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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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ORBITA - Built in 1915, 568 feet long and 67 feet wide - 887 passengers
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We are ending a fantastic year for the City of Wichita. There are so many positive news stories and accomplishments that we have shared in the media, and in these newsletters. But today's message is one of reflecting on importance of the Christmas season.
I feel so very fortunate and blessed because my parents instilled an environment of love and happiness with our family. I look back at my grandparents, one of them, Max Meitzner, who immigrated from Germany through Ellis Island in 1923, at the age of 23 after fighting in World War 1 (see picture of ship); and my other grandfather, Joe Curry, who grew up 2 houses from the Eisenhower family in Abilene, KS. They both had tremendous impacts on their families, of which I am so proud to be a part of.
Christmas can be wonderful time of celebration and sharing of gifts, but I am reminded of those who may be lonely, or tired, or not blessed with a better life. We should all take a moment to have prayerful hope for those who are less fortunate than we are.
I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas, and a safe New Year. Thank you for the communications and feedback I receive during the year, and I feel very strongly that our City will continue to make you proud to be a
citizen of Wichita. I am honored to be your City Council representative.
Blessings to you all,
Pete Meitzner
Wichita City Council
District II Council Member
Ph: 316.268.4331
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East Kellogg Improvements Update
The Kellogg & Webb Project is nearing the end of the second phase of construction as the east side of Webb Road and the south frontage road, east of Webb, are essentially complete. The next major work will be the north frontage road and the west side of Webb.
The second East Kellogg improvement project, between Greenwich and K-96, began in September and is administered by the KTA. The first phase of the project is utility relocation, with minimal impacts to traffic. In addition to utility work, crews will be paving on Kellogg for future traffic configurations.
Traffic impacts include:
- Occasional lane changes and closures along Greenwich as utility relocation continues.
- Access to and from the Kansas Turnpike at the Kellogg toll plaza is via eastbound Kellogg only. All left turns at Webb Road are prohibited, so drivers will need to use U-turn lanes 1/2 mile east of Webb on Kellogg and the U-turn lane at Rock Road. This is a result of the demolition of the KTA bridge over Kellogg near Webb Road.
- Occasional lane closures during non-peak hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for median removal and to temporarily widen and pave Kellogg between Zelta and 143rd Street.
- Kellogg speed limit reduced to 40 mph between Cypress and 143rd Streets, and Webb Road speed limit reduced to 30 mph in the construction zone for the remainder of the project.
Click here to stay up-to-date on East Kellogg construction or via Twitter at @E54ict.
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Wichita District II Facebook Page
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Buildable Residential Lots
Created in 2016
The Engineering Department of Public Works and Utilities plays a critical role in creating new buildable lots every year through the design and construction of water, sewer, drainage and paving projects. These projects are designed with staff oversight and approval, bid through the City's procurement system, then managed and inspected during construction by City staff again, with funding through special assessments.
Over the last decade, new home construction has gone from boom to bust and is continuing its slow recovery. This year, Engineering bid 64 residential subdivision projects (16 sewer, 21 water, 22 paving and 5 drainage) totaling $8,946,000 (construction amount) with staff oversight provided throughout. These projects, combined with a handful of private contracts, created 603 new residential buildable lots in 2016.
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The City Council has allocated $10 million from the Hyatt sale proceeds to the improvement of many of the City's worst neighborhood streets. The funding boost for streets will be enough to fix the worn-out concrete streets in the city and about 41 percent of asphalt streets that have reached the end of their service life.
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Holiday-related
Closures, Hours
Due to the Christmas holiday, the City Council workshop scheduled for Dec. 27 has been canceled.
Also, in observance of Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan.1), City of Wichita facilities and operations will be closed or open special hours on the following days:
Saturday, Dec. 24: Wichita Public Library locations, Park & Recreation centers, Great Plains Nature Center, Old Cowtown Museum, CityArts, Mid-America All-Indian Center, and Botanica and Riverside Tennis Center will be closed.
The Animal Shelter will be open 1 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 25: Wichita Public Library locations, Park & Recreation centers, OJ Watson Park, Old Cowtown Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Wichita Art Museum, Animal Shelter, Botanica, Riverside Tennis Center, and municipal golf courses will be closed.
Monday, Dec. 26: City Hall, Neighborhood Resource centers, Wichita Public Library locations, Park & Recreation centers, Great Plains Nature Center, CityArts, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Century II administrative offices, Transit administrative offices, Wichita Art Museum, Animal Shelter, WATER Center, Brooks Landfill and Environmental Health will be closed.
There will be no Wichita Transit or paratransit bus service.
