District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 District III Advisory Board Minutes March 7, 2012 www.wichita.gov The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wichita Water Center at 101 E Pawnee; seven District Advisory Board members were in attendance; eight City staff and 11 members of the public were present. Members Present Jody Bennett Staff Present Terry Brewster Officer Shanna Cornwell, Patrol South Paul Davis Officer Nick Long, Patrol East Elena Ingle Harlan Bascombe, OCI Danny Johnson Capt. Robert Dusenbery Wendy Ratliff Bryan Jober, WFD David Robbins Lt. Clint Aaron, WFD Council Member James Clendenin Lt. Jose Ocadiz, WFD Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Services Members Absent Gay Quisenberry Guests Listed on the last page ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Council Member Clendenin called the meeting to order. Council Member Clendenin referred to the last meeting where the Capital Improvement Plan was presented. He said when he asked for a motion to close the meeting, he was under the impression everyone had been heard, and was in no way trying to stifle any dialogue. Elena Ingle jokingly said it would be hard for him to stifle his DAB members. Minutes from the Feb. 21, 2012, meeting were approved as submitted. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled items No scheduled items Non-Scheduled items Terry Brewster reported the procedure the Eagle has for stopping delivery of the unwanted flyers is not working. He said he called the contact person at the Eagle, as well as the contractor, and he still continues to receive the flyers. CM Clendenin said he would contact the Eagle. STAFF REPORTS Community Police Report Officer Shanna Cornwell, Beat 27 Patrol South, reported they are still seeing a large number of burglaries in the 24 and 25 beats, as well as larcenies downtown. Connie Klassen said for some reason the 28 Beat crime stats haven’t been in the newspaper and she wanted to know if that had anything to do with there being a vacant CP position there; Cornwell said no. Janet Johnson said she would check into why that might be happening. Larry Manny reported there have been a lot of kids riding illegal motor scooters in the street in the 1100 block of Alturas. Officer Cornwell said she would let the Beat 26 Officer know about it. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 Manny also said he was having a problem with barking dogs and when he called 911, they refused to send an Officer out. Officer Cornwell said Officers are only dispatched to those types of calls if the calling party is willing to sign a complaint; otherwise there is no action for the Officer to take. Paul Davis asked if the mail box thefts are happening everywhere, or are just confined to his neighborhood; Cornwell said it’s occurring all over town. Officer Nick Long, Beat 34 Patrol East, gave an update on the Gang Walk Against Violence slated for April 14 and encouraged everyone to participate. Elena Ingle said she has seen suspicious vehicles in her neighborhood that could be criminals scoping out potential burglary victims. Officer Long said there was recently an article in the newspaper about how citizens shouldn’t be making frivolous calls to 911, but he said suspicious character calls aren’t frivolous. He said citizens know who belongs in their neighborhood and who doesn’t, and they need to call when they see something suspicious. CM Clendenin said he recently met with 911 officials, after he had a negative experience calling, and he said they stressed to him they are trying to keep people from calling with what they consider non-emergency calls. CM Clendenin said he thinks these mixed messages are confusing citizens. Officer Long said he wished the Eagle would have given better examples on what to call in on. He said, for example, gang graffiti and suspicious characters are things that citizens should call on because police want to know. Things like abandoned cars in the street, vehicle break-ins with no suspects, and stolen license plates, are examples of things that can be called into a substation or case desk. Jody Bennett asked what Community Police Officers do when they are driving in a neighborhood and they see things like sofas and chairs dumped on the right of way? She said Mona Lane has gotten particularly bad in her area. Officer Long said police typically leave that type of complaint up to OCI, but if citizens don’t know how to get a hold of OCI, he said they can e-mail the information to their CP Officer and that person will pass it along. Janet Johnson also said she can route complaints to the appropriate inspector if citizens contact her. Lonnie Wright asked how the WPD Case Desk is listed in the phone book; Officer Long said he believed it was simply listed as Case Desk and then provided the number: 268-4221. Wichita Fire Department Report Acting Battalion Chief Robert Dusenbery talked about the fire hazards that the current windy and dry conditions are causing. He said something as simple as a small grass fire, can turn into a very hazardous and multi-structure situation when it is this brown and dry. He also reminded everyone this time of year it’s important to pay attention to the weather reports and heed any warnings. Lt. Clint Aaron reported year to date statistics included 30 fires (11 structure fires); 520 medical calls; and 99 service calls. He said of the 11 structure fires, five were accidental, four were intentional and two are undetermined. Lt. Jose Ocadiz introduced himself and told everyone he covers the area of the city South of Douglas for Fire Prevention. He said Fire Prevention is responsible for doing inspections at schools and daycares and they also do puppet shows for children on fire prevention. He said in February they did 8 puppet shows and he also mentioned that WFD will be participating in the Gang Walk. Wendy Ratliff wanted to know how to schedule a puppet show; Lt. Ocadiz said to call 268-4510. He also noted that Fire Prevention staff are available to do presentations at Neighborhood Association meetings and citizens can call that same number to schedule a presentation. