|
WICHITA DISTRICT VI NEWSLETTER |
|
|
|
A message from Council Member Cindy Claycomb...
|
Greetings District 6 Friends,
Summer is here and what better way to enjoy the sunshine and celebrate our community than by joining your neighbors at
Riverfest 2018
?
This year's festival, the 47th, will take place June 1-9, in and around the Arkansas River in the heart of downtown. It is more robust than ever, with a stellar
concert line-up
featuring a wide range of acts, including The Revolution, ZZ Ward, Trampled by Turtles, Morris Day, Randy Houser, Stephen Marley and many more.
This annual community celebration produced by Wichita Festivals, a not-for-profit organization, is the largest in Kansas and one of the 50 biggest events in the world, and has always been rooted in local pride. In 1970, the citizens of Wichita celebrated the city's 100th anniversary as the Wichitennial, and the event was such a hit that an annual event was established that was first known as Wichita River Festival. These days we call it Riverfest, but it still offers more than 100 events, food, music and experiences for citizens of every age and taste.
Riverfest is still the best deal around. An admission button gains you access for all nine day (concerts included) and is just $10 for Adults (13 and up) and $5 for Children (6-12 years). Little ones, five and younger, get in free. Looking for parking? Find maps under "Get Around" at
DowntownWichita.org
or just hop on the
Q-Line
, which runs from College Hill to Delano and will stop at both major Riverfest gates on Douglas as well as at the
ICT Pop-Up Urban Park
.
Riverfest continues to be what the original founders had intended, a mechanism to build community pride, to bring people together and to focus attention on our great natural resource, the Arkansas River. They would be proud to know what they initiated 48 years ago is still going strong today!
Read all about Riverfest 2018 and view the event calendar by visiting their website:
Wichitariverfest.com
Hope to see you there!
Cindy Claycomb
Wichita City Council
District VI Council Member
316-268-4331
|
|
DISTRICT VI NEWS & EVENTS
|
District VI Advisory Board Information
The District VI Advisory Board (DAB VI) meets the first Monday of the month (and the third Wednesday of the month is optional) at the Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N Arkansas, Wichita, KS, 67204. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Next meeting: June 4, 2018
 District VI Monthly Coffee
District VI Coffee is held on the fourth Saturday of the month. These gatherings are a chance to discuss local city projects/issues, provide your input and ask questions. We meet from 9am to 10:30am at Downtown YMCA (402 N Market St). Coffee and pastries are available for purchase.
Hope to see you there!
Next meeting: June 23, 2018 (May 26th Coffee has been cancelled)
|
Wichita District VI Facebook Page 
|
Evergreen Neighborhood Resource Center Update
|
Congratulations to District 6 Community Police Officer Steve Jerrell, for winning the Davis Moore "Salute the Badge" award!
Thank you for your service to our community Officer Jerrell!
|
On May 14th, Community Police Officer Carlos Atondo visited students at Cloud Elementary. Officer Atondo gave a presentation on internet safety and bullying.
|
Summertime shouldn't be hungry time for our children. Wichita Public Schools Nutrition Services, in partnership with the USDA Summer Food Service Program, provides free nutritious meals to children when the school doors close. Summer meals are open to ALL children, 18 and younger, with no enrollment and NO cost. Come join us!
Evergreen Recreation Center (2700 N Woodland) 5/29-8/2 M-F
Breakfast 9:30-10 AM & Snack 4:00-4:30 PM
Cloud Elementary (1212 W 25th St N) 5/29-7/25 M-F
Lunch 11:45 AM- 12:30 PM
Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet (1243 N Market) 5/21-7/27 M-F
Breakfast 8:00-8:30 AM & Lunch 11:30 AM- 12:00 PM
For a list of ALL locations, click
HERE!
|
Construction and Maintenance Projects
River Vista Development
Project includes construction of apartments and commercial retail on the west bank of the Arkansas River between Douglas and 1st Street.
Traffic Impact: The sidewalk on the south side of 1st Street is closed between McLean and Waco. Pedestrians will be detoured south to Douglas.
Contractor: Key Construction
Estimated completion: Spring 2018
Large Water Valve Replacements
This project will replace large water valves on large diameter water mains.
Traffic Impact: Northbound McLean Boulevard is reduced to one lane south of Douglas. Southbound McLean Boulevard is CLOSED at Lincoln. Traffic is detoured to Seneca at Maple. Northbound McLean reduced to one lane at Lincoln.