Riverside Tennis Center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 31: Park & Recreation centers, Great Plains Nature Center, Old Cowtown Museum, CityArts, Mid-America All-Indian Center will be closed. The Animal Shelter will be open 1 to 5 p.m.; Wichita Public Library locations will close at 5 p.m. Riverside Tennis Center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Botanica will be open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with fireworks at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 1: Wichita Public Library locations, Park & Recreation centers, OJ Watson Park, Old Cowtown Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Wichita Art Museum, Animal Shelter, Botanica, and municipal golf courses will be closed.
Riverside Tennis Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 2: City Hall, Neighborhood Resource centers, Wichita Public Library locations, Park & Recreation centers, Great Plains Nature Center, Old Cowtown Museum, CityArts, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Century II administrative offices, Transit administrative offices, Wichita Art Museum, Animal Shelter, WATER Center, Brooks Landfill, Environmental Health and Botanica will be closed.
There will be no Wichita Transit or paratransit bus service.
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Free Firewood and Mulch!
Sedgwick County Zoo, Westar Energy and the City of Wichita are teaming up to give away firewood and mulch this winter. The firewood and mulch is provided from Westar Energy's ReliabiliTree tree trimming program and the City of Wichita's forestry tree pruning and removal operations. Sedgwick County Zoo is proud to be part of a program that benefits our citizens, reduces waste and conserves our natural resources.
The public can pick up the free firewood and wood chips, to use as mulch, now through February 2017 from 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the north parking lot of the Sedgwick County Zoo. The wood is normally delivered between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. daily.
Sedgwick County Zoo, Westar Energy and the City of Wichita ask that anyone picking up firewood please refrain from using chainsaws, splitters or any mechanical equipment.
Questions about wood delivery: call 261-6581.
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Winter Art Mania
at the Wichita Art Museum
To share holiday cheer to the people of Wichita, the Wichita Art Museum (WAM) presents FREE action-packed days of art exploration and activity. Watch a fun flick, make art, create a family masterpiece together, and take a mini tour. Each day brings new and fun activities. Do you have out-of-town guests for the holidays? Bring them to WAM for free admission during Winter Art Mania, Dec. 27-29. Stroll the galleries, enjoy great food in the Muse Cafe, and shop in the Museum Store.
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SMALLGRASS FILM FESTIVAL -
On Saturday, January 14th, experience a day full of specially-curated feature and short films for the young and young at heart. Be the first to see Exploration Place's Boeing Dome Theater film,
Titans of the Ice Age.
Smallgrass offers a unique and affordable entertainment option for families with children of all ages, over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, while fostering an appreciation of the communal cinema experience for the next generation.
Plus, enjoy hands-on activities and all exhibits including the national traveling exhibit
Discover the Ice Age, presented in partnership with Tallgrass Film Association.
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Senior Wednesdays are always fun and there is something different to do; someone new to meet. There are also many senior activity centers in Wichita and the surrounding areas, so be informed. Be entertained. Be active.
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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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H2O Care Fund
The City of Wichita recognizes that there are many residents who are struggling during these difficult economic times, especially during the holidays.
This voluntary program provides a simple way to directly help others. Even small donations can add up and provide a way for people to maintain their water service. There are three ways to help, and you can find out how by filling out the City of Wichita H2O Care Fund Program Donation Form here.
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KANSEL Construction
Training Program
KANSEL has a great training opportunity for men and women interested in a career in construction. This
FREE program prepares students for entry level construction work. They are trained in power & hand tools, construction math, blueprint reading, and receive OSHA, physical fitness, and life management skills instruction.
Students who complete the course have an opportunity to interview with local construction companies. Applicants must be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or GED, be legally employable in the U.S. and attend all session of the 7 week course.
Interested students should plan to attend one of the above information sessions to apply for the program.
Call 263-9620 for 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 job fairs and
training courses. Click here.
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How to report...
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Don't be left in the
dark
If you notice streetlight outages within your neighborhood, fill out this
simple form on Westar Energy's website.
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Track the Snowplows
Are you ready for winter weather? The City of Wichita is! Crews have been preparing snow plows and training new drivers ahead of the storm.
You can see where the City of Wichita snowplow/treatment trucks are on a Google map. The map can be zoomed and panned as usual to see what ever area you desire
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Winter 2017
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 2017 meeting schedule,
click here.
The District II Breakfast occurs quarterly. The next breakfast is scheduled for February 4, 2017
at 8:30 a.m. at The Regent Senior Living Residence at 2050 N. Webb Rd. (In the theater on the second floor).
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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