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 He said WFD is currently accepting applications for the Citizen’s Fire Academy, which starts in May, and the application can be found online at the City’s website www.wichita.gov Lt. Ocadiz also stressed the importance of being safe during tornado season. He said it’s important to decide a head of time where your shelter is going to be and to make children aware of where it is in case children are home alone when bad weather strikes. He said if you don’t have a basement you should use an interior room with no windows, or a hallway with all the doors closed. Lt. Aaron said he wanted to follow up on what Officer Long had stated about 911 calls; he said it’s better to be safe than sorry and that WPD and WFD are here to serve the community, so if citizens feel like they should call 911, they should trust their instincts and call. Gerald Henry asked where the storm shelter is for the Hilltop area. Wendy Ratliff said since she works at Colvin Elementary, she has access to the building and she opens it for citizens in Planeview during inclement weather. Elena Ingle suggested Hilltop check with Via Christi. Capt. Dusenbery said he would check with Emergency Management to see if there is a list of public storm shelters. He also reminded everyone of the dangers associated with flash flooding. He said motorists need to be cognizant that if they cannot see the road (due to water) then they should turn around a look for a different route. Flooded out vehicles cause lots of challenges, he said. Action: Receive and file. NEW BUSINESS Special Olympics Steven Walters, District III citizen and member of Wichita Independent Special Olympics, explained that Special Olympics offer a myriad of different sports events for mentally and physically challenged athletes. These include track and field, basketball, swimming, teen and softball, just to name a few. He said Special Olympics athletes rely on sponsorships and special grants, and fund-raising efforts such as the Bowl- A-Thon, in order to participate. Walters said they are currently in the process of raising money for the State Basketball Tournament in Hays scheduled for March 15, 16 and 17. He said the money covers expenses such as bus rental, hotel rooms, meals and registration. Upcoming events include the State Track and Field meeting in June at WSU, the State Softball Tournament in July, Soccer and Bocce in September and State Volleyball and Bowling in November in Olathe. Walters said donations of any amount are very much appreciated. Terry Brewster said as a business owner he gets a lot of calls from organizations wanting donations, but Special Olympics is one that he is proud to donate to and he said he would like to sponsor Steven and some of his fellow athletes. Danny Johnson said he would also like to sponsor an athlete. Terry Brewster asked how many athletes $500 would help. Jan Hunt said “a lot.” Walters announced that last year his basketball team won the gold medal at the Hays State Tournament. Action: Receive and file 3  District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 Office of Central Inspection Harlan Bascombe, Supervisor for OCI, reported that the Office of Central Inspection is going through some significant changes. He said Superintendent Kurt Schroeder recently retired; they are working on a City/County merger, and are in the process of launching a new computer system. He said with budget reductions OCI has lost 25 percent of its Neighborhood Inspection staff and the resources to address tall, grass and weeds has also been drastically cut. Bascombe then reviewed 2011 statistics for Neighborhood Inspection. Danny Johnson wanted to know what types of cases NNE’s include; Bascombe said things like bulky waste, trash and inoperable vehicles. He explained that when a complaint is received, the Inspector will go out and verify it, send a 30 day notice and then if it isn’t fixed, the Inspector will either take it to court, or do an abatement. He said if it involves an out of state owner, abatement is the only option. Elena Ingle and Danny Johnson had some questions on the statistics provided – particularly the VNR statistics. Bascombe said the VNR portion is administered by another OCI supervisor and he wasn’t 100 percent sure how to interpret the statistics. Johnson said he felt the statistics were misleading because they didn’t appear to be accurate. Dave Robbins asked if Bascombe’s staff do inspections on new construction; Bascombe said no, OCI is divided into different sections and the “trades” section does those. Jody Bennett pointed out there are some cases in her neighborhood where the people are having a difficult time keeping up with their obligations and are struggling both financially and physically. Bascombe said Neighborhood Inspectors are encouraged to work with citizens and that OCI works with various neighborhood groups such as Love Wichita to get help for those homeowners. He also noted that some areas of the city qualify for Federal funds through the City’s Housing Department. Dave Robbins said he purchased two houses at tax sale and while rehabbing them he was cited by OCI. Bascombe asked if there were existing OCI cases on the properties when he purchased them; Robbins said he knows one of the properties had an open case. Bascombe said as long as improvements are being made to the property, the Inspectors will work with the owner and give them additional time to make the repairs. Robbins said some of the houses sold at the tax sale need to be condemned. Bascombe explained the condemnation process, which