District 2 Advisory Board

Page |1 District II Advisory Board Minutes November 9, 2015 www.wichita.gov The District II Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at Fire Station #20 located at 2255 S. Greenwich Road Wichita KS, 67207. The Council Member, seven board members, six staff and four members of the public were present. ATTENDANCE Members Present Staff Present David Babich Officer Eric Noack, Patrol East CP Jennifer Baysinger Warren King, Fire Dale Carter Paul Gunzelman, Public Works Nick Howell Alan Taber Nazir Jesri Mark Manning Carol Jones Penny Feist Chris Mullen Laura Rainwater April Winn Council Member Pete Meitzner Guests David Riffel Members Absent Ben Walter Kelly Callen Katy Dorrah Blaine Knott Isaac Krumme Becky Tuttle Ellen McCue Bill Nestelroad Karla Fazio Russ Pataky ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Dale Carter. Approval of minutes from October 12, 2015: Approved 8-0. Approval of Agenda: Approved 7-0. Public Agenda Scheduled Items: None Off-Agenda Items: None Staff Reports Community Police Report: Officer Eric Noack, reported the crime statistics for October were slightly below last year’s numbers. There has been an uptick in robberies. PD has the identified and located the vehicle they are driving but PD is still trying to identify the actual suspects. DAB member Fire Department Report: Capt. Warren King, reported statistics from October  13 Fire City-wide, two in District II  Page |2  Reminded DAB and citizens to be safe when frying turkeys  Reminded DAB and citizens to change batteries in smoke detectors Park and Recreation Department Report: Alan Taber, Recreation Supervisor, Park and Recreation  Approximately 3,000 participated in Halloween activities at Edgemoor Park  Night with Santa amd Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting is Dec. 3 at 6:00 p.m.  Winter class registration begins Dec. 14 Public Works Report: Paul Gunzelman, Public Works Engineering, reported  Utility work is underway at Kellogg and Webb and sometimes Webb is down to 1 lane each direction. Temporary closures at Corporate Hills Drive. A camera will be installed at intersection and linked to website so progress can be monitored.  Douglas and Linden Street bridge repair will begin after Thanksgiving by Wildcat Construction. Projected completion by July 2016.  Armour Bikeway path is complete.  City staff met with officials from USD 259 to discuss traffic flow issues surrounding the new Southeast High School.  Staff is working to educate the public about right turns around bike lanes. New Business Wichita Center for the Arts, David Riffel, Lead Architect, Howard and Helmer Architects, presented a plan to relocate the Wichita Center for the Arts to the southwest corner of 13th and Rock Road. The architects presented a PowerPoint showing conceptual plans for a 38,000-40,000 square foot building with three distinct features: an art education area, an art gallery, and an event center. The architects are in the process of applying for a CUP amendment for the parcel of land that goes before MAPC on Dec.3. It is zoned correctly. They hope to have plan review by early summer 2016 and break ground by September 2016 with completion by the end of 2017. DAB members had some concern about traffic congestion at 13th and Rock. This has been addressed by having access drives a good distance from the intersection. Action Taken: Receive and file/provide feedback. Housing and Community Services Department: Mark Manning, Interim Director, presented a summary of currently funded programs and recommendations for FY 2016-2017 funding allocations for CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds. DAB members asked questions about the GRC process, who is being served, and provided feedback as to the importance of numerous funded programs. Action Taken: Receive and file/provide feedback.  Page |3 Housing and Community Services Department: Mark Manning, Interim Director, asked for a nomination of a District II Representative to the Grants Review Committee. The 14 GRC members are appointed annually by the City Council, and Housing and Community Services Department staff meet with them as they review applications from agencies who apply for HOME funds and proposals for ESG and CDBG Public Services programs. After review of the applications and proposals and public comments, the GRC makes recommendations to the City Council for HOME, ESG and CDBG funding for the next program year. GRC will meet three times in February 2016 to review applications: Feb 19, 23, and 29. The 2015-16 GRC representative from District II was David Babich. Action Taken: Jennifer Baysinger motioned to nominate David Babich. Nick Howell seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. Cost of Service Analysis for the Water and Sewer Utilities, Penny Feist, Senior Management Analyst with Public Works and Utilities, presented alternative rate structures for water and sewer utilities. She presented a spreadsheet showing the percent increase based on different scenarios. DAB members expressed concern that a 4.9% increase was too high and a $6.00 Lifeline isn’t much assistance to low income customers. Some members were also concerned that CH2M Hill couldn’t be objective because they are heavily invested in our system already. Citizen Russ Putaky briefly spoke in opposition to the contract of CH2M Hill. Penny explained that there are other utility bill assistant programs available. The national average increase is 5-6%. She also shared that out of the top 50 cities in population, Wichita has the 10th lowest residential water/sewer utility and 4th lowest commercial water/sewer utility. Action Taken: Receive and file/provide feedback. Board Agenda None Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. The next District II Advisory Board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2015, at Fire Station #20, 2255 S. Greenwich, Wichita, KS 67207.