District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 District III Advisory Board Minutes Sept. 5, 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; nine District Advisory Board members were in attendance; four City staff and 11 members of the public were present. Members Present Members Absent Jody Bennett Terry Brewster Paul Davis Elena Ingle Staff Present Danny Johnson Officer Ginny Wylie, Patrol South Gay Quisenberry Chief Tammy Snow, WFD Wendy Ratliff Officer Rebekah Johnson, Patrol East David Robbins Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Services Roger Smith Connie White Guests Council Member James Clendenin Listed on the last page ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Council Member Clendenin called the meeting to order. Minutes from the Aug. 1, 2012, meeting were approved as submitted. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled items No items Non-Scheduled items No items Action: Receive and file. STAFF REPORTS Community Police Report Officer Ginny Wylie, Beat 25 Patrol South, reported she and Officer Cavanaugh continue to address the issue of the homeless living under the Johnny Mack Bridge. She said they have given them until next Wednesday to move their belongings. After that date, Public Works will be clearing the area. She also reported the police have two people in custody and have recovered the car, related to the homicide of the 8- year-old girl at the Oaks Danny Johnson asked if she knew what police were doing in the 3200 block of S. Gold yesterday using what appeared to be surveying equipment; Wylie said she didn’t know. Pat Brozek asked what could be done about the drug trafficking on South Broadway and voiced some additional concerns. CM Clendenin asked to speak to Ms. Brozek after the meeting to discuss her concerns further. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 Jody Bennett said she had recently been a victim of theft twice. Someone broke into her garage and stole toilet paper and paper towels and then she hired a guy to clean his gutters and his girl friend wanted to use the bathroom and while in the house stole some jewelry. Officer Rebekah Johnson, Beat 32 Patrol East, reported Officers are working diligently to address a vandalism trend of tire slashing that has been occurring in 35 and 36 Beat areas. Dave Robbins asked if making the issue more public would help; Johnson said it has been on television and Officers have passed out around 300 neighborhood flyers, hoping an observant citizen will see something suspicious and call it in. Council Member Clendenin wanted to know if there are any established Neighborhood Watch groups in these areas; Johnson said she didn’t know for sure. Dave Robbins said probably not, because the areas have in the past been pretty much crime free. He also noted that the person who was stealing all the copper was recently sentenced for his crimes and all he got was probation. He said it seems like police have to do an awful lot of work to catch these guys, and then they are just turned back loose on the streets. Officer Johnson also announced that Halloween in the Park at Edgemoor Park is slated for Oct. 26th and Patrol East welcomes candy donations. Roger Smith asked if Officer Johnson knew about an incident that occurred around the middle of August where some guy was jumping fences and acting suspicious in the area of Mt. Vernon and Fabrique; she did not have any information on this. Officer Wylie reminded everyone that Celebrate Safe Communities (formerly National Night Out) will be celebrated on Oct. 2nd. Wichita Fire Department Report Chief Tammy Snow reported District III saw an increase in fire responses during July, compared to a year ago. The month recorded 66 fires, 18 of them being structure fires, 540 medical calls and 159 service calls. She was able to report fire investigations for the month of August. These included  1706 S. St. Francis – camping lantern fell on a love seat and caused about $2,000 in damages  2801 S. Hillside – Joyland – had an arson in a maintenance building that did $10,000 in structural damage and $8,000 in content damage  4964 E. Lincoln – arson possibly started by disgruntled previous tenants  2244 S. Washington, vacant house being re-modeled - $60,000 in damage She also announced that Fire Department held its annual medals day on Aug. 23rd and they very much appreciated Council Member Clendenin’s attendance. CM Clendenin said it was a very moving ceremony with many amazing and heroic stories, and he was proud to attend. Chief Snow announced another exciting development that took place in August – the implementation of something called the Cardiac Pit Crew, which is a new way of doing CPR. While it’s still way too early to tell what the results will be, she said initial indications look great. In August the Fire Department responded to 15 calls where the victim appeared to be in cardiac arrest – of those 10 were saved. She explained the Fire Department uses a bench mark called a ―save ratio‖ and they are optimistic this number will go up with the implementation of the Cardiac Pit Crew. She went on to explain that in the past Fire Department staff that had the exact same credentials as EMS, were not allowed to perform all of the functions that EMS does. The rules have now changed, so that WPD staff that is properly credentialed will be able to immediately administer life-saving measures when they arrive on scene, and not have to wait for EMS. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 Gay Quisenberry said she lives in Hilltop on Bayley and a couple of weeks ago she heard an explosion and when she went outside to investigate discovered a grass fire. She said the Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, but since that time she has heard two similar explosions. She wanted to know if Chief Snow has heard of any other similar incidents. Chief Snow said it’s hard to say what it could be; it could be something like kids experiments with explosives, or any number of other things. She did note that the Wichita Fire Department has excellent fire investigators. She said the National solve rate for arson is around 30% and our investigators have a success rate close to 75%. Officer Wylie asked if Chief Snow had any statistics from the July 4th holiday. Chief Snow reported that on July 3 and 4, the Fire Department responded to the following calls that were fireworks related:  59 fires (eight structure fires)  1 vehicle fire  44 grass fires There was an estimated $210,300 worth of damage caused; 70 people sought medical attention (the youngest being 1 year old and the oldest 71) and of those 20 were female and 50 were males. Paul Davis told Chief Snow that he and DAB member Elena Ingle both attended the medals ceremony and he found it to be very inspirational. Action: Receive and file. NEW BUSINESS Mother Mary Anne Clinic Dave Sanford, Chief Executive Officer, explained that the clinic provides affordable health care to the uninsured and the underinsured. He gave a brief history on GraceMed and on the Mother Mary Anne Clinic. He said since GraceMed took over the clinic from Via Christi, it has moved across the street to 1131 