ultimately is determined by the City Council. Council Member Clendenin said when a condemnation case comes before the Council, they will sometimes give the owner an additional 30 to 60 days, but not always because typically it has been in the system for years by the time it gets to Council. In referring to the statistics provided, Paul Davis asked if only six inoperable vehicles were addressed in 2011; Bascombe said no, a lot of cases were started, but they are included in the NNE numbers, the six on the stat sheet are just the number that were towed. Davis also asked about the large number of illegal signs in City right of way. The question was also broached again about the ability of citizens to pick up illegal signs. Bascombe said the City Council has been discussing that topic. Council Member Clendenin said it can be a public safety issue. Bascombe pointed out that personnel from WPD, WFD and Public Works are also authorized to pick up illegal signs. Gerald Henry wanted to know if he could put up a Neighborhood Watch sign; Bascombe said, yes, those are authorized to be placed on City right of way. Jan Hunt said she thinks it would be a good idea if people who are required to do community service went around and picked up all the illegal signs. CM Clendenin said again, public safety could be an issue and 4  District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 there could be conflicts involved in that. Larry Manny said the Boy Scouts could be responsible for a certain area. CM Clendenin said safety is the primary concern. Connie Klassen asked how OCI classifies tree debris; Bascombe said it’s referred to as tree waste and would be a NNE case. Gerald Henry wanted to know what the process is for changing a City Ordinance; CM Clendenin said staff writes up the proposed change and thing it comes before Council for approval. Henry asked if the City couldn’t generate some revenue by fining irresponsible sign owners. Jody Bennett said the signs should be the responsibility of the business owners and the politicians and they should check on their signs regularly to make sure they are placed legally. Steven Walters wanted to know how to tell if a sign is placed legally; Bascombe said if it’s in the City right of way it is illegal and is the area between the sidewalk and the curb. If there is no sidewalk, he said it’s basically 14 ½ feet from the curb. Action: Receive and file UPDATES, ISSUES AND REPORTS Council Member Clendenin reported yesterday the City Council voted on two items that are important to District III – the Southfork TIF public hearing and the Epic Sports project. He said the Southfork TIF will be heard at the April 10 Council meeting and it is important for the supporters of the project to show up and make their voices heard. Epic Sports will be going into the old Coca-Cola facility. He said that business has grown about 40 percent every year and they project they will add about 28 jobs to the area. CM Clendenin said that is a very conservative estimate and more realistically expects to see around 70 jobs added over then next three years. These are positions that pay around $44,000 per year and Epic Sports is an “excellent” company to have in District III. Other items Council Member Clendenin covered: a couple of weeks ago the City Council heard a zoning change request in the Meadowlark neighborhood that did not pass the Council approved the Capital Improvement Plan yesterday; at one point, the high mark will be about $5 million above the recommended benchmark, but will then start coming back down in subsequent years the Council has not approved the golf plan yet, but they are looking at doing a temporary clubhouse structure at Clapp Terry Brewster said these people with illegal signs need to take responsibility and it’s ridiculous that the City Council won’t get with it and pass an ordinance to hold them responsible. Wendy Ratliff announced Colvin Elementary will participate in the Gang Walk Against Violence. Danny Johnson said government people shouldn’t make excuses about being understaffed – everyone is being asked to do more with less and when you talk about being understaffed it just sounds like an excuse for not doing your job. In reference to the Southfork TIF, Paul Davis wanted to know if activists can try and get it rescinded; CM Clendenin said no, but there are Council Members who paid close attention to the hotel vote. 5  District III Advisory Board Minutes for March 7, 2012 Tricia Epps wanted to know what the point of building new hotels is if you can’t fill the ones you have. CM Clendenin said at any given time, Wichita hotels are 60 percent full. That means, if we want to host a large convention or event, we only have 40 percent of the rooms to draw from and we end up sending people who are attending an event in Wichita to places like Derby, Hutchinson and El Dorado for hotel rooms. Elena Ingle announced she will be the guest speaker at the Meadowlark Neighborhood Association and she will be talking about the role of District Advisory Boards. Jody Bennett said with spring coming, she’s going to be walking around the neighborhood and she will be turning in problem properties to OCI. She also mentioned the LED light is going in at Hydraulic and 47th. Dave Robbins said regarding the hotel vote, he received at least five mailings against the project, not to mention all the illegally placed signs. He said it would be interesting to know who paid for all those. CM Clendenin said at some point that will probably be public information. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., April 4, 2012, at the Water Center at 101 E. Pawnee. Respectfully submitted, Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Assistant – District III Guests Connie Klassen Jan Hunt Steven Walters Pat White Trisha Epps Tom Strickland Betty Strickland Gerald Henry Lonny Wright Kathy Manny Larry Manny 6