to go to the 2016 International Chili Society World's Championship Chili Cookoff. We award prize money in many different categories and the Grand Champion takes home $1,000.
Visit their website for more details!
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Online Surplus Auction
The City of Wichita is holding an internet-only auction of surplus vehicles and equipment.
The online auction closes at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29. Items include street sweepers, trucks, vans, cars, etc.
Inspection times are from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Central Maintenance Facility (1801 S. McLean).
Items are offered "AS IS" and "WHERE IS," without warranty or guarantee. For an item listing or to place bids, please visit
www.purplewave.com.
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Walk with Friends!
Whether with a friend, family member, neighbor or pet, having a walking partner will remind you to get moving while you enjoy October's mild temperatures.
What is Walktober?
Walktober is a free, community-wide physical activity initiative, encouraging you to engage in the recommended 30 minutes of activity five or more days of the week and walking is a perfect way to meet that goal.
Why Walktober?
Why do we need a designated month to put one foot in front of the other? On average, experts say, we take a fraction of the recommended 10,000 steps per day. Walking is an easy exercise that packs powerful benefits, such as weight management and blood pressure control. Walking also decreases your risk of a heart attack, lowers your risk of a stroke and even protects against hip fractures.
What do you need to do to participate?
2. Record your physical activity on the calendar card. Any physical activity counts - walking, swimming, biking, etc. Count in minutes, steps, miles - whatever is most convenient for you.
3. Be inspired by the weekly newsletter.
4. Report your Walktober participation at the end of the month with the link provided for a chance to win prizes!
Follow Walktober Wichita on
Facebook for up to date information, prizes and more!
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Join us for our 2nd annual walk to raise awareness in Sedgwick
County of relationship and domestic violence during October, domestic violence awareness month. We will walk to honor lives lost to violence and say "no more"! This year's opening ceremony will include the voices of community and campus youth. The one mile course on Wichita State University's campus will include a special remembrance area at the Plaza of Heroines, information booths along the route and an activity area at the end of the route. This event is both pet and family friendly. Light breakfast refreshments will also be available. We hope you will attend this important event, raise your voice and speak out against this societal epidemic.
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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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The Lord's Diner
Needs Volunteers
Looking for an opportunity to make a difference?
A brand new Lord's Diner mobile food truck is slated to start providing services in northeast Wichita in late October and is looking for volunteers. The mobile food truck will distribute meals from 4 PM to 6 PM Monday -Friday at the Atwater Neighborhood Resource Center, 2755 E. 19th St. N.
This new service is a partnership between the Catholic Diocese, Wichita District I City Council Member Lavonta Williams, City of Wichita Park and Recreation and the Office of Community Services.
Those with an interest in volunteering can attend a meeting:
Time: 3 p.m.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 17th
Place: Atwater Neighborhood Resource Center, 2755 E. 19th St. N.
For additional information, please call 266-4966 and ask for Sheryl, Jan or Paul.
The Lord's Diner at its inception was developed by the Wichita community to serve those that are hungry in the community. This truck will be the third mobile diner and is due to the generosity of the Dakhil Family Foundation.
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Volunteers Needed!
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is looking for individuals to assist with free tax preparation so families and individuals with low to moderate income get the benefits they need. Positions include greeters, interpreters and preparers. Training provided, flexible hours (January through April), and multiple site locations available.
Contact United Way of the Plains in Wichita by calling 211 to volunteer or get more information.
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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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Vote Like a Mother!
The Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita and other community partners want you to be the example for the future generation!
The goal of Vote Like A Mother is to educate members of the community on all things voting - where to vote, when to vote, ho
w to register to vote, what options are available for voting, where election information can be found, and more. Our goal is for people to have NO barriers that prevent them from participating in local, state and national elections and voting opportunities.
Visit their
Facebook page for more information!
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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 2016 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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