Contractor: Dondlinger Construction
Estimated completion: Summer 2018
21st Street North, Ridge Road to Lakeway
This project will perform asphalt street repairs in preparation of a surface treatment along 21st Street North, between Ridge Road and Lakeway.
Traffic Impact: 21st is one lane in each direction throughout the area of construction.
Contractor: PPJ Construction
Estimated completion: Summer 2018
WICHway traffic alerts available by text or email
WICHway, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) on Wichita's highways, offers a new feature sending subscribers texts and/or emails that share special traffic alerts created by operators at the WICHway Traffic Management Center. The alerts are created when a traffic problem such as a major crash, a highway closure or a similar event causes a significant disruption on a Wichita highway. The alerts are an extension of the WICHway website (
www.WICHway.org), an informational resource the public can consult before traveling on Wichita's highways.
The website adjusts to the type of device being used - a computer, a tablet or a smartphone - and can be bookmarked on a smartphone so that it performs similarly to an app. A short video showing how to bookmark any page from the site can be viewed at
KDOT's YouTube page.
WICHway shares information that is gathered from 55 roadside cameras and 63 traffic sensors. Messages are displayed on 25 electronic message signs, shared on the website and can now be sent to subscribers so that travelers, commuters, freight operators and others using Wichita's highways can make informed decisions about their route.
|
Getting to Know City Staff:
Capt. Wendell Nicholson
East Bureau Commander
Wichita Police Department
Captain Wendell Nicholson is a native of Wichita and a 24-year veteran of WPD, who began his career on July 19, 1993. After graduating the academy, Wendell served as a Patrol Officer in the Patrol North and Patrol East Bureaus. As a Patrol Officer, Wendell served in the Tactical Patrol Unit, a SCAT Of ficer, and he was also assigned to the Drive-By Task Force.
In June of 1997, Wendell was promoted to the rank of Detective and saw assignments in West Property Crimes, the Gang/Felony Assault Section, and Professional Standards, the Training Bureau as a Background Investigator and Polygraph Examiner and Auto Theft. In April of 2016, Wendell was promoted to the rank of Sergeant assigned to Patrol West 2nd Watch. In April of 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and saw assignments in both Patrol West and Patrol South.
Wendell holds both Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice and a Master's in Criminal Justice all from WSU. Wendell also graduated from the Northwestern University Center of Public Safety, School of police staff and Command #427 in 2017.
Wendell is the recipient of several Wichita Police Department awards: 4 Bronze Wreath of Merit awards; 4 Distinguished Service Awards; 5 year Perfect Attendance Awards; the Civic Achievement Award and the 5, 10, 15 and 20 Year Safe Driving Awards, as well as numerous CPR Awards.
Wendell has been married to his wife Christi for 24 years and is the proud father of two son's Craig and Aaron. Craig is a graduate of Fort Hays State University (FHSU) and recently returned from playing professional basketball in the European league. Aaron is a sophomore college basketball player at FHSU. Wendell is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and he has coached AAU basketball for over 20 years and mentored hundreds of young men in the Wichita community over the years. Wendell is also the President of the Kansas chapter of NOBLE (National organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives).
|
|
|
 |
|
Volunteers from the Riverside Citizens Neighborhood Association worked all morning on April 21 during spring rain. Great job!
|
|
NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUPS IN WICHITA
So far there are 64 neighborhood cleanups scheduled throughout the City of Wichita for 2018.
All the neighborhood cleanups are organized by neighborhood volunteers that spend hours in submitting an application, designing fliers, and signing up volunteers to help either follow and load a packer truck, or monitor a skid(s) (40-yard roll-off) so that no metals, tires, or hazardous wastes are being dumped in the landfill. The City of Wichita provides funding for the equipment and the Public Works Department provide tire trucks and employees that are assigned to pick up old tires that residents might be storing. This year it is mandatory that all metal items be recycled in order to save the City of Wichita money at the landfill.
Contact your neighborhood association or HOA (Home Owners Association) to find out if a cleanup has been scheduled for your area. And rain or shine, blizzard or heatwave, the scheduled cleanup must go on!
|
SUNDAY, MAY 20TH
1 PM - 5 PM
RALPH WULZ RIVERSIDE TENNIS CENTER
551 N Nims St, Wichita KS 67203
Bring the family and join us for this free, open house! Meet our staff and check out our new programming. Enjoy all of the fun activities we have planned during an afternoon at Riverside!