S. Clifton, and the hours are now Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sanford said one of the major gaps in service in the community was dental care, so the clinic now provides emergency dental care Monday through Thursday. He said GraceMed is very aware that there is a need for medical and dental services in the community and they want to establish clinics at four more schools (including Jardine Middle School). Danny Johnson said as an employee of the Department for Children and Family Services, he appreciates GraceMed’s commitment to the community. He said several years ago SRS quit covering dental care and GraceMed really stepped up to fill that void. Connie White said she is a retired physician’s assistant and she remembers how hard it was to find dental care for uninsured patients. Sanford said GraceMed is able to offer a full array of dental services at their main clinic at 1122 N. Topeka St. Jody Bennett also expressed her gratitude and said she has referred a number of people to GraceMed. She asked about regular appointments outside the realm of emergencies; Sanford said they want to be a ―medical home‖ for underserved citizens. Dave Robbins asked about how the sliding fee scale works; Sanford said basically, someone at the 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (a family of four making $18,400 per year) would pay $25 for a doctor visit. 3  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 Gay Quisenberry asked if the Clinic is at capacity yet; Sanford said their population is always changing, so he would say no; however, there is a wait for non-emergency medical and dental appointments. Connie White wanted to know how the clinic is staffed; Sanford explained they are actual employees of GraceMed. He said staff there doesn’t generate the income they would in private practice, but they work there because they are ―mission oriented.‖ Council Member Clendenin asked if it would be possible to tour the clinic; Sanford said yes. Rep. Geraldine Flaherty said she was very pleased to hear they are working on opening a clinic in Oaklawn and she asked if they receive any United Way funding; Sanford said no, due to the fund-raising restrictions they impose. Action: Receive and file Lights on the River Brian Nelson, RiverCity WRAPS (Watershed Restoration Assessment Planning Strategy), presented information on a new community event they are working on. He said will be a family-friendly event that highlights Wichita’s best natural asset each holiday season – the Arkansas River. The annual river parade will feature a variety of floating boats decorated from bow to stern with festive holiday lights. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1. Parade boats will travel north from the Kellogg Bridge and turn around at the Keeper of the Plains. Along the banks, spectators will enjoy holiday music, food and warm beverages. He said they are also hoping to feature a fireworks display. Nelson said the purpose of the event is to bring awareness to water quality issues and bring residents down to the river to enjoy all the benefits a clean river has to offer. Any proceeds from the event will go back into water quality efforts. He said they are currently seeking volunteers to help with the event and anyone interested can call 285— 2775. To enter a decorated boat, visit the web site at www.lightsontheriverwichita.com to learn more and fill out the registration form. There is a $35 registration fee and it must be paid before Nov. 19. Action: Receive and file Kansas Aviation Museum Lon Smith, Executive Director, gave a brief history of the museum and the building it is housed in. He said the Aviation Museum is home to around 2.5 million artifacts, which is quite impressive for a museum this size. He said the Museum has about 150 volunteers – 50 of which come in on a daily or weekly basis. Smith gave a PowerPoint presentation that featured the improvements that have been made to the building/museum, volunteers working and some of the exhibits. He said the Museum is in desperate need of heating, air-conditioning, an elevator and ADA compliant restrooms. He explained that the improvements will cost around $1.4 million and he approached the City Council a couple of years ago asking for $300,000 in seed money. He said the City Council refused, and this was very confusing to him; because a city that calls itself the Air Capital of the World should probably at least have a museum that has heating and air conditioning. He said Council Member Clendenin has been very supportive, but he’s only one vote. He asked for the DAB’s support. Jody Bennett asked if the architecture was art deco; Smith said yes, it’s Indian art deco, and one of only 12 buildings in the world that still exists. Bennett also wanted to know how aggressive Smith has been in 4  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 asking for support from the local aircraft industry. He said he has been very aggressive and that the local industry is very supportive operationally, but feels that the City should kick in on the building because it belongs to the City. Gay Quisenberry asked when the next big fund-raiser is; Smith said the car show is this Saturday, the golf tournament (which is sold out) is slated for Oct. 1st and the Gala at the Scottish Rite is slated for Nov. 8 and tickets are still available for that. Paul Davis asked if the museum has an oral history component; Smith said yes, and some of it can be viewed on their website. Action: Receive and file UPDATES, ISSUES AND REPORTS Roger Smith asked what the City Council and CM Clendenin think about fluoride in the water; CM Clendenin said it will be on the November ballot for voters to decide. Dave Robbins thanked CM Clendenin and the City for the upgrade to the intersection at Woodlawn and Harry. He said it’s a great improvement. Jody Bennett asked about the status of the South Broadway Bridge; CM Clendenin said they are still in the property acquisition stage, the historical house will be moved, and Gary Janzen will be at the October DAB meeting to provide an update. Elena Ingle announced Grandview Heights will have their neighborhood clean up on Sept. 15. She said she also informed the neighborhood association about the plans for the intersection at Mt. Vernon and Oliver. She didn’t receive any objections about it becoming a 3 lane, but people were not enthused about the bike lanes. Connie White reported Fairfax will hold their neighborhood clean up on Sept. 29. Council Member Clendenin showed the proposed redistricting map and thanked Dave Robbins for his service on the Commission. He also announced that the illegal sign project was approved and the City is in the process of signing up volunteers. Training dates will be Sept. 22 and Oct. 4. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 3, 2012, at the Water Center at 101 E. Pawnee. Respectfully submitted, Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Assistant – District III 5  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Sept. 5, 2012 Guests Connie Klassen Jim Gulick Tom Strickland Betty Strickland Pat Brozek Tresha Epps Vaughn Fox Dave Sanford Brian Nelson Chad Roush Lon Smith 6