* Free hot dogs provided by USTA Missouri Valley & Net Generation
* Tennis activities for youth and adults
* Speed serve competition
* Fit Tennis
* Music and games
* Bounce house
* Recreation Station
* Appearance by Barry the Bison
* Head and Babolat demos
* Pickleball
* Net Generation booth
|
SUNDAY, MAY 20TH
2 PM - 3 PM
CENTRAL RIVERSIDE PARK
720 N Nims St, Wichita KS 67203
Visit the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Riverside Park for a behind the scenes experience led by
Great Plains Nature Center
naturalists. Each month features a different Kansas animal. Registration not required.
Event is FREE for all ages!
|
DELANO'S ROCK THE BLOCK ROCKED!
If you missed this year's Rock the Block kick-off at Seneca Park, there is still more to come! Rock the Block was the kick off for their Porch Concerts series that will keep Delano rockin' all summer.
June 3: Barb and The Bituates
(442 N Exposition)
June 17: The Hands of Shame
(311 S Exposition)
July 15: The Cavves
(502 S Fern)
August 12: Tideway
(location to be determined)
T
equila Ridge
will be performing for the grand finale of the summer! That location will be kept as a surprise until later. Please bring your own chairs or blanket, and be mindful of being guests while on private property.
Party on Delano!
|
Do you like walking in your neighborhood?
If so, your neighborhood is "walkable" - that is, friendly to all walkers, including seniors, children, and folks with wheelchairs and strollers. If your area is not walker-friendly, identify its obstacles! To score your streets or other areas, find the mobile-friendly survey link and paper form
here. If you take the survey using your cell phone, you will automatically update a map that City and County planners, transit, and others can use to prioritize improvements. In less than five minutes, you can input data!
Bike Walk Wichita will give a $100 check to the first 25 organizations that score 20 or more blocks by mid-June 2018! Further details are
online. Smooth sidewalks and bright crosswalks help you reach bus stops, churches, schools, parks, shops, and your other local destinations.
|
Project Wichita is a community engagement process to discover the community's vision for Wichita in the next 10 years. What does that mean to you? That means "any group, anywhere, anytime" can share their thoughts about the future of Wichita and the region by discussing five questions and sharing their answers. Have a group of friends or coworkers who care about where Wichita and the region should go? Project Wichita features multiple ways to get involved. Wichita State University's Public Policy and Management Center will facilitate the engagement process with a series of surveys, focus groups and interviews. As a result of the survey process, an action plan will be created to identify strategic steps for the future of our home.
|
Get Rid of Unwanted Newspaper Delivery
The City of Wichita worked with the Wichita Eagle and American Newspaper Solutions (ANS) to create an easy way to stop delivery of the free Eagle flyers. There is now an option on the City's website where citizens can contact ANS directly.
Please note the City's only involvement in this process is to provide an easy-to-find link where you can unsubscribe. The City has no control over how ANS responds to the unsubscribe requests. Sometimes delivery stops, but then starts up again when there is a new delivery person. If this happens, simply go to the link and unsubscribe again. To discontinue delivery, please click HERE to fill out the form or call 316-268-6000.
|
17th Annual Ark River Trash Roundup
Once a year, the City of Wichita partners with local sponsors to encourage citizens to remove trash from the Arkansas River and beautify the downtown area. This year, over 850 volunteers met on May 5 and collected over 300 bags of trash, weighing about 4.43 tons. This is 1.62 tons more than the previous record set in 2012.
Following this volunteer effort, Parks and Rec staff returned to the area north of Lincoln Street dam and collected an additional 68 bags of trash, bringing the total amount of trash removed from the river to 5.44 tons.
Volunteers came from over 20 different local organizations, with 6 local high schools being represented. This was the 5th year for the "High School Challenge" which awards a pizza party, and bragging rights, to the high school with the most volunteers. Goddard High School remains the reigning champion, with 99 volunteers participating in this year's event.
Although this year's event was deemed successful, it is a reminder that small, every day actions are needed to prevent large amounts of trash entering the river. Some of these actions include:
- Always dispose of trash properly - bag your trash and avoid throwing trash in truck beds
- Be aware of the wind and ensure tight-fighting trash can lids
- Leave things better than you found them, which may include picking up after yourself and others
|
May is National Bike Month
SAFETY STARTS WITH YOU
On any given day, you'll find Wichita streets filled with people walking, biking and driving. Crashes happen, and while the City of Wichita continues to improve our roads and paths to better accommodate everyone who uses them, preventing these crashes is a job for all of us.
No matter how you roll, you can do your part by following the simple
Rules of the Road. Together, we can make our streets safer for everyone.
|
Take the Pledge: Be Air Aware
The City is launching a new initiative as part of its annual "Be Air Aware" campaign, asking residents to take a pledge to improve air quality during ozone season, which runs March 1 through Oct. 31.
To take the pledge, residents should visit
www.BeAirAwareKS.org
and choose one or more of the simple actions listed. By selecting one action, residents can help improve air quality for the community. The website features more information, such as how ground-level ozone is formed, how it affects the air and the risks of not taking action to prevent ozone forming emissions. Ground-level ozone is a harmful air pollutant. Heat and sunlight bake emissions from vehicles, mowers, energy production and industries, forming ground-level ozone.
Keeping Wichita's ozone levels under federal standards is important for personal health, community health and the regional economy. Here's how residents can stay engaged during ozone season:
- Visit www.BeAirAwareKS.org;
- Sign up for ozone alerts, issued when there's a risk of high ozone;
- Follow BeAirAwareKS on Twitter and Instagram for daily ozone forecasts;
- Join the new Be Air Aware KS Facebook group, located through the City's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cityofwichita/, for air quality news and tips;
- Visit http://www.wichita.gov/ozone for more information on air quality; and
- Watch City7 on Cox Cable Channel 7.
|
Senior Wednesdays in Wichita
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.
|
|
|
| A job board with local, Wichita Area jobs only! |
|
|
|
| JOB SEEKERS, TRAINING & EDUCATION, RESOURCES, AND PROGRAMS |
|
|
CLICK ON ANY OF THE THREE LINKS ABOVE TO FIND A JOB THAT WILL SUIT YOUR NEEDS!
|
Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport has a magazine just for you travelers.
Check it out
!
And are you looking for a get-away?
HOT FARES can help you get there.
|
The booklet is designed to provide you with important tips and information on a variety of community issues.
By working together, we can help prevent and solve crimes, improve and make neighborhoods safer, resolve conflicts and enhance our quality of life. You can download the booklet for future references
HERE!
|
Use the link below to filter sales by area or by items of interest. Read descriptions of the sale submitted by the host, and in some cases, pictures are provided. View a map that provides pinpoints for where garage sales are being held. A report of sales based on search criteria can be printed or downloaded into an Excel sheet.
Permits can be obtained online; simply set up an account (username and password) and purchase a permit ($2.50/day). The online system allows you to post a description of your sale and upload up to five photos.
|
Online Reporting for
Animal Control Problems
Wichita Animal Control has launched an online form to report non-emergency animal control problems as part of an ongoing effort to improve services. The form can be accessed by
clicking here
.
|
|
|
Don't be left in the
dark
If
you notice outages within
your neighborhood, fill out
Westar Energy's website
|
|
Health Care for Uninsured,
Low-income Available
In 1999,
Project Access began coordinating access to donated medical care for uninsured, low-income residents of Sedgwick County. Thanks to the founding funders - United Way of the Plains, the City of Wichita (CSBG) and Sedgwick County - Project Access is still able to serve the community today.
Project Access and its community partners serve patients in many locations. Eligible uninsured patients are enrolled for limited periods of time to address immediate medical needs. Once enrolled, patients have access to a variety of specialists, as well as prescription medication, durable medical equipment and diabetic supplies.
Eligible patients can be referred by participating physicians throughout Sedgwick County.
Additional key partners are community clinics and the Department for Children and Families (DCF). Patients who receive primary care at certain community clinics may be referred to Project Access and enrolled by an onsite DCF eligibility specialist.
Eligible patients are referred to Project Access by providers at the following sites:
For more information call 316-688-0600
|
CRIME STOPPERS OF WICHITA/SEDGWICK COUNTY
Still completely anonymous, tips submitted through the P3 mobile app, unlike SMS text tips, have no length limitations and allow images, video and documents to be uploaded with the tip. Anderson Software's sophisticated encryption processes obscure any and all identifying information and provides assured anonymity for tipsters.
|
|
|
|
|
Stay up-to-date on City events, announcements and headlines by reading our daily
|
|
|
City of Wichita, Office of Community Services | 316-303-8042 |
2700 N. Woodland
Wichita, KS 67204
|
|
|
|
|
